But what is not in doubt is the theme of the basic story: Many indigenous Africans, including Mandinkas, were captured, sold and transported during the transatlantic slave trade. "Malinke people". Charry, E.S., (2000) Mande Music: Traditional and Modem Music of the Maninka and Mandinka of Western Africa. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"V992atGyBQRlmoEIa6k4lIMuXIF8qnUOZe.YD2y4QMI-86400-0"}; Some Mandinka syncretise Islam and traditional African religions. [45] Hawthorne states that large numbers of Mandinka people started arriving as slaves in various European colonies in North America, South America and the Caribbean only between mid 18th through to the 19th century. [62] In 2010, after community efforts of UNICEF and the local government bodies, several Mandinka women's organization pledged to abandon the female genital mutilation practices.[62]. Some clan names survive from the recognized royalty of the ancient Mali Empire. This migration began in the later part of the 13th century.[30]. A traditional feature of Mandinka society is the "nyamakala" (craft groups), which often have religious and ritual responsibilities as well as their skilled occupations. A "major lineage" consists of a household of relatives and their families, a group that ultimately creates a "clan." A Short History of West Africa: A. D. 1000 to the Present. He is also respected as a dispenser of amulets that protect their wearers, Muslim and non-Muslim, against evil. . It is played to accompany a griot's singing or simply on its own. A Mandingo. He also helps the wives' parents when necessary. Mark, A Cultural, . [23] Most Mandinka live in family-related compounds in traditional rural villages. Among these syncretists spirits can be controlled mainly through the power of a marabout, who knows the protective formulas. Mandinka has been an oral society, where mythologies, history and knowledge are verbally transmitted from one generation to the next. (1972). On page 40, of his book "Arabs In History . Commercial Activities. Today, some gender roles are more blurred. His novels The Lieutenant of Kouta, The Barber of Kouta and The Butcher of Kouta attempt to capture the proverbs and customs of the Mandinka people in novelistic form. The kora with its 21 strings is made from half a calabash, covered with cow's hide fastened on by decorative tacks. Each ethnic group has its own variations and, for the Mandinka, women are far more likely than men to be seen participating in such ceremony. He also must pay the girl's family a bride-price. It is the second convention of the historians (the first being to . He is believed to be a miracle worker, a physician, and a mystic, who exercises both magical and moral influence. The spread of Islam through West Africa happened over a long period and is not reliably documented in detail. Musical performance in Mandinka society is not restricted to males. A girl was often betrothed to a man at birth. Wives are expected to live together in harmony, at least superficially. No important decision is made without first consulting the marabout. RM2ABK491 - Mandinka man in cap, shawl, skirt and sandals, with amulets and beads, 18th century. But, in doing this, the British upset the balance of power in the area. Born in the heart of Persia over 3,000 years ago, Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions. It also brought conflicts with other ethnic groups, such as the Wolof people, particularly the Jolof Empire. This art form is passed down in Mandinka tradition through the male lineage. The Mandinka are a very large ethnic group indigenous to West Africa, where they have lived for many centuries. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Although widespread, the Mandinka constitute the largest ethnic group only in the countries of Mali, Guinea and The Gambia. Before the rise of the monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, most Bedouin tribes practiced polytheism in the form of animism . They have long been known for their drumming and also for their unique musical instrument, the kora. [35][36] In contemporary West Africa, the Mandinka are predominantly Muslim, with a few regions where significant portions of the population are not Muslim, such as Guinea Bissau, where 35 percent of the Mandinka practice Islam, more than 20 percent are Christian, and 15 percent follow traditional beliefs. The ancestors of the Mandinkas (Mandingo) of today's Gambia and Senegal region lived in Kangaba which was a part of the ancient Mali Empire. [49], Walter Hawthorne (a professor of African History) states that the Barry and Rodney explanation was not universally true for all of Senegambia and Guinea where high concentrations of Mandinka people have traditionally lived. [40], According to Toby Green, selling slaves along with gold was already a significant part of the trans-Saharan caravan trade across the Sahel between West Africa and the Middle East after the 13th century. Here, it is the inability or the unwillingness of parents to send girls to school that accounts for their lower literacy rate. London: Longman Press. [55][56] The Mandinka society, states Arnold Hughes a professor of West African Studies and African Politics, has been "divided into three endogamous castes the freeborn (foro), slaves (jongo), and artisans and praise singers (nyamolo). [38] Slaves were part of the socially stratified Mandinka people, and several Mandinka language words, such as Jong or Jongo refer to slaves. Their storytelling is ritual and often recalls their people's history all the way back to the ancient Mali Empire. Many villagers never travel more than five miles (eight kilometers) from their homes. The Mandinka mansas lost revenues, which further weakened their political power. Traditional Mandinka society was organized in a caste system. A husband could not take his bride to live with him until he had negotiated a second payment with his wifes family. Matt Schaffer (editor). [66], The kora has become the hallmark of traditional Mandinka musicians". LANGUAGE: Dialects of Songhay; French, https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/mandinka. