The creators of the great Empire of Manding, called Mali in the European texts, were the Mandinka.

The heartland of Manding was the plateau between the upper Niger and the Senegal rivers, in the area now within the borders the modern republic of Mali.  The Mandinka seeking peoples of the modern states of The Gambia, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, and Liberia all trace their cultural origin to the Manding Empire, from where their ancestor migrated long ago.

During the height of Ghana’s power the Mandinka lived in scattered villagers ruled by village chiefs.  Mandinka political unity was brought about by a racial reaction against the oppressive rule of Sumanguru Kante, the Serahule ruler who conquered Mandinka territory after he had established his rule in Kumbi.  The Insurgent Mandinka found a national hero in Makhara Makhang Konate, otherwise known as Sunjatta Keita.  No history of Manding or the Mandinka will be complete without knowledge of the man Sunjatta and the role he played in the rise and eventual growth of the famous Empire of Manding.

The story of Mansa Sunjata

Sunjatta Keita is the subject of a great Epic still sung to this day by the griots or professional praise singers of modern Senegambia.

An Epic is a long poem recited in lines, often to the accompanied of a musical instrument.  Among the Mandinkas, Epics like that of Mansa Sunjatta are recited accompanied by the famous Kora.  Epics of course, are, almost about Kings and great men engaged in great and heroic deeds.  

Although most of the epics are based on a core of historical fact, there are always elements of exaggeration in them and the heroes are always a little bit larger than life.

According to the Sunjatta Epic the man himself must be remembered as one of the greatest patrons of the griot since his very name Sunjatta Keita, derives from his relationship with griots.

When Sunjatta’s father died, Sunjatta was made to declare that the only things he wanted of his father’s inheritance were his griots.  He valued the griots because he knew what they could do for him.  As the story goes, after Sunjatta’s father had died and his half-brother became king, Sunjatta declared, "however extensive my father’s property may be, I want no part of it except for the griots".  His brothers replied: "You want the griots?  Alright, you can have your own way.  A person who has nothing will not have griots for long".

Sunjatta had a griot who was especially dear to him.  His name was Musa.  Musa’s father, Nyankuma Dookha, had asked him to wait on Sunjatta as he himself had done for Sunjatta’s father.  Nyankuma Dookha  was convinced that the prediction of Sunjatta eventually becoming a great leader of Manding would become a reality.

It was this griot who had repeatedly given assurance to Sunjatta’s father, Fratakung Makang, of Sunjatta’s great destiny.  So Musa waited on Sunjatta and instructed him in the history of former great kings and Empires.

Sunjatta’s other griots assured him of their loyalty but most of them preferred a more wealthy patron than Sunjatta.  They agreed among themselves and decided, "since Sunjatta had let all his inheritance go and say he only wants us, we will not desert him.  Let us employ a stratagem, and if dies, then we can take it easy and go to wealthy men".

They decided to humiliate Sunjatta, so they went and begged from him.  He did not have anything to give them, so he went and got honey from the bush.  From this the griots called him:

Bee, Little Bee

Makhara Makhang Konate

Haimaru and Yamaru.

The next morning they begged from him again.  As he had nothing, he went and caught a cat to give them.  From this they call him:

The Lion is at Narena

Cats on the shoulder, Simbong.

When the griots came and begged from him the next day, he had nothing.  He went into the bush and collected firewood to give to them.  That prompted the griots to say:

Firewood, Makhare, Makhang Konate

Haimaru and Yamaru

The Lion had fill of followers

The Lion had fill of followers

The big-footed hunter.

The next time the griots begged from Sunjatta, he was desperate, and so he stole a strip of cloth which belonged to his half-brother.  When he gave the cloth to the griots they said "Jatta had committed theft" meaning a lion has committed theft and from that day he was known as Sunjatta.  Sunjatta’s real name was of course Makhara Makhang Konate, son of Fatakung Makang who reigned as King of Manding for many years.

According to our oral tradition, Fatakung Makang’s soothsayers had told him that if he went to Sankarang Madiba Konte and found a wife, she would bear him a child who would become King of the black people.  Sankarang Madiba Konte was himself a great King of famous lineage.  Fatakung finally decided to visit the neighbouring King, Madiba Konte on this request.  Madiba Konte was pleased to comply with Fatakung Makang’s wishes and welcomed such an alliance between their two countries.

