1. Mali Land of Gold & Griots gold earrings A griot of today mudcloth
A pair of gold earrings from ancient Mali
Mali mudcloth
A griot (storyteller) present day Mali
Lead-in to next slide: Mali is a very old country. It has had many kings but there were 2 especially important kings.
A griot of today
mudcloth

2. Prepared by Carol Almarez Elementary Instructional Technology
Alleghany County Public Schools
2005

3. Sundiata: The Lion King
Prince of the Mandinka people, who were conquered by cruel Susu
In 1230, he conquered the Susu people
Under Sundiata, Mali prospered
Died in 1255

4. Mansa Musa Several kings ruled after Sundiata’s death
Mansa Musa was grandson of Sundiata’s half brother
He became the greatest king of Mali in 1312
Under Mansa Musa, Mali became a great trading center
MiniFact: Mansa means Emperor or King

5. The Hajj Mansa Musa was a devout Muslim
Muslims must make a journey to Mecca called a ‘hajj’
Mansa Musa crossed Africa to reach Mecca
He took a huge caravan with him in 1324
After that, everyone knew about
the wealth of Mali

6. A Muslim church is called a Mosque
This is the mosque at Djenne in Mali. It’s built of mud! Click for a movie

8. What did Mali trade? Gold The dotted lines are trade routes from
Mali to other
parts of
Africa

9. What else did they trade?
Camels, the ships of the desert, traveled in caravans bringing to Mali:
Salt
Copper
Ivory
Cloth
Kola Nuts
Slaves
Books
Shells
MiniFact: This was before Columbus even sailed to the New World!

10. Why was Salt Important? Mali often traded its gold for salt
Salt was sometimes more valuable than gold!
People’s bodies need salt to live
In the desert heat, salt is lost through perspiration
Salt was used to preserve food
Salt was brought in large slabs (coins)
The man is holding a slab of salt mined recently near Timbuktu
MiniFact: The picture behind these words is also a slab of SALT!

11. Timbuktu A very important city in Mali Center of learning for Muslims
Universities and schools
Largest trading center in Mali
On the Niger River
Trade
Food
Washing
Timbuktu
19th century traders in Timbuktu

12. The Griots Storytellers were called Griots or djeli
They were important people in Mali
They told the land’s history
Most of what we know about ancient Mali came from the storytellers
They were advisors to the kings
This is a 19th century griot of Mali with his instrument

13. Mali Today

14. A Mali Scavenger Hunt
In a scavenger hunt, you go from place to place and gather clues
In this hunt, we will go from one place to another on the Internet and gather information!
Hand out ‘clue sheet’