Maize and the Mande Myth

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to evaluate the evidence offered by the Mande myth and tribal traditions for the introduction into western Africa of the American maize plant at a date long before the birth of Columbus. The Mande have a myth in which maize travels from west to east down the Niger to Lake Debo near Timbuktu, on the "buckle of the Niger." This myth occurs among numerous tribes widely scattered in the western Sudan. Evidence from the tribal histories of migrations, traditions, maize names, and archaeological remains among the Akan, Ga, Egbo, Yoruba, and other Gold Coast tribes indicates that they obtained maize from the "buckle of the Niger" at a date long before the discovery of America by Columbus. Thus it appears that maize need not have come to western Africa with the Portuguese. In support of this argument, it is shown that the Portuguese themselves claim to have brought maize from Africa to Portugal before Columbus had discovered America. Next, evidence is presented that tends to refute another argument for Portuguese introduction of maize, one that can be summarized as follows: Many Negro names for white men centre on a p-t stem; this p-t occurs in the word"Portugal"; therefore, the p-t names for white men derive from the p-t stem, the Portuguese must have introduced maize. It is shown that the Negro was well acquainted with eastern whites, especially with Arabs, long before he met western whites. It is also shown that p-t stem names were used by the Negro to ind…