A ceremony was held where Fatakung Makang got married to Sukulung Konte as predicted by the soothsayers.  Sukulung Konte otherwise known as Sutukung Kutuma because her skin was spotted was to become the mother of Sunjatta Keita.

As the story goes, it so happened that Sukulung became pregnant and remained so for seven years.  Meanwhile the King, Fatakung had said, "if any of my wives bears me a son, I shall give my kingship to him".

When Sunjatta’s mother eventually gave birth, a slave was sent to Fatakung Makang to report the arrival of a son.  When the slave arrived, he found Fatakung Makang and his companions eating.  They invited the slave to join them, so before speaking, he sat down to eat.

As fate would have it, just after Sunjatta’s mother gave birth another of the King’s wives also gave birth to a boy, and a griot was sent to inform him of the news. When he ‘arrived at the compound, he greeted the company, who invited him to refresh  himself before continuing with his business.  But the griot refused, saying, "Nareng Daniyang Konnate, your wife has given birth to a boy.

The slave who had been sitting also spoke.  "They sent me first Sukulung Konte was the first go give birth".

"The one I heard first, he is to be son and heir" proclaimed Fatakung Makang the king.  Sunjatta Keita, the true and rightful heir to the throne of Manding was so enraged by this injustice, that for fourteen years he refused to walk, choosing to crawl on his hands and knees in protest.  

He was later to stand on his feet again when it was time for his Kafo mates to go for circumcision.  Sunjatta was considered to be born lame and so when he rose up, after breaking some iron legs forged for him to go for his circumcision the griots of Manding said:

A Lion has Arisen

A Manding Lion has Arisen

A Mighty Creature has Arisen.

Sunjatta after getting up walked to a slender baobab tree which stood in the middle of the town of Manding.  The Baobab produced only one fruit.  All Muslim soothsayers-the crowrie-diviners, the stone-diviners, and the sand-diviners had all declared that whoever swallowed one seed of the fruit of that Baobab would rule Manding for sixty years.

Sunjatta seized hold of this baobab tree and split open the baobab fruit and swallowed it, proclaiming to his mother".  "Here is your baobab".  With this act the fourteen drums of the Manding all sounded.  From within the midst of the assembled people, the king asked, "why did you fell this baobab tree?"

"My mother went to look for baobab leaves in the town to put on the food I was to eat before going to circumcision".  Sunjatta explained, "but she found none.  The other women told her to order me to stand and pick baobab leaves myself.

That is why I felled this baobab tree and have swallowed the fruit as well", "But why did you swallow the baobab fruit"? asked king Fatakung Makang.  Sunjatta answered, "Now you have to come to the point.  I don’t want any rivalry to the throne, and I don’t want anything in Manding except loyalty from my son, my brother, my wife, my attendant, my griot, my smith, and my subjects".

At this point, the king and his company left.  Soon after this, they all went into the circumcision shed.  After they had come out of the circumcision area, Sunjatta’s father died, and it was Sunjatta’s half brother who was installed king. With threat of Korte from the new king’s mother, Nareng Daniyang Konate, Sunjatta left Manding and became an exile.

It was when the scattered Manding community came together to resist the oppressive rule of Sumanguru Kante, that Sunjatta was invited by the people of Manding to lead them into war and regain his throne earning his surname Keita which in Mandinka means "to take inheritance".  

Sunjatta raised a strong army and in 1234 triumphantly entered Jeriba, the capital of Kangaba, and seized he throne.  With the defeat of Sumanguru Kante by Sunjatta’s forces at the famous battle of Kirina in 1235 the Manding Empire was born.

At its greatest extent, which was during Sunjatta’s life time and just shortly after his death, Manding claimed an immense territory stretching from the edge of the Sahara to the forests of the south in what now comprises the republic of Liberia and Sierra Leone.

From East to West, it claimed all the region between Takedda beyond the Niger Buckle covering Senegambia on the Atlantic Ocean.  Sunjatta died in 1255 in mysterious circumstances.  Some say that he was drowned in the river Sankarani near Niani, while others say he was assassinated during a public demonstration.

Sunjatta Keita’s immediate successor was his son Mansa Wali who reigned for fifteen years from 1255 to 1270 and is said to have been one of the greatest kings of Manding.Mansa Wali went on a pilgrimage to Mecca during the reign of the Mameluk Sultan of Egypt, Babyrars in 1260-77 showing that Islam had now become the state religion of Manding.  Indeed Manding started and ended as an Islamic state.