This well-known epic of the thirteenth century Malian king Sundjata (often spelled Sundiata but pronounced soon-d-jata) has been passed down for generations. It is unclear at this point how much of the story is historical fact and how much has passed into legend, but it's power remains unchanged. Information on one published version can be found on the Links and Resources page. |
Sundjata
I am a griot, master of the art of eloquence, descendant of the royal historians. Since time immemorialmy family has been in the service to the princes of Mali. We are the vessels of history and hold in our minds the secrets of many centuries. Through our speech we bring to life the valiant deeds of kings to younger generations. I teach kings the history of their ancestors so the lives of the ancients may guide them. I shall teach you your history so you may be guided, too. I shall teach you of our time of greatness. The past is only the seed of the future.
Listen, children of Mali. Don't doubt my words. What I say is what was told to me by my father, as was told by his father to him, and so on through the generations. We are sworn to pass on our stories as we learned them.
Now listen to the story of Sundjata, the Lion King of Mali, as it was told from time beyond memory. Sundjata, the father of the bright country, the master of a hundred conquered kings! Sundjata, great among kings, and peerless among men, beloved of Allah for he was the last of the great conquerors! Sundjata, the greatest in a great line of kings.
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The first kings of Mali were not indigenous. They came from the East and were descendants of a faithful servant of the Prophet Muhammad, may the peace of Allah be upon him. It was this lineage that held the power and they were initiated into the arts of hunting and healing. It was through them that their people conquered the neighboring lands and they became kings of a vast empire known as Mali.
From this noble line came Maghan, the handsome, father of Sundjata. Maghan had three wives and six children - three boys and three girls. His first wife was the beautiful Sassouma. The second wife was Sogolon, the Buffalo Woman, the mother of Sundjata.
Return now to the time before Sundjata the great Lion King was born, before he united the territories and ethnic groups of Mali into a mighty empire. Return to the savanna along the river before Sundjata's mother and father had met.
King Maghan was renowned for his good looks in every land, but he also was a good king and loved by all the people. In his capital of Niani he loved to sit under the great shading arms of the silk-cotton tree which dominated the royal yard of his great clay palace. Here he could enjoy the shade and the breeze during the hottest times. Unlike his subjects, he could not go down to the river to get cool. As was the custom, the king would only present himself to the people on special occasions, so he was somewhat isolated within the royal fences.
His griot was with him singing his praises while playing on a three-stringed guitar. Servants waited upon him and fanned him, chasing away the flies. Maghan's beautiful wife Sassouma was in the palace, pregnant with their second child. His only son Dankaran was already eight years old and often came to sit on the ox-hide beside his father.
As he sat in the shade of the mighty silk-cotton tree, a hunter from far away approached carrying an offering of meat. (Since the hunter had killed an animal on the king's land, he wasobligated by custom to give the king part of the animal.) His garments were covered with cowry shells which showed him to be a master in the art of hunting. He wore a reddish-brown skull cap over his gray hair braided in the fashion of the hunters of that land. These hunters were known as great soothsayers, or fortune tellers, as well. The man walked up to the king and bowed. "I salute you, King, and bring you part of the animal I have killed on your land."
The griot of the king spoke for his master. "Welcome stranger, and thank you for observing our customs. You have traveled far, sit and share with us some stories of our neighboring lands."
The hunter came and sat down upon a mat. He said, "I am not a teller of tales. I do not spin adventurous yarns, nor trick my listeners with a golden tongue. But I can boast of being aseer among the best."
He took twelve cowry shells out of his hunter's bag, raised them to his mouth and murmured an incantation. Then he threw the shells before him on the mat. He looked at them for a long time studying the way they fell and the patterns they made. Then he addressed the king. "Oh, great ruler, our world is full of mystery. Great things come from small. This silk-cotton tree springs from a tiny seed. Kingdoms are like trees; some will become like this great silk-cotton tree, and others will remain like dwarf palms. Mighty rivers begin as small streams. And who can recognize in the little child the great king to come? Know this, King Maghan. Your land is about to emerge from the night."
The griot of the king was puzzled and said, "Hunter, your words are strange. Make them as clear to us as the savannas of our land."
