Sunjata Sparknotes

An interesting aspect of reading Sunjata is that it allows the reader to get a glimpse into the past. An unmissable trait that the story brings up is the power and control that women hold within their marriages and families overall. Part of this power comes from the West African people carrying on their family through a matrilineal system. Familial ties are a significant motif in Sunjata with even the storyteller tracing his ancestry back to the strong women told about in the oral tale. The matrilineal system means that instead of children taking the name of their father, as seen in many European societies, they would take the name of their mother and hold closer to the ties of her ancestors. This system allows for a sense of feminism to sprinkle all over the story of Sunjata and, ultimately, on the

One man having many wives may seem like something that would happen in a male-dominated society, but while the men are spending time and doing things for one wife, the other wives are left to fend for themselves and their children. When Sogolon Wulen Condé cannot conceive because she has been vexed by the other wives of her husband, Maghan Konfara, she convinces her husband to take on another wife to have a child with. He ends up giving into her demands and marries another woman. While Sunjata is not actually born from this tie, the reader can see that Maghan Konfara is willing to respect his wife and listen to her input on such an impactful topic. Women are seen in the story has having a profound effect on the world around them, instead of just being used as a wife and mother. In this culture, they have more of a say. While not downplaying this system, it is critical to note that the polygamous marriages put in practice in the story of Sunjata would possibly complicate a patrilineal system, which is why the Mande peoples follow a matrilineal way