On these trips with these traders, Sundiata liked to ask them many questions and he found out that most traders were very intelligent. Sundiata learned a lot about Alexander the Great, the cradle of Islam, and much more.
A person can tell that there was a lot of trading going on due to the fact that almost every kingdom or city-state had a market place where many merchants sold their goods. In some of these market places, there were merchants who sold goods that were unfamiliar with that region. For example, when Sundiata's family was staying in Mema, there was a lady merchant selling baobab leaves and gnougou. Sundiata's little sister, Kolonkan, recognized these two things as being from Mali, and talked to this lady about them. The lady goes on to tell Kolonkan that she had been there for days trying to sell these things and nobody wanted them because the people did not know what they were. One of the strongest statements about trade was made by a griot, "If you want gold If you want fine cloth, go to Niani, for the Mecca road passes by Niani" (Sundiata, 82). This shows that gold as well as many other goods were traded well, which linked each empire to a vast trading network that was spread out over thousands of miles. Each city-state, kingdom and empire made its own contribution to trade, and trade continued to flourish.
During the reign of the Mali Empire, there were three main religions in the world, but only one was the main religion in the book. Hinduism was not mentioned directly, but the prophet Muhammad was mentioned, which is the founder of Hinduism. Sundiata mentioned Buddhism as being polytheistic. These two religions were not discussed in great detail, but were mentioned from time to time throughout the book. Islam was the main religion in the book and Islam was spread due to trade. During trade, some merchants would be bowing and praying, facing towards Mecca, or meditating, and people would ask what they were doing, and ask about that their religion.
Sundiata was very determined, humble and most of all courageous. ... No matter what the battle was Sundiata always stayed focused on his destiny. ... Sundiata displays courage when he led his army into the fight against Soumaoro. ... Sundiata tried to flee the battle. ... Sundiata's physical and mental strength made all of his courageous acts possible. ...
Sundiata's father, Maghan Kon Fatta was the King of Mali. ... She soon gave birth to a son named Sundiata Keita. ... When Sundiata's father died, Dankaran Touman, Sundiata's half brother became king of the Mali Empire. ... The kings and griots' views of Sundiata have shaped the views of present-day Malians on the history of Sundiata. ... Most of the viewpoints that people are exposed to of Sundiata are the viewpoints of the griots than another person's perspective on Sundiata. ...
Niane touched on this subject in his book Sundiata when he wrote, "but what can one do against destiny? ... There is abundant talk of destiny in African literature, and Sundiata is the epitome of that. ... In Sundiata, Sogolon and her children were told by a king, ""my court is your court and my palace is yours. ... (Niane, p.36) Another aspect of African culture celebrated in Sundiata is their belief in superstition, or the supernatural. ... In Sundiata, there is great mention of griots, who play an important role in African culture. ...
Sundiata was a leader who founded the kingdom of Mali by using his combat capabilities to win battles and wars. ... Sundiata is also seen combining forces with neighboring territories to align against a common foe as Machiavelli suggests to do. ... For instance, Sundiata received many allies to face the pure evil of Sumanguru and his Sosso Kingdom. Sundiata follows Machiavelli's advice to stay focused on war and to make friends. ... For instance, the Europeans feared Suleiman the Magnificent and In the Epic of Old Mali about Sundiata, Sosso's forces feared the power of Sundiata...
When reading the epic of Sundiata I found that a lot of the epic was true according to the history of Mali. The epic tells that Sundiata made major changes in the organization of the Manlinke government and society. ... There are various versions of the Sundiata story told by various griots. But there is only one factual history of Mali, which derived from these various stories of Sundiata. And all those stories state that Mali rose to greatness under the leadership of a legendary king named Sundiata, the "Lion King." ...
The small state of Kangaba, led by Sundiata Keita, defeated the nearby kingdom of Susu at the Battle of Kirina in 1235. ... The clans of the heartland unified under Sundiata, now king of the vast region that was to become the Mali Empire. Under Sundiata and his immediate successors, Mali expanded rapidly west to the Atlantic Ocean, south deep into the forest, east beyond the Niger River, and north to the salt and copper mines of the Sahara. ... A grandson or grandnephew of the warrior king Sundiata, who first established Mali as an empire in the 13th century. ... Unlike Sundiata, ...
Niane, Sundiata. It is based on the story of the thirteenth century King of Mali, Sundiata Keita. ... Sundiata Keita is Mabo's ancestor and it is essential for Djéliba to pass down history to the next generation. ...
Sundiata, an epic of old Mali, recited by the Griot Djeli Mamoudou Kouyate and written by D.T. Niane, details the life of Sundiata, the great emperor of Mali. ... The frame narrative involves an upper middle class, westernized nuclear family, the Keitas, living in the capital city, while the interior narrative centers on the Thirteenth Century epic of their famous ancestor, Sundiata Keita, credited with having established the famous ancient empire of Mali. ... So we observe Sundiata's mother and grandmother's spiritual powers based on the power of the ancestral spiritual world or N...