"Oh, King. Listen to my message. Your successor is not yet born," he said trying to avoid the eyes of the king who looked apprehensively at his son while stroking his beard. "I see two hunters coming to your city. They have come from afar. A woman comes with them. Oh, that woman! She is ugly. On her back is a hump giving her the appearance of a buffalo. Her eyes are misshapen, too. But this is the woman you must marry, for she will be the mother of the one who will make the name of your family immortal. This son will be mightier than all who have preceded him."
The hunter picked up his cowry shells and returned them to his bag. "I am only passing through, and now I must return."
The king laughed as if to appear that he was not listening deeply to the hunter's words and he said, "Don't you have any other stories for a king?"
The hunter replied, "I have spoken not to entertain, sire. But only after you sacrifice a red bull calf and let his blood sink deep into the soil, will this girl come. Farewell, great king. I am but a passing stranger."
The hunter disappeared down the trail, but the king did not forget his words and later that day ordered the sacrifice of the red bull calf. Gossip of the stranger's words were spread throughout the palace.
News of this prediction were met with fear by Sassouma, the queen and mother of eight-year-old Dankaran, whom she wanted to become the next king. The seer's words were as disturbing to her as they were attractive to her husband. Did Maghan not want to be remembered as the father of powerful rulers? Did he not want to take more wives and have more children? Such were the thoughts of the king and queen.
After the harvest season in a neighboring land, two brothers, Oulamba and Oulani, were eager for traveling and hunting. They were dressed in hunters' narrow trousers and the wide and long overgarment dyed by roots and bark to a reddish-brown. They were barefoot, but able to cross any terrain, and each had a hunter's whistle to signal across great distances. They carried a quiver of arrows and a bow and their leather hunting bags were covered with cowries, testaments to the kills they had made on behalf of the village. The youths were strong and slender and anxious to prove their skills to the people of their village. As was the custom, the young hunters consulted a soothsayer before traveling abroad.
The soothsayer wished them well on their trip and said, "Remember well to befriend the hungry and to keep your word. If you do, great honor will come to you." The two brothers thanked the soothsayer and set out on the trail.
Two days' journey beyond their village they met two other hunters, one of whom was brutally wounded and the young hunters feared that he would not survive. His leg had been torn apart by the sharp horns of a wild buffalo. An amazing buffalo was ravaging the countryside of Do and daily it claimed some victims. The brothers learned that no one dared leave the village after sunset and none of the fields were safe from the destruction of the marauding animal. The leader of Do had promised a fine reward to the hunter who killed the buffalo and rid the village of this curse.
The two brothers decided to try their luck and therefore advanced deep into the land where the buffalo had caused its destruction. Warily they pursued the buffalo and by chance came upon an old woman by the side of a river. She was weeping and lamenting. She was thin and frail with white hair and her skin was wrinkled and scaly like a lizard's. She beseeched the young hunters for something to eat. Touched by her tears and remembering the advice of the soothsayer, the younger brother approached and gave her some dried meat from his hunter's bag. When she had eaten well, she smiled broadly showing her gums and her few remaining teeth. She said, "May Allah return to you the charity which you have shown me."
They were getting ready to leave when the old woman stopped them. "I know that you are going to try your luck against the Buffalo of Do, but you should know that many others before you have met their death through their foolishness. Arrows are quite useless against the buffalo because of its thick hide. But, young hunters, your hearts are generous and it is you who will vanquish the buffalo. I am the buffalo you are looking for and your generosity has vanquished me. I have killed a hundred and seven hunters and wounded seventy-seven more. Every day I kill an inhabitantof Do. But now my anger against my brother has run its course. I have punished my brother enough for depriving me of my part of the inheritance from our parents. He has taken my land, my home, all my possessions, and turned me out of the village. And now he will have my life." She spoke and was resigned to her death which would soon come.
"Here, take this staff, this rock, and this egg and go to the plain over there where I browse among the king's crops. Before using your bow you must take aim at me three times with this staff. Then draw your bow and I shall be vulnerable to your arrow. I shall fall, but shall get up and pursue you, but you will eventually kill me. As a proof of your victory you must cut off the buffalo's tail and bring it to the king of Do who is my brother."
