Sunjata

by Conrad, David C.; Conde, Djanka Tassey; Conrad, David C.

• ISBN13: 9780872206977
• ISBN10: 0872206971
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-30
• Publisher: Hackett Pub Co Inc

Summary

A pillar of the West African oral tradition for centuries, this epic traces the adventures and achievements of the Mande hero, Sunjata, as he liberates his people from Sumaworo Kanté, the sorcerer king of Soso, and establishes the great medieval empire of Mali. David Conrad conveys the strong narrative thrust of the Sunjata epic in his presentation of substantial excerpts from his translation of a performance by Djanka Tassey Condé. Readers approaching the epic for the first time will appreciate the translation's highly readable, poetic English as well as Conrad's informative Introduction and notes. Scholars will find the familiar heroes and heroines taking on new dimensions, secondary characters gaining increased prominence, and previously unknown figures emerging from obscurity.

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction	xiv
Notes on Nomenclature and Transcription	xxxii
Note on the Map of the Mande Heartland (Map A)	xxxvii
Map A: The Mande Heartland and Related Jamanaw	xl
Map B: West Africa and Area of Detail According to Oral Tradition	xlii
Narrative Contents by Line Numbers	xliii
Blessings, Introductions, and Prophets of Islam	1	(3)
Seven Kings of Manden	4	(5)
The Search for a Special Wife	9	(12)
Two Hunters Arrive in Manden	21	(9)
Do Kamissa the Buffalo Woman	30	(9)
Do Kamissa's Revelations	39	(7)
Death of the Buffalo	46	(6)
Sogolon Wulen Conde of Do ni Kiri	52	(7)
A New Sorceress Wife for the Mansa of Konfara	59	(15)
The Childhood of Ma' an Sunjata	74	(4)
Step-Brother Rivalry and Nine Sorceresses of Manden	78	(4)
Mistaken Murder and the Question of Exile	82	(7)
Departure for Exile	89	(2)
A Visit to Soso	91	(4)
The Birth of Fakoli	95	(2)
How Tenenba Acquired Fakoli: Sumaworo's Quest for the Soso Bala	97	(10)
The Sacrifice of Kosiya Kante	107	(5)
Tenenba and Fakoli Visit the Sacred Sites	112	(6)
Sumaworo's Tyranny Over Manden	118	(5)
The Expedition to Find Sunjata and Return Him to Manden	123	(4)
Kolonkan Finds Meat for Guests from Manden	127	(2)
Manden Bori's Anger and Kolonkan's Curse	129	(2)
Sogolon Bestows the Legacy of Maghan Konfara	131	(9)
The Burial of Sogolon and Departure from Nema	140	(6)
The Return of Sunjata	146	(3)
Conde Pride and Descent from Adama	149	(4)
Fakoli Reveals His Power	153	(3)
Fakoli Explains His Dilemma and Takes His Leave from Manden	156	(2)
Fakoli Finds Trouble in Soso	158	(11)
A Visit to Kamanjan in Sibi	169	(4)
A Strategic Alliance: Kolonkan's Marriage	173	(2)
The Battle of Negeboriya	175	(2)
Trading Insults and Swearing Oaths	177	(6)
The Battle of Dakajalan and Fakoli's Revenge	183	(4)
The Campaign Against Jolofin Mansa	187	(9)
Epilogue	196	(2)
Glossary of Frequently Used Maninka Terms	198	(2)
Major Characters	200	(4)
Suggestions for Further Reading	204