Mandinka people

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The Mandinka or Mandingo
200 × 217
Total population

6.5 million
Regions with significant populations
The Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Mali, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Senegal and Chad
Languages
Mandinka language
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Western Mandé: esp Dyoula, Maninka Khassonké, Bambara people

The Mandinka (also known as Mandingo) are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They live primarily in the The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Guinea Bissau and even small communities in the central African nation of Chad. Mandinkas speak the Mandinka language which is similar to Bambaraor Soninke. Mandinka is spoken by some six million people. Closely related peoples include all the western Mandé, and most specially the Dyoula people, whom are sometimes clasified as a subgroup of the Mandinka, especially in Cote D'Ivoire and the Kong highlands of Burkina Faso.

Through a series of conflicts, primarially with the Fula led Kingdom of Fouta Djallon about half of the Mandinka population were converted from indegenous beliefs to Islam while as many as two-third where sold into slavery to the Americas through capture in conflict. Today, over 99% of Mandinka are Muslim.

From this inheritance comes the Western Mandé cultural group, who share not only related languages, but a series of caste, political, and spiritual traditions based in the Mali Empire. Through the 18th and 19th centuries, and in contrast to the closely related Bambara people, who retained animist beliefs much longer, most Mandinkas were converted to Islam. Today, the vast majority Mandinka are Muslim.[1][2]

Contents

[edit] History

See also: Mali Empire

The Mandinka migrated west from the Niger River basin in search of better agricultural lands and more opportunities for conquest. During this expansion, they established their rule from modern day Gambia to Guinea. They were probably one of the original groups that inhabited the ancient city of Djenné-Jeno. The Mandes founded the empire of Kaabu, comprising 20 small kingdoms. Some upper-class or urban Mandinkas converted to Islam during the reign of the great Mansa Musa(1320-1358AD).

The majority of the Mandinka were still animists at the beginning of the 18th century. Through a series of conflicts, primarially with the Fula led Kingdom of Fouta Djallon and amongst sub states of the Kaabu Empire, about half of the Senegambian Mandinka were converted to Islam while as many as third where sold into slavery to Americas, through capture in conflict. Today, over 99% of Mandinka are Muslim. A significant part of the African-Americans in North America decended from Mandinka people. [3]

In eastern areas (northern Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Southern Mali), Mandinka communities are often built around long distance trade routes. These people, often called Dyoula, (after the Mandé word for "merchant"), built communities in trading centers, spaced along trade routes, and near mining and agricultural centers, beginning during the Mali Empire. These merchant networks formed the lynchpin of trade between the desertside upper Niger River cities (Djenne and Timbuktu, for example), highland production areas (the goldfields of Bambouk or agricultural center of Kankan), and the coast. This last link became more important with the advent of Portuguese and other European trading posts in the 17th century, and much of the overland trade connecting the coast and interior (including the African slave trade) was controlled by Dyoula merchants.

[edit] Economy

Mandinka are rural subsistence farmers who rely on groundnuts, rice, millet, and small scale husbandry for their livelihood. The oldest male is the head of the family and marriages are commonly arranged. Small mud houses with thatch or tin roofs make up their villages which are organized on the basis of the clan groups.

In the rainy season, men plant peanuts as their main cash crop; peanuts are also a staple of the Mandinka diet. Men also plant millet (coos) and corn, mostly for family consumption. Women work in the rice fields, tending the plants by hand. This is an extremely labor intensive and physically demanding work. Only about 50% of the rice consumption needs are met by local planting; the rest is imported from Asia and the United States.

While farming is the predominant profession among the Mandinka, men also work as tailors, butchers, taxi drivers, woodworkers, metal workers, soldiers, nurses, and extension workers for aid agencies. However, most women, probably 95%, remain in the home as wives and mothers.

[edit] Mandinka culture

Mandinka culture is rich in tradition, music, and spiritual ritual. Mandinkas continue a long oral history tradition through stories, songs and proverbs. In rural areas, western education's impact is minimal; the literacy rate in Roman script among these Mandinka is quite low. However, more than half the adult population can read the local Arabic script; small Qur'anic schools for children where this is taught are quite more common.

Mandinka Griot Al-Haji Papa Susso performing songs from the oral tradition of the Gambia on the kora
Mandinka Griot Al-Haji Papa Susso performing songs from the oral tradition of the Gambia on the kora


The Mandinka have a rich oral history that is passed down through praise singers or griots. This passing down of oral history through music has made music one of the most distinctive traits of the Mandinka. They have long been known for their drumming and also for their unique musical instrument, the kora. The kora is a twenty-one string harp-like instrument made out of a gourd covered with cow skin. The strings are made of fishing line. It is played to accompany a griot's singing or simply on its own.

[edit] Customs of the Mandinka

Most Mandinkas live in family-related compounds in traditional rural villages. Mandinka villages are fairly autonomous and self-ruled, being led by a council of upper class elders and a chief who functions as a first among equals.

