Mandingo is a West African tribe that is also known as Mandinka, Malinke, Maninka, or Manding. The Mandingoes have a direct link with the ancient Central Saharan lineage and are Africa's most prominent ethno-linguistic group. They occupy various locations such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Chad, Niger, and Ivory Coast with a total population of over 11 million people. The Mandingo people are a branch of the Mandé ethnic group which encompasses a number of other ethno-lingual communities such as Bozo, Kpelle, Ligbi, and Bambara. They speak Mandi'nka kango, from the Niger-Congo family of languages. The Mandingo people are descendants of the inhabitants of the Mali Empire, however, some claim that they are actually the original inhabitants of the legendary ancient city of Djenné-Djenno, which dates as far back as the third century B.C. Because they desired territorial expansion and more arable land,  they migrated to the Senegambia region where the Mali empire was established. The Mandingo culture is rich in ritual and music. They have an age-long oral tradition in which they tell stories, proverbs, and teach songs through griots. They particularly pass down oral history through music, and this has made music one of the most distinctive components of their culture.

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