Ancient Africa Mali History: The legend of Sundiata         Mali is located a few degrees north westsideern of the equator and set downs a lot of sunlight. Its a very modify region and is overly hot year round. The Beledugu Plateau is at the northern part of the region which farms are scattered though go forth, plus nomadic groups of people which are located finish upher because it spend a penny ons the most rain f entirely out of the altogether orbit which keeps them competing for water because thither is usu everyy a 10 calendar month teetotal spell without water. Also in this region, the Sahara Desert was a very large area that was again very dry merely hosted a commodity for shell out which is Salt. Salt was traded for g senileen because the people of the Sahara had such a plentiful amount of it they could trade straight up for gold with the westerners of Africa. There is a bay window range c whollyed Futa Djalon, this a mountain range located west of the Mali that is the source of several major rivers including the Niger, Senegal and Gambia. It is much wetter and cooler, and so the Bright Country, surrounding the Niger River V eachey, and its inhabitants1. Mali had different surroundings with Mountains Rivers and desert depending on which way you traveled you would behave it off to one of these geographical f eatures. cognize as the Bright Country which was do reference in any case earlier Brightness is a reference to a phantasmal belief that the physical and spiritual worlds are connected through light. The Bright Country is the place where that connection occurs, or in other words, this region is the place where the physical world is in closest contact with the spiritual world2.
        The religion at this time was Islam; it reached West Africa in the 900 AD from the traders of the north. Islam was found to be useful because it provided a common langu board for them and proved to patron the traders gaining assistance from other Muslims were ever they went. In the epic of Sundiata, his family lineage is traced tolerate to an individual named Bilali who was one of the original followers of Muhammad, the male parent of Islam and one of the first Kings of Mali whether it was true or not, this detail shows that by the time of Sundiata, Islam was firmly established in the area3.
        Sundiata was a big(p) hunter major power and one of the superlative of tout ensemble times the story of him who, by his exploits, surpassed even Alexander the prominent4. The great epic story of Sundiata is as follows.
Maghan Kon Fatta the fairy of Mali at that time was One day sitting below his silk-cotton guide diagram with him one of his countersigns who was eight beside him was ta ability on that point usual sentiment under the tree when approached by a man garbed as a hunter came by state he was chasing game and it died near the walls of his exponentdom which in turn he brought a portion to Maghan as a sign of recognizing a custom of theres. The queens Griot Gnankouman Doua took the portion and handed it to the king and upon this saying to the hunter stranger, whoever you may be you will be the kings guest because you respect custom; conform to and number your place on the mat beside us5. When the hunter sit mint down the kings Griot said that hunters from Sangaran where believed to be the greatest predictors, which is one who raft tell the future. The king agreed and the hunter reached into his pack and pulled out some cowries which he jumbled around and thus the king noticed that the hunter was odd handed which is to represent sin simply were also thought to be the best at telling the future. The Hunter looked up at the king and said, that Mali has been passed down from generation to generation and that he will soon come to pass, and the fate of the conglomerate rests on his unborn son. He explained there would be a woman coming here with ii hunters that he would have to marry and she would bare his unborn child. plainly he exclaimed, Oh, that woman! She is ugly, she is hideous, and she bears on her keister a disfiguring hump. Her ugly eyes seem to have been merely placed upon her face, but, arcanum of mysteries, this is the women you must merry, sire, for she will be the come of him who will tie the name of Mali immortal for ever5. The Hunter left and the king never for got his words of the woman that was supposed to be brought to him. nigh time passed and one day two hunters brought by a girl that was from Do and was recognized as the woman told about by the Hunter that came by, Maghan then married Sogolon.
        The king Maghan all ready had three wives, his first wife Sassouma Berete was worried that there first son of eight wasnt expiry to get the gutter and Maghan was giving all his attention to her giving her jewels and picturesque loin cloths so she had Sogolon ordered murdered. But the hotshots that she ordered to decimate her couldnt do it, so Sundiata was then born. He was named Mari Diata, but as the son of Sogolon, people later took to calling him Sogolon Diata, and eventually, Sundiata6.
        Sundiata had a slow childhood he seemed to be lazy and at the age of three he still crawled on all fours and had nothing of the great beauty of his father Nare (king) Maghan. He had a head so big that he seemed unable to relief it; he also had large eyes which would open widely whenever anyone entered his spawns house7. Being of the same age as the other kids which were base on balls by know, was giving his parents worries on wither he could be king or not. Sogolon would have other children come to play with Sundiata hoping to have him see his peers walking and would egg him on to do the something but he world of great strength in his arms would only faded the others and they wouldnt go near him any much. By now Maghans first wife Sassouma was happy that to see that Sundiata had a tab and was hoping that her son Dankaran would become the king. Sogolon tried everything that was in her power as a sorcerer to bring life to her sons legs such as rare herbs, but had no affect. Losing hold the king maghan and sogolon had another(prenominal) child but it was a girl named Kolonkan. The king really discouraged, debarred Sogolon from his house and she lived in semi-disgrace8. Maghans Griot kept reminding him what the soothsayer said about The Almighty has his mysteries9, and the silk-cotton tree emerges from a picayune seed10. The king one day came across the blacksmith prophet of Niani, he was an old blind man, but had great wiseness and with his words giving the king some assurance he then brought Sogolon back in is favor and they then had another child which was another girl. But on King Maghan oddment days he tells his son Sundiata that he had a open for him which was his own Griot. This was his son of his own Griot, his name was Balla Fasseke and the king replied, Be inseparable friends from this day forward. From his mouth you will hear the score of your ancestors, you will learn the art of governing Mali tally according to the principles which our ancestors have bequeathed to us11.
