An account of the Dispersal of people across the sahale during the fall of kanem



People Have been in the sahale-Saharan area since around the aqualithic /green Saharan period.




The occupation of the Sahara was one that shared certain material culture commonalities throughout such as barbed harpoons for fishing and wavy lined pottery for storage.

[img]http://openi.nlm.nih.gov/imgs/rescaled512/2515196_pone.0002995.g007.png[/img]
[img]http://mathildasanthropologyblog.files./2008/08/ten-pot.jpg[/img]


As the Sahara began to dry out the people began to be pushed out of and mashed between, the desert and forest belt in what is now called the Sahale. Even though most of the occupants were dispersed from the Sahara specific trade routes would be maintained across it till relatively modern times.

Ancient


Modern


Between those two times came first the Garamantes of the Saharan Fezzen (southern Libya/northern Chad) and the Sao people of the Saharan lake chad(Northern Cameron/Southern Chad). Secondly Kanem rose in the Sahale along the trade rout
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Niger_saharan_medieval_trade_routes.PNG[/img]


The Garamantes
(probably from Berber language: igherman; meaning: cities[citation needed] or igarraman; meaning: saints, holy/sacred people) were a Saharan people who used an elaborate underground irrigation system, and founded a prosperous Berber kingdom in the Fezzan area of modern-day Libya, in the Sahara desert. They were a local power in the Sahara between 500 BC and 700 AD.

There is little textual information about the Garamantes. Even the name Garamantes was a Greek name which the Romans later adopted. Available information comes mainly from Greek and Roman sources, as well as archaeological excavations in the area, though large areas in ruins remain unexcavated. Another important source of information is the abundant rock art, which often depicts life prior to the rise of the realm.

The Garamantes were probably present as tribal people in the Fezzan by 1000 BC. They appear in the written record for the first time in the 5th century BC: according to Herodotus, they were "a very great nation" who herded cattle, farmed dates, and hunted the "Ethiopian Troglodytes", or "cave-dwellers" who lived in the desert, from four-horse chariots.[4] Roman depictions describe them as bearing ritual scars and tattoos. Tacitus wrote that they assisted the rebel Tacfarinas and raided Roman coastal settlements. According to Pliny the Elder, Romans eventually grew tired of Garamantian raiding and Lucius Cornelius Balbus captured 15 of their settlements in 19 BC. In 202, Septimius Severus captured the capital city of Garama.[5]

Near East in 600 AD, showing the location of Garamantes before the Arab conquest.
By around 150 AD the Garamantian kingdom (in today's central Libya (Fezzan), principally along the still existing Wadi al-Ajal), covered 180,000 square kilometres in modern-day southern Libya. It lasted from about 400 BC to 600 AD.

The decline of the Garamantian culture may have been connected to worsening climatic conditions, or overuse of water resources.[6] What is desert today was once fairly good agricultural land and was enhanced through the Garmantian irrigation system 1,500 years ago. As fossil water is a non-renewable resource, over the six centuries of the Garamantian kingdom, the ground water level fell.[citation needed] The kingdom declined and fragmented.


The Sao
The Sao were an African civilization that flourished from ca. the sixth century BCE to as late as the sixteenth century CE. The Sao lived by the Chari River south of Lake Chad in territory that later became part of Cameroon and Chad. They are the earliest people to have left clear traces of their presence in the territory of modern Cameroon.[1] Sometime around the 16th century, conversion to Islam changed the cultural identity of the former Sao. Today, several ethnic groups of northern Cameroon and southern Chad but particularly the Kotoko claim descent from the civilization of the Sao.