Crazy with joy, the brothers seized the staff, the rock, and the egg, but the old woman stopped them with a gesture and said, "There is... one condition."
"What is that?" the older brother asked impatiently.
"The king promises the hand of the most beautiful maiden of Do to the victor. When all the people of Do are gathered and you are told to choose among the beautiful maidens of the village, you must search in the crowd until you find a very ugly maiden, uglier than you can imagine, sitting apart on the observation platform. You must choose her for she is my spirit double. She will be an extraordinary woman for the man who is able to possess her. Swear to me that you will choose her, hunters."
The young hunters promised and eagerly took the staff, rock, and egg from the old woman. The older brother was suspicious of her, but said nothing until they were out of her sight. "She is only leading us to our death," he said.
"Then I will die like a brave warrior, not a coward," he said. "Let's go!" And the two brothers continued on to the plain of Do.
Out on the plain of Do the two young hunters saw a browsing buffalo with black hide and silver horns. The older brother became frightened and didn't trust the old woman's powers and tried to convince his younger brother to turn around. But the younger brother advanced cautiously stooping to hide himself in the tall grass. Then the buffalo raised its head and saw the young hunter. It bellowed, lowered its mighty head and charged.
The hunter took the staff and pointed it at the buffalo three times. The buffalo hesitated and the hunter shot an arrow into its massive neck. The arrow seemed only to inflame the buffalo, and it charged again. Turning to run the hunter tossed the staff behind him and up sprang a forest of bamboo. The buffalo could not maneuver easily through the forest, and the hunter was able to escape to the plain once more. The older brother quickly climbed a tree to avoid being killed.
Once again out on the plain the buffalo pursued the young hunter. With its horns nearly tearing into his body, the hunter tossed the rock behind him and the plain was transformedinto an immense labyrinth of stones. The buffalo was again delayed while the hunter hurtled like a meteor across the plain. It was as if rabbit's feet had sprouted, so swiftly did he run.
Then the buffalo once again was able to bear down on the hunter, and almost exhausted, he reached for the egg in his bag and let if fall behind him. The plain was transformed into a muddy marsh and the buffalo fell into the clinging mire. The hunter took his bow again and shot the buffalo and this time killed it.
He took his hunter's whistle and signaled his success. His older brother climbed down from the tree and congratulated him. They cut off the buffalo's tail and headed for the village of Do.
The brothers arrived at the village of Do to meet the king. Drums spread the joyful news throughout the land that the buffalo had been slain, and soon fathers accompanied by daughters of marriageable age came to the village.
The next morning everyone was gathered in the main square. Young children perched like grasshoppers on the branches of trees sat gazing at the festivities. A platform had been built for the king's family. The square was filled with the excited throng that circled the carcass of the buffalo that had been brought there. The hunters' names, Oulamba and Oulani, were sung by the crowd in praise of their great deed. Others, whose relatives had been killed by the buffalo, shrieked insults at itsmutilated body. Drums and eight-string hunter's guitars joined the voices in their praises. The dancing was punctuated by foot stomping and clapping.
When the king appeared a deep silence settled on the crowd. Next to him was his griot and the two hunters. The beauty of the two young hunters set every woman day dreaming that she might be the one chosen.
The griot spoke directly for the king who remained silent. "The buffalo is dead, and here is the hunter Oulani who killed it. I promised the most beautiful woman in marriage as a reward. Great hunter, look upon the daughters of Do and take your pick." The crowd cheered its approval, and the young hunter was exhilarated by the beauty which was arrayed before him. The maidens wore festive dress and gold shone in their hair and their fragile wrists bent under the weight of bracelets. Smiling teeth as white as rice vied forthe hunter's attention. As he walked among the crowd, he wondered how he could decide among such loveliness.
But overhead a hawk appeared and after circling, plummeted three times over a platform. The hunter remembered the words of the old woman and tore his eyes from the smiling beauties.
On the raised platform he spotted Sogolon, with a humped back and bulging eyes partially hidden by a veil pulled shyly across her face. The hunter elbowed his way through the crowd, took her by the hand and pulled her into the middle of the great circle.
