This anecdote within the epic carries a message of generosity, charity, and karma. The witches reward Sundiata’s kindness by failing to honor his step mother’s wish to harm him. ‘Stop, stop, stop, poor old women’ said Sundiata, ‘what is the matter with you to run away like this. They made a show of running away like thieves caught red-handed. “There he found the nine witches stealing gnougou leaves. A salient example of this is Sundiata’s reaction to the witches when they attempt to steal from him, Within the grander story of Sundiata’s life, there lie other stories which are meant to morally guide the audience. While it is uncertain whether or not this depiction of Sundiata is historically accurate, it does reveal the Malian standards of an individual considered to have outstanding moral fiber. His character in the epic contains many god-like features, such as his super-human strength and unmatched moral fiber. Sundiata was a celebrated leader, and is a figure in Malian history who is worshipped even today. The Epic of Sundiata contains moral lessons that demonstrate what it means to be “great” in Malian culture. However, it is important to note that these elements reveal important information about the belief, and possible reliance on, such people as soothsayers in medieval Mali.

To the Western eye the presence of super natural components within the the epic may discredit the story as whole.

“The hunter disappeared but neither the king, Nare Maghan, nor his griot, Gnankouman Doua, forgot his prophetic words soothsayers see far ahead, their words are not always for the immediate present man is in a hurry but time is tardy and everything has it season” The epic explains the importance of the soothsayer, A prime example of this is the epic’s use of “soothsayers”, or people who can see into the future. Many of the elements of Sundiata’s rise to power contain magical and fantastical elements. The epic also shows evidence of a belief in supernatural powers that are seemingly unrelated to Islam during the rise of the Mali Empire. Thus, Ibn Khaldun’s account works to verify the evidence of the existence of Islam in medieval Mali in the epic. ” This is important to note as Mansa Wali was the son of Mari Jata, or Sundiata, and was ruling only one generation after the founding of the Empire.

He writes: “Then Mansa Wali the son of Mari Jata went on the pilgrimage during then reign of the al-Zahir Baybars. Khaldun’s history supplements that of the epic, and highlights the existence of Islam in the region. Presenting a contrast to The Epic of Sundiata, Ibn Khaldun, a celebrated Arab scholar during the 1400’s, gives a much more basic and straightforward account of medieval Mali and the genealogy of the Malian kings. In this moment, it is clear that Sogolon is referencing a singular and Islamic god, as she uses the term to refer to God used by Muslims. In the epic, there are ample references to Allah, for example, when Sundiata finally gains the use of his legs, his mother exclaims,Īllah Almighty, you never created a finer day. By following Sundiata’s life and ascent to power, the epic reveals the various religious beliefs of the time, illustrating how both paganism and Islam existed in unison.

Supernatural artistic licence