History Summary

Ancient kings wanted griots because they wanted to be immortal. The griots passed their history and knowledge down through the generations. Each king's griot knew and retold the story of each prior generation for centuries. This chapter, told from the perspective of Kouyaty, emphasizes that griots do not judge, interpret, or see the future. They are merely vessels of the past.

Kouyaty has been charged to tell the tale of Sundiata and goes back to his story, picking up at the point where Sundiata has become a man and is ready to reveal himself to the world. Kanty is a king who wears clothes made from the skin of the kings he has defeated. His power has corrupted him greatly and he steals the wife of his sorcerer nephew.

The nephew, Fakoli, curses at Kanty and says from now on he will side...