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Mandingo Nations Website |
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History of the Mandingo
Tribe
Mandingos migrated from west of the Niger River into the heartland of West Africa. They are believed to have been the original inhabitants of the legendary ancient city of Djenné-Jeno. The main reasons cited in their oral and written traditions were the search of better agricultural lands and the desire for territorial expansion. Their ancestors battled the Fula forces of the Kingdom of Fouta Djallon. On arrival, the tribe, more than half of them, converted to Islam. They did not show much resistance while giving up their indigenous beliefs and accepting the Islam belief structure.
They set up home in West Africa and lived harmoniously, till the onslaught of slavery. The need for additional farm hands and the initiation or the Industrial Revolution brought many westerners to West Africa. The hunt was for people who submitted easily and thus, from the 16th century, right through to the 18th century, more than a third of the Mandingo population was shipped out of Africa. This is the reason behind the presence of the tribe in the United States today.
Settlements: Today, the tribe thrives primarily in West Africa. They inhabit large areas of Gambia, Mali, Guinea, Leone, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Guinea Bissau and Mauritania. The settlements are characteristic of: Family-centric compounds in rural settings. Preference for an autonomous and self-ruled polity. Leadership offered by a chief and a group of village elders. Oral tradition of learning and the use of stories, proverbs and songs to hand down history. Recent development of Qur'anic schools that encourage the Arabic script. Dwellings along trade routes. Dyoula or merchant-built trading centers. Merchant networks within highland production areas. Supervision of overland trade in conjunction with that along the coast and interior. Occupations:
The Mandingo tribe mainly trade in rice, groundnuts and millet. The society is patriarchal and of the 'clan' culture. After their migration to West Africa, the Mandingos enriched the region with surplus agricultural produce and a labor-intensive economy. Using all their human resources, they contribute towards an agrarian culture. Men are also employed as butchers, tailors, drivers, carpenters, blacksmiths and soldiers. Most Mandingo women are house-wives.
Culture: Mandingo culture includes rich and varied musical and spiritual traditions. Though the impact of western education is the least on the tribe, more than half of them can read the Arabic script. Village traditions include:
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Mandingo
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The
Mandingo or Mandinka tribe is a part of one of the largest ethnic groups
in the African Sub-continent. Based in West Africa, the tribe is
represented today by approximately eleven million people. The history of
the Mandingo tribe is as interesting as their culture and belief system.