Mandinka Culture

There are several versions of Sundiata’s birth and childhood, but there are two main versions that are agreed upon. One version of the story is that Sundiata was one of 12 brothers of the Mandinka royalty. They were unfortunately murdered by the jealous tyrant of Kaniaga, Samguru. Murdered all, except for Sundaita. It is said that Sundiata was spared because of he was sickly and expected to soon die anyway.

He was born crippled and could not walk until the age of 7. On top of this the king's first wife (his step mother) spreads rumors about him and his mother in an effort to raise her own son's image. Even though he had physical limitations, his father saw wisdom in his son. The king died and his eldest son was given control by the elders, who did not see much promise in the crippled sundiata. One day, when Sundiata’s mother was embarrassed by the queen, Sundiata used a rod to stand on two legs and from then on

Starting out with the obvious both simba and sundiata were born to take the place of the place of the next king. They were both exiled from their home, mali and pride rock. Also simba and sundiata's fathers died at a young age. They both had problems when they were young. sundiata couldn't walk ,and simba couldn't roar and didn't think he was big or powerful enough.

I was moved by Sundiata’s respect for what came before him, whether it is his admiration of Alexander the Great or his honouring of his father’s alliances. This epic survives solely because of how highly Mali values its past. How awesome is that? An important characteristic of Sundiata that I found most compelling was his heroism.

Sundiata The epic of Sundiata is written by the main griot Djeli Mamadou Kouyate, the storyteller and keep of the history duting that time. Kouyate starts with details of Sundiata’s ancestors. Since Sundiata faced two obstacle in his schildhood he started getting strong and independent. He was also frightened by his own son, that will make him lose all his control over his land.

Mali may not be a location individuals typically think about or have a vast knowledge of, especially if it is knowledge on ancient Mali. Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali by D.T. Niane is a fascinating collection of history and stories of ancient Mali told by a griot, which is a history keeper and storyteller. This book is centered around Sundiata, the son of Maghan Kon Fatta and Sogolom Kedjou. The compilation of tales shows the growth and evolution of himself, from being a small crippled boy who could not walk, to a strong successful king.

This is the story of two great men in two different eras. Joseph, a biblical man with great power and authority sold from the land of Canaan to the land of Egypt. The other, a man named Gilgamesh, a strong and handsome man from an epic story of the Ancient Babylonian time. These men were very different but, at some point very powerful times in their lives and then also had some challenging times. Gilgamesh starts off with a powerful live and then goes through some turbulence and Joseph start out with turbulence and becomes powerful.

For the second paper in Dr. Laumann’s World Civilization class we had to read a book entitled Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. The story follows along Sundiata a feeble child born to a king and an unattractive women. Sundiata’s father, Maghan Kon Fatta, was promised a great ruler upon the marriage of an ugly woman and thus Sundiata is born. The tale follows him on his many adventures on his quest to greatness.

The African leaders Sundiata and Mansa Musa accomplished many achievements during their rules. A ruler named Samanguru killed Sundiata’s eleven brothers. Luckily, Sundiata made it out of the attack and survived to have a successful war against Samanguru. This war, called the Battle of Kirina, led to Sundiata becoming the king of Mali.

There were many ancient civilizations that conveyed their religious beliefs, spirituality, and worldviews through their architecture, decorations, and other artistic mediums. The three cultures that stand out the most in regards to their beliefs being conveyed through architecture and art are Cahokia, Nubia, and India. Cahokia was a Mississippian civilization located in what is modern day North America. One of the unique cultural aspects within their government, known as the chiefdom, was the way in which the ruler of Cahokia was treated in regards to their gods. In a chiefdom, the ruler is hereditary and the chiefdom is based on a gift-giving and communal culture. The chief of Cahokia built his home atop of high mounds while the rest

Essay 1 Appearances of leaders mark the end of non-hierarchical primitive society and demonstrate how different social classes form as the timeline moves forward. Once the leader realizes his superiority over the rest of population, he need something to emphasize his unique status. The initial change is his house and it gradually converts into majestic buildings that we usually call palaces now. Emperors construct and design these palaces in different purposes. They are not only beautiful architecture but also the heart of politics or economics in their countries.

Always encountering success, Gilgamesh was once a tyrant to his people. Reflecting on his rule, he recalls that, “He demanded from an old birthright/the privilege of sleeping with their brides” (15). His triumphs fostered arrogance. To him, everyone else paled in comparison. When he experiences defeat, however, Gilgamesh grows as a leader, seeing the similarities between him and his subjects, their common humanity.

Gilgamesh and David are presented as the best kings, but their reigns are also marked by serious personal failures. What does the relationship between the kings’ successes and failures show us about kingship? During the reign of David and Gilgamesh, they are known to be the greatest king among all the other kings, but there are moments that portrayed them as wicked rulers and tyrants. Being a king means they both possess divine and absolute power, and with the power comes along the complications such as corruptions and misconducts.

Lines 4 through 12 are summoning all of the decade kings of Ugarit, and lines 9 and 10 are a repeat of lines 3 and 4. and lines 11 and 12 are the most recently deceased kings. The set set of lines, 13-19, are the the moaning of the death of the current king, which is Niqmaddu [III]. In lines 18-19, the ritual calls upon Shapshu, the goddess of the sun, and the next set of lines, 20-26, is Shapshu guiding the recently deceased king into the Underworld. Before entering the Underworld their bodies must be at peace so seven sacrifices must be made which are done within lines 27-30 of the ritual.

Masses of people and the king both had agency in the fate of the loser, but more often than not, they defaulted to death over survival. The choices in this nonfiction text were impactful, and on the forefront of the text, yet there has to be something pulling the