BA 10 - Oulamba the Hunter

Oulamba the hunter has an important role in the story despite how little we actually see of him. In a scant few pages he is gone and never seen again, but seems to display qualities of heroism. If it were not for his actions this story would not have taken place.

He was initially seen with his brother Oulani wandering into the kingdom of Mali with a maiden in tow, a young Songlon. "Two young hunters, handsome and of fine carriage, were walking along preceded by a young maid." (6). He then recalls a story to the royal court of his travels and adventures.

Oulamba and Oulani were on a journey, wandering and hunting. The idea of a trek, an adventure has been a theme that has run rampant throughout all the heroic epic literature that we have read. While in the land of Do, they learn of a red bull that has been terrorizing the citizens; "We met two hunters, one of whom was wounded and we learnt from them that an amazing buffalo was ravaging the countryside of Do....The king, Do Mansa-Gnemo-Diarra, had promised the finest rewards to the hunter who killed the buffalo." (7). They decide to try their luck where so many others had failed. This is similar to just about every other story we've read; a quest to defeat an unbeatable mythic creature. It's a very heroic trait.

As the quest continued they came upon an old, battered, hungry woman who everyone else ignored. "Touched by her tears, I approached and took some pieces of dried meat from my hunter's bag. When she had eaten well she said 'Hunter, may God requite you with the charity you have given me.'" (7). This is reminiscent of The Ramayana and its ideas about karma. The hero Rama had good things happen to him in response to his good actions, and the same with the bad.

However, it turns out that the old woman actually is the buffalo in question, but decides to help the hunter in return for his kindness. She gives very explicit directions as to how to defeat her when he finds her, and also how to accept the king's rewards, directing him to, when the king allows him to choose of any maiden to marry, to pick out Sogolon, the ugliest one of the crowd. He follows these instructions precisely as told, obedient like Dante the hero of The Inferno.

As he offers Sogolon to the king of Mali, he is the one ultimately responsible for all the events of the book, setting up the birth of Sundiata.