Shortly after the king died and the council of elders reach and decided to have the half brother Dankaran have the mass giving Sassouma the power of queen mother. They wouldnt give the lavatory to a king that had no use to his legs so Sassouma banished Sundiata and his mother to an old shanty that was a wood shed beforehand, because the king Maghan gave her much attention than his other wife, when he was alive. Sogolon and Sundiata where the recipients of slander though out the town because he was seven-spot years old and still crawled around.
One day Sogolon needed some Baobob leaves for here cooking and went to get some from Sassouma she told her that she had plenty and that she had pity for her because her son could walk at seven and he was the one that went to get her things and that Sundiata was an un equal to her son then just laughed at Sogolon. She left and went home very angry and hurt when she got home she hit Sundiata with a piece of wood and he asked his crying mother what the problem was, she said to him, I have just suffered the greatest affront of my life! What have I done, God, for you to punish me in this way.12 she told him what had happened and he told her to cheer up and she said I cant. Sundiata replied, Very well then, Im going to walk today13. Sundiata said to have his fathers blacksmith establish the heaviest iron rod he could, and bring it to him. Mother, do you want just the leaves of the Baobob or would you rather I brought you the whole tree14. Later the iron bar was brought back to the hut and with such a great sound alerted everyone that the day has come to have the great sudiata to walk. As he got up development the great big bar his legs trembled and the iron bar crumpled into the shape of a bow, everyone stood silent as he arose to his feet. When he got to his feet he began to take his first steps, his Griot Balla said, room, room, make room! The social lion has walked; hide antelopes, get out of his way.15 Sundiata went over to the Baobob tree and picked the whole thing right out of the ground and brought it back to his mother and placed it at her door step. This gave him great popularity among all his peers which gave him a higher respect among the people of the urban center.
From that day Sundiata love to hunt as he sharpened his skills and became very impregnable with his bow. Sassouma was feeling worried that Sundiata will pursue his destiny of macrocosm king. For fear of Sundiatas life Sogolon took him to live in exile, but Dankaran fearing the loss of the throne, he had Balla and Sundiatas half-sister on a relegating to go see the evil sorcerer king Soumaoro of Sosso. This make Sundiata mad for the loss of Bella his Griot, he promised to come retake the throne of Mali, then he disappeared into exile.
Sundiata traveled hundreds of miles a way from his home, along the way, he learned the aspects of trade, to fight, and to weild proverbs containing the wisdom of his ancestors16. One day on his travels he came upon a market in the kingdom of Mema, which soulfulness was selling Baobob leaves but there are not any leaves in Mema they must have come from Mali. While at the market, Sundiata caught word that Soumaro had conquered Mali and sent Dankaran into exile. Balla and his half-sister were enwrappeds of him also, Sundiata got an army together to go domesticate Mali. On the night before his voyage back to Mali Sogolon died, Sundiata then returned to Mali. Balla was in the chambers of Soumaoro which he saw all of the kings heads that he had conquered and poisonous snakes. He was caught by Soumaoro and in there and thinking quick Balla did a song for him and this made him rage less and made Bella his Griot. Sundiata was making his way back to Mali and on his way he gathered forces and finally met Soumaoro on the battlefield Sundiatas army had a lot more tactical fighting than Soumaros army, but through Soumaros magic he fled the scene. Knowing that he needed more power to beat his magic Sundiata summoned soothsayers to council him on harnessing supernatural powers17, by sacrificing one hundred oxen. After Sundiata was reunited with Balla and his half-sister because they escaped from the evil sorcerer king, they told him of the secret of Soumaoros magic. Sundiata was told that the cock was the sacred animal of Soumaoro and it harnesses all of his power. Sundiata then manufactured a wooded arrow with a cocks spur as its tip. Finally the great battle between the two came at Kirina. The night before the battle the too had pre-war rituals. The two sent messages to each other, Soumaoros read, I am the wild yam of the rocks ,nothing will make me leave Mali18. Sundiata replied, I have in my camp seven master smiths who will shatter the rocks. because, yam, I will eat you19. The next day the battle began and Sundiata fired his special arrow at Soumaoro and striking him, making him powerless and never was seen again. Then Sundiata and his army went to Soumaoros city to unlock his chambers to find out all his evil symbols were dying, thus Sundiata invited the twelve kings of Savanna held captive to come and have there kingdoms in Kaba which is a city in old Mali. This created the empire of Mali which Sundiata ruled until his death in 1255. Then this great epic comes to a close with the empire of Mali lasting for more than two centuries.
Notes 1.         1. Background to the epic of Sundiata Keita crowd A Jones, Ph.D www.http//courses.wcupa.edu/jones/his311/notes/sundiata.htm 2.         James A Jones, Ph.D 3.         James A Jones, Ph.D 4.         4.         Witt, Brown, Dunbar, Tirro. The Humanities. cultural root and Continuities: Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, New York. C2001 sixth edition, pages 390-407 5.         Witt, Brown, Dunbar, Tirro 6.         The Legend of Sundiata .The Kennedy Center African Odyssey. www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org/aoi/events/theater/sundiata.html 7-15. Witt, Brown, Dunbar, Tirro 16-19. The Legend of Sundiata .The Kennedy Center                 African Odyssey Bibliography 1.         Witt, Brown, Dunbar, Tirro. The Humanities. Cultural Roots and Continuities: Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, New York. C2001 sixth edition, pages 390-407 2.         Background to the epic of Sundiata Keita James A Jones, Ph.D www.http//courses.wcupa.edu/jones/his311/notes/sundiata.htm 3.         The Legend of Sundiata .The Kennedy Center African Odyssey. www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org/aoi/events/theater/sundiata.html
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