11th century – 13th century
Malinke country south of the Upper Senegal
Do, also called Dodougou in the passage, was one of the early chiefdoms associated with the Malinke before the formation of the empire of Mali. Arabic geographical descriptions mention a town or kingdom called Do, while later interpretations identify it with an early Malinke political centre. Traditions place Do under the Konate clan and state that it was eventually incorporated into Sundjata’s empire. Its exact location remains uncertain.
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The Story
Arabic geographical accounts describe Do as one of two small towns in the country called Lamlam, the other being Malal. The two settlements were separated by a journey of four days, and the account portrays Do within a region of small-scale political organization south of the Upper Senegal. The passage later interprets these descriptions as referring to the Malinke country.
Do is presented as one of the chiefdoms that developed among the Malinke before the empire of Mali. Oral traditions list Do among several small chiefdoms, alongside Kiri, and assign Do or Dodougou to the Konate clan. This suggests a political landscape of neighbouring chiefdoms rather than a unified empire.
The early chiefdoms may have resembled kafu, groupings of neighbouring villages under a single chief. Do was later incorporated by Sundjata into his empire, linking the remembered chiefdom to the political formation of Mali. The precise identification of the Arabic Do and its physical location is not secure.
11th century – 13th century
Malinke country south of the Upper Senegal
Do, also called Dodougou in the passage, was one of the early chiefdoms associated with the Malinke before the formation of the empire of Mali. Arabic geographical descriptions mention a town or kingdom called Do, while later interpretations identify it with an early Malinke political centre. Traditions place Do under the Konate clan and state that it was eventually incorporated into Sundjata’s empire. Its exact location remains uncertain.
Continue exploring
The Story
Arabic geographical accounts describe Do as one of two small towns in the country called Lamlam, the other being Malal. The two settlements were separated by a journey of four days, and the account portrays Do within a region of small-scale political organization south of the Upper Senegal. The passage later interprets these descriptions as referring to the Malinke country.
Do is presented as one of the chiefdoms that developed among the Malinke before the empire of Mali. Oral traditions list Do among several small chiefdoms, alongside Kiri, and assign Do or Dodougou to the Konate clan. This suggests a political landscape of neighbouring chiefdoms rather than a unified empire.
The early chiefdoms may have resembled kafu, groupings of neighbouring villages under a single chief. Do was later incorporated by Sundjata into his empire, linking the remembered chiefdom to the political formation of Mali. The precise identification of the Arabic Do and its physical location is not secure.