Sundiata (English spelling)

Japanese: スンディアタ（英語表記）Sundiata

The legendary founder of the Mali Empire, which flourished at its peak in the 14th century and was centered around the Great Bend of the Niger River inland of West Africa. When the Kingdom of Ghana, which had prospered through trade in gold mined within its sphere of influence, declined at the end of the 11th century, the Soso people took over rule of the region, but in the mid-13th century, Sundiata of the Malinke tribe overthrew the Soso rule and eventually established the foundation of the Mali Empire. His life story is still passed down to local storytellers today as an epic poem full of legends. A young sister who was bullied by her 12 older brothers transformed into an aging giant antelope that was impervious to iron arrows and attacked the village of her brothers, but two foreign hunter brothers slew the antelope and cut off its golden tail.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

西アフリカ内陸のニジェール川大湾曲部を中心に，14世紀を頂点に栄えたマリ帝国の伝説上の始祖。勢力圏内でとれる金の交易で栄えていたガーナ王国が11世紀末に衰えると，代わってこの地方にソソ族が君臨したが，13世紀中ごろマリンケ族のスンディアタがソソの支配を覆し，やがてマリ帝国の基をつくった。その生涯は伝奇にみちた叙事詩となって土地の語り部にいまも伝えられている。12人の兄にいじめられた妹が，年老いて鉄の矢も通らない巨大なアンテロープに変身し，兄たちの村を襲ったが，異国から来た二人兄弟の狩人が退治し，黄金の尾を切り取った。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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