Welcome to the Bamanan Kingdom
The Bamana Empire (also Bambara Empire or Segou Empire) was a large West African state based at Segou, now in Mali. It was ruled by the Kulubali or Coulibaly dynasty established circa or Biton. The empire existed as a centralized state from 1712 to the 1861 invasion of Toucouleur conqueror El Hadj Umar Tall.
The Bamanan (Bambara) comprises more than 6 million people and constitutes the largest ethnic group in Mali. Mainly located in Mali, the Bambaras are also present in Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Cote d’Ivoire. The Bamanans are initially from Mande. They are said to have left this region to escape the Malinke’s domination during the time of the Mali Empire. Hence their name, which means “those who refused to let themselves controlled.” They are the most numerous of the Malinké group (Mandingoes.)
History
In the 19th century, the Bambara kingdoms of Kaarta and Ségou, created by the two brothers Niangolo and Baramangolo, of Coulibaly surname originating from the north of what is now the Ivory Coast. The Niangolo and Baramangolo brothers, who came from Kong and were pursued by assailants, reached the Niger river but did not find canoes to cross it. They will nevertheless succeed in crossing it thanks to a fish, a catfish, which would have metamorphosed into a bridge or would have transported them on its back. From this episode, the two brothers will take the name of “Coulibaly,” which means in Bambara “Without Pirogue.” After the fall of the Songhai empire, the Bamana resisted Macina’s Fulani empire, then temporarily to Toucouleur, which wanted to convert the animists to Islam. The fierce resistance of the Bambaras against the Toucouleurs was such that they could never create a stable state. Today they are predominantly Muslim; there are a few small Christian groups. Others continue to practice traditional religion. Many rites and traditions of the past are present in their culture today, whether Muslim or otherwise.
Language
Bambara is a Mandinka language that has become the primary language in Mali. It is a lingua franca mainly in southern Mali, although French is now recognized as an official language. They influenced other people such as the Dioulas, the Senufo, the Malinkes, and the Khassonkes. The surnames are very common among this ethnic such as the Traore, Diarra, Coulibaly and so on.
