Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Menu
email:  password: 

Forgot your password?

Tales from the Griots - The Mali Empire

Introduction | Background Knowledge | Activities | Extensions | Standards

Introduction

The structure of modern society was built on the successes and struggles of the civilizations that came before it. Some of these civilizations existed over 5000 years ago. Some thrived for millennia. Others were shorter-lived. The Mali Empire existed in Africa for just over 400 years. During that time, the Empire spread its culture, language, laws, and customs across Western Africa while recording its history through griots and their storytelling.

Back to Top

Background Knowledge

Sometime during the 11th and 12th centuries, the powerful Ghana Empire in western Africa began to decline. Many states along the Niger River vied to control the trade of salt and gold in the region. In 1235, Sundiata Keita, leader of Kangaba, one of these states, defeated a powerful rival, freeing the people from the rule of the Sosso Empire, and began to consolidate power. This victory is considered the founding of the Mali Empire.

As the Empire grew, its territory grew as well. The victory over the Sosso Empire opened trans-Saharan trade routes. The Empire grew west to the Atlantic Ocean and east past the large northern bend of the Niger River. It also spread southward into the rainforest and reached the coveted goldfields and the salt mines. Timbuktu became a leading trade center for the Empire. The Empire built wealth through taxes on trade.

Sundiata died around 1255. After that time, the kings of Mali were known as mansas. Mansa Musa came into power in 1312 and was the most influential leader of Mali. During his 25-year reign, he made a pilgrimage to Mecca, a 4,000-mile journey. He made many charitable donations as his entourage crossed Africa. Upon his return, he brought scholars, government officials, and architects to Mali. He added mosques and libraries in Timbuktu to help increase Islamic education. His pilgrimage also brought attention to Mali in Europe. European cartographers included Mali and Mansa Musa on their world maps.

In 1350, the Mali Empire began its decline. The line of succession became unclear, and smaller states began to leave the Empire to keep trade profits for themselves. The Wolof were the first people to leave the Mali Empire. Around 1430, a small nomadic tribe took possession of Timbuktu. Smaller states in the region began to assert their own power against the Mali Empire, and the decline accelerated. The Mali Empire existed until 1670, when the Bamana attacked and burned the city of Niani. After that, the Empire ceased to exist and reverted to individual chiefdoms.

While its existence was short, the Mali Empire left a strong legacy. Much of what is known about Mali came from oral storytellers called griots. They kept the history of the Empire alive for centuries. Several historians also preserved the past. The Mali Empire left a system of checks and balances of power as opposed to the Mansa ruling with absolute power. Timbuktu was a trade center and a center of education for the Muslim world. The Empire had a vibrant economy as well. The Mali Empire proved that Africa was not lagging behind Europe in organization and progress.

Back to Top

ACTIVITIES

Selective List of Books

  • Sundiata: Lion King of Mali by David Wisniewski (ISBN 9780395764817)
    • This is the story of Sundiata, who overcame many hardships before becoming the ruler of Mali.
    • Learn more about Sundiata from Mr. Donn or Ducksters Biography of Sundiata (reviewed here).
    • For older students (late elementary and older), try out this reader's theater.
    • This lesson plan from the Kennedy Center, designed for middle schoolers, encourages students to create a Sundiata Festival after learning about Sundiata and Mali's cultural aspects.
    • The Lion King of Mali is often compared to Disney's The Lion King. If students are familiar with Disney's The Lion King, Engaging History offers this video and activity in which students create a comic strip.
      • Non-Technology Approach: Use paper, pencil, and art supplies to create a comic strip.
      • Technology Approach: Create a comic strip using Comic Creator (reviewed here).
  • If You Were Me and Lived In…the Ancient Mali Empire by Carole P. Roman (ISBN 9781540337276)
    • Go back to the 1300s and learn about Mali during the height of the Empire.
    • PBS has a video about Timbuktu during the height of the Mali Empire. There is a background essay and discussion questions to deepen the learning.
    • Explore the Gold Road Interactive Map. View the trade routes across varied landscapes and cities. Virtually visit cities with images.
    • Compare and contrast the European trade routes with those of Ancient Mali. Use Napkin AI (reviewed here) to generate a digital document that includes text, infographics, charts, and timelines to provide an analysis that compares the different trade routes.
  • The Hatseller and the Monkeys by Baba Wague Diakite (ISBN 9780590960694)
    • A hat seller runs into trouble when a monkey steals his merchandise.
    • Extend the lesson with a reader's theater script. Ask students to write and perform their own script, or use MagicSchool (reviewed here) to generate a script for them.
    • Have students practice oral storytelling. Provide them with African proverbs or legends, have them listen to recordings, and have them retell the stories aloud or write their own graphic novels.
    • Use a free podcast creator, such as Adobe Podcast (reviewed here), to record and share students' oral storytelling activities on your class website or LMS. For an easier way to create animated recordings, try Adobe's Animate Characters (reviewed here), which lets students choose animated characters and record stories in their own voices.

Videos

  • Loren Klein - Mali Empire - This video was created for middle school-aged students. The lesson is designed for a flipped classroom, but the information is good for intermediate grades and up.
  • Rise and Fall of the Mali Empire - This is a graphic-focused overview of the Mali Empire. This video is geared toward intermediate grades and up.
  • Extra Credits has animated videos about the Mali Empire. They are numbered for easy viewing.
  • African Odyssey: A Sogolon Puppet Theater - This performance at the Kennedy Center brings the puppet tradition of Mali to life. Extend this lesson and have students create their own puppets and use them to tell the story of the Mali Empire.
  • The Griot tradition of West Africa - Students can hear storytelling in the Griot style.

