ABSTRACT

The Mandenkan narration implies the end of all subsistence activities and of all liturgical dramas that support and ensure their existence. These are the elements that embody concern for the continuation of life. Subsistence activities drive human beings to such a close bond with the world that there is no backing out, no space between ourselves and the world. Ritual dramas use these elements to mystify death and grant us access to an eternity that does not require us to shed our bodies or to step out of the river of time.