Graphic Myths and Legends: Sunjata: Warrior King of Mali: a West African Legend (Graphic Universe)

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SUNJATA WAS A THIRTEENTH-CENTURY KING OF THE MALI EMPIRE. STORIES ABOUT HIM AND HIS FEATS HAVE BEEN TOLD BY GRIOTS, WEST AFRICAN STORYTELLERS, FOR CENTURIES. THIS RETELLING IS BASED ON A NUMBER OF THE TALES RECORDED AND EDITED BY DAVID CONRAD, EDITOR OF EPIC ANCESTORS OF THE SUNJATA ERA: ORAL TRADITIONS FROM THE MANINKA OF GUINEA.

story by justine and ron fontes pencils and inks by sandy carruthers coloring by hi-fi design lettering by marshall dillon and terri delgado consultant: david conrad, ph.d.

Copyright © 2008 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. Graphic UniverseTM is a trademark of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review. Graphic UniverseTM A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.

Website: www.lernerbooks.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Fontes, Justine. Sunjata : warrior king of Mali : a West African legend / story by Justine & Ron Fontes ; pencils and inks by Sandy Carruthers. p. cm. — (Graphic myths and legends) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978–0–8225–6758–5 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper) 1. Keita, Soundiata, d. 1255—Comic books, strips, etc. 2. Graphic novels. I. Fontes, Ron. II. Carruthers, Sandy. III. Title. PN6727.F66S86 2008 741.5’973—dc22 2007022475 Manufactured in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 – DP – 13 12 11 10 09 08

eISBN-13: 978-0-7613-3996-0

table of contents come near and hear . . . 6 raised in adversity . . . 15 strengthened by exile . . . 25 in the coils of the snake . . . 30 the final battle . . . 41 glossary and pronunciation guide . . . 46 further reading and websites . . . 47 creating sunjata: warrior king of mali . . . 47 index . . . 48 about the authors and the artist . . . 48

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glossary and pronunciation guide bala (bah-luh) or balafon (bah-lahfawn): a xylophone made of wooden slats on a bamboo frame. Gourds are attached to the underside of each slat to increase the sound.

bala fasake kouyaté (bah-luh fahsah-kay koo-yah-tay): Sunjata’s griot

bori (boh-ree): Manden (mahndehn) Bori, Sunjata’s brother

dalilu (dah-lee-loo): magic power dankaran tuman (dahn-kah-rahn too-mahn): Nare’s son by Sansuma

datu (dah-too): dried hibiscus blossoms and leaves used to flavor sauces

dugha (doo-gah): Nare’s griot faran tunkara (fah-rahn toonkah-rah): mansa (king) of Nema

griot (gree-oh): a bard or storyteller, also called a jeli (jay-lee) in the Mande society of West Africa

kamissa (kah-mee-sah): the Buffalo Woman, a powerful sorceress, Sologon’s sister

kolonkan (koh-lohn-kahn): Sunjata’s sister

mansa (mahn-suh): a king naamu (nah-moo): a formal reply to a storyteller, best translated as “I hear you” or “yes”

nare (nah-ray): mansa of Konfara (kohn-fah-rah), also called Maghan (mah-gahn) the Handsome

sansuma bereté (sahn-soo-mah beh-ray-tay): Nare’s first wife

sogolon condé (soh-goh-luhn cohn-day): mother of Sunjata, wife of Nare

sumanguru kanté (soo-mahn-gooroo kahn-tay): mansa of Soso

sunjata keita (suhn-jah-tuh kay-ee-tah): founder of the empire of Mali. His name means “Sogolon’s Lion.”

original pencil sketch from page 42

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further reading and websites Africa’s Glorious Legacy. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1994. The Age of Calamity: Time Frame A.D. 1300–1400. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1989. Bertol, Roland. Sundiata: The Epic of the Lion King. Illus. by Gregorio Prestopino. New York: T. Y. Crowell Co., 1970. Condé, Djanka Tassey, narrator. Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples. Trans. and ed. by David C. Conrad. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company, 2004. Conrad, David C. Epic Ancestors of the Sunjata Era: Oral Tradition from the Maninka of Guinea. Madison, WI: Madison: African Studies Program, 1999. Murray, Jocelyn, ed. Cultural Atlas of Africa. New York: Facts on File, 1982. Wisniewski, David. Sundiata: Lion King of Mali. New York: Clarion Books, 1992.

creating sunjata: warrior king of mali Justine and Ron Fontes based their retelling of this epic story of history and legend on a number of the tales recorded by David Conrad in Epic Ancestors of the Sunjata Era: Oral Traditions from the Maninka of Guinea. In addition to consulting with David Conrad, artist Sandy Carruthers drew inspiration from online sources devoted to thirteenth-century art and costumes. He found valuable imagery in the African films Yeelen, directed by Souleymane Cissé, and Keita: the Heritage of the Griot, directed by Dani Kouyaté, and drew further inspiration from the Malian music of Salif Keita.

