He would go on to serve as the ancestor of the kouyate dynasty of malinke griots griots were the present each king gives his successor, they were the aristocratic oral historians. An epic of old mali nana triban and balla fasseke and. Hymn to the bow, which balla fasseke composes when sundiata first stands, becomes a symbol of the heros strength, and appears to be known throughout the land. Get the entire sundiata litchart as a printable pdf. Sundiata despaired, feeling that his enemys magic made him invincible. One day when the king was away, balla fasseke managed to get right into the most secret chamber of the palace where soumaoro safeguarded his fetishes magical items. The king and doua exchanged glances that radiated confidence. Sundiata gets his power through his mother and to a lesser extent his father. Overall this narrative emphasizes the importance of the griot in malian society and incorporates it into the wider narrative of sundiata s mythical journey. The characteristics of sundiata an epic of old mali 941 words 4 pages. An epic of old mali quotes and analysis gradesaver. The power of the living word the epic which narrates the life and rise to power of the great malian king, sundiata kieta, can only be found through the voice of a griot.
Compare the description of sundiata and soumaoro on this page with that of gilgamesh and enkidu at the beginning of their text. Epic of sundiata also known as the sundiata keita or the sundiata epic is an epic poem which tells the story of sundiata keita, the founder of the mali empire. Bella fasseke was the son of doua, who was griot to sundiatas father. Sundiata puts the sword back and asks why hes been summoned. So he summoned soothsayers to council him on harnessing supernatural powers. African epic of sundiata, lion king of mali and the actual historical. An epic of old mali reading guide boston university. Later on in the story, leaves of the same tree help searchers find sundiata when he is in exile. An epic of old mali summary the epic of sundiata is told by the griot storyteller and keeper of history djeli mamadou kouyate. Even as sundiata s army grew, he knew he would need more that might to defeat soumaoro.
Sundiata, unconcerned, asks what happens if he wins, and the king replies that hell grant sundiata whatever he wants. Sundiata shows off the new bow and an arrow he has made using the spur of a white cock, the secret nana triban, sundiatas sister, was able to steal from soumaoro. Unfortunately, sundiata could not walk so the second son of maghan had to. After all, the griots story itself would have been told as song. Sundiata pulls up an entire tree, roots and all, to bring his mother on the day he decides to walk. Tweet about the sundiata study guide email the sundiata study guide to a friend. During the sacrifice, sundiata hears that his sister, nana triban, and balla fasseke had escaped soumaoro and have arrived at sundiata s camp. During his childhood, sundiata gains a brother, two sisters, and a stepsister, who are they. Hes very good at earning the trust of crowds and individuals with his songs and stories.
After the kings death, what was the role of the council. While nana triban provides information sundiata uses to defeat saumaoro, it is the griot who is ultimately more important to the kings making. Why did sundiata think that the escape of nana triban and balla fasseke indicated that. It grew to be one of largest and richest empires of africa. Sundiata opens with the griot kouyate himself explaining his right to tell this epic story. Nov 07, 2006 the functions of griots sundiata essay 1127 words nov 7, 2006 5 pages djeli mamoudo kouyate is a griot in the country of guinea, west africa. Sundiata an epic of old mali is a story about sundiata keita who was the founder of the mali empire in west africa. In the simplest sense, this quote illustrates the importance of the griot. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. The king of mali, maghan, had multiple wives and he had two children by two different wives. Why does sundiata shave the heads of the young men of diaghan. On his death his first born son, dankaran took control of the throne and was proclaimed king. To make things worse, soumaoro kidnapped balla fasseke, sundiatas griot. Sundiata was his first born child, so he was the one that was suppose to take the throne.
He is celebrated as a hero of the mandinka people of west africa in the epic of sundiata. Sogolon kedjou goes out to the garden for a baobab leaf. Niane, the narrating griot, djeli mamoudou kouyate, makes the role of the oral historian a primary theme of the work. Within the sundiata story itself, the jali balla foureke plays an important role as adviser to the king and as the keeper of the royal memory. As a wise african leader, sundiata ruled in consultation. But, as the world history curriculum broadens from its european focus to a more global one, teachers need to find ways to move beyond a names, dates, and places approach to noneuropean studies.
Then sassouma banished sundiatas friend and griot, balla fasseke, to. He made room for him on the hide he was sitting on and then said, balla, you will be my griot. This story is an oral tale of a young kings rise to power and is narrated by djeli mamoudo kouyate who was a griot or traditional storyteller. The young prince sunjata has grown so popular in niani that queen sassouma is jealous and fears that the people will prefer him as king to her own son, dankaran touman. However, when king died, his first wife saw to it that her son, dankaran, claimed the throne. For this study of the epic, i worked from a translation by the historian d. But, as the world history curriculum broadens from its european focus to a more global one, teachers need to find ways to move beyond a names, dates, and. Balla fasseke is extremely loyal to sundiata and he encourages sundiata with his songs and stories, particularly hymn to the bow. During the sacrifice, sundiata hears that his sister, nana triban, and balla fasseke had escaped soumaoro and have arrived at sundiatas camp. The lions awakening after the kings death, what was the role of the council. Sundiatas ability to walk changed the popularity of soussouma berete because everyone paid attention to sogolon because she was respectful to her husband and soussouma wasnt.
