Sundiata links

A more recent Links and Bibliography is available at:
SUNJATA on the ORIAS Journey of the Hero/Monomyth Site
http://orias.berkeley.edu/hero/sunjata/index.html

Sunjata (Sundiata) Links and Bibliography

Sundiata links and Books	Background	Back to class page
Live Resources	Standards	Back to ORIAS home

Sunjata

Kennedy Center sites:

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/aoi/events/theater/mali.html

Kennedy Center background page for Sundiata

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/cuesheet/theater.html

cuesheet for Sundiata

http://projects.scrtec.org/~lessondb/lps/hm000068.html

lesson plan using artsedge site

http://www.cybercomm.net/~grandpa/epics.html

A list of characters from Sundiata as well as from other major epics.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/3872/sunstory.html

A summary of early life of historical Sundiata.

http://www.worldbookonline.com/na/htm/zone/stm/1200/sun/sun02.htm

A short version of the story told by Malinke griot Sokana Feremu (also http://www.worldbookonline.com/na/htm/zone/stm/1200/sun/sun01.htm)

http://courses.wcupa.edu/jones/HIS311/sundiata.htm

"Background to the epic of Sundiata Keita" by James A. Jones, Ph.D. West Chester University Department of History 1998

http://www.dc.peachnet.edu/~shale/humanities/literature/syllabi/samplehtml.html

A template for a web based research paper on Sundiata (includes links and images).

http://www1.enloe.wake.k12.nc.us/enloe/CandC/storylinks.html

William G. Enloe GT Magnet High School (Raleigh, NC) comparative epic project. Good student pages on Sundiata (and other epics) including comparisons and timelines.

http://www1.enloe.wake.k12.nc.us/enloe/CandC/thegirls/mainsundiata.html

http://www1.enloe.wake.k12.nc.us/enloe/CandC/mainlinkpage.html

http://www1.enloe.wake.k12.nc.us/enloe/CandC/egomaniac/toc.html

Instruments

Yacine Kouyate's balafon - top (above) and gourds underneath. Played on the top like a xylophone, this instrument is discovered by Sundiata's griot in the sorceror king Soumaoro's study.

http://www.coraconnection.com/pages/balaphone.html

http://www.soundingforms.com/scripts/site/playkora.html

http://www.froots.demon.co.uk/features/kouyate/kandia01.html

http://www.mande.net/histoire/claireAndree/album/index.htm

Books

Ralph A. Austen, ed. In Search of Sunjata: The Mande Oral Epic As History, Literature, and Performance. Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1999.

This is one of the few English language collections of scholarly articles on the epic. It has articles on elements of the setting, history, oral and literary traditions and performance as well as an extensive bibliography. Available in paperback for under $20.

Roland Bertol, Sundiata, The Epic of the Lion King (Illustrated by Gregorio Prestopino). NY: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1970.

For this retelling of the story for young readers, Roland Bertol relies heavily on Arab sources. The story reflects this in casting Sumanguru as a very evil pagan king and Sundiata as the champion of Islam. It is the only version I've seen which incorporates the story of Sumanguru killing Sundiata's twelve brothers. The role of women is reduced -- Sundiata walks in order to defy Sumanguru, rather than to aid his mother and Bala Fasseke, rather than Sundiata's sister, uncovers the secret of Sumanguru's weakness. Out of print but available in many libraries.

Jali Kunda: Griots of West Africa and Beyond 96-page book & 1 CD Set $29.95

"Contemporary and Traditional West African Griot music In West Africa, the Griot (or Jali), is not just a musician. The Griot is historian, entertainer, myth maker and more. For more than 1,500 years this expert musician class have been "walking libraries," responsible for preserving the region's wisdom and ancient historic lore. Epic songs, family histories and one of the world's richest instrumental traditions are passed from generation to generation through arduous musical training, ensuring that the Jali Kunda (Griot Family) endures. Features tracks with Foday Musa Suso, Philip Glass and Pharoah Sanders Produced by Bill Laswell Introduction by Robert Palmer."
The accompanying book has lots of beautiful photos of contemporary griots-- both men and women -- and brief interviews. The CD has two versions of the Sundiata praise song: "while the words remain basically the same, instruments and tunings vary from one region to another. The version for balafon, drums and voice (track 2) was recorded in Tabato, Guinea-Bissau. Another rendition (track 7) using only female singers was recorded in Kolda, Senegal. Available at http://store.yahoo.com/ellipsisarts/globcom2.html

Camara Laye. (trans. from French by James Kirkup) The Guardian of the Word. NY: Vintage Books, 1984.

