Tiramakan of Kangaba (tee-rah-MAH-kahn)
First Voice of Manden Kurufaba
Tiramakan was born in Kangaba, a town along the upper Niger River that would one day be remembered as the heart of the Manden Kurufaba. His lineage was noble, descended from hunters and smiths, but his childhood was marked less by privilege than by immersion in the rhythms of land and story. His father was a skilled hunter, his mother a griot of repute, and so he grew up between the spear and the kora, between the chase of game and the cadence of epic songs. From early youth he learned that memory was as vital to a people as food, for it gave shape to courage and continuity to struggle.
As a young man, Tiramakan trained in both arms and words. He proved himself in the bush, tracking antelope and fending off raiders, but it was in the palaver huts where his voice grew strongest. He mastered the art of mediation, drawing from the wisdom of griots who knew that history itself was a weapon and a balm. His contemporaries admired him for his generosity: when disputes arose over land or bride-price, he was known to offer his own resources to restore balance, declaring that peace was always cheaper than war. By his late twenties, he had already been chosen to represent Kangaba’s clans in wider assemblies, earning him the trust to carry Manden’s voice abroad.
At Antioch, Tiramakan was twenty-nine, tall and commanding, with a presence described as “the lion walking among men.” He declared that the Accord must be like the great baobab: sheltering many beneath its branches, drawing strength from roots unseen, and bearing fruit for all. His words carried the rhythm of the griots, blending narrative with instruction, and even those who did not understand his language felt the cadence stir their hearts. He reminded the delegates that wealth was fleeting if not grounded in justice, and that justice required both memory and mercy. His advocacy ensured that the voice of West Africa would not only be heard but woven into the fabric of the shared world.
Returning to Kangaba, Tiramakan became a keystone in the formation of the Manden Kurufaba. He codified oaths of justice and mutual defense, laying foundations that would influence the Kurukan Fuga charter centuries later. He died in his sixties, respected as both warrior and peacemaker, his passing marked by days of mourning in which griots sang his name into memory. Remembered as “the Lion Voice,” he embodied the conviction that strength and justice were inseparable, and that no federation could endure without both.
Previously Held Ranks & Titles
Date of Birth
17 Zhìdé 962 zc (Reposo)
Date of Death
13 Yūgen 1024 zc (Vidya)
Life
962 zc
1024 zc
62 years old
Birthplace
Kangaba, Manden Kurufaba
Place of Death
Kangaba, Manden Kurufaba
Children
Belief/Deity
Mohammedan + Buddhism + Yoruba/Orisha
Modern West-African pluralism; spiritual justice and communal care.
Other Affiliations
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