a ▁in ▁the ▁Man é ▁emp ire ▁of ▁K qu o ja ▁During ▁the ▁ 1 6 th ▁century , ▁war riors ▁from ▁the ▁cr umb ling ▁M ali ▁Empire ▁inv aded ▁what ▁is ▁now ▁Sierra ▁Le one ▁and ▁Liber ia . ▁This ▁resulted ▁in ▁the ▁establishment ▁of ▁a ▁loose ▁feder ation ▁of ▁Man é ▁states ▁all ▁pay ing ▁hom age ▁to ▁a ▁single ▁leader ▁in ▁a ▁type ▁of ▁emp ire ▁called ▁K qu o ja ▁by ▁visit ing ▁Europe ans . ▁The ▁Man é ▁came ▁equ ipped ▁with ▁the ▁tact ics ▁and ▁equipment ▁of ▁the ▁M ali ▁Empire , ▁but ▁were ▁forced ▁to ▁rely ▁almost ▁exclus ively ▁on ▁inf antry ▁strateg ies ▁in ▁the ▁j ung le ▁terrain . ▁▁ ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁many ▁institutions ▁they ▁brought ▁with ▁them ▁was ▁that ▁of ▁the ▁so fa . ▁Con quer ed ▁people ▁were ▁cons cript ed ▁into ▁Man é ▁arm ies ▁as ▁" sum bas " ▁to ▁strength en ▁a ▁force ▁that ▁was ▁forever ▁on ▁the ▁move . ▁The ▁sum bas ▁were ▁forced ▁to ▁eng age ▁in ▁rit ual ▁can n ib al ism , ▁which ▁perman ently ▁al ien ated ▁them ▁from ▁the ▁Man é ▁r uling ▁class . ▁▁ ▁By ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁century , ▁the ▁Man é ▁had ▁conquer ed ▁nearly ▁all ▁the ▁ind igen ous ▁cult ures . ▁This ▁resulted ▁in ▁the ▁spread ▁of ▁Mand é ▁language ▁and ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁a ▁single ▁K qu o ja ▁authority ▁as ▁the ▁Man é ▁were ▁absor bed