History of Mali

The histories of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai are not well documented much of what we know is a mixture of legend, stories, and 2nd hand accounts. According to Mr. Clifton's lecture notes, “Empires of Ancient West Africa”, Ghana started as the first empire to establish of the three empires and rose to power in the 1400’s. Ghana was located where several trade routes came together. The origin is unknown of how the empire began. According to legend, Odinga’s son had found the empire of Ghana. The empire

Known as the “golden age” of West African history, ancient Ghana can absolutely be classified as great. The word great implies power. Ghana amassed this power, and therefore greatness through many ways. One thing this greatness can be attributed to is wealth amassed from its valuable location. Another explanation is the complex organizational skills that contained law and leadership to control citizens, and a tax system that played into the class system. Lastly, elaborate relations with other peoples

The city of Ghana is around 1067 E.S.T. and 1,600 Km2 long. Ghana was established around 350 A.D.C. The Ghana Empire was located in Western Africa, which is today the one of the countries of Mauritania , Senegal, and The Mali Empire. Ghana is just on the south side of the Sonora desert and also mostly around the Savanna Grasslands. Next, Ghana was the word that soninke used for their king. The word Ghana came from “Warrior King” . Ancient Ghana was important because they

Sundiata The Epic of Sundiata is a tale about the ancient kingdom of Mali in Africa and the legendary king and founder of the Mali Empire told by Djeli Mamadou Kouyate a griot, which is equivalent to storyteller. Before the griot begins the story he introduces himself as a “master in the art of eloquence.” He explains how his family had played an important role in preserving the history of the Mali Empire. By serving the princes of the Mali Empire. He says a griots job is to protect secrets, memorize the

Ancient Mali was a country located in North-West Africa. It was a country that had once thrived as one of the biggest empires. Their location also had an impact that made them known for trading because of the surrounding resources. Taking advantage, as well as their ruler, who led them to be rich, ruled at his peak. So, ancient Mali represents history, geography, and trade/economics, because it was a part of what changed their empire as a whole. Ancient Mali was an empire that had started when

younger children and citizens of Mali Africa the stories of their ancestors. Through oral traditions, they are responsible for making sure their community is well versed in the culture of their people and understand why they act the way they do; and therefore, the Griot could be considered one of the most important roles people in the community due

- Lucy Ulrich History 94
3/15/16
Word Count: 1173 - Griots were an essential part to Mali history as they both performed and preserved Mali past through song and stories and were responsible for entire histories of Kings and their ancestors (Griots). There were no written documents so the history of a kingdom came from only the knowledge of the griot responsible for it. “Listen to my word, you who want to know; by mouth you will learn the history of Mali” (Sundiata page 1) as said by Djeli Mamoudou

2024 “Sundiata The Old Epic of Mali” Book Review The vast background of the Mali Empire serves as the setting for the ancient Mali epic "Sundiata," which tells the captivating tale of Sundiata Keita's life and history with a wealth of folklore and historical detail. Drawing on West African oral tradition, the story opens with Sundiata's early misfortunes, following him from hardship to banishment and, finally, to his rise to prominence as the esteemed founder of Mali. By capturing not only the remarkable

“West African societies were shaped by competition for wealth and the search for independence from more powerful kingdoms” (History 2011). Most of Africa’s oldest kingdoms originated from West Africa. These old kingdoms contributed to the development and growth of Africa in many ways, especially trade and economic growth. As the new kingdoms replaced the old ones, they experienced a vast change. Conquest and warfare along caused these transformations to occur. It was also influenced by the patterns

The Empire of Mali was the “Land of Gold” to all of Eurasia. Their huge abundance of gold brought many people from all around the world in seek for this valuable treasure. The Empire of Mali was founded by Sundiata after the Ghana Empire fell. Sundiata created a new society that involved powerful warriors and elite craftsman. He also created a society with religious freedom. Sundiata ultimately helped Mali grow and prosper in the beginning years. Mali developed into a site of cultural exchange because