Rise and decline

The Sao civilization may have begun as early as the sixth century BCE,[6] and by the end of the first millennium BCE, their presence was well established south of Lake Chad and near the Chari River.[7] The city states of the Sao reached their apex sometime between the ninth and fifteenth centuries CE.[7]

The Sao's demise may have come about due to conquest, Islamization, or both.[8] Traditional tales say that the Sao west of Lake Chad fell to "Yemenites" from the east. These invaders made several unsuccessful attempts to conquer the Sao before finally succeeding by resorting to trickery. If true, the newcomers may have been Arab Bedouin or Sayfuwa raiders coming from the east who moved into the region in the fourteenth century .[9] Although some scholars estimate that the Sao civilization south of Lake Chad lasted until the fourteenth or fifteenth century, the majority opinion is that it ceased to exist as a separate culture sometime in the 16th century subsequently to the expansion of the Bornu Empire.[10] The Kotoko are the inheritors of the former city states of the Sao.[11]

Culture

Little is known about the Sao's culture or political organisation: They left no written records and are known only through archaeological finds and the oral history of their successors in their territory.[5] Sao artifacts show that they were skilled workers in bronze, copper, and iron.[8] Finds include bronze sculptures and terra cotta statues of human and animal figures, coins, funerary urns, household utensils, jewellery, highly decorated pottery, and spears.[12] The largest Sao archaeological finds have been made south of Lake Chad.

Ethnic groups in the Lake Chad basin, such as the Buduma, Gamergu, Kanembu, Kotoko, and Musgum claim descent from the Sao. Lebeuf supports this connection and has traced symbolism from Sao art in works by the Guti and Tukuri subgroups of the Logone-Birni people.[13] Oral histories add further details about the people: The Sao were made up of several patrilineal clans who were united into a single polity with one language, race, and religion. In these narratives, the Sao are presented as giants and mighty warriors who fought and conquered their neighbors.





The Kanem Empire

The Kanem Empire(ca. 700 - 1376) was located in the present countries of Chad, Nigeria and Libya.[2] At its height it encompassed an area covering not only much of Chad, but also parts of southern Libya (Fezzan) and eastern Niger, northeastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon. The history of the Empire is mainly known from the Royal Chronicle or Girgam discovered in 1851 by the German traveller Heinrich Barth

Origins

The empire of Kanem began forming around AD 300 under the nomadic Tebu-speaking Kanembu. Also, the first african empire. According to the Girgam, the Kanembu were forced southwest towards the fertile lands around Lake Chad by political pressure and desiccation in their former range. The area already possessed independent, walled city-states belonging to the Sao culture. Under the leadership of the Duguwa dynasty, the Kanembu would eventually dominate the Sao, but not before adopting many of their customs. War between the two continued up to the late 16th century.

One theory proposes that the lost state of Agisymba (mentioned by Ptolemy in the middle of the 2nd century AD) was the antecedent of the Kanem Empire.

Duguwa Dynasty (Kanembu)

Kanem was located at the southern end of the trans-Saharan trade route between Tripoli and the region of Lake Chad. The Kanembu eventually abandoned their nomadic lifestyle and founded a capital around 700 AD under the first documented Kanembu king ("mai" known as Sef of Saif. The capital of N'jimi (the word for "south" in the Teda language) grew in power and influence under Sef's son, Dugu. This transition marked the beginning of the Duguwa Dynasty. The mais of the Duguwa were regarded as divine kings and belonged to the ruling establishment known as the Magumi. Despite changes in dynastic power, the magumi and the title of mai would persevere for over a thousand years.

Sayfawa Dynasty

The major factor that influenced the history of the state of Kanem was the early penetration of Islam. North African traders, Berbers and Arabs, brought the new religion. In 1085, a Muslim noble by the name of Hummay removed the last Duguwa king Selma from power and thus established the new dynasty of the Sefuwa.

The introduction of the Sefuwa dynasty meant radical changes for the Kanem Empire. First, it meant the Islamization of the court and state policies. Second, the identification of founders had to be revised. After the 13th century, the empire began associating Mai Sef with the legendary Yemenite hero Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan. Hence, it became customary to call the new ruling dynasty the Sayfawa instead of the Sefuwa.