Back to Top

EXTENSIONS

Compare and Contrast

  • While much is unknown about the Mali Empire, there is enough information to compare it with the civilizations in Europe and Asia. Students can create a comparison chart or Venn diagram on Canva for Education (reviewed here) to compare and contrast influential civilizations.
  • Use Gemini Notebook (reviewed here) to create learning resources using your lesson plans, videos, and online resources. Create infographics that compare and contrast civilizations, an interactive audio podcast that lets students ask questions, flashcards, a study guide, and more.

Play West African Strategy Games

  • Introduce traditional board games such as Awalé (also known as Mancala) and Yoté to develop critical-thinking and strategic-planning skills.
  • Use Padlet (reviewed here) to share instructions for the traditional board games. Instead of writing directions for the games, ask students to add a post with a screen recording showing how to play the game, along with tips.

Trans-Saharan Trade Simulation:

  • Recreate historical trade routes by setting up a "camel caravan". Students can exchange commodities such as gold, ivory, salt, and spices (using pennies, beads, or paper cutouts) to learn about supply and demand and economic bartering.
  • Use Canva Code found in Canva for Education (reviewed here) to create a digital, interactive game to recreate historical trade routes. Creating a game is as simple as copying the sentences above into Canva Code to describe the camel caravan activity, then letting Canva Code do its magic.

Back to Top

CORRELATION TO STANDARDS

  • AASL National School Library Standards
    • Inquire Shared Foundation, Think Domain - Learners display curiosity and initiative by:
      • 1. Formulating questions about a personal interest or a curricular topic.
      • 2. Recalling prior and background knowledge as context for new meaning.
    • Inquire Shared Foundation, Share Domain - Learners adapt, communicate, and exchange learning products with others in a cycle that includes:
      • 1. Interacting with content presented by others.
      • 2. Providing constructive feedback.
      • 3. Acting on feedback to improve.
      • 4. Sharing products with an authentic audience.
    • Include Shared Foundation, Share Domain - Learners exhibit empathy with and tolerance for diverse ideas by:
      • 1. Engaging in informed conversation and active debate.
      • 2. Contributing to discussions in which multiple viewpoints on a topic are expressed.
    • Include Shared Foundation, Grow Domain - Learners demonstrate empathy and equity in knowledge building within the global learning community by:
      • 1. Seeking interactions with a range of learners.
    • Engage Shared Foundation, Think Domain: Learners follow ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information by:
      • 1. Responsibly applying information, technology, and media to learning.
      • 2. Understanding the ethical use of information, technology, and media.
    • Engage Shared Foundation, Create Domain: Learners use valid information and reasoned conclusions to make ethical decisions in the creation of knowledge by:
      • 1. Ethically using and reproducing others' work.
      • 2. Acknowledging authorship and demonstrating respect for the intellectual property of others.
      • 3. Including elements in personal-knowledge products that allow others to credit content appropriately.
    • Engage Shared Foundation, Grow Domain: Learners engage with information to extend personal learning by:
      • 1. Personalizing their use of information and information technologies.
      • 2. Reflecting on the process of ethical generation of knowledge.
      • 3. Inspiring others to engage in safe, responsible, ethical, and legal information behaviors.
    • Collaborate Shared Foundation, Think Domain - Learners identify collaborative opportunities by:
      • 1. Demonstrating their desire to broaden and deepen understandings.
      • 2. Developing new understandings through engagement in a learning group.
      • 3. Deciding to solve problems informed by group interaction.
    • Collaborate Shared Foundation, Create Domain - Learners participate in personal, social, and intellectual networks by:
      • 1. Using a variety of communication tools and resources.
      • 2. Establishing connections with other learners to build on their own prior knowledge and create new knowledge.
    • Collaborate Shared Foundation, Grow Domain - Learners actively participate with others in learning situations by:
      • 2. Recognizing learning as a social responsibility.
    • Explore Shared Foundation, Think Domain - Learners develop and satisfy personal curiosity by:
      • 1. Reading widely and deeply in multiple formats and writing and creating for a variety of purposes.
    • Explore Shared Foundation, Create Domain - Learners construct new knowledge by:
      • 1. Problem solving through cycles of design, implementation, and reflection.
    • Explore Shared Foundation, Share Domain - Learners engage with the learning community by:
      • 3. Collaboratively identifying innovative solutions to a challenge or problem.
    • Explore Shared Foundation, Grow Domain - Learners develop through experience and reflection by:
      • 1. Iteratively responding to challenges.
      • 2. Recognizing capabilities and skills that can be developed, improved, and expanded.
      • 3. Open-mindedly accepting feedback for positive and constructive growth.
  • ISTE Standards for Students
    • Empowered Learner 1.1
      • 1.1.b. Students build networks and customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning process.
      • 1.1.c. Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
    • Digital Citizen 1.2
      • 1.2.c. Demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.
    • Knowledge Constructor 1.3
      • 1.3.d. Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories, and pursuing answers and solutions.
    • Innovative Designer 1.4
      • 1.4.d. Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance, and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.
    • Global Collaborator 1.7
      • 1.7.c. Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.

      Back to Top