[edit] Marriage

Marriages are traditionally arranged by family members rather than either the bride or groom. This practice is particularly prevalent in the rural areas. Kola nuts, a bitter nut from a tree, are formally sent by the suitor's family to the male elders of the bride-to-be, and if accepted, the courtship begins.

Polygamy has been practiced among the Mandinka since pre-Islamic days. A Mandinka man is legally allowed to have up to four wives, as long as he is able to care for each of them equally. . Mandinka believe the crowning glory of any woman is the ability to produce children, especially sons. The first wife has authority over any subsequent wives. The husband has complete control over his wives and is responsible for feeding and clothing them. He also helps the wives' parents when necessary. Wives are expected to live together in harmony, at least superficially. They share work responsibilities of the compound, cooking, laundry, etc.

[edit] Passage into adulthood

Usually associated with the physical act of circumcision, the Mandinka practice a rite of passage which marks the beginning of adulthood for their children. Children, ranging in age from four to fourteen, are circumcised (boys) or mutilated (girls) separately. In years past, the children spent up to a year in the bush, but that has been reduced now to coincide with their physical healing time, between three and four weeks. This group of children form a special, internal bond, one which remains throughout life.

During this time, they learn about their adult social responsibilities and rules of behavior. They learn secret songs which teach them what it is to be a Mandinka. These songs teach them how they are to relate to members of the opposite sex, including their parents, their siblings, their relatives, and eventually their spouses, as well as their elders and their peers. They are cared for and taught by elders of the same sex; these persons become their life-long sponsors, a very special relationship.

Great preparation is made in the village or compound for the return of the children. A huge celebration marks the return of these new adults to their families. The children are given new clothes and treated with new respect by their elders. Boys and girls are honored with a dance.

As a result of these traditional teachings, in marriage a woman's loyalty remains to her parents and her family; a man's to his.

[edit] Religious and spiritual beliefs

Today, over 99% of Mandinka communities are Muslim. During the 1800s Islam was introduced into Mandinka society, and today the Mandinka still practice Islam but have infused much of their own culture into the religion. For example, a Mandinka may practice salat, Islamic prayer, but may also recognize and even sacrifice to a village god or spirit. The few Mandinkas who have converted to Christianity are often view as traitors to their Mandinka culture and they are sometimes rejected by family members.

[edit] The Kora

According to "the Kora" (2002) [4] (2002), “the Kora (CORE-uh) has become the hallmark of traditional Mandinka musicians.” Kora (2002) [4] describes that the kora with its 21 strings is made from half a calabash, “covered with cowshed fastened on by decorative tacks.” The kora has sound holes in the side which are used to store coins offered to the praise singers, in appreciation of their performance. The praise singers are called “jalibaa” in Mandinka. "The Kora" (2002) [4] says that “as the kora is played, it begins to take on a life of its own and it is believed that the singer and the instrument become one.” According to "the Kora" (2002) [4], the kora was traditionally used as “storage for historical facts, to memorize the genealogy of patron families and sing their praises, to act as messengers and intermediaries in disputes between families, to serve as guardians of traditional culture, and to entertain.” Today, however, the kora is losing its importance. "The Kora" (2002) [4] says that although it is a skill passed down from father to son, it is primarily used to entertain people, most especially tourists.

[edit] Mandinka in literature

One well-known Mandinka outside Africa is Kunta Kinte, a main figure in Alex Haley's book Roots and a subsequent TV mini-series. Haley claimed he was descended from Kinte, though this familial link has been criticised by many professional historians and at least one genealogist as highly improbable (see D. Wright's The World And A Very Small Place). Martin R. Delany, a radical 19th century abolitionist in the United States, was of partial Mandinka descent.

Mr. T, of American television fame, once claimed that his distinctive hairstyle was modeled after a Mandinka warrior that he saw in National Geographic magazine.[5]

[edit] Notable Mandinka people by country

[edit] Sierra Leone

  • Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, President of Sierra Leone from 1996-2007
  • Haidara Kontorfilli, Sierra Leonean charismatic Islamic religious reformer and an anti-colonialist
  • Haja Afsatu Kabba, Sierra Leone's minister of Energy and Power
  • Mohamed B. Daramy, Sierra Leone minister of Development and Economic Planning from 2002-2007.
  • Alhaji Shekuba Saccoh, current Sierra Leone ambasador to Guinea
  • Mabinty Daramy, Sierra Leone's Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry
  • Mohamed Kakay, Sierra Leonean, member of parliament of Sierra Leone representing Koinadugu District
  • Karamoh Kabba, Sierra Leonean author, writer, novelist and journalist
  • Bomba Jawara, Sierra Leonean, member of parliament of Sierra Leone representing Koinadugu District.
  • Kadijatu Kebbay, beauty queen who won Miss University Sierra Leone 2006 beauty contest and later represent Sierra Leone at the Miss World 2006 contest.
  • Fatmata Tatah Mansaray, Sierra Leonean model and beauty queen
  • Kanji Daramy, Sierra Leonean journalist and spokesman for former Sierra Leone's president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah from 2002-2007
  • Brima Dawson Kuyateh, Sierra Leonean journalist and the current president of the Sierra Leone Reporters Union
  • Lansana Baryoh, Sierra Leonean football star
  • Sidique Mansaray, Sierra Leonean football star
  • Brima Keita, Sierra Leonean football manager

