What metaphors are used in Sundiata by Djeli Mamoudou Kouyate?

Much of the narrative can be seen as a metaphor for coming of age. The first part of this epic concerns itself with the journey, both physical and spiritual, that Sundiata makes as he grows from a child into a man. While Sundiata always has the strength of a ruler within him, as was predicted from before his birth, he must change in several ways in order to claim that power. He must first learn to walk, and to lead his peer group in such traditional activities as hunting.