Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, General Research and Reference Division

Sir Harry Hamilton Johnston, Liberia , vol. I (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1906)

The Mandinka (known as Mandingo in English) are an ethnic group populating many countries of West Africa, including Sierra Leone and Liberia. Renowned for their skills in commerce, they had, centuries ago, established a widespread and efficient trading network. The missionary efforts of the American Christians did not sit well with these early converts to Islam, who protested the establishment of Christian schools.