The Younger Brother and the Stranger : In Search of a Status Discourse for Mande

This article examines different categories of expression genealogies family historiesthemes from the Sunjata epic principles of segmentation labour division in Mandeand proves that they all develop along lines of predictability and are therefore productsof the same discourse It is argued that genealogies are artificial kinship constructionswhich represent status claims Any genealogy in Mande is operative only in specificcontext as an argument in struggle for interpretation and thus the usual positivistchronological interpretation of genealogies is contested The relationship oldest/youngest in particular serves to express unity and tension in diplomatic relations betweensocial groups and relationship has been articulated politically in functional way inrelation to other oppositions such as mobile/immobile interior/exterior This statusdiscourse is illustrated by the discussion on the position of the rulers of Kangaba thealleged ancient capital of the Mali empire