He begins with details of sundiatas ancestors, as the force of history is important in the tale of the man whose victory will create the mali empire. Before they could leave, dankaran sent balla fasseke, sundiatas griot, and sundiatas half sister to the sorcerer king, suomaoro kante, of the sosso who had been threatening all of the kingdoms with his growing army. He consults the soothsayers there and, on their advice, sacrifices 100 white bulls, 100 white rams and 100 white cocks. Still, on his death bed, the dying king honored the hunters prophecy and gave his seemingly crippled son a gift that signified his desire that the boy should become king after all. He would go on to serve as the ancestor of the kouyate dynasty of malinke griots. The modern jali does not have a king, but he still serves the same memorializing function in the community. Balla fasseke tells sundiata that when they heard what had happened in tabon, he understood. Sundiata heard that the evil king of sosso, soumaoro, had invaded mali and thrown out king dankaran. The story originated in the 14th century in presentday mali, and was passed down through oral history by generations of griots men who served as poets and historians of the mandinka people of africa. That gift was a griot named balla fasseke, the son of the kings own griot bella fasseke in the film keita. Because the baobab tree is native to mali, sundiata s sister kolonkan approaches a woman selling the trees leaves in the marketplace of mema. Balla fasseke invites fakoli to sit amongst the other military leaders, but sundiata withholds his permission until all war chiefs have agreed. Nana triban and balla fasseke 56 krina 59 the empire 70 kouroukan fougan or the division of the world 73 niani 79 eternal mali 83 notes 85.
King nare maghann konate offered his son sundiata a griot, balla fasseke, to advise him in his reign. The king says that theyre going to play wori, and if he wins, he gets to kill sundiata. This blog was created to compare the differences of two different works. Sep 30, 2009 sundiatas mother decided to take her son into exile for safety until the time came for him to claim his crown. Using african literature in the classroom margaret lo piccolo sullivan. Sundiata keita founded the mali empire in the th century. Sundiatas number one consultant was his griot, balla fasseke. Sundiata remarks that if theyve been able to escape, soumaoro has lost. One of the major characters in the story is sundiatas griot, balla fasseke.
Sundiata, still on all fours, could do nothing about it. Balla fasseke and nana triban escape soumaoros clutches and return to sundiata. Aug 16, 2015 however his subjects did not follow him for that reason, they listened to sundiata because he was a good leader. Nare maghan gives his son a griot, the son of his own griot, preparing for a changing of the guard sundiata is still a child, though. King nare maghann konate offered his son sundiata a griot. The functions of griots sundiata essay 1127 words bartleby. I will be comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences between sundiata an epic of old mali and the lion king. Son of 1st wife becomes king sundiata is a child, although the real ruler was his mother, who hated sundiata. This plot summary of the sundiata epic organizes the tale using the monomyth structure. Balla fasseke fulfils the role that he is assigned in the narrative, and aids sundiata in his epic quest to regain the empire that was stolen from him by sumaouro. The king still believed in the original prophecy that sundiata would eventually rise to become the king of mali. Before entering mali in full force, sundiata wants to determine how best to attack soumaoros magical power. In the ancient african oral tradition of the epic of sundjata, balla fasseke is sundiata keitas griot.
The soothsayers advise sundiata to sacrifice 100 white bulls, white rams, and white cocks. Sassouma sees her and makes fun of the fact that her seven year old son is unable to walk. The child, as if he had understood the whole meaning of the kings words, beckoned balla fasseke to approach. The balafon plays an important role in the epic of sundiata. Stories here function as propaganda and encouragement for the sofas. The epic which narrates the life and rise to power of the great malian king, sundiata kieta, can. The lion king 11 who threatened to engulf the world, and dankaran, the wrongful king, was sorely afraid of soumaoros power, for soumaoro was the son of a mighty jinn,5 with seven heads and could not be defeated in battle, so dankaran sent the halfsister and the griot of sundiata to sosso on a mission to win the sorcerers. Following their advice, sundiata ordered the sacrifice of 100 white oxen, 100 white rams, and 100 white cocks.
Yes, son of sogolon, if it pleases god, replied balla fasseke. Sundiata characters from litcharts the creators of. In this paper i will attempt to evaluate the value and importance of griots in african culture, and more specifically, portray how balla fasseke played a significant role in helping sundiata defeat his enemy soumaoro, and in his successful reign as king of mali. A discussion of important themes running throughout sundiata. The epic which narrates the life and rise to power of the great malian king, sundiata kieta, can only be found through the voice of a griot. Sundiata and his army stop for a while at the city of sibi. Sundiata, finally able to walk, uproots the whole tree and brings it to her. Sundiata asks for the sword and mansa konkon sets up the board. The magical balafon belonging to soumaoro kante was stolen by sundiata keitas griot balla fasseke and taken to mandinka country. Sundiata changed his fathers small kingdom into the core of the mali empire.
The epic of sundiata is told by the griot storyteller and keeper of history djeli mamadou kouyate. Sundiatas griot, balla fasseke, was responsible for sundiatas education. While doing this, he learns that balla fasseke and his sister nana triban have escaped from sosso and have arrived to join sundiatas cause. Introducing high school students to an out of culture experience can be difficult. Balla fasseke informs sundiata that a soothsayer has seen the end of soumaoro in a dream, shedding any doubt sundiata has about going to battle. How was the baobab leaf the last straw for sogolon.