Talk:Bambara

This disambiguation page is within the scope of WikiProject Disambiguation, an attempt to structure and organize all disambiguation pages on Wikipedia. If you wish to help, you can edit the page attached to this talk page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project or contribute to the discussion.DisambiguationWikipedia:WikiProject DisambiguationTemplate:WikiProject DisambiguationDisambiguation articles

BAMBARA needs to redirect to BAMANA, not the other way around. This ethnic group calls themselves and their language BAMANA / BAMANANKAN, and is a recognized name by anthropologists and linguists. The term BAMBARA is most often encountered when dealing with art (masks, chiwara, etc.). The term is somewhat derogotory as it meant 'infidel' to the conquering Fula(ni) people, etc. and later came to mean 'footsoldier' by the French in Senegal in the 18th and 19th centuries. There is a myth/folk etymology that the capital of Mali, Bamako, is named after the Bambara. Instead, BAMA-KO means 'aligator's back' in Bamanankan. Many BAMANA people don't mind being called BAMBARA--they understand there is confusion of terms and relish the fact that they can 'take' insult gracefully.

In sum, the articles titled/listed/linked as BAMBARA PEOPLE / CULTURE / LANGUAGE need to be renamed to BAMANA, etc. and the redirection in the opposite direction from BAMBARA to the more standard and correct BAMANA.