[edit] Guinea

[edit] Mali

[edit] Ivory Coast

[edit] Senegal

[edit] Liberia

[edit] Gambia

  • Dawda Jawara, Prime Minister and President of Gambia from 1962-1994;
  • Sheriff Mustapha Dibba, First vice President of Gambia from 1965-1971
  • Jaliba kuyateh, Musician from Gambia
  • Bakary Bunja Darboe, former Vice President of the Gambia.
  • Ousainou Darboe, Gambian opposition leader.
  • Edward Singhateh, former Gambian Vice President and cabinet Minister.
  • Saikou Sabally, former Gambian Vice President and cabinet Minister.
  • Foday Kaba Dumbuya, warlord and nationalist leader.
  • Kombo Silla, warlord and Muslim leader.
  • Mama Tamba Jammeh, Head Chief.
  • Lalo Kebba Drammeh, iconic Kora player.
  • Kelepha Sanneh, warrior and historical figure.
  • Farimang Singhateh, Gambia's first Governor General.
  • Lamin Waa Juwara, opposition politician.
  • Sanjally Bojang, nationalist and Head Chief.
  • Morikebba Janneh, Under Sec. Gen. of U.N.
  • lamin Ceesay, U.N Assistant Sec. Gen.
  • Sidia Jatta, opposition politician.
  • Tumani Corrah, medical doctor and Director of MRC.
  • Demba Conta, international Musician.
  • Bora Mboge, Broadcast Journalist.
  • Jatto Ceesay, Football star.
  • Kemo Ceesay, football star.
  • Ardy Fatty, Broadcast Journalist.
  • Bubacarr Jammeh, international Musician.
  • Sherriff Saikouba Ceesay, former cabinet minister.
  • Sidat Jobe, former foreign Minister.
  • Suwaibou Conateh, Journalist.
  • Sherrif Bojang, Journalist.
  • Sambou Susso, Musician.
  • Foday Musa Suso, international Musician.
  • Demba Sanyang, Paramount Chief.
  • Teneng Ba Jaiteh, Head of Civil Service.
  • Yankuba Kassama, former minister and intl civil servant.
  • Ebrima Sillah, BBC Journalist.
  • Ansumana Manneh, former military chief in Guinea Bissau.
  • Masaneh Kinteh, military chief.

[edit] Burkina Faso

[edit] References In Pop Culture

  • After reading National Geographic, Mr. T first saw the hairstyle for which he is now famous, on a Mandinka warrior. He felt that adopting the style was a powerful statement about his origins. He has also claimed that he is a descendant of the Mandinka tribe.[citation needed]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Logon, Roberta A. (May 2007). "Sundiata of mali". Calliope 17 (9): 34-38. 
  2. ^ Quinn, Charlotte A. (Dec., 1973). "Mandingo Kingdoms of the Senegambia: Traditionalism, Islam and European Expansion". The American Historical Review 78 (5): 1506-1507. doi:10.2307/1854194. 
  3. ^ Bound To Africa-The Mandinka Legacy In The New World
  4. ^ a b c d e The Kora (2002). Mandinka. Retrieved May 29, 2007
  5. ^ Mentioned in a number of interviews, including Mr. T: Pity The Fool, allhiphop.com, Published Thursday, November 09, 2006. Mr. T gives a 1977 date, for an article with photos on the Mandinka in Mali. National Geographic Magazine's index has no record of such an article. http://publicationsindex.nationalgeographic.com/.
  • Eric S. Charry. Mande Music: Traditional and Modern Music of the Maninka and Mandinka of Western Africa. University of Chicago Press (2000). ISBN 0226101614
  • Robert W. Nicholls. The Mocko Jumbie of the U.S. Virgin Islands; History and Antecedents. African Arts, Vol. 32, No. 3 (Autumn, 1999), pp. 48-61+94-96
  • Matt Schaffer (Editor). Djinns, Stars and Warriors: Mandinka Legends from Pakao, Senegal (African Sources for African History, 5) (African Sources for African History, 5). Brill Academic Publishers (2003) ISBN 9789004131248
  • Matt Schaffer. Bound to Africa: The Mandinka Legacy in The New World. History in Africa 32 (2005) 321-369
  • Robert J. Mundt. Historical Dictionary of the Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire). Scarecrow Press/ Metuchen. NJ - Kondon (1987) pp.98-99
  • Lucie Gallistel Colvin. Historical Dictionary of Senegal. Scarecrow Press/ Metuchen. NJ - Kondon (1981) pp.216-217
  • Pascal James Imperato. Historical Dictionary of Mali. Scarecrow Press/ Metuchen. NJ - Kondon (1986) pp.190-191

[edit] External links

[edit] See also