The crowd gasped in disbelief. Was the hunter mocking them or had he gone mad? He had chosen one of the king's daughters, the girl everyone called the Buffalo Woman because of her misshapened body with its huge hump.
Bringing Sogolon to the King of Do, the hunter said, "This is the one I have chosen and would like for a wife."
The king could not control his laughter at the hunter's choice made from all the beautiful maidens. Then general laughter spread throughout the crowd. Insults were hurled by the rejected maidens, and ridicule was heaped upon them by all. The brothers left that very day pursued by the mockery of the people of Do. As they left they kicked the dust from their feet vowing never to return there again. They escorted Sogolon, the Buffalo Woman, away from Do and started on their return to their own village.
On the path home the young hunters slowed their pace to ease the journey for Sogolon, the buffalo woman. She was weeping for she was leaving her home. Even though her villagers and her own family had ridiculed her, she was sad to be leaving the only home she had ever known. But soon her tears dried and shereflected upon the moment when the handsome young hunter had chosen her, out of all the beautiful girls on earth! It was the sort of moment that she would always hold precious in her store of memories. But she was a daughter of a king, and she knew that her destiny was partly determined by her spirit double. Was she to become the wife of a mere hunter?
The three spoke along the trail, and Sogolon was put in good spirits by the kindness of the young hunters. As night was about to fall, they began to search for a village where they could stay. Hospitality is freely offered to the stranger in Afrika, and the two brothers were offered one hut and Sogolon another.
Later that night the older brother said, "Aren't you going to sleep with your wife tonight? You are the one who was victorious over the buffalo."
And the younger brother said, "But you are the eldest. You know that it is not fitting for me to take a woman before you."
So later that night after the village was asleep, the older brother Oulamba went to the hut where Sogolon slept. In spite of her hump, she looked irresistible in her sleep. And Oulamba took off his hunter's garment and lay down beside her.
But in her sleep she was protected by her spirit double. Every hair on her body sharpened and lengthened becoming like quills of a porcupine which prevented anyone from touching her. Of course Oulamba called upon his spirit double, too, and the two spirits battled throughout the night. But Sogolon's was much more powerful.
In the morning Oulamba returned to the hut half dead from weariness and rejoined his brother. "I couldn't do anything!" he cried angrily. "You were the one who triumphed over the buffalo, so it is up to you to make her your wife."
"Fine," he answered. "I shall go to her tonight."
They continued on their journey, and at night they again found a village which provided them with huts and food. In the middle of the night the younger brother Oulani slipped into her hut. As he crossed the threshold, he was caught in her magic spell. He froze in an upright position half in and half out of the doorway and slept that way until the morning. He awoke and returned to tell his brother of his misfortune.
"She is a very powerful sorceress. Her spells are more powerful than any we know. I failed miserably with her, just as you did."
Oulamba bitterly agreed, "Sogolon is not for us."
They decided to try nothing more and continue on their journey. Oulani had been over the moon with joy just a few days before. Now he wished that he had not followed the request of the old woman to choose Sogolon; he could have chosen from the most beautiful women who wanted to be his wife! Now he would be remembered only for his choice of the Buffalo Woman. Never would he have an extra-ordinary son from her who would perpetuate his name. Such was the bitterness he now felt.
King Maghan was once again seated under the silk-cotton tree. It was a hot day, and his beautiful wife Sassouma had brought some water to him and sat down to enjoy the shade. She had given birth to a daughter almost two years before, and she had regained her beauty. Her attention was now on her husband and their happiness together.
Two young hunters and a young maid approached. The queen got up and went inside the palace as was required of her when strangers came. A flash of anxiety swept through her when she saw the woman covered by a veil coming down the path between the two hunters. Would her husband remember the prediction made long ago?
When the strangers were a few steps from the king, they bowed. "Great king, we are hunters from far away. The young girl is from Do and we present her to you, for we think she is worthy to be a king's wife."
The girl was kneeling in front of the king with a veil hiding her face. Bowing, she could not conceal the hump which deformed her shoulders and back.
