Sundiata's mother, and the second wife of Maghan Kon Fatta. Sogolon, who was prophesied to birth a great ruler, is exceptionally wise and ugly. She has a hump on her back, and is known as the buffalo woman. While she initially cried and resisted her marriage to Maghan Kon Fatta, she soon accepted her role as a wife and mother. She does whatever she can to protect Sundiata, including voluntarily taking him and her other children into exile. She consistently reminds Sundiata of his destiny, and she is a wise and devoted mother.
Sogolon Kedjou Quotes in Sundiata
The Sundiata quotes below are all either spoken by Sogolon Kedjou or refer to Sogolon Kedjou. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Pearson Longman edition of Sundiata published in 2006.
The Buffalo Woman
Quotes
The child will be the seventh star, the seventh conqueror of the earth. He will be more mighty than Alexander.
Related Characters:
The Hunter (speaker), Sundiata/Maghan Mari Djata, Sogolon Kedjou, Gnankouman Doua, Maghan Kon Fatta
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Exile
Quotes
You will return to reign when you are a man, for it is in Mali that your destiny must be fulfilled.
Related Characters:
Sogolon Kedjou (speaker), Sundiata/Maghan Mari Djata
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Do not deceive yourself. Your destiny lies not here but in Mali. The moment has come. I have finished my task and it is yours that is going to begin, my son. But you must be able to wait. Everything in its own good time.”
Related Characters:
Sogolon Kedjou (speaker), Sundiata/Maghan Mari Djata
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Sogolon Kedjou Character Timeline in Sundiata
The timeline below shows where the character Sogolon Kedjou appears in Sundiata. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The First Kings of Mali
...resulted in Maghan Kon Fatta, Sundiata's father. Maghan Kon Fatta had three wives: Sassouma Bérété, Sogolon Kedjou, and Namandjé.
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The Buffalo Woman
...maid of Do to the victor, Oulamba and Oulani must choose an extremely ugly maid, Sogolon Kedjou, for this maid is the buffalo woman's wraith (spirit). The brothers swear and continue...
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...instructs the brothers to choose a maid from the assembled young women. They finally notice Sogolon and take her by the hand. The king laughs, everyone else joins in, and the...
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Maghan Kon Fatta decides to marry Sogolon with all the usual customs so the resulting son will be legitimate. Oulamba and Oulani...
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Sogolon stays with an aunt of the king's and doesn't go out until her wedding day....
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...and listens to drums and Gnankouman Doua sings of the Mandingo kings. As night falls, Sogolon processes, dressed all in white with a veil over her head. The king's relatives follow...
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The narrator reminds the reader that the buffalo woman of Do said that Sogolon would be extraordinary "if you manage to possess her," and explains that Oulamba and Oulani...
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...week. Maghan Kon Fatta consults sorcerers, but none of their tricks work. One night, when Sogolon is asleep, Maghan rises and spreads sand on the ground and traces signs in it....
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The Lion Child
The narrator says that a wife becomes accustomed quickly to being a wife. Sogolon now moves through the king's enclosure freely, and people have become accustomed to her ugliness....
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When Sogolon goes into labor, Maghan Kon Fatta calls nine great midwives to attend to her. He...
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Eight days later, the infant is named. Sogolon rests inside while Maghan addresses a crowd. He says that the boy will be named...
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Childhood
...still couldn't walk. He was very greedy. People gossiped about how unusual the child was. Sogolon tried to make other three-year-olds come to play with her son, but Mari Djata hit...
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...at Mari Djata's misfortune. Dankaran Touman, her 11-year-old son, already runs and practices archery. Whenever Sogolon passes Sassouma's house, Sassouma underhandedly insults Mari Djata. Maghan begins to lose hope, despite Doua's...
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...He says that the "seed" has germinated, albeit slowly, but man is impatient. Maghan restores Sogolon to favor and she soon gives birth to another daughter, whom they name Djamarou.
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The Lion's Awakening
...legs. All the gossip stems from Sassouma, and she uses her newfound power to banish Sogolon to a small hut at the back of the palace. Sassouma allows everyone who wants...
