Sundiata Keita or
Sundjata Keyita or
Mari Djata I or just
Sundiata (c. 1217 - c. 1255) was the founder of the
Mali Empire|native_name = Manden Kurufa|conventional_long_name = Mali Empire|common_name = Mali Empire|continent = Africa|region = North-West Africa|country = [Mali]|status = Empire|government_type g = Constitutional monarchy||year_start = 1230s...
and celebrated as a hero of the Malinke people people of
West AfricaWest Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:*Benin...
in the semi-historical
Epic of Sundiata.
Sundjata is also known by the name
Sogolon Djata. The name Sogolon is taken from his mother, daughter of the buffalo woman (so called because of her ugliness and hunchback), and
Jata, meaning "lion". A common Mande naming practice combines the mother's name with the personal name to give Sonjata or Sunjata. The last name Keita is a clan name more than a surname.
The story of Sundiata is primarily known through
oral traditionOral tradition, oral culture and oral lore are messages or testimony transmitted orally from one generation to another. The messages or testimony are verbally transmitted in speech or song and may take the form, for example, of folktales, sayings, ballads, songs, or chants...
, transmitted by generations of traditional
MandinkaMandinka, Mandika or Mandingo may refer to:*the Mandinka people of West Africa*the Mandinka language*Mandingo , a bestselling novel originally published in 1957*Mandingo , a 1975 film based on the novel...
griotA griot or jeli is a West African poet, praise singer, and wandering musician, considered a repository of oral tradition. As such, they are sometimes also called bards...
s.
Sundiata was the son of Nare and Sogolon Conde. Growing up, the Mandinkas were conquered by king Sumaoro Kante of the
Ghana EmpireThe Ghana Empire or Wagadou Empire was located in what is now southeastern Mauritania, and Western Mali.This is believed to be the first of many empires that would rise in that part of Africa. It first began in the eighth century, when a dramatic shift in the economy of the Sahel area south of the...
. He devoted his life to building an army to overthrow the king and liberating his homeland.
When he was older and had a strong army, Sundiata did overthrow the king and became king of the Mali Empire.
He understood that if he were to have a kingdom, he would need it to be prosperous as to keep strong. He had crops such as beans and rice, grown and soon introduced cotton. With the crops selling, the Mali Empire became very wealthy.
Sundiata supported religion and soon took the title
Mansa. After he died, many rulers also took the title
mansa, to show their role and authority in society.
The Epic of Sundiata
In the
Epic of Sundiata (also spelled Son-Jara or Sundjata):
Naré Maghann KonatéNaré Maghann Konaté was a 12th-century faama of the Mandinka people, in what is today Mali. He was the father of Sundiata Keita, founder of the Mali Empire, and a character in the oral tradition of the Epic of Sundiata....
(also called Maghan Kon Fatta or Maghan the Handsome) was a Mandinka king who one day received a divine hunter at his court. The hunter predicted that if Konaté married an ugly woman, she would give him a son who would one day be a mighty king. Naré Maghann Konaté was already married to Sassouma Bereté and had a son by her, Dankaran Toumani Keïta. However, when two Traoré hunters from the Do kingdom presented him an ugly, hunchbacked woman named Sogolon, he remembered the prophecy and married her. She soon gave birth to a son, Sundiata Keita, who was unable to walk throughout his childhood. Despite his physical weakness, the king still granted Sundiata his own
griotA griot or jeli is a West African poet, praise singer, and wandering musician, considered a repository of oral tradition. As such, they are sometimes also called bards...
at young age; this was in order to have them grow together and provide constant consultation as was custom.
With the death of Naré Maghann Konaté (c. 1224), his first son, Dankaran Tuman, assumed the throne despite Konaté's wishes that the prophecy be respected. Sundiata and his mother, who now had given birth to two daughters and adopted a second son from Konaté's third wife Namandjé, suffered the scorn of the new king and his mother. After an insult against Sogolon, Sundiata requested an iron rod from the
blacksmithA blacksmith is a person who creates objects from iron or steel by forging the metal; i.e., by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut. Blacksmiths produce things like wrought iron gates, grills, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, agricultural implements, decorative and religious...
Nounfari, which he used to pull himself upright and walk. Nonetheless, the hatred of Sassouma Bereté and Dankaran Toumani Keita soon drove Sundiata, his mother, and his two sisters into exile in the Mena kingdom.
Meanwhile,
Soumaoro KantéSoumaoro Kanté was a thirteenth century king of the Sosso people of the Takrur region. Seizing Koumbi Saleh, the capital of the recently-defunct Ghana Empire, Soumaoro Kanté proceeded to conquer several neighboring states, including the Mandinka people in what is now Mali...
, cruel sorcerer king of
SossoThe Sosso Empire was a twelfth-century Takrur kingdom of West Africa.-Medieval Sosso:The modern Sosso people trace their history to a twelfth and thirteenth-century Takrur kingdom known as the "Sosso." With the fall of the Ghana Empire, the Sosso expanded into a number of its former holdings,...
, attacked the Mandinka kingdom, causing Dankaran Toumani Keita to take flight in fear. The oppressed Mandinka people then sent for the exiled Sundiata. Forging a coalition of neighboring small kingdoms, Sundiata waged a war against the Sosso, finally defeating Soumaoro Kanté at the
Battle of KirinaThe Battle of Kirina, also known as the Battle of Krina , was a confrontation between the Sosso king Sumanguru Kanté and the Mandinka prince Sundiata Keita...
