MANDINKA PEOPLE

The 'Mandinka' (also known as ''Mandingo'') are a Mande people of West Africa, all descend physically or culturally from the ancient Mali Empire. Mandinka gained their independence from previous empires in the thirteenth century, and founded an empire which stretched across West Africa. They 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. Here they founded the empire of Kaabu, comprised of 20 small kingdoms. Between 1855 and 1890 the Mandinkas converted to Islam. Today, 99% of Mandinka are Muslim.
The Mandinka ethnic group live in West Africa, primarily Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone but some also live in Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire and Liberia. They are also found in small numbers in almost every country in West Africa, but mainly The Gambia and Senegal. The Mandinkas speak the Mandinka language which is similar to Bambara and Maninka or Malinké, and the language is spoken by some 1.2 million Mandinkas. In addition, a large number of West Africans enslaved during the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade in the Americas were Mandinka.^[1]

Population size

The study “Who are the Mandinkas?” (2002) ^[2] states that there are about 1.3 million Mandinkas in West Africa.

Economy

Many Mandinka are rural subsistence farmers who rely on peanuts, rice, millets, and some goats 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.

Mandinka culture

Their culture is rich in tradition, music, and spiritual ritual. Mandinkas live in an oral society. Learning is traditionally done through stories, songs and proverbs. Western education's impact is minimal; the literacy rate in Roman script among the Mandinkas 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.
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.

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 chief and group of elders.

Marriage

Polygamy has been practiced among the Mandinkas 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.
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.
Wives are expected to live together in harmony, at least superficially. They share work responsibilities of the compound, cooking, laundry, etc. Often the first, second, or third wife won't know of the impending arrival of a new wife until the morning she actually arrives. Mandinka believe the crowning glory of any woman is the ability to produce children, especially sons.

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.
Boys and girls, ranging in age from four to fourteen, are circumcised 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, the Biblical concept of men and women uniting as one in marriage is totally foreign to the Mandinka mindset. A woman's loyalty remains to her parents and her family; a man's to his.

Religious and spiritual beliefs

Islam

According to the mandinkapeople.com website,^[3] the majority of Mandinkas are Muslims who follow the teachings of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, and the Qu'ran, the holy book of Islam. Although majority of Mandinkas don’t understand the Arabic in which the Qu’ran is written, they however recite chapters of the Qu’ran. "What do the Mandinka believe?" (2002) writes that “for the Mandinka Muslim, God’s power resides in the utterance of the words, not in the understanding of the language.” Mandinkas pray five times every day. Praying in a group signifies the solidarity of Islam. Complete strangers will stand shoulder-to-shoulder, praying together in a line.

Spiritual beliefs

Most Mandinkas practice a mix of Islam and traditional superstitious practices. For example, a Mandinka may practice salat, Islamic prayer five times a day to Allah, but may also recognize and even sacrifice to a village god or spirit. They believe that they live in a world full of evil spirits and witches who can be controlled through the powers of a marabout. “What do the Mandinka believe?” (2002) claims that the Mandinkas with traditional superstitious practices, never make an important decision without prior consultation of the marabout.

Christianity

Mandinkas are convinced the Bible has become corrupted because it contradicts the Qu'ran, and the sayings of Mohammed. The few Mandinkas who have converted to Christianity are viewed as traitors to Mandinka society, to their heritage, and to their ancestors. Often they are driven from their compounds and villages, rejected by their families.

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 skilled passed down from father to son, it is primarily used to entertain people, most especially tourists.

Mandinka in literature

One well-known Mandinka is Kunta Kinte, a main figure in Alex Haley's book '' 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.

Notable Mandinkas

★ Mansa Musa, probably the most famous and celebrated of all the Malian emperors

★ Samory Touré, founder of the Wassoulou Empire, an Islamic military state that resisted French rule in West Africa

★ Sundiata Keita, founder of the Mali Empire

★ Sekou Touré, first president of Guinea; was also the grandson of the famous Samory Touré, who had resisted French rule until his capture.

★ Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, president of Sierra Leone

★ Salif Keita, internationally recognized Malian musician

★ Alpha Condé, Guinean politician

★ Lansana Kouyaté, current prime minister of Guinea

References

1. Bound To Africa-The Mandinka Legacy In The New World
2. Who are the Mandinka? (2002). Mandinka. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
3. What do the Mandinka believe? (2002). Mandinka. Retrieved May 29, 2007
4. The Kora (2002). Mandinka. Retrieved May 29, 2007

External links

★ Mandinka

★ A website devoted to Mandinka djembe drumming

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