...The Sunjata epic role of women can be defined as a sequence of qualities forming distinguishing characteristics. Before demeaning women, Sunjata, also known as Sundiata, learns that he is to respect women as they are by understanding their true power and value. Karen R. Keim says, “Liking’s rewriting of the myth depicts Sogolon as a strong feminist whose womanly powers transforms and enables Sunjata to become free from impediments to success” (692). Sogolon is the mother and teacher of Sunjata. With Sogolon, things do not appear physically as they do spiritually. She resonates a great strength that keeps things together in exile. She is the one who leads Sunjata in being filled with superhuman parts, unbelievable strengths and becoming...
Words: 2020 - Pages: 9
...D.T. Niane’s book Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali tells the history of Mali’s former ruler from the perspective of a royal griot, Djeli Mamoudou Kouyate of the village of Dejliba Koro (Siguiri) in Guinea. According to Niane, he is not trying to write a traditional history book, rather, he is trying to present the history of Sundiata’s empire through the traditional African form of memory using oral tradition as his only sources. He claims that the West has taught historians to avoid oral traditions and to rely instead primarily on written documents. However, Niane disagrees with these methods and claims that much can be learned from the stories and traditions passed from generation to generation through spoken word. He makes a wonderful case for the problem of Westernization of the historical discipline; stressing that it is important to understand the people being studied on their own terms, instead of viewing their histories from Eurocentric perspectives. The story of Sundiata begins before his birth. In the beginning, the griot establishes his authority on the subject by claiming that he was entrusted with these stories from his father and his father’s father. The griot also explains that griots take an oath and are unable to lie. According to tradition, Sundiata came from a long line of Malian kings. His father was a great and handsome man who was loved by his people. One day, Sudndiata’s father, Maghan Kon Fatta received a visiting hunter and soothsayer, who foretold...
Words: 913 - Pages: 4
...Sundiata and its Islamic Influences The story of Sundiata begins with the ancestors of sundiata and how they created the mali empire. This epic is told by the griot Djeli Mamadou Kouyate. Sundiata was born royal. His father was the king of Niani. One day a hunter predicated that Sundiata’s father would reproduce a great leader if he married and had a baby with an ugly woman. Eventually, the king found this woman and her name was Sogolon. The king accepted Sogolon and married her, although she would not consummate the marriage until magical powers help him destroy her wrath that was making her resistant. Later Sundiata was born and the prophecy was coming true. The fact that the King agreed to marry Sogolon could be because Muslims believe that God's guidance has been revealed to humankind through specially appointed messengers, or prophets, throughout history. The king could...
Words: 760 - Pages: 4
...leading group of the Mali Empire was the Mandinka people. Eight current states of West and North Africa make up the former Mali Empire. The founder of the Mali Empire was a historical figure who has since taken on legendary qualities. His name was Sundiata. This is, as was traditional among his ethnic group, a combination of his mother's (Sogolon) and father's (Maghan Kon Fatta) names. It translates into...
Words: 761 - Pages: 4
...medium size cut. In hero literature, authors use heroes to symbolize freedom combined with details that describe power corrupts which within the hero genre allow readers to experience birth and ultimately consider the pattern. First, I believe that a hero has to be someone who goes out of his or her name to help or save someone that they know or even don’t know because I always think of someone who walks up to someone who is homeless and gives them something to eat or even some money. The other thing that I think of would be when you see someone in the hall is having trouble and have dropped their things and you go help them pick it up. Second, in the story The Adventures of Robin Hood, Robin Hood is the hero because he shows how he is overpowering the villain. Robin Hood personifies the spring because he talks about it being spring time a lot. Robin Hood rose above the villain once he started to become famous. This story inspires us to rise above the common person and defeat evil because we see that someone else could do it so we have an example of how to overcome the “evil” in our life. Third, I think that Sundiata personifies a coin at the tip of a mountain because if you hit it at all it will fall down. The only way that you can avoid this is to help him until he is satisfied and has let himself be more lenient with how he reacts too many things. Sundiata personifies Goth to show his own selfish desire for racial greatness. Throughout the story Niane uses the strength...
Words: 616 - Pages: 3
...Every society gives women different social structures and varies in the importance that women function within that society. Women play different roles in every society, from being the main caretaker for their children to being powerful queens who lead the people. There is such a wide spectrum in which women can fill any role in society that when comparing the distinctive effect that women have in specific cultures is important in understanding how women have changed from the past to their present roles within our own society. The diverse significance of women in society can be seen when comparing the women of Mali culture in Sundiata by D.T. Naiane, to the women in Aztec and Spanish culture in The Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Díaz, by examining...
Words: 1531 - Pages: 7
...Teach Africa tm World Affairs Council of Houston The Oral Traditions of Africa What are oral traditions? Oral traditions are messages that are transmitted orally from one generation to another. The messages may be passed down through speech or song and may take the form of folktales and fables, epic histories and narrations, proverbs or sayings, and songs. Oral Traditions make it possible for a society to pass knowledge across generations without writing. They help people make sense of the world and are used to teach children and adults about important aspects of their culture. The art of storytelling There is a rich tradition throughout Africa of oral storytelling. Although written history existed for centuries in West Africa, most writing was in Arabic, and the majority of people did not read or write in Arabic. So the transmission of knowledge, history and experience in West Africa was mainly through the oral tradition and performance rather than on written texts. Oral traditions guide social and human morals, giving people a sense of place and purpose. There is often a lesson or a value to instill, and the transmission of wisdom to children is a community responsibility. Parents, grandparents, and relatives take part in the process of passing down the knowledge of culture and history. Storytelling provides entertainment, develops the imagination, and teaches important lessons about everyday life. World Affairs Council of Houston PO Box 920905 Houston, TX 77292-0905 Voice...
