1. THE EPIC OF SUNDIATA PG. 126

2. HISTORICAL INFORMATION Epic poem 13 th century CE Malinke People Mali, West Africa Real life: Sundiata Keita founded the Mali Empire “The Lion King” Note: Sundiata is also called “Mari Djata” and “Sogolon Djata”

3. GRIOTS Sundiata was originally told orally instead of being written down Passed down through generations by griots A griot in West African culture is: A storyteller A historian A musician A poet A praise singer They are responsible for keeping cultural traditions and history alive by memorizing and performing songs, poems, and stories.

4. CHARACTERS protagonist mother, king’s 2 nd wife father, king stepmother, queen (1 st wife) half-brother, heir to king griots fortune-tellers, blacksmiths