Sundiat An Epic Of Old Mali: Summary

Mali may not be a location individuals typically think about or have a vast knowledge of, especially if it is knowledge on ancient Mali. Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali by D.T. Niane is a fascinating collection of history and stories of ancient Mali told by a griot, which is a history keeper and storyteller. This book is centered around Sundiata, the son of Maghan Kon Fatta and Sogolom Kedjou. The compilation of tales shows the growth and evolution of himself, from being a small crippled boy who could not walk, to a strong successful king. These stories would typically would not have been known to people outside of Malian culture, stories from griots are only given orally and only if the griot agrees to tell them in the first place. The fact

There is section within the texted dedicated to the history of the Malian empire and Sundiata’s flourish of power, on the other hand there is cultural history work its way thought out almost every passage of the book. With the two contrasting types of history, this allows for different audience types to be appealed to the book. Personally, I enjoy cultural history over political history, so I found the book very interesting. The sections that mostly mentioned political history I was able to continue reading without losing a lot of interest because there were small amounts of culture throw throughout. The passage titled The Empire, is a good example of cultural and political history mixing together. Within this chapter Sundiata is creating an army for a battle against king Kita Mansa. After he took over Kits people he sacrificed “hundred white oxen, a hundred white rams, and a hundred white cocks. “(Sundiata, 71) The sacrifice of animals for a sign of appreciation to the jinn of Kita Kourou is a cultural reference, animal sacrifice has been used to appease gods for centuries. The mixture of the two histories allows for an overall stimulating passage for people of different