(c. 1235). Soumaoro Kanté disappeared in the
KoulikoroKoulikoro is a region in Mali. It is the second administrative area of Mali and covers an area of 90,120 km². Its capital is the city of Koulikoro.- Geography :...
mountains. Sundiata was later crowned with the title "
MansaMansa is a Mandinka word meaning "king of kings". It is particularly associated with the Keita Dynasty of the Mali Empire, which dominated West Africa from the thirteenth to the fifthteenth century...
," or "king of kings," as the first ruler of the
Mali Empire|native_name = Manden Kurufa|conventional_long_name = Mali Empire|common_name = Mali Empire|continent = Africa|region = North-West Africa|country = [Mali]|status = Empire|government_type g = Constitutional monarchy||year_start = 1230s...
. He soon set about organizing the nucleus of the empire, presenting the
GbaraThe Gbara or Great Assembly was the deliberative body of the Mali Empire, which ruled much of West Africa during the Middle Ages...
of nobles and notables at his coronation with an oral constitution known as the
Kouroukan FougaThe Kouroukan Fouga or Kurukan Fuga was the constitution of the Mali Empire . It formally established the federation of Mandinka clans under one government, outlined how it would operate and established the laws which the people would live by...
. His model for government would guide the empire into greatness and beyond its zenith toward its eventual dissolution in 1645. His exploits have even been compared to those of
Alexander the GreatAlexander III of Macedon, popularly known as Alexander the Great , was an Ancient Greek king of Macedon who created one of the largest empires in ancient history...
by some griots.
Historical context and significance
The epic of Sundiata has been the subject of much scholarly discussion. Although some information on 13th century Mali is available from Arabic sources like Ibn Khaldun, there is a severe limitation of written documentation on this period. Therefore the oral evidence of ancient Mali is especially critical. Although Western historians have traditionally given preference to written records, oral traditions including the epic of Sundiata have recently gained recognition as important demonstrations of Africa’s rich cultural heritage and as legitimate literary constructions. It reflects the early stages in West African traditions when different cultural influences were still coming together. Our knowledge of 13th century Malian history is in large part derived from the Sundiata tradition. The epic of Sundiata is still an integral part of Mande culture. Ethnographic research has shown that the story continues to be retold by griots and through masked ritual performances. Today the epic of Sundiata has become part of history lessons in primary schools in Mali, Gambia, Senegal and Guinea.
Mansa
Sundiata Keita established his capital at his home village of
Niani, MaliNiani was the capital city of the ancient Mali Empire, located south of the Sahara Desert. There are at least two cities in modern-day Mali named Niani, but neither are the former capitals of the great empire. Instead, the Niani of historic fame is actually in the country of Guinea to Mali's...
, near the present-day Malian border with
GuineaGuinea, officially Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa formerly known as French Guinea . The country's current population is estimated at 10,211,437 ....
. Though he was a
Muslim:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits ". Muslim is the participle of the same verb of which Islam is the infinitive. Muslims believe that there is only one God, translated in Arabic as Allah...
, Sundiata also exploited local religion, building a reputation as a man of powerful
magicMagic, sometimes known as sorcery, is the practice of consciousness manipulation and/or autosuggestion to achieve a desired result, usually by techniques described in various conceptual systems...
.
Sundiata was not an absolute monarch, despite what the title implies. Though he probably wielded popular authority, the Mali Empire was reportedly run like a federation, with each tribe having a chief representative at the court. The first tribes were Mandinka clans of Traore, Kamara, Koroma, Konde, and of course Keita. The Gbara of Great Assembly was in charge of checking the Mansa's power, enforcing his edicts among their people, and selecting the successor (usually the Mansa's son, brother or sister's son).
Sundiata Keita died in 1255, probably of drowning. Tradition holds that he died while crossing the Sankarini river, where a shrine remains today. He had three sons who succeeded him to the throne of the Mali Empire:
Mansa Wali KeitaMansa Uli , also known as Ali or Wali in Arab sources, was the second mansa of the Mali Empire.Born under the name Yérélinkon, he was the only biological son of the legendary Sundiata Keita...
,
Ouati KeitaMansa Wati was the third mansa of the Mali Empire reigning from 1270 to 1274.Mansa Wati was one of two adopted children from among Sundjata's generals. He was raised in the royal court as a prince alongside the previous mansa Uli and another adopted sibling named Khalifa...
and
Khalifa KeitaMansa Khalifa was the fourth mansa of the Mali Empire. He ruled the empire for only a year from 1274 to his assassination in 1275.Mansa Khalifa or Khalifah was an adopted son of the legendary founder Sundiata Keita. Like Mansa Wati before him, Khalifa was actually the son of an imperial general...
. The famous West African ruler
Mansa MusaMansa Kankou Musa was the tenth mansa or emperor of the Mali Empire during its height. He ruled as mansa from 1312 to 1337. Musa is most noted for his 1324 hajj to Mecca and his role as a benefactor of Islamic scholarship.-Birth:...
is his grandnephew.
Sundiata is also known as Mari Djata or Marijata according to
ArabArab people or Arabs are an ethnic group whose members identify along linguistic, cultural or genealogical grounds...
historian
Ibn KhaldunIbn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun (full name, , , (May 27, 1332 AD/732 AH – March 19, 1406 AD/808 AH) was a North African polymath — an astronomer, economist, historian, Islamic scholar, Islamic theologian, hafiz, jurist, lawyer,...
in the late 14th century.
"Mansa" means "king of kings."
External links