The king was embarrassed and stared a long time at his griot searching for advice. The griot broke the silence by asking them to tell of how they happened to leave Do with that maiden, and the hunters sat down to tell their story. They told of the old woman at the river, the killing of the buffalo, and the choice of the Buffalo Woman over all the beautiful maidens of Do. (They discreetlytold nothing of their own attempts at trying to marry her.)
The king and his griot knew this extraordinary woman was the one prophesied. She must become the king's wife and mother of his son! So the king ordered a gift of kola nuts for the young hunters for bringing her to the king. The hunters were also given two beautiful maidens of the king's village to take home as their own wives.
The date of the wedding was set for next Wednesday, a lucky day, and throughout the twelve villages of the kingdom the drums announced the marriage. All the important dignitaries were invited. The royal family gave out gifts to celebrate the wedding: rice, clothes, and even gold. Oxen were sacrificed. Each village sent a troupe of dancers and musicians to participate in the celebration of the second marriage of the king.
Sogolon, the Buffalo Woman, stayed with an old aunt of the king until the wedding. In preparation she received the finest care and pampering. Along the river's edge she sang and bathed with her age-mates, who would become like sisters to her. She got marriage advice from old married women while they gave her a ritual hot-then-cold bath: "In marriage there are beautiful days, and inevitablythere will be bad days. Your dignity as a woman makes it imperative that you accept either kind with a smile... Your honor requires that you offer your heart and your body only to your husband, and you are to submit them to him absolutely. If you drink honey water with your husband, be prepared to drink the bitter herbs as well. This will make certain the success of your children in this life and your place in heaven in the next."
Her hair was braided and her skin was oiled and perfumed. Throughout the night before the wedding there was a great feast by the women. It was intended to give the departing maiden a final happy memory that she would be able to fall back upon in moments of anguish during her future life as a wife and mother. Sogolon was weeping alone in the center of a circle of her friends as the rooster crowed that morning. Today she would no longer be a girl and her life as a woman would begin.
She was dressed completely in white with a large veil over her head. Her age-mates sang the bride's departure song punctuated with clapping.
Her wedding day had come. Perched on a horse she headed a procession down the path towards the palace. Women flanked her path and viewed everything and sang; it has always been so. Men had no say in the matter, and were pushed to the back.
As was the custom, during the procession cousins of the groom picked the bride up and ran off carrying her on their shoulders to the palace as the crowd cheered. The bride had been delivered to her husband. Outside the palace walls the celebrations continued, and the dancers and singers were rewarded. More gifts were distributed. The celebration continued throughout the day and night.
But that night Sogolon was reluctant to give herself to her husband. While she slept, again her guardian spirits took over. When the king came near, the hair on her skin again became like the needles of a porcupine. The king wrestled with her sorcery all night. In spite of the great power of his own totem animal, the lion, he was unable to conquer the Buffalo Woman's spirit.
The next day King Maghan and his griot went to a blacksmith soothsayer who had great powers. Maghan described his dilemma. Looking at the thirty stones that he used to divine problems, the soothsayer said, "Within her body she has the power of two spirit guardians, the buffalo and one other. You must find out which other animal is within her. Then you can conquer that spirit."
That night Sogolon's spirits again protected her. The king sprinkled sand into patterns upon the floor. Sogolon fainted and under this spell he was able to pull from her the name of her other spirit: the panther. This was the source of her strength! The king's lion spirit challenged the panther, and in a spiritual battle, the lion won. When Sogolon awoke she was already Maghan's wife. That very night she conceived.
Sassouma, King Maghan's first wife, resented her husband for taking another wife even though the Qur'an allowed it. "How could you?" she cried to her husband. "Do you prefer that ugly buffalo to me?"
Maghan said, "Woman! Woman! Don't worry, I love you still. I am only trying to makean alliance with the people of Do. To make up for it, go and take ten cows from my herd. They are yours! But I beg you, don't disrupt my marriage to her."
