Dried Millet Breaking

Time, Words, and Song in the Woi Epic of the Kpelle

By: Ruth Stone

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Hardcover | 1 January 1988

At a Glance

Hardcover
180 Pages

Age
22+

Grade
17+

Dimensions(cm)
23.5 x 15.88 x 1.91

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"Dried millet breaking," sung by the bard at the end of one episode of this Woi epic of the Kpelle people of Liberia, represents a formula that breaks the flow of events and introduces the epic's complex temporal scaffolding. Examining the singing, narration, dramatic performance, instrumental accompaniment, and timing of the Woi epic, Ruth M. Stone reveals that the Kpelle show time flux through changing timbres, motion, and spatial metaphors in ways fundamentally different from those of much Western art music. In this illuminating study Stone moves beyond typical genre studies of African music to shed light on broader questions of music's relationship to areas of culture often ignored.

Industry Reviews

"Dried Millet Breaking is a commendable piece of work that should be of interest to a range of scholars in anthropology and other disciplines." - American Anthropologist "Among its many virtues, this book contains excellent examples of the special qualities of African perceptions of both the temporal and spiritual worlds." - International Journal of African Historical Studies " ... a sound anthropological inquiry ... a work that reveals alternative ways than our own of comprehending and expressing the meaning of time." - Time's News "Professor Stone's intelligent and provocative discussions of time, language, history, and African literary traditions will prove important to a broader understanding of music's role in oral literature... a major contribution to the field of ethnomusicology." - Lester P. Monts

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