page_title: Mandinka people
section_title: Music
hierarchical_section_title: Mandinka people / Society and culture / Music
caption_attribution_description: English: Saber and its sheath Population&#160;: Malinke people French Sudan (Mali, Senegal) Date of collection: the nineteenth century (4th Quarter) Collector and collection: Joseph Gallièni Collection Method: Military Shipping Materials: steel, natural fibers and leather Size : 88.5 x 46 x 7.5 cm Français&#160;: Sabre et fourreau Population&#160;: Culture Malinké - Soudan français ( Mali, Haut-Sénégal) Collecteur et collection&#160;: Joseph Gallièni Date de collecte&#160;: XIX ème siècle (4 ème Quart) Méthode de collecte&#160;: Expédition militaire Matériaux&#160;: Acier, Fibres végétales et cuir Taille: 88,5 x 46 x 7,5 cm Muséum de Toulouse &#160;&#160;Native nameMuséum de ToulouseLocationToulouse , FranceCoordinates43°&#160;35′&#160;38″&#160;N, 1°&#160;26′&#160;57″&#160;E &#160;Established1796&#58; &#32;established&#160;; 1865&#58; &#32;opened to publicWeb pagewww.museum.toulouse.frAuthority control : Q422 VIAF:&#8201;131004808 ISNI:&#8201;0000 0001 2158 3469 SUDOC:&#8201;028667107 BNF:&#8201;120455376 Museofile:&#8201;M7013 institution QS:P195,Q422 MHNT ETH.AC 595
context_page_description: The Mandinka, or Malinke, are a West African ethnic group primarily found in southern Mali, eastern Guinea and northern Ivory Coast. Numbering about 11 million, they are the largest subgroup of the Mandé peoples and one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. They speak the Mandinka language, which is one of the Western Manding languages in the Mande language family and a lingua franca in much of West Africa. Over 99% of Mandinka adhere to Islam. They are predominantly subsistence farmers and live in rural villages. Their largest urban center is Bamako, the capital of Mali, which is also inhabited by the closely related Bambara.
  The Mandinka are the descendants of the Mali Empire, which rose to power in the 13th century under the rule of king Sundiata Keita, who founded an empire that would go on to span a large part of West Africa. They migrated west from the Niger River in search of better agricultural lands and more opportunities for conquest. Nowadays, the Mandinka inhabit the Sahelian region extending from The Gambia and the Casamance region in Senegal to Ivory Coast.
context_section_description: Mandinka culture is rich in tradition, music, and spiritual ritual. Mandinkas continue a long oral history tradition through stories, songs, and proverbs. In rural areas, western education's impact is minimal; the literacy rate in Latin script among these Mandinka is quite low. However, more than half the adult population can read the local Arabic script (including Mandinka Ajami); small Qur'anic schools for children where this is taught are quite common. Mandinka children are given their name on the eighth day after their birth, and their children are almost always named after a very important person in their family.
  The Mandinka have a rich oral history that is passed down through 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-stringed West-African harp made out of a halved, dried, hollowed-out gourd covered with cow or goat skin. The strings are made of fishing line (these were traditionally made from a cow's tendons). It is played to accompany a griot's singing or simply on its own.
  A Mandinka religious and cultural site under consideration for World Heritage status is located in Guinea at Gberedou/Hamana.
caption: Mandinka saber, Gallieni collection MHNT
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