Wolosodon
1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . .
BREAK @ . T T . T T . T T . .
1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . .
JEMBE S . T S . B S . T S . B
^
1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . .
JEMBE T . T . . S B . . S . B >>
T . . T . S B . . S . B
1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . .
Ench S S T S S T S S T S S T >> x times
S S T S S T S S T S . .
1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . .
KENKENI B . B . . . B . B . . .
1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . .
DUNUBA B . B . . M . . M . . B >>
B . . B . . M . . M . .
ENDING (var)
1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . .
S . T . S . T . S . T . S . . .
[SSSS]. [SSS].. B B . B . B B . with duns
BALLET 2ND DOUNS
1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . .
S S . D . D . . . . . S >> shaker on beat or 2 & 4
S . . S . . S S . S . . >>
S S . D . D . . . . . . >>
D D . . D . . D . . . . >>
Cultural Significance
HansCamp North 2017 © Hans Sutton
Jon means slave (sometimes translated as serf) in Maninkakan and Bamanakan; woloso means “house-born” – a house slave, born to a slave owned by the household, who would have had a higher status than other slaves.
Slaves were commonly taken in warfare between different groups, so a freeborn (horon) could become a jon.
In theory, members of the artisan castes (the numu blacksmiths, garanké leatherworkers, and jeli musicians/orators) would never have been enslaved as their artisan status set them apart.
The rhythms Wolosodon and Jondon (literally slave-dance) were played in the slaves’ honour and for them to dance to. Some of the dance movements are very provocative, and early European explorers were shocked by the slave dancing that they saw.
Today, some people in Mali would still trace their ancestry back to jon or woloso origins, and the dances are sometimes performed at celebrations. In Bamako, the Bamana, Maninka and Khassonka ethnic groups all play versions of the Woloso and Jon rhythms.