Assignment_1_aaas25

Societies throughout the world differ in their ways of living, communicating, and celebrating. Additionally, discovering the ways that these groups of people relate to one another can be quite an intriguing process. Depending on where an individual is geographically located results in the diversity and culture that is manifested within that person. As for African oral literature and society, Africans are known to hold a tradition of being a very oral people. This tradition has been identified within their community and become a cultural norm for African society. Oral tradition refers to something that is passed on through the spoken word and, because it is based on spoken language, orature comes to life only in a living community. 1 A living community that embraces oral traditions is the story of Sundiata, where the narrating griot takes on the role of the oral historian preserving and honoring the epic story of one of Oral African traditions include song, folktale, myth, and legend, to name a few. First, examples of oral African traditions of song include: funeral, praise, enchantments of a ferocious lion that enables the victim to escape, freeing kidnapped victims, and knowing the right way home from danger. Song is the most basic and lively form of cultural production of African oral literature. It is embedded in the historical and social environment within African societies. 1 Next, examples of folktale involve creation, witchcraft, marriage, family, and human relationships with animals. Folktales are popular stories and memories that have been passed down and are manifested in African societies by having an animal character as the storyteller of the folktale. Lastly, myths and legends are ideas and beliefs about the historical background of a race, or explanations of natural events. Examples of myths include the seasons, concepts of the human mind, creations of man, explanations of the phenomena of nature, and human behavior. 1 Mphande, Lupenga. “African Oral Literature.” Africana. 1. (Oxford UP 2005): pp. 70-72. Myths are manifested within society by revealing the problems that people face in life. Finally, examples of legends comprise different types of epics. Five examples include: Sunjata, Shaka, Mwindo, Liongo, and Beowulf. Epics (legends) are accounts of poetry involving great deeds of heroes and heroines and are manifested in society by teaching a traditional code of behavior. Consequently, the epic that the remainder of this essay focuses on will be the great story of Furthermore, oral traditions in my society include song, dance, and praise. These traditions are different from African oral traditions because, from personal experience, they only occur at certain times when appropriate. For example, song and praise take place in holiday mass celebrations and at the dinner table on holidays when families engage in praise to Jesus. In addition, dance takes place at bars and clubs during the late hours of the night. Moreover, they are similar because the actual practice of performing these traditions is very much like the ways that the African people perform their oral traditions, with energy, power, and pride. Subsequently, the nature and significance of oral performance in society is the artistic use of language and a way of keeping tradition alive and well. Lastly, the role of the narrator is able to keep these traditions alive by protecting the culture and history of a society through storytelling. The story of Sundiata is narrated by the griot Djeli Mamoudou Kouyate, an oral African historian that commands the right to tell the epic story. The griot is able to keep history alive by performing the role of telling the story. Additionally, Sundiata can be critiqued as an example of an epic because of his defeat of the evil Soumaoro, which was made possible by his own griot, Balla Fasseke. Sundiata is an example of an epic hero because he portrays many of the same specific features as Beowulf, the epic hero that defeated Grendel. Accordingly, Sundiata had a very strange birth and childhood, which marked the existence of his heroism. In the beginning, Sundiata’s father ruled Mali and had one son, with his first wife, named Dankaran Touman. The griot allows the audience to discover that this one child was not going to take the throne as king of Mali. Here, the audience takes note of sibling rivalry, a prime feature that characterizes Sundiata as an epic. In addition, the audience is alerted that the heir to the throne will come from the most ugly woman in Mali, Sogolon Kedjou. Sure enough, the king of Mali and Sogolon Kedjou conceive Sundiata, an epic hero that has to make his way from child into a strong and courageous ruler. Sogolon and the King were brought together by hunters of a supernatural buffalo, in which Sundiata’s mother took on the soul of this buffalo, making her strong, intelligent, wise, and capable of producing the one and only heir to the throne. Sogolon was known to be the most disgusting woman in her society, but that did not matter