This vivid novelistic retelling of the epic by the Guinean writer was awarded a much deserved prize by France's foremost literary institution. It makes an especially terrific adult read after becoming familiar with the bones of the story in Niane's more traditional rendition below. Unfortunately Laye's book is currently out of print.

D.T. Niane. Sundiata and Epic of Old Mali. Longman African Writers, 1994.

This is the most accessible, authentic version of the story in English. After a few pages of requisite geneologies it moves right into the action and can be used as a text for 7^th grade or high school readers. The paperback is available for under $14.00.

David Wisnieweski. Sundiata: Lion King of Mali. NY: Clarion Books, 1992.

This is a popular picture book features Wisniewski's stunning papercuts. There is not enough text to use as a literary source for middle or high school, but it is fun to read aloud and makes a good brief introduction to the plot and characters. The paperback version is widely available for under $6.00 and the hardback for under $18.00.

Live/film resources

Berkeley Repertory Theatre will offer a schools touring show of Sundiata in 2000.

Ballet d'Afrique Noire, Mandinka Epic

http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/9900season/world/balletdafrique.html

Sun, Apr 9, 3 pm, Zellerbach Hall, $18/$24/$30

Performed by the 30-member Ballet d'Afrique Noire in its native Wolof language, Mandinka Epic is an inspiring spectacle of music, song, and dance from the heart of West Africa. Based on stories passed down by the griots (oral historians) of the Mandinka tribe of ancient Mali, the epic spins a tale of power struggles among rival kings and the legendary discovery of the Americas by a 2000-ship armada in the 14th century. The production features traditional Mandinka music played on such ancient instruments as the djembe, sabars, tamas (drums), and 21-string kora (harp-lute).

(N.B. Cal Performances created a teacher's guide for their SchoolTime performance on April 4th. Contact Michele at ORIAS for a copyorias@uclink4.berkeley.edu)
A summary of the performance can also be found at http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/aoi/events/dance/mandinka3.html

Africa: One Continent. Many Worlds. Academy of Sciences, San Francisco October and November 1999

This fall, discover firsthand the natural riches of the African Continent, the vitality and diversity of African peoples, and their communities through out the world. Africa: One Continent. Many Worlds. the Academy's latest exhibition, offers you a unique opportunity to experience the family life, art, and ecology of Africa.

This is a traveling art exhibit from the Field Museum, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
County, and others. Check out their extensive site at http://www.nhm.org/africa/. It includes video, photographs on the history and art of the Royal Palace of the Bamum (Cameroun), conflict resolution among the BaKongo (Congo-Brazzaville and Kinshasa, Angola), Benin history through elephant tusks and Benin bronzes, metal working, use of gold weights, commerce across the Sahara, the market in Kano (Nigeria), men's hats, combs/jewelry, rock art, a Liberian folk tale, the role of masks, drums, kora music from Senegal, the elephant as a royal animal, and more. Has a map of African languages, an African facts flashcard game, classroom ideas for teachers. http://www.lam.mus.ca.us/africa/main.htm

http://www.pbs.org/wonders/fr_wn.htm

This PBS site on their recently aired africa program by gates includes a few images, a short history of ancient mali, and an on-line video interview with on Timbuctu with Islamic scholar Ali Ould Sidi at Sankore Mosque, the heart of the extensive university system in 16th century Timbuktu. Here, Sidi tells of more than 25,000 students under a rigorous 10-year program of astronomy, medicine, mathematics and more. The lesson plan at http://www.pbs.org/wonders/fr_cl.htm includes links and activities for the Road to Timbuktu section of their documentary: "In this lesson students will examine the mysteries of the city of Timbuktu, and its surrounding geographic regions through mapping activities, timelining, vocabulary development, and hands on projects.