Sassouma angrily departed, but plotted against Sogolon with a few of her closest friends who knew witchcraft. When she heard that Sogolon was pregnant, her jealousy became blind, and she planned to poison the Buffalo Woman and her child. But on the way to the house of Sogolon, she saw three owls descend to the roof to protect the expectant mother. She knew that nothing could be done with the owls as sentinels, so she bided her time. "Very well then," she said. "Let the child be born and we'll see... Her child will be much more vulnerable than she."
Near the moment of delivery the sky grew dark with clouds even though it was the dry season. The sun was hidden and two cyclones appeared in the sky as if in battle, twisting and confronting each other. Thunder and lightning crackled and everyone ran for shelter. Rain started falling and blanketed the earth. And then the rain stopped suddenly and the sun appeared. It was at the very moment the midwife came out of Sogolon's house to announce to Maghan that he was the father of a boy.
Drums announced the birth of a boy throughout the village and in celebration singers and balafons carried the praises of the king and his new son. The king rejoiced in his new son: child of the lion and child of the buffalo and panther! He opened six granaries and distributed rice throughout the village. Later he went to see his new son and wife along with his griot. They were amazed to see that the child had a full set of teeth and eyes that focused upon whoever was in the room! "Truly this is a good omen," the griot said. Both mother and father were so proud.
On the eighth day after the child's birth the naming ceremony was held. The griot spoke before the crowd in praise of this child and gave a prayer to Allah:
"May Allah grant him long life! ["Amen!"] May Allah grant him good health! ["Amen!"] May Allah make him a good king! ["Amen!]"
Then the griottes shouted the child's multiple names selected carefully to carry his proud lineage from his great-great-grandfather through his father and mother. But the name which he was called and remembered by was "Sundjata" - the lion king. His many names were whispered in his ear so that he may remember them. The king sacrificed sheep and bulls and distributed their meat along with rice bread to the cheering villagers. The feast was the largest in memory.
But Allah has mysteries which no one can understand. Some will be lucky and live an easy life untouched by sorrow. Others will be marked for suffering. You can do nothing about it. Such is the will of Allah.
The infant Sundjata had a slow and difficult childhood. At the age of three he still crawled, dragging himself along the ground like a crocodile crawling on a sandbank. He had none of the beauty of his father: a head so big that he seemed unable to support it, large eyes which stared widely whenever anyone entered his mother's house. He did little other than sit in the middle of the house, except when he was hungry and he would drag himself out to rummage about in search of food among the calabashes waiting to be washed. He seemed to be always in a bad mood and scared other children away. He spoke little and his serious little face never relaxed into a smile.
Malicious tongues began to wag. What three-year-old has not yet taken his first steps? Why could he not speak? What three-year-old was not the center of attention receiving and returning the love of those around him? Was this the great son prophesied, or was that a cruel joke on the king? Or was there witchcraft involved?
The king's first wife rejoiced in Sundjata's infirmity. Her own son, Dankaran, was already eleven. He was a fine boy and had even begun his initiation and manhood training. Whenever she passed by Sogolon she would make comments like, "I prefer a son who walks on his two legs to a lion that crawls on the ground!" And she would laugh a wicked laugh that went straight through Sogolon.
Sogolon was greatly troubled by her son's infirmity. She tried all her talents as a sorceress, but to no avail. Nothing she did could strengthen her son's legs: no herbs, no ointments, no magical incantations.
The king himself lost hope in Sundjata. How impatient man is! Perhaps if he had another son? he thought. It was during this time that Sogolon became pregnant again, but brought forth a daughter.
The years passed and still Sundjata did not walk, nor did he seem to try! The king wondered, "Could Sundjata possibly be the one for whom the hunter had predicted such a glorious future?"
King Maghan and his griot again went to the blacksmith soothsayer. This time he used two flat stones to help him see beyond the mysteries of this world. Feeling the stones he said, "When the seed germinates growth is not always easy. Great trees grow slowly, but they plunge their roots deep into the ground. Your son has three guardian spirits in one body: the lion, buffalo, and panther. He is not yet able to assimilate them. Be patient."
But the king continued to feel deceived and ridiculed on account of Sundjata. He took a third wife at this time, even though he was now old. This wife produced a son. But even this did not make him happy. And sadly, too, this wife died leaving her infant, named Manding Bory, motherless. Sassouma would have nothing to do with him, but Sogolon took him as her own and raised the child as Sundjata's brother.
