# Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali (Sunjata)

Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali (Sunjata) (1200) by Djibril Tamsir Niane Sunjata (/sʊnˈdʒɑːtə/; Manding languages: ߛߏ߲߬ߖߘߊ߬ Sònjàdà, also referred to as Sundiata or Son-Jara)[1] is an epic poem of the Malinke people that tells the story of the hero Sundiata Keita (died 1255), the founder of the Mali Empire. The epic is an instance of oral tradition, going back to the 13th century and narrated by generations of griot poets or jeliw (djeli). There is no single or authoritative version. Material pertaining to the epic first began to be collected during the early 20th century in French Sudan, notably by the French elite school École William Ponty, resulting in the "modern" version of the tale as considered standard today, based on the oral account by Djeli Mamoudou Kouyate, a griot or traditional oral historian, translated into French by Djibril Tamsir Niane in 1960.

## Quotes

* Thunder began to rum,ble and swift lightning rent the clouds.
** Narrator, The Lion Child
* You, perhaps, will be a king. You can do nothing about it.
** Narrator, Childhood
* The silk-cotton tree emerges from a tiny seed.
** Gnankouman Doua, Childhood
* Allah Almighty, you never created a finer day. So my son is going to walk!
** Sogolon Kedjou, The Lion's Awakening
* Sogolon Djata's popularity grew from day to day he was surrounded by a gang of children.
** Narrator, The Lion's Awakening
* God has his mysteries which none can fathom. You, perhaps, will be a king. You can do nothing about it. You, on the other hand, will be unlucky, but you can do nothing about that either. Each man finds his way already marked out for him and he can change nothing of it.
** Griot Djeli Mamadou Kouyaté, p. 15
* I teach kings the history of their ancestors, so that the lives of the ancients might serve them as an example, for the world is old, but the future springs from the past.
** Griot Djeli Mamadou Kouyaté, page 1
* Kings are only men, and whatever iron cannot achieve against them, words can. Kings, too, are susceptible to flattery, so Soumaoro's anger abated, his heart filled with joy as he listened attentively to this sweet music.
** Griot Djeli Mamadou Kouyaté, p. 40
* Maghan Sundiata, I salute you; king of Mali, the throne of your fathers awaits you…Weeping mothers pray only in your name, the assembled kings await you, for your name alone inspires confidence in them. Son of Sogolon, your hour has come, the words of the old Gnankouman Doua are about to come to pass, for you are the giant who will crush the giant Soumaoro."
** Mandjan Bérété, p. 45
* The son of another is always the son of another.Griot Djeli Mamadou íevery man there comes a moment when doubt settles in and 0⁰ that night."
** Griot Djeli Mamadou Kouyaté, p. 53
* I salute you all, sons of Mali, and I salute you, Kamandjan. I have come back, and as long as I breathe, Mali will never be in thrall – rather death than slavery. We will live free because our ancestors lived free."
** Sundiata, p. 56
* Sundiata was very happy to recover his sister and his griot. He now had the singer who would perpetuate his memory by his words. There would not be any heroes if deed were condemned to man's forgetfulness, for we ply our trade to excite the admiration of the living, and to evoke the veneration of those who are to come."
** Griot Djeli Mamadou Kouyaté, p. 58
* Griots are men of the spoken word, and by the spoken word we give life to the gestures of kings. But words are nothing but words; power lies in deeds. Be a man of action; do not answer me any more with your mouth, but tomorrow, on the plain of Krina, show me what you have me recount to coming generations.
** Balla Fasséké, p. 63
* Everywhere I was able to see and understand what my masters were teaching me, but between their hands I took an oath to teach only what is to be taught and to conceal what is to be kept concealed."
** Griot Djeli Mamadou Kouyaté, p. 84
* How few things good fortune prizes! Yes, the day you are fortunate is also the day when you are the most unfortunate, for in good fortune you cannot imagine what suffering is.
* He was great among kings, he was peerless among men.
* We are vessels of speech, we are the repositories which harbour secrets many centuries old. The art of eloquence has no secrets for us; without us the names of kings would vanish into oblivion, we are the memory of mankind; by the spoken word we bring to life the deeds and exploits of kings.
* son of Bintou Kouyaté and Djeli Kedian Kouyaté, master in the art of eloquence since time immemorial”
** Page 1
* names of kings would vanish into oblivion”
** Page 1
* the story of him who, by his exploits, surpassed even Alexander the Great Maghan Sundiata the man of many names against whom sorcery could avail nothing
** Pageb (1-2).
* great among kings peerless among men beloved by God because he was the last of the great conquerors
** Page 2
* preferred fortune and wealth and became the ancestor of all those who go from country to country seeking their fortune
** Page 3
* I am a griot. It is I, Djeli Mamoudou Kouyaté, son of Bintou Kouyaté and Djeli Kedian Kouyaté, master in the art of eloquence since time immemorial the Kouyaté clan have been in the service of the Keita princes of Mali; we are vessels of speech, we are the repositories which harbour secrets many centuries old. The art of eloquence has no secrets for us; without us the names of kings would vanish into oblivion, we are the memory of mankind; by the spoken word we bring to life the deeds and exploits of kings for younger generations. I derive my knowledge from my father Djeli Kedian, who also got it from his father.”
** (Chapter 1, Page 1)
* Oh king, the world is full of mystery, all is hidden and we know nothing but what we can see. Kingdoms are like trees. Some will be silk-cotton trees, others will remain dwarf palms and the powerful silk-cotton tree will cover them with its shade. Oh, who can recognize in the little child the great king to come? The great comes from the small; truth and falsehood have both circles at the same breast. Nothing is certain, but, sire, I can see two strangers over there coming towards your city.”
** Chapter 3, Page 5

## External links

* Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali (Sunjata)
* Course hero
* gradesaver
* Goodreads
* Super summary