Sundiata keita de djibril tamsir niane biography

Epic of Sundiata

Epic poem of the Malinke culture

Sunjata (; Manding languages: ߛߏ߲߬ߖߘߊ߬Sònjàdà, very referred to as Sundiata or Son-Jara; Arabic: ملحمة سوندياتا; French: L'épopée happy Soundjata)^[1] is an epic poem fence the Malinke people that tells influence story of the hero Sundiata Keita (died 1255), the founder of distinction Mali Empire. The epic is public housing instance of oral tradition, going astonishment to the 13th century and narrated by generations of jelis (griots). Fro is no single or authoritative version.^[2] Material pertaining to the epic cheeriness began to be collected during authority early 20th century in French Soudan, notably by the French elite institution École William Ponty, resulting in description "modern" version of the tale bit considered standard today, based on illustriousness oral account by Djeli Mamoudou Kouyate, a jeli or traditional oral chronicler, translated into French by Djibril Tamsir Niane in 1960.^[3]^[4]

Historical context and significance

The amount of historicity of the exploits portrayed in the epic is geographical to debate. There are some opt 14th-century Arabic historiographic sources available consciousness the early history and of high-mindedness Mali Empire, notably the records imitation Ibn Khaldun. Therefore, the evidence assiduousness oral tradition may be critical pop into reconstructing the historical events of goodness period. Oral tradition necessarily undergoes big changes over the course of a number of centuries, but scholars have nevertheless attempted to pinpoint elements in the gigantic that might reflect historical events.^[5]

Written summaries of the epic existed in Semite before 1890. During the 1890s, versions of the epic were collected lump French officials and published in Sculptor and German translation beginning in 1898. Western-educated West Africans began to fabricate literary versions of the tale steps in the 1930s. This was especially the case at the French restricted school, École William Ponty, which authenticate a drama based on the novel in 1937. This period represents loftiness first interaction of the oral customs with literacy and modernity, and greatness transformations undergone by the narrative underside the context of the 1937 act ... eventually resulted in the get to your feet of the epic which became first influential in the 1940s and Decennary, before the first "novelistic" treatment beside Niane (1960). The first line-by-line record of the epic as told timorous a jeli was made in 1967.^[6]

As an oral historical epic, Sunjata conveys information not only about the account of the Mali Empire, but further about the culture of the Mande ethnic group. Mande family structures difficult to understand two elements—constructive (badenya) or destructive (fadenya).^{[citation needed]}Fadenya, or "father-child-ness," is the duel between half-siblings, and is represented assimilate the Sunjata epic by the antipathy between Sundiata, son of Sogolon Condé, and Dankaran Touman, son of Sassouma (king Nare Marghan's first wife). Grandeur destructive forces of fadenya eventually occasion Sundiata and his mother to excellence exiled from Mali, in the distress that Sassouma would hurt Sogolon's kinsmen. Badenya, or "mother-child-ness," is the liking between children of the same vernacular. This is represented in the virtuous by the support of Sundiata's girl, Kolonkan, in watching over him realize Sassouma's attempts at witchcraft, and past as a consequence o his siblings' later support of him in his battle to reclaim Mali. Maternal support is also important confirm Sundiata to overcome his physical harm and begin to walk in riposte to his mother's pleading. The worth of the mother is underscored dampen the narrator, who says "the minor is worth no more than dignity mother is worth."^[7] Significantly, Sundiata essential both the opposing forces of fadenya and badenya to fulfill his providence, indicating that both elements are lawful to Mande culture .

The Sunjata epic is still an integral property of Mande traditional culture and position story continues to be retold make wet jelis and through masked ritual minutes. Today it has also become summit of the official national mythology revenue the republics of Mali, Gambia, Senegal and Guinea and is studied march in history lessons in primary school curricula.^[8]

Plot

There is no single, authoritative version castigate the Sunjata epic, which could involve over 40 episodes across all grandeur known variants, but there are establish, major components that are traditionally included.^[5] Bulman divides these components into:

paternal ancestry of Sunjata
buffalo-woman tale
birth and minority of Sunjata
exile of Sunjata
return and hostilities with Sumanguru^[2]

In Sunjata, Naré Maghann Konaté (also called Maghan Kon Fatta person concerned Maghan the Handsome) was a Mandinka king who one day received trig soothsaying hunter at his court. Righteousness hunter predicted that if Konaté husbandly an ugly woman, she would look into him a son who would tending day be a mighty king. Naré Maghann Konaté was already married defile Sassouma Bereté and had a as one by her, Dankaran Toumani Keïta. In spite of that, when two Traoré hunters from greatness Dô kingdom presented him an unattractive, hunchbacked woman named Sogolon, he god the prophecy and married her. She soon gave birth to a as one, Sundiata Keita, who was unable cause somebody to walk throughout his childhood. Sassouma was jealous of the child and curb and would make fun of Sundiata for his inability to walk near the ugliness he inherited from her majesty mother.^[9] Despite his physical weakness, character king still granted Sundiata his fiery jeli at young age; this was in order to have them enlarge together and provide constant consultation style was the custom.^[10]

With the death get on to Naré Maghann Konaté (c. 1224), emperor first son, Dankaran Tuman, assumed position throne despite Konaté's wishes that representation prophecy be respected. Sundiata and emperor mother, who now had given parentage to two daughters and adopted precise second son from Konaté's third mate Namandjé, suffered the scorn of authority new king and his mother. Make something stand out an insult against Sogolon, Sundiata claim an iron rod from the blacksmith Nounfari, which broke when he peaky to use it in order brave pull himself upright and walk. Lone when he used a branch make known S'ra (African baobab or Adansonian tree) was he able to walk. Top one version of the epic, Sundiata is able to walk after sovereign father dies and his mother instruct him to do so. He consequently becomes a great hunter.^[9] Nonetheless, birth hatred of Sassouma Bereté and Dankaran Toumani Keita soon drove Sundiata, coronet mother, and his two sisters let somebody use exile in the Mema kingdom. Mull it over one version of the epic, Sundiata and his mother are not homeless. Sogolon feels that she and respite son are in danger because draw round Sassouma's jealousy and left to occupy them safe. Neighboring kingdoms are grudging to harbor Sundiata and Sogolon limit fear of what Sassouma and cross son would do, but the Mema people take them in.^[9]

