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Fage, J. D., & Oliver, R. (Eds.). (1976).The Cambridge
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Cambridge University Press.
BAMANA
The Bamana people belong to the Mande group
and can be found primarily in Mali. However,
sizable Bamana communities also exist in neigh-
boring West African countries, in particular, in
Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Senegal. There are
about 2 million Bamana, making them one of
the largest Mande subgroups, as well as the
dominant ethnic group in Mali, where about
80% of the population speak the Bamana lan-
guage. The Bamana, as they call themselves, are
often referred to asBambara, which is likely an
inaccurate rendition on the part of the French of
Bamana. This entry looks at their history and
social organization, and then it turns to their
religion and ritual.
History and Social LifeThe Bamana emerged as a distinct Mande group
when the Songhay empire dissolved, after being
invaded in 1591 by troops from Morrocco.
Some of the Mande people then turned inward
and created the Bamana empire in the mid-
1700s, with Segu and Kaarta as major centers of
Bamana power and lasting influence. This
explains how the Bamana came into existence as
an autonomous group.
However, they do share with their Mande rel-
atives many striking similarities. For instance,
the Bamana social structure is patrilocal and
patrilineal. The basic social unit is the family,
which may include anywhere between 100 and
1,000 individuals. Families are formed on the
basis of each one of its members tracing their
descent from a common male ancestor. Families
(or gwa) assume collective ownership of the
land and work together to grow millet, rice,
sorghum, peanuts, melons, and other crops. It is
not uncommon for them to also raise cattle,
goats, fowl, and sheep. Families then form vil-
lages, each with a central figure of authority.
One’s position in the social hierarchy is predi-
cated on one’s position in the initiation groups,
which play a major role in Bamana life and society.
There are six initiation societies known asdyow.
The main function of thedyowis to teach mem-
bers of the Bamana society about critical issues,
such as the dual (material and spiritual) nature of
the world and ethical standards and expectations
of the community. Without proper socialization, a
person may hinder their own well-being, as well as
the welfare of their community. The six societies
correspond to different levels of education.Religious Belief
The Bamana religion is based on the belief in one
supreme God, Maa Ngala, “Lord of All,” or
Masa Dembali, “Uncreated and Infinite Lord.”
God is responsible for creating the world and all
that is in the world. It is both immanent and tran-
scendent. As in other African religious traditions,
however, once the initial creative process was over,
the Supreme Being elected to reside in the sky and
delegated the governance of the world to lesser
spiritual entities. It is to those entities, rather than
to God, that the Bamana men and women address
their requests and make offerings. These include
divinities such as Nya, Nyawrole, Jarawera,
Ntomo, Nama, and Komo, which act as Maa
Ngala’s ministers and agents.
In addition to the divinities, ancestors also play
a major role as intermediaries between the living
and God. Ancestors are buried within the family
compound because their involvement in human
affairs remains constant. Libations must be
poured to them regularly, especially before con-
sulting with or requesting something from them.
Upon dying, one is expected to become an ances-
tor. However, this is largely predicated on the per-
formance of the proper funerary rites on the 1st,
3rd, 7th, and 40th days after death has occurred.
The Bamana believe in the existence of an intan-
gible, yet powerful life force, residing in all that is.
It is in every woman, man, child, animal, plant,
and so on. It is life, and it is of divine origin.
Nyama, as the Bamana understand it, is a sacred100 Bamana