FILM
Keita: The Heritage of the Griot
Director: Dani Kouyaté

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/dgalvan/pos4931-s99/keita%20glossary.html

Glossary of characters in film.

http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/afrfilmcontexts.htm#Keita:

A class resource page for using the film from Central Oregon Community College.

Background

http://www.fandm.edu/departments/Anthropology/Bastian/ANT269/man.html#skip

This site has several short useful pieces on background of the Mande people.

"This Web page has been an ongoing semester project for Franklin and Marshall Anthropology/Africana Studies 267 class. The goal of this project is to create an informative web site that will provide insight into many of the wonderful aesthetics, beliefs, and histories of West African cultures. All articles on this site have been written by students in Anthropology/Africana Studies 269 and Anthropology/Africana Studies 267."

Also:

http://www.fandm.edu/departments/Anthropology/Bastian/ANT269/art.html

Images collected from the Rothman Gallery at Franklin and Marshall College include a divination tray and a mangala board.

http://www.care.org/virtual_trip/mali/landtimeforgot.html

This CARE virtual tour of contemporary Mali has a page on the legacy of medieval oral and feudal traditions in today's Malian society. It would work well as the basis of an extension piece on the living traditions.

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/worldciv/referenc/afritime.htm#timeline

Time line of African History from WW Norton

http://www.barnard.columbia.edu/dept/history/courses/history_courses/3434/3434x.htm

Memory, Orality and African History: class syllabus for Prof. L. A. Jackson Department of History Barnard College, Columbia University Fall 1997 -- includes introduction, links and bibliographies for oral tradition

http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/timelines/htimeline2.htm

http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/4AFRICA.htm

"Early and Medieval African Kingdoms" - Lesson plan for 4th Grade - by: Cheryl Jeffries and Jane Moss, Highland Heights School, Richmond, Indiana Length of Unit: 10 days. See Appendix G for Sundiata.

http://disney.go.com/Kids/lkstory/index.html

This online picture book version of Disney's film The Lion King might serve a the basis for a comparison/contrast discussion.

http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/K-12/menu_EduBBS.html

http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/ed.html

http://members.aol.com/MrDonnHistory/K12east.html#AFRICA

Mr Donn's page on ancient africa links

Kennedy Center:

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/odyssey.html

Kennedy Center African Odyssey page

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/aoi/opps/spin/index.html

Kennedy Center spinning stories activity

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/aoi/resources/k12.html

Kennedy Center educational resources links page

http://tlc.ai.org/africa.htm#LP

AITLC African links page (The ACCESS INDIANA Teaching & Learning Center)

Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute

http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1993/2/93.02.04.x.html

lesson plan from art teacher using art and folktales

http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1984/4/
lesson using the oral tradition

http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1993/2/93.02.08.x.html
lesson using the African-American folkltales from Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute

http://www.cis.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1996/1/96.01.03.x.html
"Multiculturalism Through African Folk Tales And Mayan Myths" lesson plan by Rebecca Brown at Yale-New Haven Teachers' Institute

http://webtest.ousd.k12.ca.us/foundations/curric_library/africa/africa_index.html
http://socialstudies.com/c/@jxkM2mdvOpJTk/dev/Pages/article.html?article@africanart

From Social Studies School Service: The purpose of this lesson is to show students how traditional African art is closely related to African culture, daily life, and religion, and to get students to think about whether their own culture has similar items that could be considered art or that may one day be considered beautiful and interesting enough to be placed in art museums.

http://members.xoom.com/PMartin/Bush/bushhomepage.htm

"Use Folk Tales to Bring Africa Alive in the Classroom" The stories used in this lesson were collected by the author while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Liberia, West Africa. He lived in Zwedru, a town surrounded by the rainforest, or "the bush" as the Liberians called it. These tales have been kid - tested and approved around the world with students from kindergarten through grade eight. These stories, and any other African tales, work as a great introduction to the wealth of culture and history that Africa has to offer.

Standards

http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/standards/world/S22.html

National Standards for understanding "the growth of states, towns, and trade in Sub-Saharan Africa between the 11th and 15th centuries". Lists National Standards for grades 5-12 related to this subject.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/cdepress/Hist_SocSci_Stnd.pdf

California States Standards for Africa in the 7th grade. (Search "Africa" or see 7.4)

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