Dyula people
Total population | |
---|---|
2.2 million | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Jakhanke |
The Dyula (Dioula or Juula) are a
Characterized as a highly successful merchant
Historical background
The Mandé embraced Islam during the thirteenth century following introduction to the faith through contact with the
The Dyula spread throughout the former area of Mandé culture from the Atlantic coast of Senegambia to the Niger and from the southern edge of the Sahara to forest zones further south. They established decentralized townships in non-Muslim colonies that were linked to an extensive commercial network, in what was described by professor Philip D. Curtin as a "trading diaspora". Motivated by business imperatives, they expanded into new markets, founding settlements under the auspices of various local rulers who often permitted them self-governance and autonomy. Organization of dyula trading companies was based on a clan-family structure known as the lu - a working unit consisting of a father and his sons and other attached males. Members of a given lu dispersed from the savanna to the forest, managed circulation of goods and information, placed orders, and effectively controlled the economic mechanisms of supply and demand.[2]
Suwarian tradition
Over time dyula colonies developed a
Sheikh Suwari formulated the obligations of Muslim minorities in West Africa into something known as the Suwarian tradition. It stressed the need for Muslims to coexist peaceably with unbelievers and so justified a separation of religion and politics. In this understanding, Muslims must nurture their own learning and piety and thereby furnish good examples to the non-Muslims around them. They could accept jurisdiction of non-Muslim authorities as long as they had the necessary protection and conditions to practice the faith. In this teaching, Suwari followed a strong predilection in Islamic thought for any government, even if non-Muslim or tyrannical, as opposed to none. The military
Commercial and political expansion
As fellow Muslims, dyula merchants were also able to assess the valuable
Penetration into southern forest regions
The development of Dyula trade in Ghana and the adjacent Ivory Coast had important political consequences and sometimes military implications as well. The dyula spearheaded Mande penetration of the forested zones in the south by establishing caravan routes and trading posts at strategic locations throughout the region en route to cola-producing areas. By the start of the sixteenth century, dyula merchants were trading as far south as the coast of modern Ghana.
On the forest's northern fringes, new states emerged, such as
Gonja state
The dyula presence and changes in the balance of power occasioned political upheavals in other places. Among the paramount Mande political initiatives along trade routes south of
The reaction of the Dyula in the Bono-Banda-Gonja region to these developments was to establish a kingdom of their own in Gonja - the territory northern traders had to cross to reach Akan forestlands, situated in what is now modern
Kong Empire
Many of the trading posts established by the Dyula eventually became market villages or cities, such as
By the eighteenth century the dyula had become quite powerful in the area and wished to rid themselves of subordination to Senufo chiefs. This was achieved in an uprising led by Seku Wattara (Ouattara), a dyula warrior who claimed descent from the Malinke Keita lineage and who had studied the Quran and engaged in commerce before becoming a warrior. By rallying around himself all dyula in the area, Seku Wattara easily defeated local chiefdoms and set up an independent Dyula state in 1710, the first of its kind in West Africa. He established himself as ruler and under his authority, the city rose from a small city-state to the capital of the great Kong Empire, holding sway over much of the region. The dyula of Kong also maintained commercial links with European traders on the Atlantic coast around the Gulf of Guinea, from whom they easily obtained prized European goods, most notably rifles, gunpowder, and textiles. The acquisition of weapons allowed for the creation of an armed militia force that protected trade routes passing through the territories of various minor rulers. In the course of developing his state, Seku Wattara built a strong army composed mostly of defeated pagan groups. The leadership of the army eventually developed into a new warrior class, called sonangi, which was gradually separated from the overall dyula merchant class.[12]
The Kong Empire started to decline after the death of Seku Wattara. Succession struggles divided the kingdom into two parts, with the northern area being controlled by Seku's brother Famagan who refused to recognize the rule of Seku's oldest son in the south. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, many of Kong's provinces had formed independent chiefdoms. The city of Kong retained the prestige of an Islamic commercial center, but it was no longer the seat of an important political power. It eventually came under French colonial control in 1898. Despite the fall from glory, the seventeenth-century Kong Friday Mosque survived, and the city was largely rebuilt in a traditional
Kingdom of Wasulu
The Mande conquerors of the nineteenth century frequently utilized trade routes established by the Dyula. Indeed, it was his exploitation of their commercial network that allowed military leader
Having established an empire, he adopted the religious title of
Dyula traders had never enjoyed as much prosperity as they did under the almamy. Even though they did not play a central part in the creation of the state, the dyula supported Samori because he actively encouraged commerce and protected trade routes, thus promoting a free circulation of people and goods. Samori put up the strongest resistance to European colonial penetration in West Africa, fighting both the French and British for seventeen years. Samori's would-be Muslim empire was undone by the French, who took Sikasso in 1898, and sent Samori into exile, where he died in 1900.[14]
Dyula culture and society
Dyula society is hierarchical or
The traditional dyula social structure is further organized into various familial
Another hereditary class that was afforded a particularly important status by the dyula social hierarchy was occupied by the tuntigi or warrior class. The dyula had long been accustomed to surrounding their cities with fortifications and taking up arms when it was deemed necessary in order to defend themselves and maintain the smooth flow of trade caravans. As a result, they became closely associated with the tuntigi warriors.
