Great-grandson of former Ségou king Kaladian Coulibaly, Mamary Coulibaly settled in Ségou in his youth and soon became head of the Tòn, a voluntary organization for young men, taking the title of "Bitòn."

Under Coulibaly's leadership, the Tòn transformed from an egalitarian society into an army supplemented with runaway slaves called the Ton djon.

[1] Prompted by popular uprising against the king of Ségou, the populace suggested he take over the leadership of the Bambara kingdom.

Fortifying himself with defensive techniques from the Songhai tradition, Coulibaly created a large army and a navy of war canoes to patrol the Niger River, staffing both with men captured in his conquests.

The Coulibaly dynasty soon fell to Ngolo Diarra, a former slave and leader of the ton djon, in 1766.