Sundiata

1. Sundiata Feature Menu Introducing the Epic Literary Focus: Epic Reading Skills: Making Inferences from Details

2. SundiataAn Epic of Old Mali Dogon village huts in the Bandiagara Gorge, Mali

3. SundiataIntroducing the Epic Sundiata, from the Mandingo people of western Africa, is the best-known African epic and has been passed down by griots, or storytellers, for hundreds of years.

4. SundiataIntroducing the Epic • Like most of the world’s epics, Sundiata is a blend of fact and legend. • Sundiata Keita, the story’s hero, reestablished the Mandingo empire of Old Mali in 1235. This empire lasted more than 250 years.

5. SundiataIntroducing the Epic Although Sundiata is based on fact, it is not a historical document. Like many legends, the story of Sundiata is based on a history that has become greatly embellished over time.

6. SundiataIntroducing the Epic Shared by oral historians for hundreds of years, the epic of Sundiata was first recorded by a folklorist in Guinea during the 1950s.

7. SundiataIntroducing the Epic Translated from Mandingo into French, this version was later translated into English. Now “twice removed” from its source, the epic has lost many features of the original language, including its • alliteration • assonance • meter

8. SundiataIntroducing the Epic Fortunately, the epic still contains some of the original songs, repetition, and proverbs that accompanied the original oral performance. [End of Section]

9. SundiataLiterary Focus: Epic An epicis a long narrative that details the triumphs and tragedies of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of his or her society.

10. SundiataLiterary Focus: Epic Most epics blend myth, legend, folklore, and history. The epic’s tone is serious and its language grand, as the story’s protagonist, or hero, faces quests. David by Michelangelo

11. SundiataLiterary Focus: Epic Most ancient epics began as oral epics, which were performed by generations of storytellers before being written down.

12. SundiataLiterary Focus: Epic • Sundiata, like other epic protagonists, has an unusual childhood, showing signs of greatness at an early age. • He takes a long journey into exile before emerging as a leader of his people.

13. SundiataLiterary Focus: Epic The supernatural plays a major role in the epic: Sundiata, his mother, his sister, and his enemies all possess superhuman powers.

14. SundiataLiterary Focus: Epic Sundiata proves himself greater than his powerful foe, or antagonist, an evil sorcerer-king.

15. SundiataLiterary Focus: Epic The story is told from the “all-knowing,” or omniscient, point of view of a storyteller. The narrator does not take part in the action but knows everything that is happening.

16. SundiataLiterary Focus: Epic The battles of the epic have a larger-than-life significance: They represent a mighty conflict between good and evil.

17. SundiataLiterary Focus: Epic An epic reflects a society’s values. As you read this excerpt from Sundiata, try to identify the values the Mandingo culture honored. Also pay attention to the kinds of behavior this culture despised. [End of Section]

18. SundiataReading Skills: Making Inferences from Details What details do you notice in a story? Do you pay attention to the way a character walks, talks, or relates to family or friends?

19. SundiataReading Skills: Making Inferences from Details Usually the reader has to infer, or figure out, a message by interpreting details in the text. Even minor details can, on second glance, provide great insight into a story.

20. SundiataReading Skills: Making Inferences from Details As you read, make inferences, or educated guesses, about what the details reveal about characters and their culture. [End of Section]