Kanembu people

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Kanembu
كَنٜݦُ
Danse folklore du Kanem.jpg
Kanembu traditional dance
Total population
1,815,270 [1]
Regions with significant populations
Chad (Lac, Kanem, and Chari-Baguirmi)
Languages
Kanembu, Chadian Arabic, French
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Kanuri and Toubou

The Kanembu are an ethnic group of Chad, generally considered the modern descendants of the Kanem-Bornu Empire. [2] The Kanembu are estimated to number 1,815,270 people, [3] located primarily in Chad's Lac Prefecture but also in Chari-Baguirmi and Kanem prefectures. [4] They speak the Kanembu language, which the Kanuri language is closely related to, with many speaking Arabic and sometimes nowadays French as a second language.

Contents

Etymology

The word Kanembu means "the people [bu] of Kanem." [5]

History

Kanembu chief, ca. 1851 Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa. From the journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s government, in the years 1849-1855 (1859) (14780757662).jpg
Kanembu chief, ca. 1851

For over a thousand years the Kanem-Bornu Empire was a dominant power over central North Africa. Its sphere of influence covered Eastern Nigeria and Niger, the Northern half of Chad, Cameroon, and Libya. Its inhabitants traded with Egypt and sponsored Islamic schools as far as Alexandria. Its camel caravans reached the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Until the beginning of the 1900s and the French conquest of this area, the Kanem-Bornu Empire was the major power in the heart of central North Africa.[ citation needed ]

At the end of the twelfth century, the Kanembu moved into what is today Kanem Prefecture. They gradually became sedentary and established a capital at Njimi; at the same time, they continued military expansion establishing the Kanem Empire. The peak of this early kingdom came with the rule of Mai (King) Dunama Dabbalemi of the Sayfawa dynasty, who reigned from 1221 to 1259. He was the first of the Kanembu to convert to Islam, he declared jihad against the surrounding tribes and initiated an extended period of conquest. After consolidating their territory around Lake Chad they struck north at the Fezzan and west at the Hausa lands.[ citation needed ]

By the end of the fourteenth century, however, internal division had severely weakened the Kanem empire, forcing the Sayfawa dynasty to relocate to Borno on the western shore of Lake Chad. The intermarriage of the Kanem with the local people of this area created a new ethnic group, the Kanuri; the Kanembu retain close family ties with the Kanuri to this day. [2]

Today the Kanembu people are one group of the descendants of this once highly successful empire, and their sultans and traditional rulers are still more influential than government authorities. Along with the related language group Kanuri, they make up the majority population found in a band between the Northern shores of Lake Chad and the Sahara Desert. Their culture of housing and clothing hasn't changed much since the imperial period.[ citation needed ]

Economy

The Kanembu are Chad's merchant tribe. 75 to 80% of all merchants in Chad are Kanembu, making them, one of Chad's wealthiest groups. They are a sedentary group who also engage in agriculture and raising livestock. Wheat, millet and corn are raised near the lake, but as the country is landlocked and has a poor road system, little agricultural trade has developed. As they live on the edge of the Sahara, famine is also a frequent threat to them with rain only coming during July, August and part of September.[ citation needed ]

Genetics

According to one study, just one (R1b) Y-DNA haplogroup brougt by Baggara Arabs makes up 50% of the Kanembu. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west. Due to its distance from the sea and its largely desert climate, the country is sometimes referred to as the "Dead Heart of Africa".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanem–Bornu Empire</span> Empire around Lake Chad, Africa, c. 700–1380

The Kanem–Bornu Empire existed in areas which are now part of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Libya and Chad. It was known to the Arabian geographers as the Kanem Empire from the 8th century AD onward and lasted as the independent kingdom of Bornu until 1900.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanuri language</span> Saharan dialect continuum of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon

Kanuri is a Saharan dialect continuum of the Nilo–Saharan language family spoken by the Kanuri and Kanembu peoples in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, as well as by a diaspora community residing in Sudan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanuri people</span> African ethnic group

The Kanuri people are an African ethnic group living largely in the lands of the former Kanem and Bornu Empires in Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon. As well as a diaspora community residing in Sudan. Those generally termed Kanuri include several subgroups and dialect groups, some of whom identify as distinct from the Kanuri. Most trace their origins to ruling lineages of the medieval Kanem-Bornu Empire, and its client states or provinces. In contrast to the neighboring Toubou or Zaghawa pastoralists, Kanuri groups have traditionally been sedentary, engaging in farming, fishing the Chad Basin, trade, and salt processing.

Ngazargamu, Birni Ngazargamu, Birnin Gazargamu, Gazargamo or N'gazargamu, was the capital of the Bornu Empire from ca. 1460 to 1809. Situated 150 km (93 mi) west of Lake Chad in the Yobe State of modern Nigeria, the remains of the former capital city are still visible. The surrounding wall is 6.6 km (4.1 mi) long and in parts it is still up to 5 m (16 ft) high.

