Empires
Mandinka History
Mali Empire
Mandinka Tribe
Introduction:
Sunjata Keita is the subject of a great epic still sun to this day by
the griots or professional praise singers of modern Senegambia.
According to the epic of Sunjata the man himself must be remembered
as one of the greatest patrons of the griots since his very name
Sujatta Keita is derived from his relationship with the griots.
When Sunjata's father, Fatakung Makang, died Sujatta declared that
the only things he wanted of his father's inheritance were his griots.
He valued the griots because he knew what they could do for him. As
the story goes, after Sunjata's father had died and his half-brother
became king, Sunjata declared, "however extensive my father's
property may be, I want no part of it except for the griots". His
brother replied "You want the griots? Alright, you can have your own
way. A person who has nothing will not have griots for long". Sujatta
had a griot who was especially dear to him. His name was Musa. Musa's
father, Nyankuma Dookha, had asked him to wait on Sujatta as he
himself had done for Sunjata's father. Nyankuma Dookha was convinced
that the prediction of Sunjata eventually becoming a great leader of
Manding would become reality.
It was this griot who had
repeatedly given assurance to Sunjata's father, Fatakung Makang, of
Sunjata's great destiny. So Musa waited on Sujatta and instructed him
in the history of former great kings and empires.
Sujatta's
other griots assured him of their loyalty but most of them preferred a
more wealthy patron than Sujatta. They agreed among themselves and
decided, "since Sujatta had let all his inheritance go and say he only
wants us, we will not desert him. Let us employ a stratagem, and if he
dies, then we can take it easy and go to wealthy men ". They decided
to humiliate Sunjata, so they went and begged from him. He did not
have anything to give them, so he wend and got honey from the bush.
From this the griots called him:
"Bee, Little Bee, Makhara
Makhang Konate, Haimaru & Yamaru."
The next morning they
begged him again. As he had nothing, he went and caught a cat to give
to them. From this they called him:
"The Lion is at Narena,
Cats on the Shoulder, Simbong".
When the griots came and
begged from him the next day, he had nothing. He went into the bush
and collected firewood to give to them. That prompted the griots to
say:
"Firewood, Makhare, Makhang Konate, Haimaru and Yamaru,
The Lion had fill of followers, The big-footed hunter".
The
next time the griots begged from Sunjata, he was desperate, and so he
stole a strip of cloth which belonged to his half brother. When he
gave the cloth to the griots they said "Jatta has committed theft"
meaning a lion has committed theft and from that day he was known as
Sujatta. Sunjata's real name Makhara Makhang Konate, son of Fatakung
Makang who reigned as King of Manding for many years.
According
to oral tradition, Fatakung Makang's soothsayers had told him that if
he went to Sankarang Madiba Konte and found a wife, she would bear him
a child who would become King of the black people. Sankarang Madiba
Konte was himself a king of famous lineage. Fatakung finally decided
to visit the neighbouring king, Madiba Konte on this request. Madiba
Konte was pleased to comply with Fatakung Mankang's wishes and
welcomed such an alliance between their two countries.
A
ceremony was held where Fatakung Makang got married to Sukulung Konte
as predicted by the soothsayers. Sukulung Konte otherwise known as
Sukukung Kutuma was to become the mother of Sunjata Keita.
As
the story goes, it so happened that Sukulung became pregnant and
remained so for seven years! Meanwhile the king, Fatakung has said,
"if any of my wives bears me a son, I shall give my kingship to him".
When Sunjata's mother eventually gave birth, a slave was sent to
Fatakung Makang to report the arrival of a son. When the slave
arrived, he found Fatakung Makang and his companions eating. They
invited the slave to join them, so before speaking, he sat down to
eat.
As fate would have it, just after Sunjata's mother gave
birth another of the King's wives also gave birth to a boy and a griot
was sent to inform him of the news. When he arrived at the compound,
he greeted the company, who invited him to refresh himself before
continuing with his business. But the griot refused, saying, "Nareng
Daniyang Konate, your wife has given birth to a boy"
The slave
who had been sitting also spoke. "They sent me first. Sukulung
Konte was the first to give birth".
"The one I heard
first, he is to be son and heir" proclaimed Fatakung Makang the king.
Late, Sunjata Keita, the true and rightful heir to the throne of
Manding was so enraged by this past injustice, that for fourteen year
he refused to walk, choosing to crawl on his hands and knees in
protest. He was later to stand on his feet again when it was time for
his Kafo mates to go for circumcision. Sujatta was considered to be
born lame and so when he rose up, after breaking some iron legs forged
for him to go for his circumcision, the griots of Manding said:
"A Lion has arisen, a Manding lion has arisen, a mighty creature
has arisen"
Sunjata after getting up walked to a slender
baobab tree which stood in the middle of the town of Manding. The
baobab produced only one fruit. All Muslim soothsayers, the cowrie
diviners, the stone-diviners, and the sand diviners all declared that
whoever swallowed one seed of the fruit of the Baobab would rule
Manding for sixty years. Sunjata seized hold of this baobab tree and
split open the baobab fruit and swallowed it, proclaiming to his
mother, "Here is your baobab". With this act the fourteen drums of the
Manding all sounded. From within the midst of the assembled people,
the kin asked, "why did you fell this baobab tree ?".
Sunjata
explained "My mother went to look for baobab leaves in the town to put
on the food I was to eat before going to circumcision". Sujatta
explained, "but she found none... The other women told her to order me
to stand and pick baobab leaves myself. That is why I felled this
baobab tree and have swallowed the fruit as well". "But why did you
swallow the baobab fruit?" asked king Fatakung Makang. Sunjata
answered, "Now you have come to the point. I don't want any rivalry to
the throne, and I don't want anything in Manding except loyalty from
my son, my brother, my wife, my attendant, my griot, my smith, and my
subjects".
At this point, the king and his company left. Soon
after this, they all went into the circumcision shed. Soon after they
came out of the shed area, Sujatta's father died, and it was
Sunjata's half brother who was installed king. With the threat of Korte from the new king's mother, Nareng Daniyang Konate,
Sunjata
left Manding and became an exile.
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