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc. Quinn, C.A., (1972) Mandingo Kingdoms of the Senegambia: Traditionalism, Islam and European Expansion. This practice is particularly prevalent in the rural areas. Based on recent statistics, the Mandinka population is nearly two million. Sometimes the sublineage whose elder holds this office is thought to be the conqueror of the area or the sublineage whose ancestors prevented an external conquest in the past, giving the current elder the right to rule. The Mandinka people have traditionally been a socially stratified society, like many West African ethnic groups with castes. The Kingdom of Ghana was founded by what peoples in western Africa? [33] The Muslim traders sought presence in the host Mandinka community, and this likely initiated proselytizing efforts to convert the Mandinka from their traditional religious beliefs into Islam. These groups represent the former Empire of the Wolof in the Senegambian region and the Mandingo Empires of Mali and Songhai. Joining such societies and obeying their rules and taboos help make people conform to what are considered acceptable forms of behavior. Some Mandinka converted to Islam from their traditional animist beliefs as early as the 12th century, but after a series of Islamic holy wars in the late 19th century, more than 95 percent of. ." A written form would better preserve the pedagogies across the generations. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Encyclopedia of World Cultures Supplement. The ancestors of these people are associated with the great empire of Mali. [30], The caravan trade to North Africa and Middle East brought Islamic people into Mandinka people's original and expanded home region. Livestock is also, but less commonly, kept, eaten, ritually sacrificed and traded (including within their own communities as bride payment). Mande Music: Traditional and Modem Music of the Maninka and Mandinka of Western Africa. They followed a branch of Islam called Sufi, which appealed to rural farmers. Authority at the village level is shared by two officeholders, one with political credentials and one with a ritual commission. LOCATION: Eastern Mali, western Niger, northern Benin People in Mali practiced Islam with their traditional religions. During the wet season, men plant peanuts as their main cash crop. Many early works by Malian author Massa Makan Diabat are retellings of Mandinka legends, including Janjon, which won the 1971 Grand prix littraire d'Afrique noire. In 1455, the Portuguese became the first Europeans to enter the Gambia River. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. A young Mandinka girl helping with the harvest. Mandinka society traditionally was organized in large patrilineal village units that were grouped together to form small state-like territorial units. The main language of the Mandinka is a Manding language that is also called Mandinka. [21], The Mandinka are the descendants of the Mali Empire, which rose to power in the 13th century under the rule of king Sundiata Keita, who founded an empire that would go on to span a large part of West Africa. POPULATION: 5 to 6 million in Burkina Faso, 1., Lunda Islam was established in the area many centuries before the arrival of Europeans. Their dance style focuses mainly on arm and leg movement. Females in particular still suffer from a low literacy rate. The Mandinka celebrate the end of Ramadan, Tabaski (the slaying of the ram), and the Prophet Muhammad's birthday. The power of the marabouts has caused criticism among the educated classes, because the marabouts generally speak only on behalf of the downtrodden. 2023 Constitutional Rights Foundation. Mommersteeg, G., (2011) In the City of the Marabouts: Islamic Culture in West Africa. Mansa Musa, however, still respected the traditional African religions which most of his subjects in the countryside followed, and did not force people to convert to Islam [viii]. The fighting between the two Mandinka factions continued for another 30 years. At the bottom are the descendants of slaves and prisoners of war (those two groups were not mutually exclusive). Hence Europeans were mostly opposed to Islam than to traditional religion, and targeted to destroy rather than assist Africans in their transition. In 1861, the British, seeking to punish "outrages" against white traders by the mansa of Baddibu, devastated his kingdom. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. With Islam, prestigious Mandinka communities will emerge, especially the Dyula and the Diakhanke. They migrated west from the Niger River in search of better agricultural lands and more opportunities for conquest. But growing numbers of Mandinko converted to Islam. The third emperor of the 14th century, a descendant of a brother of Sundiata, was (Kankan) Mousa (Mansa), who went to the Islamic-besieged Cairo and Mecca, in 1324, where he was infused with authority to attack more neighbors and abduct more slaves, in the name of Islamic jihads. After being inducted into adulthood, there are more politically-oriented affiliations they may join as well as charitable ones. Or he may cure someone possessed by evil spirits using traditional, herbal medicine. Mandinka marabouts led a series of jihads against the animist Mandinka ruling families. The production of artistic and craft products is very important. After Rene Claude Geoffroy de Villeneuve's L'Afrique, Paris, 1814. Formerly in Mandinka society, parents arranged a daughter's marriage while the girl was an infant. ." The two religious practices blended peacefully [ix], a fusion of Islam and traditional African religion, which involved animism and magic. According to Robert Wyndham Nicholls, Mandinka in Senegambia started converting to Islam as early as the 17th century, and most of Mandinka leatherworkers there converted to Islam before the 19th century. Today, most people of Mandinka practice Islam. Among these syncretists spirits can be controlled mainly through the power of a marabout, who knows the protective formulas. Age-sets serve two main functions at the village level. Specialists make various craft products for trade or sale. . In any case, the spread of ideas (not just religious ones) among societies is already a complex topic to study. [63][64] This cultural practice, locally called Niaka or Kuyungo or Musolula Karoola or Bondo,[65] involves the partial or total removal of the clitoris, or alternatively, the partial or total removal of the labia minora with the clitoris. Women join at the time of their circumcision and remain until marriage or the birth of the first child. [45], Scholars have offered several theories on the source of the transatlantic slave trade of Mandinka people. Charry, Eric S. (2000). Asante was impervious to Christianity, having rejected missionary activities in its boundaries.
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