WHERE DID THE MANDINGO PEOPLE COME FROM?
I used to ask my father this question over and over as we happily picked our cocoa and coffee back home in Marvinkonnehdu: Where did we (the Mandingo People) come from? And over and over, he would say that his father told him that we came from Sudan and Mali. He narrated to me what he was told about Timbuktu and its economic and academic strengths.
As I began to read the history of Liberia, focusing mainly on the Mandingoes, I learned an important but thrilling lesson on the migration of our forefathers from the ancient kingdom of Mali. I learned that during the migration, the group reached the Kankan and Macenta regions. Because of the long journey from Mali, some of our people got very tired and decided that enough was enough.
Now comes the interesting part.
As we all know, the Kamaras have always been the custodians of the group. So, it should not be surprising to say that the group was led by the Kamaras. When the group finally reached the present day Macenta region, some got tired and decided to stop there and make that region their home. Some decided to move on towards present day Liberia.
Those who stayed behind were classified as “KONINYA” because they told those who were moving ahead “Ma ee kor” which means “we are behind you all.” Therefore, although the Mandingo they speak is basically the same, their version of the language became known as “Koninyakan.” Those who moved on said to those who stayed behind “Ma ee nyan” which basically means “we are ahead of you all.” Therefore, although the Mandingo they speak is basically the same, their version of the language became known as “Maeenyankan”.
The person who led the group from the Macenta region into present day Liberia was a Kamara. Upon arriving in Liberia, some went to almost every part of Liberia. I am told that the Via Language may be an offshoot of the Mandingo Language but I have not been able to verify this.
This is just a short informative note to inform those who did not already know this. Mandingoes are found everywhere in West Africa: in Cote D'Ivoire, they are called DJULA; in Ghana, they are called Wangara. One major reason for this is accredited to the rule of Almamy Samore Toure who was the King of the Wasuru Empire (West Africa) until the French waged war after the demarcation and balkanization of Africa at the so-called “Berlin Conference” in 1884.
A short note on the Berlin conference of 1884 follows:
The competition for Africa between the Europeans often led to violent conflicts. These violent conflicts were terribly wasteful, so Portugal suggested the idea of an international conference that could settle the territorial disputes that arose from European activities in the Congo region.
The Berlin Conference was held in Berlin between November 15, 1884 and November 26, 1885, under the leadership of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Although controlling the slave trade and promoting humanitarian idealism were promoted as the focus of the conference, the conference only passed empty resolutions about the ending of slave trade and providing for the welfare of Africa.
In truth, the result of the Conference was a method of dividing the continent of Africa between the European powers.
