Utenzi wa Mwana Kupona

Permanent Link:

http://digital.soas.ac.uk/LOAA000078/00001

Material Information

Title:

Utenzi wa Mwana Kupona

Series Title:

Hichens Collection

Physical Description:

Mixed Material

Language:

Swahili

Creator:

Mwana, Kupona, 1810-1860, 1810-1860

Publication Date:

1858

Materials:

Paper ( medium )

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:

Islam
Swahili poetry
Gender roles
Marriage
Religious belief
Religious practice
Social structure
Women's education
Mwana Heshima binti Sheikh
Uislamu
Kiswahili mashairi
Majukumu ya kijinsia
Ndoa
Imani za kidini
Mazoezi ya kidini
Muundo wa kijamii
Elimu ya wanawake

Genre:

Poetry (Utenzi)
Utenzi (poetic form)

Spatial Coverage:

Africa -- Kenya -- Lamu -- Shela -- Pate Island
Africa -- Kenya -- Lamu -- Pate -- Pate Island
Africa -- Kenya -- Lamu -- Lamu

Coordinates:

-2.269444 x 40.902222
-2.1 x 41.05

Notes

General Note:

First lines of manuscript: Negema wangu binti, mchachefu wa sanati, upulike wa siati, asaa ukazingatiya

General Note:

Mistari ya kwanza ya hati: Negema wangu binti, mchachefu wa sanati, upulike wa siati, asaa ukazingatiya

General Note:

Physical characteristics: In red and black ink on ruled paper, in a blue exercise book

General Note:

Mwana, Kupona, 1810-1860 = Mwana Kupona Binti Msham

General Note:

Biographical history: Mwana Kupona binti Msham, 1790-1860, was a native of Pate who lived in Lamu. She married Bwana Mataka, who belonged to an old Siu family; he was the son of Sheikh Baraka bin Muhammadi bin Omari. On her deathbed, Mwana Kupona dictated her poem to her only daughter, for whose instruction it was composed. Her daughter, who was known in Lamu as Mwana Heshima binti Sheikh, lived from 1841 to 1933.

General Note:

1858 A.D. (Gregorian calendar) = 1275 A.H. (Hijri calendar)

General Note:

Poetic form = Utenzi

General Note:

Handwritten manuscript

General Note:

Swahili text inscribed in Arabic script

General Note:

Relevant publications: Allen, J.W.T. 1971. Tendi. London: Heinemann Educational, pp. 55-78. Biersteker, Ann. 1991. Language, poetry and power: a reconsideration of Utendi wa Mwana Kupona. In Faces of Islam in African Literature, ed. by Kenneth Harrow, pp. 59-77. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann; and London: James Currey. Harries, Lyndon. 1962. Swahili Poetry. Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp. 70-86. Hichens, William and Alice Werner. 1934. Advice of Mwana Kupona upon the Wifely Virtue. Medstead, Hampshire: Azania Press. Sheikh, Amina Abubakar and Ahmed Sheikh Nabhany (eds). 1972. Utendi wa Mwana Kupona na Utendi wa Ngamia na Paa. (Sanaa Ya Utungo I). Nairobi: Heinemann. Mulokozi, M.M. 1999. Tenzi Tatu za Kale. University of Dar-es-Salaam Press. Khatib, M.S. 1985. Utenzi wa Mwana Kupona. Mulika, 17, 46-52. Senkoro, F.E. M. K. 1988. Mwana Kupona Nana: Utenzi wa Mwana Kupona. In Ushairi: Nadharia na Tahakiki. Dare-es-Salaam University Press Werner, Alice. 1917. The Utendi of Mwana Kupona. Harvard African Studies 1: 147-181.

General Note:

See also SOAS manuscript MS 53508c

General Note:

Scope and content: This manuscript of the Utenzi wa Mwana Kupona differs significantly from the version published by J.W.T. Allen (1971). The scribe utilises Arabic script without the modifications that are sometimes used to designate consonants (such as 'p' and 'v') and vowels absent in Arabic. Because some words cannot be represented precisely, familiarity with the utenzi and comparison with another version of the poem may assist the reader.

Funding:

Digitised with funding from the Leverhulme Trust.

Record Information

Source Institution:

SOAS, University of London

Holding Location:

Archives and Special Collections

Rights Management:

This item is in the public domain. Please use in accord with Creative Commons license: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA). High resolution digital master available from SOAS, University of London - the Digital Library Project Office.

Resource Identifier:

soas manuscript number - MS 34882

System ID:

LOAA000078:00001