Text
This monologue was recorded in Timbuktu in 1986. It describes the 1840 battle of
Toya in which Tuaregs defeated a force from the Fula “Empire™ which had its capital in
Hamdallahi (near Mopti). The named personages are Sékou Amadou, the Fula leader in
Hamdallahi, and Amadou Sambourou Kolado, who died at Toya. See Sanankoua
(1990) for the historical background. Comments and section references are added in
parentheses after the relevant lines.
surgu di yo saa di kaa na i Sinti— i hisa ka din
Tuareg Def Pl time Def Rel @ 3PIS begin— 3PIS do-much Inf take
The Tuaregs, when they began—. They took a great deal of
(saa di kaa (na) ... ‘when..’, §8.3.6; scrial verb hisa ka ... §9.7.6)
gandoo  alkaasu, i faraa-ndi gi nda laamu, i din
this-land tax, 3PIS suffer-Caus 3PIO with rule, 3PIS take
this land’s taxes, they oppressed them (=local people) with their iron rule. They took
(gandoo §4.2.2)
alkaasu di hal i Hisa ka faraa-ndi boro di yo,
tax Def until 3PIS do-much Inf suffer-Caus person Def PI
taxes to the point that they oppressed the people very much.
saa di i hantum i se i koy hamdallaay,
time Def 3PIS write 3P1 Dat 3PIS go  Hamdallahi
So, they (=people) wrote to them (=distant leaders). They went to Hamdallahi (a town).
(saa di, very end of §8.4.3)
i har seecku  se a ma faaba ngi-ye  nda—,
3PIS say Sékou Dat 35gS Subju help  LogoPlO with—,
They, told (=asked) S€kou (=a leader) to help them, with—,
(jussive §9.6.3; logophoric pronoun coindexed with quoted speaker §10.1.1-2; syntax
of faaba ‘help’ end of §9.7.3)
ka yenje surgu di yo, seeku, a gar ngu wane taalib foo
Inf fight Tuareg Def Pl, Sékou, 3SgS find 3ReflSgPoss pupil one
(help them) fight the Tuaregs. Sékou, he found one of his (own) pupils
(a gar.... often with abstract subject §6.1.1, §9.5.9, but here = Sékou)
kaa se i-i har ‘aamadu samburu koolado dursudi’,
Rel Dat 3PIS-Impf say ‘Amadou Sambourou Kolado Dursudi’
whom they called ‘Amadou Sambourou Kolado Doursoudi’,
(dative relative with fronted postposition §8.3.3)