The Zaghawa people, also called Beri or Zakhawa, are an ethnic group primarily residing in southwestern Libya, northeastern Chad, and western Sudan, including Darfur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murzuk</span> Town in Fezzan, Libya

Murzuk, Murzuq, Murzug or Merzug is an oasis town and the capital of the Murzuq District in the Fezzan region of southwest Libya. It lies on the northern edge of the Murzuq Desert, an extremely arid region of ergs or great sand dunes which is part of the greater Sahara Desert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanem (region)</span> Region of Chad

Kanem is one of the 23 regions of Chad. It is named after the famous Kanem Empire, which was centred in this vicinity. The region's capital is Mao. It was created in 2002 from the former Prefecture of Kanem. In 2008, a portion of the Kanem region was split off to become the new Bahr el Gazel Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sayfawa dynasty</span> Second dynasty of the Kanem–Bornu Empire

Sayfawa dynasty, Sefouwa, Sefawa, or Sefuwa dynasty is the name of the Muslim kings of the Kanem–Bornu Empire, centered first in Kanem in western Chad, and then, after 1380, in Borno.

Dunama Dabbalemi, or Dounama Dibbalém, of the Sayfawa dynasty, was the mai (king) of the Kanem Empire, in present-day Chad, from 1210 to 1224.

Hummay was the first Muslim mai (king) and founder of the Sayfawa dynasty. He ruled the Kanem-Bornu Empire from either 1085 to 1097 or 1075 to 1086, after 'Abd ul Jalil of the Duguwa dynasty was overthrown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bilala people</span>

The Bilala or Bulala are a Muslim people that live around Lake Fitri, in the Batha Prefecture, in central Chad. The last Chadian census in 1993 stated that they numbered 136,629 people. Their language, Naba, is divided in four dialects and is a part of the Central Sudanic language family; it is shared by two of their neighbours, the Kuka and the Medogo. These three peoples are collectively known as Lisi and are believed to be descendants of main ethnic groups of the Sultanate of Yao.

al-Haj Idris Alooma was Mai (ruler) of the Bornu empire, covering parts of Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria. His achievements are primarily chronicled by Ahmad bin Fartuwa, his chief Imam. His reign marked the end of the Kanem civil wars within the state, reuniting N'jimi, the former capital, under Sayfawa control. Furthermore, he introduced significant legal reforms based on Islamic law, establishing qadi courts that operated independently from the executive branch. He is credited with leading the empire to what is often regarded as its zenith during the late 16th-century and early 17th-century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lac (region)</span> Region of Chad

Lac is one of the 23 regions of Chad. Its capital is Bol. It is chiefly composed of the former Lac Prefecture. The region includes Chad's portion of the shore of Lake Chad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jukun people (West Africa)</span> West African ethno-linguistic group

Jukun are an ethno-linguistic group or ethnic nation in West Africa. The Jukun are traditionally located in Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa, Bauchi and Gombe States in Nigeria and parts of northwestern Cameroon. They are descendants of the people of Kwararafa. Most of the tribes in the north central of Nigeria trace their origin to the Jukun people and are related in one way or the other to the Jukuns. Until the coming of both Christianity and Islam, the Jukun people were followers of their own traditional religions. Most of the tribes, Alago, Agatu, Rendere, Goemai in Shendam, and others left Kwararafa when it disintegrated as a result of a power tussle. The Jukuns are divided into two major groups; the Jukun Wanu and Jukun Wapa. The Jukun Wanu are fishermen residing along the banks of the river Benue and Niger where they run through Taraba State, Benue State and Nasarawa State. The Wukari Federation, headed by the Aku Uka of Wukari, is now the main centre of the Jukun people.

The Girgam is the royal chronicle of the Kanem–Bornu Empire, written in Arabic. Girgam is also used as the name for written historical records in some kingdoms west of Bornu, including Daura, Fika and Mandara, defined as "chronicle or 'list of ancestors'" or simply "date".

Omar Ibn Idris, or Umar Idrismi, Idris Dunama III, was the ruler of the Kanem Empire from 1372 to 1380. He moved the capital from Njimi, Kanem to Kaga, located on the western edge of Lake Chad in present day Borno State, Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethnic groups in Chad</span>

The population of Chad has numerous ethnic groups. SIL Ethnologue reports more than 130 distinct languages spoken in Chad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi</span>

Shehu al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî (1776–1837) was an Islamic scholar, teacher, religious and political leader who advised and eventually supplanted the Sayfawa dynasty of the Kanem-Bornu Empire. In 1846, Al-Kanemi's son Umar I ibn Muhammad al-Amin became the sole ruler of Borno, an event which marked the end of the Sayfawa dynasty's eight hundred year rule. The current Shehu of Bornu, a traditional ruler whose seat remains in modern Borno State, Nigeria, is descended from Al-Kanemi.

References

  1. ↑ "Chad". 24 August 2023.
  2. 1 2 US Country Studies: Chad
  3. ↑ "Chad". 24 August 2023.
  4. ↑ Ethnologue entry on Kanembu
  5. ↑ Bondarev, Dmitry (1 October 2013). "Qur'anic Exegesis in Old Kanembu: Linguistic Precision for Better Interpretation". Journal of Qur'anic Studies. 15 (3): 56–83. doi:10.3366/jqs.2013.0114. JSTOR   24283579.
  6. ↑ Shriner, Daniel; Rotimi, Charles N. (December 2018). "Genetic History of Chad". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 167 (4): 804–812. doi:10.1002/ajpa.23711. PMC   6240361 . PMID   30259956.
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