Dô

Dô, also spelled Daw, sometimes called Dodougou or Do Dugubani, was a kafu (a coalition of villages headed by a paramount chief) in the Niger river valley around the modern village of Tamani, west of Segou. It existed as early as the 11th century, and played a prominent role in the establishment of the Mali Empire: the founder Sundiata Keita's mother, Sogolon Condé, was from Dô.^[1]

Do Dugubani Dô
Capital	Dugubani
Common languages	Mandinka
Religion	African traditional religion
Government	Kafu
Historical era	11th-18th century
Preceded by Succeeded by Wagadu Segou Empire
Today part of	Mali

Andalusian writer Al-Bakri records two countries, "Daw" and "Malal", located near the Niger and close to gold-fields.^[2] In al-Idrisi's account of 1154, he noted that the two towns of Daw and Malal were four days' travel apart, located in a river valley that joins the Nile (meaning the Niger River).^[3]

Oral sources also mention two kingdoms, Do and Kiri (also called Mande or Malel).^[1] Do was inhabited by the Conde clan, and had twelve towns under its control. After Malel brings unity, mention of Do ceases.^{[4]: 127-128}

Some sources place the Do of the Sundiata story in the Sankaran region, west of Niani, rather than near Segou.^{[5][6]: 183–184}