Songhaiborai

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Songhay people (subgroup)
)
Songhai
Koyra Chiini
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Zarma, Tuareg


PersonSonghaiboro
PeopleSonghaiborai
Language
Songhai Sanni

The Songhaiborai (also Songhai, Songhay, Sonrhaï) are a distinct subgroup within the larger

ethnolinguistic family. Residing predominantly in Niger's Songhai region, Northern Mali, and a minority presence in Burkina Faso. Notably, they trace their lineage to the ruling dynasties of the ancient Songhai Empire.[3]

In Niger and Burkina Faso, differentiating the Songhaiborai from the Zarma people poses a challenge, as both are subgroups within the same language family, sharing a very similar dialect and culture. Despite the significant commonalities, the Songhaiborai may identify themselves and their dialect as "Zarma," emphasizing the shared heritage. However, both groups acknowledge their distinct branches within the same ethnicity, often adopting the collective name "Zarma," making it difficult for outsiders to discern any noticeable differences. Additionally, in Mali, they are recognized as the Koyraboro.[4]

The Songhai originally were the descendants and partisans of the

Saadi dynasty of Morocco in 1591. These two historical events that resulted in the mass exodus of the Songhai emptied Gao and Timbuktu of their Songhai nobles, who find themselves dispersed today in the above-mentioned region of Southwestern Niger.[6][7][8][9]

Aristocracy

According to oral history, the Songhai nobles came to be known as "Songhai" during the reign of

Sonni Ali Ber
. The name was coined from his name to form a tribal name for the ruling caste.

The main factions of the Songhai are the "Si Hamey" and the "Mamar Hamey". The Si Hamey (meaning: descendants of Sonni), as the name implies, are the descendants and partisans of the

Askia Mohammad I whose vernacular name among the Songhai is "Mamar".[10][7]
It is also worth noting that both groups use the title surname "Maiga" (meaning, "King or Prince").[11]

History

After the ruler and founder of the

Ayorou
and established his own small kingdom.

After the defeat of the

Tillabery Region
.

Askia Wayki (Muhammed Gao) installed his base on the banks of the Niger river in the current locality of

Tuaregs from Imanan
and Azawad.

Recognizing the strength of the Moroccan army, they later decided to abandon the struggle for the re-establishment of the

Askia Mohammad I during his pilgrimage to Mecca. His other brothers and cousins created the kingdoms of Namaro, Gothèye, Dargol, Téra, Sikié, Kokorou etc. This marked the end of an empire that once shone for its immensity and the courage of its leaders in spite of multiple incessant internal conflicts of succession. These kingdoms, however, did not find their union circumstantial until March 1906, during the anti-colonial battle of Karma-Boubon led by Oumarou Kambessikonou (Morou Karma), a descendant of Askia Daoud and brother to Askia Muhammed Gao.[12][13]

Society and Culture

The language, society and culture of the Songhai people is barely distinguishable from the Zarma people.[14] Some scholars consider the Zarma people to be a part of and the largest ethnic sub-group of the Ayneha.[15] Some study the group together as Zarma-Songhai people.[16][17] However, both groups see themselves as two different peoples.[14]

The Songhai proper have traditionally been a socially stratified society, like many West African ethnic groups with castes.[18][19] According to the medieval and colonial era descriptions, their vocation is hereditary, and each stratified group has been endogamous.[20] The social stratification has been unusual in two ways; it embedded slavery, wherein the lowest strata of the population inherited slavery, and the Zima, or priests and Islamic clerics, had to be initiated but did not automatically inherit that profession, making the cleric strata a pseudo-caste.[14]

Louis Dumont, the 20th-century author famous for his classic Homo Hierarchicus, recognized the social stratification among Zarma-Songhai people as well as other ethnic groups in West Africa, but suggested that sociologists should invent a new term for West African social stratification system.[21] Other scholars consider this a bias and isolationist because the West African system shares all elements in Dumont's system, including economic, endogamous, ritual, religious, deemed polluting, segregative and spread over a large region.[21][22][23] According to Anne Haour – a professor of African Studies, some scholars consider the historic caste-like social stratification in Zarma-Songhay people to be a pre-Islam feature while some consider it derived from the Arab influence.[21]

The different strata of the Songhai have included the kings and warriors, the scribes, the artisans, the weavers, the hunters, the fishermen, the leather workers and hairdressers (Wanzam), and the domestic slaves (Horso, Bannye). Each caste reveres its own guardian spirit.

cross cousins.[25][26] This endogamy within Songhai-Zarma people is similar to other ethnic groups in West Africa.[27]

Livelihood

The Songhay are mostly agriculturalists (mostly growing rice and millet), hunters, fishers and cattle owners which they let the Fulani tend.

See also

Notes

References

  1. ^ "Africa: Niger - The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  2. ^ Niger, retrieved 2021-03-12
  3. ^ Zarma, a Songhai language, retrieved 2021-02-23
  4. , retrieved 2021-06-04
  5. , retrieved 2021-03-17
  6. ^ Olivier de Sardan, Jean-Pierre (2000), Unité et diversité de l'ensemble songhay-zarma-dendi
  7. ^ , retrieved 2021-03-30
  8. ^ Southern Songhay Speech Varieties In Niger:A Sociolinguistic Survey of the Zarma, Songhay, Kurtey, Wogo, and Dendi Peoples of Niger (PDF), Byron & Annette Harrison and Michael J. Rueck Summer Institute of Linguistics B.P. 10151, Niamey, Niger Republic, 1997, retrieved 2021-02-23
  9. , retrieved 2021-04-14
  10. ^ Bornand, Sandra (2012), Is Otherness Represented in Songhay-Zarma society? A case study of the 'Tula' story (PDF), London, United Kingdom., retrieved 2021-04-12{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ^ Journal de la Société des africanistes, Volume 36, France: Société des africanistes, 1966, p. 256, retrieved 2021-04-21
  12. ^ Michel, Jonathan (1995), The Invasion of Morocco in 1591 and the Saadian Dynasty, retrieved 2021-04-17
  13. ^ Askia Mohammed V Gao, Fr Wiki
  14. ^ .
  15. ^ Songhai people, Encyclopædia Britannica
  16. .
  17. .
  18. ^ .
  19. ., Quote: "[Castes] are found among the Soninke, the various Manding-speaking populations, the Wolof, Tukulor, Senufo, Minianka, Dogon, Songhay, and most Fulani, Moorish and Tuareg populations".
  20. ^ I. Diawara (1988), Cultures nigériennes et éducation : Domaine Zarma-Songhay et Hausa, Présence Africaine, Nouvelle série, number 148 (4e TRIMESTRE 1988), pages 9-19 (in French)
  21. ^ .
  22. .
  23. .
  24. ^ .
  25. ^ Songhai people Encyclopædia Britannica
  26. .
  27. (in French)