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Name: Mande drumming

Geographic Region: Africa

Country of origin: Mali

Classification: Multi Classed Ensemble

Material:

• Wood
• Skin (goat)

Ensembles:

• Drum Ensembles

Related Instruments:

• Dundun
• Jembe
• Konkoni

Genres:

• African Drum Ensembles

Author: Eric Charry
           

Related Web Sites:

• A Guide to the Jembe

"Mande" is the name of a broad language family that includes speakers of Mandekan dialects such as Mandinka (Senegambia region), Maninka (Guinea, Mali), Bamana (Mali), and Jula (Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire), as well as related languages such as Soninke (Mali), Susu (Guinea), Vai/Kono (Sierra Leone and Liberia), Mendi (Sierra Leone), and Dan (Cote d'Ivoire).

The most widespread Mande drumming ensemble is centered around the jembe and dundun and is used among Maninka and Susu in Guinea, Mali, and parts of neighboring countries such as Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Cote d'Ivoire. A minimal ensemble would be one jembe and one dundun. A large ensemble might include three different sizes of dunduns (called kenkeni, sangba, and dununba in Guine) and 3 or 4 jembes. In the Senegambia region, which is the westernmost sphere of Mande influnece, a 3-drum ensemble is used by Mandinka: kutirindingo (small), kutiriba (larger), and sabaro (lead drum).

Last Modified: 05-May-2005