Raybearer

Drums appear frequently in the text in various capacities: as musical instruments, as modes of storytelling, and as objects of history. Because drums have the ability to channel and translate the stories of an individual or an entire people, they hold a power that is at once inspiring and fear-invoking. The implementation of the misguided Unity Edict demonstrates this dynamic, for the empire specifically names drums as objects to be confiscated from their “griots,” or storytellers. This decision implies an imperial level of recognition for the sheer power of stories and heritage that the drums represent. When Tarisai observes drums being forcibly taken from villagers in Nyamba, Sanjeet emphasizes that “[t]he drums carry their own stories” and that “Thaddace and the emperor didn’t want to risk” (204), allowing these stories to have a voice.

Significantly, the drum that Tarisai carries, which once belonged to the legendary female Raybearer, Empress Aiyetoro, has its own story and wants to share it with her. When Tarisai crosses the Bush, the drum takes on a life of its own, guiding Tarisai safely back to the path, just as ancestral stories are designed to guide the collective steps of a community.