The Maninka are a subgroup of a larger people group known as the Mande.
Mande tribes inhabit the plains and coastal forests of West Africa.
Although the Maninka only began immigrating to the region of present-day Liberia about three hundred years ago, they are already widely scattered throughout the country. The Maninka are the descendants of the people of the once great Mali Empire. The empire amassed a great fortune taxing the trade of gold and ivory in the region. Before becoming a part of the empire, the Mande were credited with revolutionizing agriculture in the area. They discovered the use of millet, which is still their staple food.