Man's understanding of past civilizations has been passed down in the form of oral traditions. Oral traditions are stories that covered topics from all aspects of life and even includes how that civilization came about. Sundiata is a historical text about the kingdom of Mali written by a griot. Sundiata describes religion, speaks of trade, shows how it was a part of everyday life, and many other things, which will also be mentioned.
Ghana was the first empire to be founded in West Africa around the sixth century c.e. Ghana was a well-civilized state which traded with many other countries, exchanging things they had for things that they needed. Traveling by caravans was their way of trading. One of the main things that Ghana traded for was gold, which was their prized possession. Ghana was torn apart around the end of the eleventh century by many attacks from North African people who were gold hungry. Through this destruction, an even greater empire arose, the Mali Empire. Like Ghana, Mali was a very wealthy empire, which specialized in exporting and producing gold. The Goucher states, "It has been estimated that during the time of the Mali Empire, West Africa produced and supplied almost two thirds of the world's gold" (232). .
Trade was a very important aspect of life in the days of the Mali Empire. Throughout Sundiata, there are many examples of trade and that the west African states were part of a much larger trade network. As Sundiata is moved from kingdom to kingdom, he travels with different bands of travelers from which he learns a great deal. The Sonike were donkey caravaners who did not speak Mandingo, which was the language of Sundiata and his people, but they understood it. The Sonike came to Naini every dry season and were known as great traders. After Sundiata's leave from Wagadou, he was lead to Mema by a different group of traders. These merchants traveled by camel.
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, ...
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...
