The Maninka are primarily sustenance farmers, dependent on good rains and good crops. They work together and are committed to the community. They adhere to the beliefs of the community and have a deep desire to keep peace above all else. This can become quite the juggling act as the Maninka must observe both the principles of Islam and the traditions of their African traditional religion, first praying in the mosque and then making a blood sacrifice to the spirit or ancestors of the land. A Maninka woman must try to please the same spirits she is terrified of; the spirits she believes can both bless her land and family and curse them.
“The field is the world; and the good seed—these are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one.” (Matthew 13:38 CSB)
