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- Lucas: We've talked about Mansa Musa's gold, his Hajj, his libraries, his salt mines, his architects — we've covered a lot. But there's one thing we've never really stopped to ask: what did people actually call him? Luna: I mean, 'Mansa Musa' — that's his name, right? Lucas: Well, yes and no. 'Mansa Musa' is how most histories record him, but in his own language and his own court, he was known by a more specific title: Kanku Musa. And that 'Kanku' part opens up a whole world of meaning about how the Mali Empire understood kingship. Luna: Kanku — that's new to me. What does it mean? Lucas: So, in the Mande languages, 'mansa' means 'king' or 'ruler' — it's a title, not a name. The name 'Musa' is the Arabic version of Moses, which he took after converting to Islam. But 'Kanku' is a specific office. It refers to a kind of deputy or 'king's shadow' — a role that existed before Islam, rooted in the old imperial traditions of the Mande. Some scholars think 'Kanku' literally means 'the one who is like the king' or 'the king's substitute.' Luna: So it's like a title within a title? He was Musa the King, but also Musa the Deputy? Lucas: Exactly. And it gets more interesting when you look at how the griots — the jeliw, the oral historians — refer to him in their epics. They don't just call him Mansa Musa. They use the full formula: Kanku Musa. The griots preserve a tradition that this title was passed down from the time of Sundiata Keita, the founder of the empire. In the Epic of Sundiata, the title 'Kanku' appears as a high-ranking court official, almost like a vizier, but one who also shares in the king's spiritual power. Luna: So it's not just a job title — it carries ritual significance? Lucas: Right. The Kanku was believed to have a kind of mystical bond with the king. In some traditions, the Kanku could even act as the king's double in certain ceremonies, to confuse enemies or to take on ill omens. So when Mansa Musa called himself Kanku Musa, he was emphasizing that he wasn't just a ruler by force — he was the legitimate heir to a sacred lineage. That's a big part of why Al-Umari, the Egyptian scholar who interviewed people who met Musa in Cairo, recorded his name as 'Kanku Musa' in his book Masalik al-Absar. Luna: Al-Umari — we've mentioned him before. He's one of our best sources. Lucas: He's crucial. And he writes that when Musa arrived in Cairo in 1324, the Mamluk officials asked for his name. He gave it as 'Kanku Musa.' Al-Umari also explains that 'Kanku' is a title that means 'king's deputy,' and he notes that the previous ruler — Mansa Musa's predecessor on the throne, who was named Abu Bakr II — also used the title 'Kanku' before he became mansa. So it's a title that could be held by a prince or a high official, but it also became part of the ruler's own name. Luna: Wait — Abu Bakr II? The one who supposedly sailed off into the Atlantic? Lucas: The very same. According to oral tradition and some hints in Al-Umari, Abu Bakr II was a mansa who launched two expeditions into the Atlantic Ocean. But before he was mansa, he was Kanku — the deputy. And when he took the throne, he kept the title as part of his regnal name. So Mansa Musa inherited that practice. It's a pattern: the title 'Kanku' signals legitimacy, continuity, and a connection to the founding dynasty of Sundiata. Luna: So it's almost like a royal surname, but with a specific job attached. Lucas: Sort of, but more fluid. In Mande culture, names are often descriptive or honorific. The Kouroukan Fouga — the constitution of the Mali Empire, which was proclaimed by Sundiata — lays out that the mansa must always have a Kanku, someone who is the 'right hand' of the king. That person might be a brother, a cousin, or a trusted general. But when the Kanku himself becomes mansa, he keeps the title as a reminder of his former role. It's a way of saying: 'I have served; now I rule.' Luna: Did every mansa do that? Did Sundiata also have a Kanku title? Lucas: That's a great question. The griots don't record Sundiata using 'Kanku' as part of his name — he's usually just 'Sundiata Keita' or 'Maghan Sundiata.' The title 'Kanku' seems to have emerged later, perhaps in the 13th or early 14th century. But by Mansa Musa's time, it was firmly established. And the fact that we see it in both Al-Umari's Arabic text and in the oral epics suggests it was a very real, living institution. Luna: So when European sources call him 'Mansa Musa,' they're actually dropping the most important part of his title? Lucas: Exactly. And that's partly because the Portuguese and Spanish chroniclers who first wrote about him in the 15th and 16th centuries got their information from North African traders, who may have simplified the name. The Catalan Atlas of 1375, which is the first European map to depict Mansa Musa, just labels him 'Musse Melly' — 'Musa of Mali.' No Kanku. So the richness of his full title was lost in translation. Luna: I love that we can recover it through Al-Umari and the griots. Lucas: It's one of those cases where the written and oral records complement each other perfectly. Al-Umari gives us the Arabic spelling: Qanqū Mūsā. And the griots, even today in villages in Mali and Guinea, will recite lineages that include 'Kanku Musa' as a key ancestor. The name has survived for almost 700 years. Luna: So what does this tell us about how Mansa Musa saw himself? Was he more of an Islamic king or a traditional Mande ruler? Lucas: He was both, and that's the point. By using 'Musa' — the Islamic prophet's name — he signals his faith. But by keeping 'Kanku,' he anchors himself in the pre-Islamic Mande traditions of sacred kingship. He's not abandoning one for the other. He's fusing them together, which is exactly what made the Mali Empire so powerful. The empire thrived because it incorporated Islamic scholarship, trade, and law — but it also maintained the griots, the Kouroukan Fouga, and the old royal rituals. Mansa Musa, as Kanku Musa, embodied that synthesis. Luna: It's like his name itself tells the story of the empire. Lucas: Exactly. And there's another layer: the word 'Kanku' might also be related to the Manding term for 'chief of the slaves' or 'master of the household,' but that's debated. Some scholars think the Kanku originally managed the royal household and the king's personal retinue, which grew into a broader political role. So Mansa Musa, by calling himself Kanku, was also reminding everyone that he controlled the inner circle of power, not just the throne. Luna: So it's a title that implies intimacy with the king — a kind of insider status. Lucas: Right. And that insider status gave him the authority to launch those ambitious building projects in Timbuktu and Gao, to patronize scholars, and to manage the farba system of provincial governors. He wasn't just a distant figure; he was someone who had been in the engine room of the empire. And his name broadcast that. Luna: I wonder if other Mande kings used similar titles in other kingdoms — like Songhai or Ghana. Lucas: They did. In the Ghana Empire, the ruler was called 'Ghana' or 'Warrior King,' but also used titles like 'Maga' or 'Tunka.' In Songhai, the title 'Sonni' or 'Askia' carried similar layers. But 'Kanku' seems unique to Mali, at least in the way it was incorporated into the ruler's personal name. It might have been borrowed from the Soninke people, who had a title 'Kanke' for a high official. So it's part of a broader West African tradition of layered titles. Luna: So when we say 'Mansa Musa' in popular culture, we're really just scratching the surface? Lucas: Yes. And I think that's worth remembering. The man we call the richest in history was not just a person — he was a living institution, a walking embodiment of Mali's hybrid identity. His name, Kanku Musa, is a window into that world. Next time someone says 'Mansa Musa,' you can nod and think, 'Ah, but his people called him Kanku Musa.' Luna: I'm definitely going to start using that. Kanku Musa.