once Sundiata Moreover, Sundiata was predicted to be the heir to the king of Mali, which he must prove throughout his childhood by defending himself and gaining the power and strength of an epic hero. Sundiata was born without the ability to walk, and must find the power deep inside himself to stand up and show his society how to be a warrior. Subsequently, Sogolon explained to her son that she was not able to cope with his inability to walk. Therefore, Sundiata was able to pull himself up onto an iron rod and taught himself how to walk and thus became leader of the tribe. “With a violent jerk he threw his weight on to it and his knees left the ground. Sogolon Kedjou was all eyes and watched her son’s legs which were trembling as though from electric shock… In a great effort he straightened up and was on his feet at one go—but the great bar of iron was twisted and had taken the form of a bow!” 2 These supernatural powers and strange birth defects, 2 Niane, D.T. Sundiata. An Epic of Old Mali. Essex, England: 2006: pp. 21. more features of an epic, allowed him to become an excellent hunter and prove himself to the courts and society that surrounded him. In addition, this coming of age gave Sundiata the idea that kindness is the answer to all problems. From then on he was able to overcome all feats of power with kindness and supernatural strength. Next, features of an epic including sibling rivalry, a corrupt kingdom, usurpation of powers, and exile plagued the life and authority of Sundiata as ruler of Mali. Sibling rivalry occurred between half brothers Sundiata and Dankaran, the two sons of the ruler of Mali. Sassouma Berete, the first wife of Sundiata’s father, became more agitated and furious that her son (Dankaran Touman) will have the thrown taken away by the great Sundiata. As a result, Sassouma asked witches to kill Sundiata, a method of usurping his spot for the thrown, but they failed due to the kindness and warmth delivered by the epic hero. Basically, Sundiata offered to share a vegetable garden with the witches on the day they were seeking to kill him for Sassouma. He found the witches stealing from the garden and rather than becoming angry, decided to deliver kindness. “Each time that you run short of condiments come to stock up here without fear.” 3 Then, the witches realized that they could not possibly harm Sundiata. His kindness Wicked and immoral, Sassouma wanted so badly to usurp the throne of Sundiata and allow her own son to have the power of the king. Therefore, she caused Sundiata to remain in exile for more than half a decade, leaving the kingdom to face corruption. Wise like always, Sogolon announced at dinner one night, “Let us go away from here. You will return to reign when you are a man, for it is in Mali that your destiny must be fulfilled.” 4 Sogolon knew just 3 Niane, D.T. Sundiata. An Epic of Old Mali. Essex, England: 2006: pp. 25. 4 Niane, D.T. Sundiata. An Epic of Old Mali. Essex, England: 2006: pp. 26-27. how dangerous Sassouma could be and thought it would be best for the family to get away. Again, exile of the rightful heir places Sundiata under the category of an epic as well. During exile, Sundiata and his family suffered badly due to the very nature of Sassouma and her evil ways. Nevertheless, “Seven years passed and Sundiata grew up. His body became sturdy and his misfortunes made his mind wise. He became a man. Sogolon felt the weight of her years and of the growing hump on her back, while Djata, like a young tree, was shooting up to the sky.” 5 Fortunately, Sundiata returned as an epic hero ready to conquer the evil Soumaoro and put his Protecting and honoring the epic story, Sundiata’s griot Balla Fasseke was able to keep tradition alive by passing on some information to Sundiata once he returned from Exile. Fasseke knew some inside information regarding the way to defeat the evil powers of Soumaoro, which the griot shared with Sundiata. Consequently, Sundiata used this information to conquer Soumaoro and thus traveled back to Mali to claim his throne. In the end, Sundiata ruled for a number of years and proved his bravery to the society and kept the community alive by restoring law and order in the kingdom just like a true epic hero. No matter what kind of society one comes from, oral tradition is a way of living and sharing diversity throughout various cultures. Take note of the ways people relate to each other and the different traditions that are shared between family members. One may come to realize just how important family ancestry and traditions come to be in this fast paced ever-changing world! 5 Niane, D.T. Sundiata. An Epic of Old Mali. Essex, England: 2006: pp. 28 Mphande, Lupenga. “African Oral Literature.” Africana. 1. (Oxford UP 2005): 70-75. Mphande, Lupenga. “Heroic and Praise Poetry in South Africa.” The Cambridge History of African and Caribbean Literature. (Cambridge University Press 2004): 71-97. Niane, D.T. Sundiata. An Epic of Old Mali. Essex, England: 2006.

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