Actually the Mande had a class of historians, called griots, who were trained from a very young age to orally record the history of the people. I don't see this as being any more accurate or inaccruate than written history. Most of written history was recorded by a class of scribes who could have also easily changed the wording and meaning of the stories to suit their views. This is what has happened with the bible but it doesn't make it anymore invalid. History, written or oral, will always be coloured with the views of the people who handle the issue at the time. There is not objectivity in any kind of history.

When I read stories like Sundiata, I just look for the underlying meaning of the story not the specifics. I believe that there was a Sundiata and he didcreateMali's Empire. I'm not really concerned with whether or not he was originally born a cripple, or his mother, Sogolo was the daughter ofthe buffalo woman.