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index Bala Fasake (Sunjata’s griot), 14, 16, 18, 19, 30–33; plots against Sumanguru, 35, 40; sent away by Dankaran, 21, 22 Bori (Sunjata’s brother), 14, 25, 28, 29 Buffalo Woman. See Kamissa

prophecy, 8, 9, 12

Latili Kalabi, 8, 16

Sansuma, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20; plots against Sunjata, 21, 22, 23 Sogolon (Sunjata’s mother), 9, 13, 15, 19, 22, 27, 28; death of, 29; gives birth to Sunjata, 14; leads children from home, 25; trampled by Buffalo Woman, 11 Soso Balafon, 21, 30–32, 35 Sumanguru, 26, 35; battles Sunjata, 38–39, 42; death of, 43, 44; sorcery of, 21, 28–30, 32–37 Sunjata: battles Sumanguru, 38, 39, 42; bends iron rod, 18; inherits Nare’s throne, 45; leads an army, 29, 36, 37, 41; learns swordsmanship, 27; stands and talks for the first time, 18

Nare, 8, 12, 16; dies, 15; marries Sogolon, 13

witches, 23, 24

Dankaran, 13, 14, 17, 20, 22; inherits Nare’s throne, 15, 16; plots against Sunjata, 21 Dugha, 8, 12, 16 Faran Tunkara, 26, 27 Kamissa, 9, 16; injures Sogolon, 11; magic powers of, 9, 10, 12 Kolonkan (Sunjata’s sister), 14, 25, 28, 29

about the authors and the artist justine & ron fontes met at a publishing house in New York City. Ron worked for the comic book department, and Justine was an editorial assistant in children’s books. Together they have written nearly 500 children’s books, in every format from board books to historical novels. From their home in Maine, the Fonteses publish critter news, a strictly-for-fun newsletter. They also launched Sonic Comics with their first graphic novel, Tales of a Terminal Diner, an anthology with continuing characters. Other published projects include The Trojan Horse: The Fall of Troy and Captured by Pirates. Lifelong library lovers, the Fonteses hope to write 1001 books before retiring.

sandy carruthers was born in Nova Scotia, Canada. His family moved to Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada, when he was young. His illustrated published works include The Men in Black, Invaders from Mars, Alien Nation, Terror in Ghost Mansion, and Captain Canuck. His Web-published works at www.sandycarruthers.com include The Ronin and the Lily and Canadiana: The New Spirit of Canada. Carruthers currently resides in Charlottetown, PEI, with his partner, Holly, whom he thanks for her great assistance and late nights; his daughter, Eryn; and three cats, Max, Baby, and Harry. He teaches graphic design full-time at Holland College, PEI. 48

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a young hero who overcame the unthinkable . . . . . . rises to unite his people. WEAK AND SILENT, YOUNG SUNJATA IS UNABLE TO WALK, UNABLE EVEN TO PULL A BOW. BUT A PROPHECY FORETOLD THAT HIS MOTHER WOULD BEAR A SON WHO WILL BECOME THE MANSA OF ALL THE MANDE PEOPLE—THE GREATEST KING EVER TO RULE. SUNJATA SETS OUT TO FIND THE STRENGTH AND COURAGE TO FULFILL HIS BIRTHRIGHT AND TO OVERCOME THE PLOTTING OF A RIVAL QUEEN AND THE SORCERY OF THE TERRIBLE TYRANT SUMANGURU. ARE THE ARMIES AND MAGIC THAT STAND AGAINST HIM UNDEFEATABLE? CAN SUNJATA BECOME THE LEADER HIS PEOPLE NEED?

GRAPHIC MYTHS AND LEGENDS TITLES: ALI BABA: FOOLING THE FORTY THIEVES AMATERASU: RETURN OF THE SUN ARTHUR & LANCELOT: THE FIGHT FOR CAMELOT ATALANTA: THE RACE AGAINST DESTINY BEOWULF: MONSTER SLAYER DEMETER & PERSEPHONE: SPRING HELD HOSTAGE GUAN YU: BLOOD BROTHERS TO THE END HERCULES: THE TWELVE LABORS THE HERO TWINS: AGAINST THE LORDS OF DEATH ISIS & OSIRIS: TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH JASON: QUEST FOR THE GOLDEN FLEECE KING ARTHUR: EXCALIBUR UNSHEATHED

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ODYSSEUS: ESCAPING POSEIDON’S CURSE PERSEUS: THE HUNT FOR MEDUSA’S HEAD ROBIN HOOD: OUTLAW OF SHERWOOD FOREST SINBAD: SAILING INTO PERIL SUNJATA: WARRIOR KING OF MALI THESEUS: BATTLING THE MINOTAUR THOR & LOKI: IN THE LAND OF GIANTS TRISTAN & ISOLDE: THE WARRIOR AND THE PRINCESS THE TROJAN HORSE: THE FALL OF TROY YU THE GREAT: CONQUERING THE FLOOD