Sunjata

A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples

By: David Conrad, Djanka Tassey Conde (Designed by)

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Paperback | 1 September 2004

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256 Pages

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21.6 x 14.0 x 1.2

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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 Kante, 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 Conde. 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.

Industry Reviews

"This is an important resource for college teachers who would like their students to read a text which more fully resembles an oral poem and which communicates a richer, more complex, and more compelling version of the Sunjata story... (This) version... is much more worthy to be placed among the great epics of world literature. It is eminently readable for students and instructors who are willing to give it the same kind of attention they give to Homer translations..." -- Robin Mitchell-Boyask, Temple University. "Conrad offers a great deal for students and instructors, with a solid Introduction which provides the context and history of the epic, a note on Mande nomenclature, maps, an epilogue, and a glossary of important names and terms. This is truly one-stop shopping for the Sunjata epic. I think Conrad's book will be a classic..." -- Konrad Tuchscherer, St John's University. "The most easily teachable of the versions I have read... (an) important new version of a major literary achievement..." -- Paula Berggren, Baruch College, CUNY.

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Note on the map of the Mande Heartland (map A)
Map A : the Mande Heartland and related Jamanaw
Map B : West Africa and area of detail according to oral tradition
Blessings, introductions, and prophets of Islam	p. 1
Seven kings of Manden	p. 4
The search for a special wife	p. 9
Two hunters arrive in Manden	p. 21
Do Kamissa the buffalo woman	p. 30
Do Kamissa's revelations	p. 39
Death of the buffalo	p. 46
Sogolon Wulen Conde of Do ni Kiri	p. 52
A new sorceress wife for the Mansa of Konfara	p. 59
The childhood of Ma'an Sunjata	p. 74
Step-brother rivalry and nine sorceresses of Manden	p. 78
Mistaken murder and the question of exile	p. 82
Departure for exile	p. 89
A visit to Soso	p. 91
The birth of Fakoli	p. 95
How Tenenba acquired Fakoli : Sumaworo's quest for the Soso Bala	p. 97
The sacrifice of Kosiya Kante	p. 107
Tenenba and Fakoli visit the sacred sites	p. 112
Sumaworo's tyranny over Manden	p. 118
The expedition to find Sunjata and return him to Manden	p. 123
Kolonkan finds meat for guests from Manden	p. 127
Manden Bori's anger and Kolonkan's curse	p. 129
Sogolon bestows the legacy of Maghan Konfara	p. 131
The burial of Sogolon and departure from Nema	p. 140
The return of Sunjata	p. 146
Conde pride and descent from Adama	p. 149
Fakoli reveals his power	p. 153
Fakoli explains his dilemma and takes his leave from Manden	p. 156
Fakoli finds trouble in Soso	p. 158
A visit to Kamanjan in Sibi	p. 169
A strategic alliance : Kolonkan's marriage	p. 173
The battle of Negeboriya	p. 175
Trading insults and swearing oaths	p. 177
The battle of Dakajalan and Fakoli's revenge	p. 183
The campaign against Jolofin Mansa	p. 187
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

Sunjata

A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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