Affinity Bloc: Sub-Saharan African Peoples

Overview: The Bambara, also known as Bamanakan, are a large Manding-speaking ethnic group found throughout Mali, the northern areas of Ivory Coast and parts of Guinea-Bissau. They are the largest ethnic group in Mali. The Malinke-Bambara people cluster encompasses the Bambara and several related subgroups speaking Bamanankan or a related Manding language.

  James S. Olson, The Peoples of Africa. London: Greenwood Press (1996), pp. 63-64

Peoples within this cluster: Bambara; Fulanke; Ganadougou; Malian; Wasulu

Countries where they are found: Burkina Faso; Canada; Cote d’Ivoire; France; Gambia; Guinea; Mali; Mauritania; Niger; Senegal; United States