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SUNJATA 1 1425 last Wednesday of the month of Jomènè to the same time the following year, Maghan Konfara did not sire a child. (If you want to know about Sunjata, then you have to learn what Sunjata's father and the people of Manden had to endure!) He sent the moriw back into retreat, telling them, “I need a child, so do your best. It's said that if I sire the child that has been foreseen, that child will rule Manden. I must sire this child." The moriw, all of whom were present, went back into retreat. When they returned, they told him, "Simbon, marry somebody who is a mulatto." So he married nine mulatto women. But aside from Marabajan Tarawelé, none of those mulatto women gave birth. From that time of the year to the same time the following year, none of those women who were with him in the house bore any male children. Simbon was frustrated. Maghan Konfara sent the moriw back into retreat. He said, "Tell me the truth. Ah! If you see that I will not have any children, tell me. A child is something that only God can pro- vide; it cannot be bought in the market." This time the moriw told him, "Very well, marry a black woman. Find a black woman who has a white heart." This time he married nine black women. But aside from Nyuma Damba Magasuba, none of them bore any children. Maghan Konfara was frustrated. His moriw told him again, “Very well, man, free one of your slave girls and marry her." (In those days they still practiced slavery.) He liberated and married nine slave girls. But aside from Jonmusoni Manyan, none of the slave girls bore him any children. Frustrated, Simbon gathered the people of Konfara together on the last Wednesday of Jomènè. When the people of Konfara had gathered, he separated the moriw, the sand diviners, and the pebble diviners into groups and sent them all into retreat. He said, "I told you not to hesitate. If you see that I won't have a child, tell me. Go into the house. If you do not tell me the truth, I'll kill all of you and replace you." When the moriw came out of retreat, they told him, "Simbon, you will sire a child. Make one of your jelimusow happy. Marry her so she will give birth." He made nine jelimusow happy, but aside from Tunku Manyan Diawara, none of them ever gave birth. Now all of Manden was frustrated. (It's hard to give birth to a child who will be famous!) And when all of Manden became frustrated, the diviners were ashamed of themselves. They met and swore an oath: "Any one of us who has broken a taboo should confess it. Maybe this is our fault. If we don't get together and tell this man the truth, the feet of our descendants will not be able to even break an egg in Manden." They went into retreat and came back out, telling Simbon, "Someone will come from the East. He will be coming from the land of the white-skinned people. This much has been revealed to us. Let this man pray to God for a solution to your problem. If you let this man pray to God on the matter of your son, anything he tells you will be God's word. We won't be able to accomplish this ourselves. God has shown us a good man." While they waited there in Farakoro, Manjan Bereté arrived. Manjan Bereté was the first Muslim leader of Manden; he opened the door to the