Mansa ( N'Ko: ߡߊ߲߬ߛߊ; [1] pl. mansaw) is a Maninka [2] and Mandinka [3] word for a hereditary [1] [4] ruler, commonly translated as "king". [5] [6] [7] It is particularly known as the title of the rulers of the Mali Empire, such as Mansa Musa, and in this context is sometimes translated as " emperor". [8] It is also a title held by traditional village rulers, and in this context is translated as "chief". [1]
Mansa contrasts with another Manding word for ruler, faama. Faama emphasizes the military, coercive authority of a ruler, [9] and can be translated as " tyrant", [10] whereas mansa refers to a hereditary ruler whose authority is derived from tradition [1] and mystical power. [9] A ruler can be both a faama and a mansa, but a mansa was not necessarily a faama. [9]
The word mansa ( Arabic: منسا, romanized: mansā) was recorded in Arabic during the 14th century by North African writers such as Ibn Battuta and Ibn Khaldun, who explained it as meaning " sultan". [11] Cognates of mansa exist in other Mandé languages, such as Soninke manga, Susu menge, and Bambara masa. [2] Vydrin also compared it to mensey, the Guanche word for their rulers. [1] According to Misiugin and Vydrin, the original meaning of the root word was probably "chief of hunters" or "chief of warriors". [2]
An alternate translation of mansa, which Jansen attributes to the followers of Marcel Griaule, is that mansa means "god", "the divine principle", or "priest-king". Jansen notes that they have not provided their reasoning for choosing this translation. [6]
Mansa ( N'Ko: ߡߊ߲߬ߛߊ; [1] pl. mansaw) is a Maninka [2] and Mandinka [3] word for a hereditary [1] [4] ruler, commonly translated as "king". [5] [6] [7] It is particularly known as the title of the rulers of the Mali Empire, such as Mansa Musa, and in this context is sometimes translated as " emperor". [8] It is also a title held by traditional village rulers, and in this context is translated as "chief". [1]
Mansa contrasts with another Manding word for ruler, faama. Faama emphasizes the military, coercive authority of a ruler, [9] and can be translated as " tyrant", [10] whereas mansa refers to a hereditary ruler whose authority is derived from tradition [1] and mystical power. [9] A ruler can be both a faama and a mansa, but a mansa was not necessarily a faama. [9]
The word mansa ( Arabic: منسا, romanized: mansā) was recorded in Arabic during the 14th century by North African writers such as Ibn Battuta and Ibn Khaldun, who explained it as meaning " sultan". [11] Cognates of mansa exist in other Mandé languages, such as Soninke manga, Susu menge, and Bambara masa. [2] Vydrin also compared it to mensey, the Guanche word for their rulers. [1] According to Misiugin and Vydrin, the original meaning of the root word was probably "chief of hunters" or "chief of warriors". [2]
An alternate translation of mansa, which Jansen attributes to the followers of Marcel Griaule, is that mansa means "god", "the divine principle", or "priest-king". Jansen notes that they have not provided their reasoning for choosing this translation. [6]