Mande
/ˈmæn.deɪ/noun
A member of a group of West African peoples or, collectively, the family of languages they speak.
Did you know?The Mande world produced powerful oral historians called griots, whose memorized epics preserved dynasties, genealogies, and cultural knowledge for generations.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval West Africa
Mande languages
Manden / Manding
“Names associated with the Mande heartland and its people; the precise original meaning remains debated.”
13th Century
Mande
Manden
“The homeland and political-cultural sphere associated with the Mali Empire.”
14th–16th Century
Arabic chronicles
Mali
“The name used by Arabic-speaking historians for the West African empire centered in the Mande world.”
17th–18th Century
French
Mandé
“A French form used for the region, peoples, and languages of the upper Niger area.”
19th Century
English
Mande
“An English ethnolinguistic designation for related West African peoples and languages.”
Modern English
English
Mande
“A term for the Mande language family or for its associated peoples and cultural region.”