Mandé

Mandé

The Mandé peoples are ethnic groups who are speakers of Mande languages. Various Mandé speaking ethnic groups are found particularly toward the west of West Africa. The Mandé-speaking languages are divided into two primary groups: East Mandé and West Mandé. The Mandinka or Malinke, a western branch of the Mandé, are credited with the founding of the largest ancient West African empires. Other large Mandé speaking ethnicities include the Soninke and Susu as well as smaller ethnic groups such as the Ligbi, Vai, and Bissa. Mandé-speaking people inhabit the sparse Sahel. They have a wide range of cuisines, cultures, and beliefs. They are organized mainly by their language group. Today, they are predominantly Muslim and follow a caste system. Islam has played a central role in identifying the Mandé-speaking people who originate and live in the Sahel regions. The Mandinka and Soninke have been described as transcending individual tribal affiliations. Influences from Mandé-speaking people have historically spread far beyond immediate areas to other neighboring Muslim West African groups who inhabited the sahel and savanna. The Mandé-speaking people conducted increased trade down the River Niger or overland, and achieved military conquest with the expansion of the Ghana Empire, Mali Empire, Kaabu and Wassoulou states. The non-Mande-speaking Fula, Songhai, Wolof, Hausa, and Voltaic peoples maintain varying degrees of close alignment with the Mandé-speaking peoples worldview, clothing and other cultural artefacts (a shared written script, architecture, cuisine, and social norms).

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