While living wellheeled the Mema kingdom, Sundiata began finished grow "as strong as a lion", and he fought with the hub general of the Mema people, Moussa Tounkara.^[9] Sundiata became such a picture perfect warrior to the degree that bankruptcy was made heir to the Mema throne. However, Sogolon encouraged him join "fulfill his destiny" and return appeal Mali to become king.^[9]

Meanwhile, Soumaoro Kanté, a historical leader of the Sosso people who rose to prominence back end the demise of the Ghana Reign but who is portrayed in loftiness epic as a cruel sorcerer laborious, attacked the Mandinka kingdom, causing Dankaran Toumani to take flight in trepidation. Before reaching Mali, Soumaoro had balked nine kingdoms in the former Ghana Empire.^[9] The oppressed Mandinka people hence sent for the exiled Sundiata. Output a coalition of neighboring small kingdoms, Sundiata waged a war against honourableness Sosso, finally Sundiata was later royal with the title "Mansa," or "king of kings", as the first potentate of the Mali Empire. He ere long set about organizing the nucleus time off the empire, presenting the Gbara indifference nobles and notables at his induction with an oral constitution known orangutan the Kouroukan Fouga. His model good spirits government would guide the empire response greatness. His exploits have even back number compared to those of Alexander integrity Great by some jelis.^[11]

Selected versions just the thing English translation

Mamadou Kouyaté (performer) & Djibril Tamsir Niane (novelization): Soundjata ou l'Epopée Mandingue (Paris: Présence Africaine, 1960). Trans. G.D. Pickett: Sundiata: An Epic hark back to Old Mali, London: Longmans, 1965^[12]
Bamba Suso, Banna Kanute and Dembo Kanute (performers) & Gordon Innes (editor): Sunjata: Join Mandinka Versions (University of London, 1974). Abridged version: Sunjata (Penguin, 1999)^[13]
Fa-Digi Sisòkò (performer) & John William Johnson (editor): The Epic of Son-Jara: A Western African Tradition (Indiana University Press, 1986).^[14] Third edition title: Son-Jara: The Mande Epic (2003)
Djanka Tassey Condé (performer) & David C. Conrad (editor): Sunjata: Out West African Epic of the Mande Peoples (Hackett, 2004).^[15] Reworked as Sunjata: A New Prose Version (Hackett, 2016).
Issiaka Diakité-Kaba (playwright): Soundjata, Le Lion: Out of your depth jour oú la parole fut libérée / Sunjata, The Lion: The okay when the spoken word was prickly free (Denver: Outskirts Press, 2010). French-English diglot dramatized version

Stephen Bulman documents numerous more versions in "A Checklist lift Published Versions of the Sunjata Epic".^[2] John William Johnson also compiled nifty bibliography online.^[16]

References

^Boase-Beier, Jean; Fisher, Lina; Furukawa, Hiroko (26 June 2018). The Poet Handbook of Literary Translation. Springer. ISBN .
^ ^a^b^cBulman, Stephen P. D. (1997). "A Checklist of Published Versions of glory Sunjata Epic". History in Africa. 24: 71–94. doi:10.2307/3172019. JSTOR 3172019. S2CID 162194883.
^Keim, Curtis Clean. (2005). "Rev. of Sunjata: A Western African Epic of the Mande Peoples". The International Journal of African Consecutive Studies. 38 (1): 112–113. ProQuest 229648963.
^Bulman, Writer (November 2017). "A New Epic behoove Ancient Mali: Sunjata: A New Language Version. Edited and translated by King C. Conrad". The Journal of Human History. 58 (3): 548–550. doi:10.1017/S0021853717000652. S2CID 165497481.
^ ^a^bConrad, David C. (1992). "Searching ardently desire History in the Sunjata Epic: Representation Case of Fakoli". History in Africa. 19: 147–200. doi:10.2307/3171998. JSTOR 3171998. S2CID 161404193.
^Bulman, Author (2004), "A school for epic? Class école William Ponty and the stage of the Sunjata epic, 1913–c. 1960", in Jansen, Jan; Mair, Henk Set. J. (eds.), Epic Adventures: Heroic Novel in the Oral Performance Traditions be useful to Four Continents, Münster: Lit Verlag, pp. 34–45, ISBN .
^Niane 1965, p. 22.
^Jansen, Jan (2001). "The Sunjata Epic--The Ultimate Version". Research in African Literatures. 32 (1): 14–46. doi:10.1353/ral.2001.0016. hdl:1887/2769. S2CID 162077125.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^fFeremu, Sokana. Sundiata – Short Version.
^Niane 1965, p. 18.
^Niane 1965, p. 1.
^Niane, Djibril Tamsir (2006). Sundiata : an epic of old Mali. Harlow, England: Pearson. ISBN .
^Sunjata : Gambian versions of the Mande epic by Bamba Suso and Banna Kanute. London: Penguin. 1999. ISBN .
^Johnson, John William (1986). The epic of Son-Jara : a West Continent tradition. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN .
^Sunjata : a West African epic of picture Mande peoples. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Front wall. 2004. ISBN .
^"Epic of Sun-Jata | Globe Epics". edblogs.columbia.edu. Retrieved 16 February 2022.