Mande-speaking farming villages, the ancestors of the later Bamana kingdoms of Segou and Kaarta (seventeenth century), fill the savanna along the Niger between the Mande, the Beledugu and Segou.
Each village is governed by the head of its founding lineage and its elders; the initiation societies (such as the komo) and the smiths hold great power.
Who holds it
- Name
- No ruler
- Title
- Village heads (dugutigi) and the councils of elders
- Since
- Not pinned
- Confidence
- low
Overlord
None overall; the Sosso take tribute from the villages near Kaniaga (not pinned).
How things stand that morning
Self-governing villages.
Customs
Lineage villages, initiation societies, millet farming, iron-smelting.
Assemblies
Village councils of elders.
Overlord claims
The Sosso to the north; none recorded.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: No written source; the Bamana as a named people appear later.
On the map: Approximate.
Sources and studies
- General ethnography of the inland delta and the Sahel (Bozo masters of the water, Nono and Marka, Bamana village government), from the researcher's knowledge; used only to describe customs, not to date them
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.