The Bainuk people are an ethnic group that today lives primarily in Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

 as well as in parts of Gambia and Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau

The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....

. The Bainuk are believed to have been the first inhabitants of the lower Casamance

Casamance

Casamance is the area of Senegal south of The Gambia including the Casamance River. It consists of Basse Casamance and Haute Casamance...

.

In the fifteenth century, there were at least five Bainuk states including Bichangor, Jase, Foni and Buguando. The Bainuk were also a major component of the population of Kasa

Kasa (kingdom)

The kingdom of Kasa, also known as Kasanga, was the dominant kingdom in the lower Casamance in the late 15th century. Most of the inhabitants of the realm were Banun or Kasanke. In the late 16th and early 17th century the area fell under the domination of Kaabu.-Sources:*Berry, Boubakar....

.

In modern times the Bambe have often become absorbed into the Mande

Mande

Mande may refer to:* Mandé peoples of western Africa* Mande languages* Manding, a term covering a subgroup of Mande peoples, and sometimes used for one of them, Mandinka* Garo people of northeastern India and northern Bangladesh...

 or Jola cultures.

Sources

• Clark, Andrew F. and Lucie Colvin Phillips, Historical Dictionary of Senegal (Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1994) p. 73, 179.
• Barry, Boubacar. Senegambia and the Atlantic Salve Trade (Cambridge: University Press, 1998), p. 21