Dô
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dô, also spelled Daw, sometimes called Dodougou or Do Dugubani, was a kafu (a coalition of villages headed by a paramount chief) in the Niger River valley around the modern village of Tamani, west of Segou. It existed as early as the 11th century, and played a prominent role in the establishment of the Mali Empire: the founder Sundiata Keita's mother, Sogolon Condé, was from Dô.[1]
Do Dugubani Dô | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital | Dugubani | ||||||||
| Common languages | Mandinka | ||||||||
| Religion | African traditional religion | ||||||||
| Government | Kafu | ||||||||
| Historical era | 11th-18th century | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Mali | ||||||||
Andalusian writer Al-Bakri records two countries, "Daw" and "Malal", located near the Niger and close to gold-fields.[2] In al-Idrisi's account of 1154, he noted that the two towns of Daw and Malal were four days' travel apart, located in a river valley that joins the Nile (meaning the Niger River).[3]
Oral sources also mention two kingdoms, Do and Kiri (also called Mande or Malel).[1] Do was inhabited by the Conde clan, and had twelve towns under its control. After Malel is said to have brought unity, mention of Do ceases.[4]: 127-128
Some sources place the Do of the Sundiata story in the Sankaran region, west of Niani, rather than near Segou.[5][6]: 183–184