Words: 2717 - Pages: 11
...Fatima Soleman Abdi Idd Hist 275 Essay 1 : Islam was born in the Hijaz in the 7th century and expanded to the rest of the Middle East where its key institutions were established. Simultaneously, it went through a rapid wave of expansion and eventually reached the African continent though North Africa and was progressively embraced in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, we cannot say there was such a thing as a unique process of expansion of Islam because an African identity was inexistent. Indeed, the continent and especially our area of focus, consisting of North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, was composed of different regions defined by their ethnicity and their ancestry. Furthermore, the physical separation created by the Sahara desert also played a major role into accentuating the disparities. We will explore here, how the introduction of Islam in both regions differed significantly and how in the secondary phase of “rooting” of the faith, this key difference in the first contacts the religion had in these two regions led to the establishment of two distinct Islams. Finally, we will demonstrate that when we look beyond the complexity of both processes, they ultimately share many similarities. The main difference in the process of arrival of Islam in North Africa and Sub-Saharan African is displayed by the rapidity of expansion. Whereas by 720, North Africa was controlled by the Muslims, the adoption of Islam below the Sahara appeared to be more slowly...
Words: 3166 - Pages: 13
...AP World History Survival Guide Name ________________________________ Teacher __________________________ Block _________________ Table of Contents | Pages | AP World History Overview | 3 – 7 | The AP Exam | 3 | World Regions | 4 – 5 | Five Course Themes | 6 | Four Historical Thinking Skills | 7 | Essays Overview | 8 - 15 | Document-based Question (DBQ) | 8 – 12 | Change and Continuity over Time (CCOT) | 13 – 15 | Comparative Essay | 16 – 18 | Released Free Response Questions | 19 – 20 | AP Curriculum Framework | 21 – 38 | Period 1 (Up to 600 B.C.E.)—5% | 21 – 22 | Period 2 (600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E.)—15% | 23 – 25 | Period 3 (600 to 1450)—20% | 26 – 28 | Period 4 (1450 to 1750)—20% | 29 – 31 | Period 5 (1750 to 1900)—20% | 32 – 35 | Period 6 (1900 to the present)—20% | 36 – 38 | Help with Some Confusing Subjects | 39 – 43 | Chinese Dynasties | 39 | Political, Economic, and Social Systems | 40 | Religions | 41 | Primary Sources | 42 | “Must Know” Years | 43 | * Many of the guidelines in this study packet are adapted from the AP World History Course Description, developed by College Board. The AP Exam Purchasing and taking the AP World History exam are requirements of the course. This year, the AP World History exam will be administered on: ___________________________________________ Format I. Multiple...
Words: 16161 - Pages: 65
...AP World History Survival Guide Name ________________________________ Teacher __________________________ Block _________________ Table of Contents | Pages | AP World History Overview | 3 – 7 | The AP Exam | 3 | World Regions | 4 – 5 | Five Course Themes | 6 | Four Historical Thinking Skills | 7 | Essays Overview | 8 - 15 | Document-based Question (DBQ) | 8 – 12 | Change and Continuity over Time (CCOT) | 13 – 15 | Comparative Essay | 16 – 18 | Released Free Response Questions | 19 – 20 | AP Curriculum Framework | 21 – 38 | Period 1 (Up to 600 B.C.E.)—5% | 21 – 22 | Period 2 (600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E.)—15% | 23 – 25 | Period 3 (600 to 1450)—20% | 26 – 28 | Period 4 (1450 to 1750)—20% | 29 – 31 | Period 5 (1750 to 1900)—20% | 32 – 35 | Period 6 (1900 to the present)—20% | 36 – 38 | Help with Some Confusing Subjects | 39 – 43 | Chinese Dynasties | 39 | Political, Economic, and Social Systems | 40 | Religions | 41 | Primary Sources | 42 | “Must Know” Years | 43 | * Many of the guidelines in this study packet are adapted from the AP World History Course Description, developed by College Board. The AP Exam Purchasing and taking the AP World History exam are requirements of the course. This year, the AP World History exam will be administered on: ___________________________________________ Format I. Multiple...
Words: 16161 - Pages: 65
...WESTERN CIVILIZATIONS Western Civilization HMS 301 1 WESTERN CIVILIZATIONS Main Topics The Black Death The Effects of the Black Death The Rise of Constitutional Monarchy The Hundred Years’ War The Decline of the Church The Renaissance Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance Italian Renaissance Humanism Machiavelli and Power Politics Leonardo Da Vinci Global Travel and Trade The African Cultural Heritage West African Kingdoms The Europeans in Africa Native American Cultures Maya Civilization The Empires of the Incas and the Aztecs The Spanish in the Americas and the Aftermath of Their Conquest The Impact of Technology Christian Humanism and the Northern Renaissance Luther and the Protestant Reformation The Spread of Protestantism The Catholic Reformation 2 WESTERN CIVILIZATIONS The French Revolution Napoleon Bonaparte The Industrial Revolution Advancing Industrialism Colonialism China and the West Social and Economic Realities Nineteenth-Century Social Theory: conservatism, liberalism & socialism The Radical View of Marx and Engels Picasso and the Birth of Cubism Futurism, Fauvism and Non Objective Art The Birth of Motion Pictures Freud and the Psyche Total War and Totalitarianism The First World War The Russian Revolution Nazi Totalitarianism The Second World War Identity and Liberation: Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X 3 WESTERN CIVILIZATIONS The Black Death ...
Words: 16933 - Pages: 68
