THE PEOPLING OF THE MANDEN

A region of very ancient human settlement, the Manden has seen several waves of migration. Its inhabitants, the Malinke, claim Mecca in Arabia as their cradle. However, according to various versions of the oral accounts, it was from Wagadu that they are said to have set out to found the Manden.

Today, the Malinke ethnic group is made up of several clans, the main ones being the Traoré, Kamara, Konaté, Koné and Dunbuya, who are also found in other ethnic groups.

It seems that at first the Malinke had settled on the northern hills (the Manding Mountains), from where they gradually migrated toward the Niger River valley and the south. The clans were spread
across different provinces, and each remained attached to its homeland. Yet all of them were powerful and feared one another.

They were distinguished by their jamu (family name) and formed village communities with
defined zones of influence. The clans were made up of descendants of the same known ancestor.

Image: Mari Diata Konaté, founder of the Mali Empire in the 13th century.