Here’s a second tale from the Menik community of the village of Bandafassi, in the East of Senegal. We’re back around the fire with the children and Aminata Camara, spinning a spindle as she tells her story.

This is still a world where animals speak as well as humans, and where they experience a hundred adventures that’ll leave some of us with lessons to dwell.

The main character this time is a hyena, Tama, hopping from one misfortune to the other, first swindled by yellow birds, and then embarked on some odd story with a hippo and a hare… Definitely not for the faint of heart; please experience outside meals.

See Bedik tale 1: “the orphan avenged by the forest”

See Bedik tale 3: “the monkey who turned into a young woman”

See Bedik tale 4: “the young girl who wanted to drink beer”

Linguist: Adjaratou Oumar Sall
Image & sound: Muriel Lutz assisted by Cheikh Tidiane Sall
Translation: Marcel Camara
Editing: Caroline Laurent

Video created within the ANR Sénélangues project

Reminder: Menik is a Niger-Congo language (North Atlantic branch, West Atlantic group, Tenda subgroup). It separates into three dialects: Banapas, Biwol and Bëñolo. The filming took place in Bandafassi, area of Kedougou, in Banapas dialect. An endangered language, Bapen, older that Menik, was discovered in 1961 by linguist Marie-Paul Ferry. This language could very well be the “mother” of the Menik and Oniyan (Bassari) languages. Our filming took place in Bandafassi, area of Kedougou, in Banapas dialect.

In 2002, the Christian NTM (New Tribes Mission) missionaries, who were the second to work on the language, estimated 3,380 Bedik were living in Senegal at the time.

With a few thousand speakers at the most, Menik can clearly be considered endangered on a relatively short term. However, it has been observed that the language is still being handed down to the young generations despite the fact that a majority of people in these villages speaks fluent Fula, Mandinka (Malinké) and French, used daily.

Speakers of Menik, although perfectly accustomed to the environing culture and bearing a great sense of adaptability to the languages they’re in contact with, are linked with a strong feeling of identity that protects their language.

For more information on Menik

See an introduction to Menik