Maghan died never seeing his son Sundjata walk. And with the death of Maghan, the eldest, the son of Sassouma, was named as king, as was the custom. And Sassouma became powerful in her new position, as well.
Sassouma no longer considered the seven-year-old Sundjata a threat, but her hatred for Sogolon continued unrelenting. Sogolon, her daughter and Sundjata, and Manding Bory were driven into the poorest section of the palace. They received onlymeager portions of food, the leftovers from Sassouma's meals.
One day Sogolon tried to be kind to Sassouma and went to her home asking for some baobab leaves to season a stew of chicken feet. Sassouma smugly said, "My son, for whom no great destiny was prophesied, but who can walk, run, and jump, brings me baobab leaves every day! Whereas yours, supposed to be superhuman, drags himself around like a lizard and can't even gather leaves for you! Here, take these. Go and feed your good-for-nothing son! Make him big and fat!" She laughed that diabolical laughter which jealous women know how to use so well, and threw the leaves at Sogolon.
Sogolon felt wretched and turned saying to herself, "I would rather my children and I starve to death than take the baobab leaves if we must accept her insults with them!" She covered her face to hide her tears and hurried back to her house.
Sundjata, playing on the floor of their house, saw his mother come in. "What's the matter, mother?" he asked sensing her troubled spirit. She said nothing, but her muffled cries told him everything. He felt great pity for her. Resolutely he announced, "Today I am going to walk."
Rejoice! Today would be like no other day! Today was a day of destiny. The blacksmith soothsayer knew... a huge iron rod was brought by six blacksmith apprentices and dropped outside Sundjata's hut.
Sundjata crawled on all fours to the iron rod. Sogolon followed him out of her hut. A small crowd started gathering near the iron rod. He picked it up with little difficulty and stood it vertically. Then he pulled himself up on his knees.
"Arise, young lion! Roar! And let the bush know that from now on it has a master!" cried the blacksmith.
Among the crowd was Sassouma who stood with her arms crossed and with a haughtysmile. Sundjata's sister, and even Sassouma's daughter Nana, encouraged him to stand until she was silenced by her mother! Then a deadly silence gripped all those present.
Sundjata lowered his head as if examining his feet. Then he riveted his stare at the rod. The next moment his muscles swelled, and embracing the rod, he hauled himself up, his head thrown back, his eyes half closed, his teeth clenched. His legs pulled under him and they started trembling, like rice stalks whipped by the wind. In a supreme effort he managed to stretch himself completely upright; then, releasing the rod he found himself planted on his own two legs!
Soon the silence turned to joy. There was chanting and clapping! And with every step the crowd praised him more!
Not far from the palace was a baobab tree. It was toward that tree that Sundjata slowly stumbled, leading a cheering crowd. Once there he turned to his mother and said, "Mother! Did you ask your son for some leaves?" Then with a mighty tug he uprooted the tree, put it over his shoulder, and carried it back in front of his mother's hut where he dropped it. "From this day on, it is from in front of your hut that the women of our town, including Sassouma, shall come to get their supply of leaves!"
The lion had awakened.
Sundjata was now ten and a boy full of strength. His arms had the strength of ten and he inspired fear in grown men. He already had that authoritative way of speaking which belongs to those destined to rule.
From his mother he was taught the secrets of the animals and medicinal plants, and of magic. The son of his father's griot, Balla Faseke, became his own griot who taught Sundjata the history of his people and the rules of warrior's conduct. Sundjata grew in popularity from day to day, and he was surrounded by a gang of children the same age as himself.
And every day Sassouma's hatred of Sogolon and Sundjata increased. She became more and more apprehensive about her own son's throne. Even now at the age of eighteen, her son Dankaran was weak and under the influence of his mother. Sassouma really ruled in his name. And she wanted to kill Sundjata.
One night Sassouma met with the nine great suba sorceresses of Mali. When the nine old hags were seated in a semi-circle around her, she said, "You who rule supreme at night and have nocturnal powers, oh you who can put an end to one's life, will you help me? I want to kill Sundjata. His destiny runs counter to my son's."
