Bambara

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(bäm-bä') pronunciation
n., pl., -ra, or -ras.
  1. A member of a people of the upper Niger River valley.
  2. The Mandingo language of the Bambara, used as a lingua franca in Mali.


People of the upper Niger region of Mali who speak a Mande language of the Niger-Congo family. Numbering 3.4 million, the Bambara use the distinctive N'ko alphabet, which reads from right to left, and they are noted for their wood and metal sculptures. In the 17th18th centuries the Bambara developed two separate empires, one based in Sgou (and including Timbuktu) and the other in Kaarta.

For more information on Bambara, visit Britannica.com.

Bambara may refer to:

  • Ethnic group and language
    • Bambara people, an ethnic group primarily in Mali.
    • Bambara language, their language, which like other Manding languages is also used by other groups as a lingua franca. The linguistically correct term for the language of the Bambara ethnic group of Mali is Bamanankan. "Bamanan" refers to the ethnicity of the speakers, and "kan" meaning "language", but Bambara is widely used.
    • Bamana Empire, a state that flourished in present day Mali (1640s–1861)
  • Common names
  • Proper names
  • Place names
    • Bambara is an award-winning restaurant in Salt Lake City, Utah; specializing in New American cuisine. Bambara located in the Hotel Monaco, part of the Kimpton Hotel Group. Nathan Powers is the Chef of Bambara
    • Bambarra is a settlement of about 130 on Middle Caicos, of the Turks and Caicos islands.
    • Bambarra Reserve is a proposed wildlife sanctuary, in Kariong, Central Coast NSW.

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Toni Cade Bambara (literature)
The Black Woman (literature)