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Sogolon plants a small garden behind the village. The garden grows well, but one day she...
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At her hut, Sogolon sees Mari Djata sitting outside eating. Sogolon begins sobbing and she hits Mari Djata with...
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Balla Fasséké goes to the master smith and orders an iron rod. Sogolon cries while Mari Djata keeps eating as though nothing happened. Suddenly, they hear laughter behind...
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...workshop sits a huge iron bar. He instructs six apprentices to carry the bar to Sogolon's house. They drop the bar in front of Sogolon's house and the noise frightens Sogolon....
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...into the form of a bow. Balla Fasséké sings the “Hymn to the Bow” and Sogolon sings thanks to God. The entire palace hears Balla Fasséké's song and runs to see....
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...a young baobab tree, rips it out of the ground, and carries it back to Sogolon. He tosses it in front of the hut and informs his mother that everyone will...
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...of nothing but Mari Djata. Mothers want their sons to play and hunt with him. Sogolon gains respect, and people compare her favorably to Sassouma; these people reason that because Sogolon...
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Sogolon makes a habit of telling stories to Mari Djata and his friends every evening. She...
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...killing Sundiata, as he's done nothing bad to them. Sassouma instructs them to go to Sogolon's garden tomorrow and pick from it. She says that Sundiata will beat the old women....
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...spend the day hunting elephants. They return home late and Sundiata insists they check on Sogolon's vegetables. He sees the nine witches picking from the garden, and the witches act like...
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Exile
Sogolon is wise, and one evening she calls her children together. She suggests to Sundiata that...
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...his griot is gone until he returns that evening. Sundiata is filled with rage, but Sogolon counsels Sundiata that it's part of a "higher order." Sundiata and Manding Bory confront Dankaran...
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...when, in actuality, they're only assisting destiny. Sassouma thinks she's victorious, but the miseries that Sogolon and her family experience on the road are simply part of Sundiata's destiny. Over the...
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Sogolon, Sundiata, Manding Bory, and their sisters find refuge first in Djeba with Mansa Konkon. One...
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Sogolon, Sundiata, Manding Bory, and their sisters head for Tabon, where Sundiata's friend Fran Kamara lives....
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The merchants try to make the long journey to Ghana as comfortable for Sogolon as possible. They tell Sundiata and Manding Bory stories about the past. They also tell...
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...different. Sundiata also notices many mosques. The king's brother acts as an interpreter and receives Sogolon and her children at the palace. Sogolon explains her circumstances and asks for asylum in...
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At Wagadou, Sogolon is treated like a queen. The children receive clothes in Wagadou fashion and Manding Bory...
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After a year, Sogolon becomes very sick. King Soumaba Cissé decides to send Sogolon and the children to Mema...
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At Mema, Sogolon and her children are met with a grand reception. The king's sister, Massiran, receives the...
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Moussa Tounkara returns when the rainy season starts. He receives Sogolon and her children, and welcomes them formally to his court. Moussa Tounkara is a great...
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Now that he's a man, though, Sundiata knows that it's time to fulfill his destiny. Sogolon knows that she has performed her duty. One day she reminds Sundiata that his destiny...
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The Baobab Leaves
...Soumaoro has invaded Mali and that Fakoli is putting up a good fight against him. Sogolon is still sick, Manding Bory is a lively 15-year-old, and Kolonkan is of marriageable age...
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...brother's name, and Kolonkan gives it. A man joins the vendor and asks Kolonkan if Sogolon would receive the vendors. Kolonkan rushes to her mother, gives her the Malian condiments, and...
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Moussa Tounkara returns at nightfall, but Sundiata doesn't attend his reception. Sundiata visits Sogolon before going to bed and finds her sick and feverish. In his own room, Sundiata...
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Moussa Tounkara thinks that Sundiata is being ungrateful and tries to make Sundiata either take Sogolon's body with him to Mali or pay for the gravesite land. Sundiata offers to pay...
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...recognizable only by shards of pottery. Moussa Tounkara grants Sundiata the land, and Sundiata buries Sogolon.
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