Origins:
The ancestors of the Mandinkas (Mandingo)
of today's Gambia and Senegal region lived in Kangaba
which was a part of the ancient Mali Empire. They became independent
in AD 1235 and gradually some of them moved westwards. They were
looking for a better climate as well as farming and grazing land
which they found near the big rivers Gambia, Senegal and Casamance.
Another reason was their search for better trading possibilities
near the Trans-Sahara-Route. Finally it was also princes' and
generals' hope to reign over own land. This was indeed possible,
because the original inhabitants of the region lived on scattered
farms and therefore weren't able to defend themselves effectively.
Whereas at the beginning only single families dared to move, in
the middle of the 13th century general Tiramang Touray started
a big campaign into the region which is today in the south of
the eastern half of Gambia. He founded the Kaabu Empire and expanded
into all directions, so that at the end of the thirteenth century
the whole area with many different nationalities was under the
Mandinka's rule. Later Tiramang's descendants and his generals
founded their own empires within Kaabu. In the centre of the seventeenth
century Kaabu was in its heyday which wasn't only mirrored in
the geographical extent, but also in the cultural development.
During this time the Europeans' influence started. They were mainly
interested in trade with slaves,
gold and ivory.
In the beginning of the nineteenth century the Kaabu Empire lost
power. The single states were led by individually thinking rulers
and the influence of the Islam
changed very old traditions and structures. The Islamic influence
already started in the 15th century, when the Fulas
sent out missionaries to other peoples, priests from Morocco preached
and Muslim traders came from
far away and founded churches near the rivers. Muslims usually
enjoyed high standing, because they were well educated, had medical
knowledge and extensive relations. Therefore they were also often
in the council of Mandinka rulers. The people were especially
interested in their magical powers. Soon amulets were filled with
Koranic verses and Muslims` prayers were considered to be a special
protection. Nevertheless the animistic thinking didn't stop. In
the 19th century Islamic leaders had established in nearly all
Mandinka states.
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Strict Muslims accomplished the building of mosques, prayer five
times a day and fasting in many settlements, but often the Islamic
doctrine wasn't taken too serious. Usually the personal experience
of Allah, even through animistic actions, was more important for
them than the actual doctrine. In this way it was, for most people,
easier to become a Muslim. Nevertheless Islam tried to weaken
the central points of the traditional religion: Secret societies
were destroyed or turned into Islamic communities and places of
initiation were used for Islamic feasts. As a result of this the
rites were still important in the families, but the annual festivals
and the honouring of the ancestry lost their importance.
Thus two societies with separate laws and behaviour patterns developed
within the empire. In this way many conflicts and changes were
induced in all nations. Young men left their families in order
to follow their masters, new Muslim settlements developed and
traditional ones broke up for reasons of religion. Even families
were divided in this way. Supporters of the traditional religion
were called "Soninke" (from Kafirs - Arab unbeliever),
whereas Muslims called themselves Marabouts, which was originally
used for Northern African masters of cults. In 1850 an open fight
broke out, which went down in history as the Soninke-Marabout-Wars.
Islamic Fulas invaded the country and Ma Bah, son of a Mandinka
Marabout proclaimed the holy war (Jihad). The longer the war lasted
the more the fight for power displaced religious reasons.
Thus it even happened that Muslims fought against each other,
e.g. when a traditional ruler was to be displaced by a Marabout.
At the end of the 19th century this war made it possible for the
English who had their settlements near the mouth of the Gambia
River even a long time before to subjugate the area along
the river and make it their colony. The marabouts' leaders were
defeated and some of the Mandinka rulers even were glad about
it, because they were tired of fighting, though the ancient Mandinka
empire had now been destroyed and the traditional Mandinka rule
had come to an end. In 1901 England and the native leaders signed
a peace treaty and the interior of the country was divided into
5 provinces. |
History Culture
Ethnic Groups Mandinka 