"Mother of the king," replied one suba. "Sundjata has done us no wrong. Why should we bring about his death?"
"You are wrong. He and his mother are evil and have no respect for you. Tomorrow go to his mother's vegetable patch where Sundjata stands guard. You will see how vicious he is."
"That's a clever idea," said one of the suba sorceresses. They agreed to test Sundjata and the queen gave them a reward of grain from the royal granaries and cows from the royal herds.
Sundjata got up the next morning and met with his companions. They decided to go out hunting for the day. On his way home he passed his mother's vegetable patch. There he found the nine old women stealing vegetables. They pretended to run away like thieves who had been caught red-handed.
"Stop, stop, you poor old women. Don't run. This garden belongs to all," he said. Then he and his companions filled the gourds of the old hags with vegetables. "Each time you need food," he told them, "come back and take what you need without fear."
The old women stood in amazement. "We came here to test you, Sundjata. We have no need of your vegetables. We can do nothing against a heart full of kindness. Forgive us." "Beware of the queen mother. She wishes you harm." Then the nine subas disappeared into the night.
When Sundjata returned home, he told his mother what had happened. Sogolon knew that her son's life was threatened. She would have to be more careful and use more of her magical powers to protect him. That night two guardian owls returned and perched at their doorway to prevent the harmful magic of others.
When Sassouma learned that Sundjata was still alive and protected by guardian owls, she knew that the magic of Sogolon and Sundjata was too powerful. She had to find another way to get rid of him.
Within a year it became time for Sundjata to go into manhood training. For months, Sundjata and boys of his age were initiated into the secret knowledge of the master hunters and warriors. With him was Balla Faseke, his griot, who further trained him in the knowledge of leadership and nobility. They became closest friends and they knew that their destinies wereintertwined.
One day when Sundjata was out on a hunting trip, Sassouma once again saw an opportunity to be rid of her son's rival. She told Dankaran, "We will send Balla Faseke, Sundjata's griot and friend, away from him. We can send him to the king of Sosso on a mission. Sundjata cannot question that! And he will be left without his true friend and advisor. Out of anger and humiliation he will leave our village."
"Mother," Dankaran asked, "are you sure? Balla Faseke is known for his wisdom. Is it right to take him away from my brother and send him to Sosso? The king of Sosso is a very cruel man, and Balla Faseke may not survive!"
"You are king now, and don't even know a threat to your rule! When Sundjata grows up, do you think he will not compete with you? Get rid of him now while you still can."
When Sundjata returned and heard about Dankaran's decision, he confronted his half-brother the king. He remained calm, but his eyes flashed angrily. Any other twelve-year-old child would have lost his courage in front of armed guards with drawn swords! But he grabbed his brother by the collar and said, "You have stolen my griot given to me by our father King Maghan. If you needed to send someone to Sosso, why didn't you send your own griot?"
Dankaran was angered and intimidated by his question. "I am the king now!" Sassouma had spoken to him so often that he was ashamed to tremble before a youngster. He thought of stamping him out like a black beetle. "You must leave here," he finally shouted, and Sundjata left the palace.
Sogolon heard the news. "Yes, let us leave here," she said. "Sundjata, you will return to reign when you are a man, for that is your destiny." Then she prepared her daughter and her adopted son, Manding Bory, to leave the next morning.
At the second crowing of the rooster, they left their hut with their possessions on their backs. Sundjata surrounded himself with a wall of silence as they departed. But Sogolon turned toward Sassouma's room in the palace and shouted, "Ever since the death of my husband, my children and I have been the victims of your bullying. You ridiculed my son when he couldn't walk, tried to use magic against him, and now you have taken away his griot. What else do you have in mind? We will never know, because now we will leave. The palace and the whole city of Niani are yours alone!"
In her resentment, Sogolon's voice carried throughout the palace and beyond, but Sassouma stayed silent and fearful within.
Sogolon turned her eyes to the heavens and said, "Ever since I was married thirteen winters ago, there has been no end to our suffering and humiliation!"
They left Niani without saying farewell to anyone. Their hearts were too sad for leave-takings.