Silê Sadio, the First Silatigi
Fulɓe pastoral initiatory tradition · mortal · Fulɓe pastoral initiatory tradition traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Silê Sadio (also Soulé, a diminutive of Souleymane/Solomon) is the archetypal first silatigi, the pastoral master-initiate of Fulani tradition. In the Koumen text, transmitted by the initiation-master Arɗo Dembo of Ndilli in the Ferlo of Senegal, he progresses through twelve successive 'clearings' of knowledge under the guidance of the bearded dwarf bush-spirit Koumen and his companion Foroforondou, learning the structure of the elements, of space and of time. His journey furnishes the paradigmatic pattern for every subsequent initiation of the herders.
Domains
- pastoral initiation
Powers
- to pass through the twelve clearings of pastoral knowledge
Relations
- subordinate to: Koumen, the Bush-Spirit Master of HerdersSilê Sadio is the disciple of the bush-spirit Koumen, who guides him stage by stage through his pastoral initiation.Amadou Hampâté Bâ & Germaine Dieterlen, Koumen: Texte initiatique des pasteurs peul, Cahiers de l'Homme, Mouton & Cie, Paris, 1961. (secondary)
- subordinate to: Foroforondou, Mistress of the MilkHe is nourished and instructed by Foroforondou, mistress of the milk and companion of Koumen.Amadou Hampâté Bâ & Germaine Dieterlen, Koumen: Texte initiatique des pasteurs peul, Cahiers de l'Homme, Mouton & Cie, Paris, 1961. (secondary)
Sources
- Silê Sadio is the mythic first silatigi (master-initiate) of the Fulani pastoralists, whose initiation by Koumen is the model narrated in the Koumen text.: Amadou Hampâté Bâ & Germaine Dieterlen, Koumen: Texte initiatique des pasteurs peul, Cahiers de l'Homme, Mouton & Cie, Paris, 1961. (secondary); C. Edward Hopen, review of 'Koumen: Texte initiatique des Pasteurs Peul' by A. Hampaté Bâ and G. Dieterlen, American Anthropologist, vol. 64, no. 4, 1962, pp. 872–873. (secondary)