nk Dr. Marks for this opportunity. Video tape number one documents the second day in a Jola men's initiation ritual that took place at Thionk-Essyl (which is one of the largest urban centers outside of Bignona. I have sought in this paper to explore the connections between tri-metric modeling techniques in my system and the existential 'doingness of a given 'focus and/or actions' in Jola ceremonial 'experience' - as recorded on video tape during an actual performance; as a way to better understand the similarities and differences that such a study might render to the notion of universal 'form-states'. I have taken this approach for my paper because the subject of African culture cannot be penetrated with present day western music analysis tools that only emphases the isolated particulars of isolated actions and/or responses, separate from the person making the action. Besides, these approaches have already been done. The subject of identity in trans-Senegalian Africa ritual structure is an important subject that is not isolated to only the particular experiences of a given regional people or culture, but rather in seeking to understand the vibrational 'qualities' of this subject one is reminded of the historical dimensions of composite African history. Because the Jola people are connected to the genesis 'cultural-sentiments' of the region from a continental historical perspective - that is, their experiences and 'particulars' (and emanations) can be viewed as an affirmation of the unique 'experiences of continental Africa'- going back to 'the original ways' of the people long before the onslaught of Islamic and Christian religion influences. As such, the subject of identity and 'states of identity' in Jola culture (as a genesis quality and/or construct) gives insight into the aesthetic dimensions of African vibrational dynamics as well as the phenomenon of cultural and 'continental perception', as a progressional phenomenon (context an...
