The Art Village

The grounds on which the Art village is built and therefore the Village itself are closely related to local history. Tunbung, that means in Mandinka “our old settlement” and refers to the place as a heritage land. The people of Tujering, which lies close to Tunbung, used to settle here until they moved about one hundred years ago. When you enter the art village you can immediately feel the Spirit of Tunbung, a spirit of local knowledge inspired by the environment. Through creativity and reading this positive advantages of nature, the spirit of the village has been revealed. The Spirit of Tunbung is also a development of local knowledge through a constant exchange of the knowledge between people, locals and visitors. In this way the village and the art created there are an interpretation of the old local knowledge in a modern way. The trees, mud houses and plants are also a very important part of this spirit, as they themselves are an installation and a symbol that shows how the environment and culture can be cooperated to become a source of creativity. As a visitor you can take an interactive part of Tunbung. You can participate in workshops, stay in the mud houses, visit the Palm tree-gallery or the Rain house or just lay in a hammock under one of the big trees. The history of Tunbung Art Village The first people to settle this land were the Jabon people, followed by the Bojang people. The first settlers came around 300 years ago, when there was no administration in the area. The nearest administration was the queen of the neighboring Sanyang village. When the Bojang people settled, they heard the jinjung drum, played for queens and kings, being played in the evenings or every fortnight. From this, they realized there must be royalty around. The Bojang people did not want to settle the land without informing the administration of their presence, and so they went to the queen to officially announce themselves. The queen accepted their settlement and granted them permission to stay. After this, the Jabons also decided to visit the queen. The queen told the Jabon people that they too could settle the land, but that the Bojang people would be responsible because they had been first to approach the queen for permission. Because of this, the Bojang people became the administrative head of the village, a tradition that continues today. Although there have been some small disputes in the area, the Bojang voice is generally respected and heard, and the people have lived harmoniously for most of their history. The first settlements were made near what is now the Tujereng Junior Secondary School, in what was known as the Mafende village. The name “Tujereng” comes from the Mandinka Tugeh, which means, “leave them forever.” This name originates from the historical granting of administrative power to the Bojang people, because they approached the queen before the Jabon people, even though the Jabon people settled first. The people then moved to settle the Tunbonto (or Tunbontu) village, which means “our former settlement,” and then further to their present settlements. As the land has become more populated, people have returned back to the original settlements near the Tujereng school; today, both old and new settlements are occupied. Three major clans are traditional to the Tugereng area: the Jabon Kundah, the Bojang Kundah, and the Morri Kundah. The Morri Kundah arrived last to the area, bringing with them the tradition of Islam. Before the Morri Kundah arrived, the people followed various pagan traditions, worshipping diverse ideologies. Today, most of the Imams, who handle the religious matters of the village, are from the Morri Kundah. Trees and Tradition Each clan has a sacred Baobab tree (Sito) associated with it, used for traditional circumcision ceremonies: the Jabon Kundah Sito, the Tamba Kundah SIto, and the Moro Kundah Sito. During these ceremonies, the boys and girls of the village would stay in the bush near the tree for three months, where they were schooled in African culture and society. All local norms and values, everything about tradition and humanity, were taught at this time. For these three months, the children were isolated from the village and not allowed to see even their own families. Afterwards, the festivities that celebrated the return of these new adult members of society also took place near the clan’s sacred Baobab tree. These trees are still respected today because they were so sacred to traditional society, and no one is allowed to fence them in. Baobab trees were widely planted because they were so useful to the first settlers. Because these trees store a lot of water, they can survive even the toughest climate conditions. Even today, when you cut a branch off a Baobab tree, it may take up to 4-5 years before it fully dies, and you may see the branch bear leaves when the rains come. There is one tree near the entrance to Tunbung Art Village which fell many years ago, but its trunk appears to have attempted to regerminate itself. Today, you can see grasses growing from the trunk of this tree, demonstrating its ability to continue to host life from its roots. Baobab trees serve many purposes. The fruit they bear can be eaten, and their stems can be used as ropes (an essential component to traditional houses). In addition, Baobab roots serve medicinal purposes, and their leaves can be eaten for nutritional value. The leaves were especially important to the first settlers, for whom leaves (from the Baobab and other plants) composed up to 80 percent of their diet. These leaves can be dried and pounded into powder, for use in various soups and also in cous, a traditional grain of the area. Trees also play an important role in traditional local legends. For example, one tree, known as the Tabo tree, is associated with spirits and is still respected today as an area not to be disturbed. Another tree, known as Kembundingato, holds extreme historical significance. This Mahogany tree used to be the sight of what is known as “black prayer,” when the people would pray with their palms down, facing the ground (rather than the traditional way of praying with palms up towards the sky). People would gather all around this tree to pray when a member of their village had been hurt by somebody (for example, if somebody’s property had been stolen). According to legend, these prayers would bring frustration and harm to the person who had wronged the member of their village. Although the tree has fallen, its stump is still present and can be seen today, near the entrance of Tunbung Art Village. It is not disturbed by local residents, who still believe in the power of the tree to bring suffering to the enemies of those who pray there. The practice of black prayer around Kembundingato was stopped when Islam was introduced into the villages by the Morri Kundah. According to Islamic tradition, such prayers of vengeance are not allowed, as punishments of this sort are left to God’s will. Some Local Legends The Tunbung end of the village, where Tunbung Art Village is located, is known as a blessed place with nice, friendly, and gentle spirits. These spirits live harmoniously with the local people, and are not considered destructive like some spirits in other areas. According to legend, spirits once gave a local village man a very large sum of money, with strict instructions not to show anyone the money or even mention the gift to anybody else. The man, frightened by being given such a large gift, violated the spirits’ word and ran home to call on a respected elder of the village, his landlord, for advice. Together the man and his elder went back to the place where the spirits had approached him with the money. As they got close, however, the money disappeared. It is now believed that this money will one day come back, but never to an indigenous member of the village. Instead, legend holds that the money will be granted to someone from outside the village who comes to settle the land. No one knows who this person will be or when the gift will be given, but it can be expected that one day a new settler will be very fortunately blessed by the spirits of the land! Local legend also holds sacred a place near the beach, Fandatintin. Known as “place of spirits,” it is said that at the end of traditional circumcision ceremonies, when everyone would go to bathe at the beach, they would see spirits at the other end of the water, performing the same acts. According to legend, when the beach at this place sounds stormy noises, it is a sign that some indigenous person will die within 2-3 hours. This practice continues today, and the local people know that when they hear Fandatintin sound, something is happening to a member of their village. Why Was Tunbung Abandoned? Although local residents maintain that Tunbung is a blessed place, it remains a mystery as to why it was abandoned by its first settlers. Several versions of this mysterious retreat are offered, depending on who is asked. Which version is true? Perhaps that knowledge is left only to the spirits of the land, but we can decide for ourselves which story we’d like to believe. One version of the story tells of a huge fish, perhaps a whale, which washed up on the beach near Tunbung Village. The village people celebrated and enjoyed feasting on this fish, but afterwards they all got very sick with diarrhea. Some people believe that because the people got so sick, they decided the village had been cursed by evil spirits, and so they left to settle new land. Another tale, perhaps more plausible, is that some mysterious illness swept through the village, killing newborn babies who were too weak to overcome it. The village people, not understanding that a certain disease was infecting them, became convinced that the spirits had cursed the land so that no infant could be born there. The people therefore moved to find a new place to settle, where they would be able to survive and reproduce in peace.