Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University [35-5-10/53048]

The Mandingo are the descendants of the ancient Mali Empire, which occupied vast regions of western Africa. The cradle of Manding culture was located in an area that straddled southern Mali and northern Guinea. The Manding were renowned as Muslim traders and spread throught West Africa. Many of those who were deported to the Americas were traders who had been abducted while traveling.

Their presence was especially pronounced in Louisiana, to which many - almost all males - had been transported.