The Story of Sundiata

1. Name:________________________ Date:9/29/2009
Nare Fa Maghan -- the son of a
long lineage of distinguished
hunters known for their skill,
bravery and ability to
communicate with spirits -- ruled
over Mali beginning in 1200.
Although he had adapted the
Islam religion, he still believed in
the world of spirits. A hunter from
the north came with a prophecy
that two hunters would come to
the king with a very ugly woman
whom he must marry, for she
would bear him Mali's greatest
king ever. Maghan's totem animal
was the Lion.
When two hunters appeared with a hunchback woman, they explained to
the king that this woman, Sogolon Kedju, was the human double for a
buffalo that had ravaged the land of Do. The hunters felled the buffalo and
brought the woman to Mali for she had extraordinary powers. Honoring the
prophecy, Maghan married Sogolon and the soon conceived a child.
King Maghan's first wife, Sassouma, was jealous; she wanted her son,
Dankaran Touman to claim the crown of Mali. Sassouma plotted to kill
Sogolon, but the buffalo woman's powers were too great, and the boy was
born. He was named Mari Diata, but people called him Sogolon Diata, and
eventually, Sundiata.
Sassouma was relieved when the new child turned out to be lazy,
gluttonous and ugly. Sundiata could not walk and rarely spoke. Still,
honoring the prophecy, the dying king gave the boy the gift of a griot
named Balla Fasseke, the son of his own griot, believing one day he would
be king. However, when the king died, his first wife saw to it that her son,
Dankaran claimed the throne. Sundiata, still on all fours was helpless.
One day, when Sogolon cried in anger from the insults she and her son had
receive, Sundiata said, "Cheer up, Mother. I am going to walk today."
Sundiata had a blacksmith make him a heavy iron rod. With trembling legs,
he lifted himself, much to the amazement of onlookers, bending the rod
into a bow in the process. His griot composed and sung, "The Hymn to the
Bow," on the spot-- a hymn still a part of the musical epic of Sundiata sung
by griots over eight hundred years later.

2. Now that Sundiata was capable of taking the throne he became a threat to
the false king Dankaran and his plotting mother, Sassouma. Sundiata's
mother decided to take her son into exile for safety until the time came for
him to claim his crown. Before they could leave, Dankaran sent Balla
Fasseke, Sundiata's griot, and Sundiata's half sister to the sorcerer king,
Suomaoro Kante, of the Sosso who had been threatening all of the
kingdoms with his growing army.
Sundiata came to manhood while traveling through kingdoms hundreds of
miles away, learning to hunt, fight and wield proverbs of wisdom of his
ancestors. One day in a far off kingdom of Mema, Sundiata discovered
people selling baobob leaves in the market. He knew they had to be from
Mali. The seller told him that the evil king, Suomaoro of Sosso, had
conquered Mali and sent Dankaran into exile. On the eve Sundiata was to
depart from Mema, his mother died.
All this time, Sundiata's griot and half-sister remained captives in
Soumaoro's court. The brave griot entered the sorcerer king's secret
chamber one day and found poisonous snakes writhing in urns, and owls
standing over the seven heads of the nine kings Soumaoro had beaten. In
the midst of this, Balla Fasseke saw the biggest balafon (a balafon is a
wooden xylophone and probably the original griot instrument) which
produced a magnificent sound that charmed the snakes and owls. When
Soumaoro returned he was livid to find the griot in his chamber. Realizing
his danger, Balla Fasseke improvised a praise song to Soumaoro so clever
that he made Balla his griot, making war between Soumaoro and Sundiata
inevitable.
On his way home, Sundiata gathered fighters, archers and horsemen. At
Tabon, near the Malian city of Kita, Sundiata's army attacked Soumaoro's
forces, sending Soumaoro's army into retreat. In the next confrontation,
Sundiata and Soumaoro came face to face. Sundiata dominated, but
Soumaoro was able to escape using his own magic. Sundiata felt despair.
As Sundiata's army grew, he summoned soothsayers to counsel him on
harnessing supernatural powers. At their advice, he ordered the sacrifice of
100 white oxen, 100 white rams, and 100 white cocks. When the slaughter
began, Sundiata's griot and half sister returned -- having escaped the city
of the evil king. She told Sundiata, that she had been forced to marry
Soumaoro, but in doing so, she had found out the secret of is magic. His
sacred animal was the cock--this animal had the power to destroy
Soumaoro. Armed with this knowledge, Sundiata made a wooden arrow
attaching a white cock's spur to the tip.
Soumaoro and Sundiata came to battle again in Kirina. The two men
observed the ritual of declaring war by sending an owl into each other's

3. encampment, delivering messages of bravado. Having declared their
intentions, the war began. During the battle, Sundiata aimed his special
arrow and fired, the cock's spur grazing the shoulder of Soumaoro, and all
was lost for the Sosso king. When Sundiata reached Soumaoro's city and
opened his secret chamber, the snakes and owls were nearly dead.
Victorious Sundiata invited all the leaders from the twelve kingdoms of the
savanna who helped him to come to Kaba, a city in old Mali. There, he told
them they could keep their kingdoms, but would join in a great empire.
("Mali: Africa's..." 1996-97)
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/sundiata.htm
1.Reason for this story
2.Audience
3.Format
4.Topic
5.Sum up this story in your own words: ___________________________________
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6.Write a modern version of Sundiata: ___________________________________
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7.Do you see the similarities between this story and the Lion King? _____________
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