NUMBER SYMBOLISM (NOS.1, 4, 7 AND 1,000) IN SWAHILI POETRY: THE CASE OF UTENZI WA FATUMAH. (Swahili)

This paper seeks to address itself to archetypal symbolism of numbers in Kiswahili poetry with a focus on numbers 1, 4, 7 and 1,000 in Utenzi wa Fatumah (The Epic of Princess Fatuma). The term "archetype" refers to basic, general or universal patterns of one sort or another. It is a universal symbol and if a given pattern in a poem is archetypal, then too it is a universal symbol (Wamutiso, 1996). I also discuss symbolism of these numbers in different cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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