Sunjata

Embedded within the Mande culture is a focus on the oral tradition. While this is a mode of preserving culture, it also leads to adaptation and perhaps variations in the story. Considering the work "Sunjata: A West African Epic," the origin of the bride carrying tradition is explained, though it perhaps has changed or has alternative meanings in other cultures.

The maltreatment of Sogolon Conde is indicative of the shallowness and pettiness of focusing on outer appearance. Those escorting her to her groom are concerned that she will get dust on them and so entreat her "Walk well./ Do not put us in the dust;" however, upon realizing she cannot alter her walking, they decide to carry her ("Sunjata" lns. 761-762). Without context, the act of carrying someone seems humble and generous; the motives based upon the tale seem selfish. As the wives carry Sogolon Conde, her head wrap falls off, exposing her bald head, and this leads to more ridicule. The wives sign "heron-head," and the reader is told "this offended Sogolon Conde" ("Sunjata" 782. 784). Similar to the antiquated idea that marriage is the submission of woman's will to her husband, being carried to the marriage mimics this loss of volition. Additionally, the communal aspect of participating in the marriage reinforces the sense that marriages are a social event; though the union is between two people, it involves the community. Similar to oral history, the community must be involved to sustain the tradition.

Another cultural wedding tradition is that of handfasting, typically attributed to Celtic origin. There is symbolism in the tying of hands to bond two into one; the difference is that in earlier times this could be seen as a trial union, one where after a year and a day, the couple could either continue together or part ways. Handfasting is more like a transaction or business deal whereby the couple enters into an understanding with terms and conditions. Traditional unions are intended to be permanent, however the potential for couples to re-evaluate their relationship seems surprisingly modern. Alternately, there is a potential for the more negative perception of the fallen woman, if she is united to a man and then left after intimacy. Culture has evolved to the point that this stigma is far lessened, but one can only question how the woman would fare after breaking the union during the early times of handfasting.