Islamic tradition
The dyula have been predominantly Muslim since the 13th century. Many in rural areas combine Islamic beliefs with certain pre-Islamic animistic traditions such as the presence of spirits and use of
Certain families gained a reputation for providing multiple generations of scholars. For example, the Saghanughu clan was a dyula lineage living in Northern and Western Ivory Coast and parts of the
These madaris were probably a positive byproduct of the long history of Muslims’ interest in literary work. In "The Islamic Literary Tradition in Ghana", author
Dioula language
The dyula speak the
The Dioula language and people are distinct from the
Notable Dyula people
- Alpha Blondy
- Amadou Touré
- Amadou Ouattara, Footballer
- Christian Manfredini
- Cyrille Bayala
- Issouf Ouattara
- Kalpi Ouattara
- Mohamed Ouattara
- Modibo Sagnan
- Mohamed Touré
- Kolo Touré, Ivorian footballer
- Yaya Touré, Ivorian footballer
- Seku Ouattara (Wattara) - a dioula warrior.
- Alassane Ouattara,[17] President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010.
- Vincent Angban
- Yacouba Songné
References
- ISBN 978-1-57958-245-6.
- ISBN 978-1-57958-245-6
- ^ N. Levtzion and J.O. Voll (eds.), Eighteenth Century Renewal & Reform in Islam, Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1987, p. 21.
- ^ "The Routes of Al-Andalus: Spiritual Convergence and Intercultural Dialogue" (PDF). UNESCO.
- ^ Launay, R., Beyond the Stream: Islam & Society in a West African Town. Berkeley, 1992
- Unesco. International Scientific Committee for the Drafting of a General
- ^ J.D. Fage, William Tordoff, A History of Africa 4th Edition, Taylor & Francis, Inc., December 2001
- ^ Wilks,Ivor. Wangara, Akan, and Portuguese in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries (1997). Bakewell, Peter (ed.). Mines of Silver and Gold in the Americas. Aldershot: Variorum, Ashgate Publishing Limited. pp. 29–30.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ The Wider Influence of the Sudanic Kingdoms, britannica.com
- ^ Wilks, Ivor. "Wangara, Akan and Portuguese in the Fifteenth & Sixteenth Centuries II: The Struggle for Trade." Journal of African History 23:4 (1982): 463-472
- ^ Y. Person, Samori, Une Revolution Dyula. Dakar: IFAN, 1970. Volume 1, Ch. 2
- ^ Shmuel Eisenstadt, The Early State in African Perspective, Universitah ha-‘Ivrit bi-Yerushalayim. BRILL, 1988
- ^ Ira M. Lapidus. A History of Islamic Societies (2nd Edition), University of California, Berkeley
- ^ "Encarta Encyclopedia - Africa". Archived from the original on 2009-10-30.
- ^ Ira Marvin Lapidus, A History of Islamic Societies
- ^ Thomas Hodgkin, The Islamic Literary Tradition in Ghana, in I. Lewis (ed.), Islam in Tropical Africa
- ^ Oved, Marco Chown (2010-11-28). "How ethnicity colors the Ivory Coast election". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
External links
- Launey, Robert. "Beyond the Stream: Islam & Society in a West African Town", University of California Press, Berkeley, 1992.
- Launay, Robert. "Electronic Media & Islam Among the Dyula of Northern Cote de'Ivoire". Journal Article; Africa, Vol. 67, 1997.
- Samwini, Nathan. "Muslim Resurgence in Ghana Since 1950", Journal of Christian-Muslim Relations, Vol. 7. LIT Verlag Berlin-Hamburg-Münster
- Ivor Wilks, "The Juula & the Expansion of Islam into the Forest", in N. Levtzion and R.L. Pouwels (eds.), The History of Islam in Africa, Athens: Ohio University Press, 2000
- Nehemia Levtzion and J.O. Voll (eds.), "Eighteenth Century Renewal & Reform in Islam", Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1987
- Andrea Brigaglia, Historical Context: Notes on the Arabic Literary Tradition of West Africa. Northwestern University
- Elizabeth A. Isichei, "A History of African Societies to 1870"
- Moshe Terdman, Project for the Research of Islamist Movements (PRISM): Islam in Africa Newsletter, Vol. 2 No. 3 Herzliya, Israel. 2007
- Islam in Medieval Sudan, islamawareness.net