Islam and Kanem

Islam offered the Sayfawa rulers the advantage of new ideas from Arabia and the Mediterranean world, as well as literacy in administration. But many people resisted the new religion, favouring traditional beliefs and practices. When Hummay had assumed power on the basis of his strong Islamic following, for example, it is believed that the Duguwa/Sefuwa began some kind of internal opposition. This pattern of conflict and compromise with Islam occurs repeatedly in Chad's history.

By the 12th century, the Sayfawa ruled all over Kanem. At the same time, the Kanembu people drew closer to the new rulers and increased the growing population in Njimi. Even though the Kanembu became the main power base of the Sayfawa, Kanem's rulers continued to travel frequently throughout the kingdom and especially towards Bornu, west of lake Chad. Herders and farmers alike recognized the government's power and acknowledged their allegiance by paying tribute.

Mai Dunama Dabbalemi

Kanem's expansion peaked during the long and energetic reign of Mai Dunama Dabbalemi (ca. 1221–1259), also of the Sayfawa dynasty. Dabbalemi initiated diplomatic exchanges with sultans in North Africa and apparently arranged for the establishment of a special hostel in Cairo to facilitate pilgrimages to Mecca. During his reign, he declared jihad against the surrounding tribes and initiated an extended period of conquest. After consolidating their territory around Lake Chad, the Fezzan region (in present-day Libya) fell under Kanem's authority, and the empire's influence extended westward to Kano (in present-day Nigeria), eastward to Ouaddaï, and southward to the Adamawa grasslands (in present-day Cameroon). However, he also destroyed the national Mune cult and thus precipitated widespread revolt culminating in the uprise of the Tubu and the Bulala. The former could be quenched but the latter continued to linger on and finally led to the retreat of the Sayfuwa from Kanem to Bornu c. 1380.

Dabbalemi devised a system to reward military commanders with authority over the people they conquered. This system, however, tempted military officers to pass their positions to their sons, thus transforming the office from one based on achievement and loyalty to the mai into one based on hereditary nobility. Dabbalemi was able to suppress this tendency, but after his death, dissension among his sons weakened the Sayfawa Dynasty. Dynastic feuds degenerated into civil war, and Kanem's outlying peoples soon ceased paying tribute.

Fall of Kanem

After the death of Dunama II, Kanem quickly fell into a downward spiral. By the end of the 14th century, internal struggles and external attacks had torn Kanem apart.

Sao Resurgence

Between 1342 and 1352, the Sao, who had dominated Kanem prior to the Zaghawa, killed four mais in battle. The proliferation of mai claimants to the throne led to a series of internecine wars.

Bulala Invasion

The death knell of Sayfawa power in Kanem was dealt by the Bulala, invaders from the area around Lake Fitri to the east. By 1376, the Bulala had driven the Sayfawa from their capital. By 1388, they had taken Kanem altogether. The Kanuri were forced back into their nomadic ways and migrated west of Lake Chad, eventually establishing a new empire in Bornu.

[img]http://africanlegends.files./2011/12/kanem_bornu-court-ca-1700.jpg[/img]

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Continued below

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[size=24pt] The Legend Of Kedh Gurrai [/size]

African traditions, and legends are kept orally and then passed on from one generation to the next. The most common and probably only legend about Garri origin is called The Kedh Gurrai. The story of the “Kedh Gurrai” (great migration to the south) states that there was a big war which caused people to disperse in different directions. Some stayed, some moved away, and this was also when people converted to different religions; this migration is believed to have happened around 14th Century AD. The legend says the war was triggered by a “Boran” invasion. The Borana people have always lived in the same regions, and speak the same language as Garris.

In recent years, further information has shed light on exactly when, where, and why the migration of Kedh Gurrai took place. Many senior Garris, claim that they have always heard about Garris who live in Chad. This claim was also confirmed by president of Chad Hissene Habre, who supposedly came to East Africa and met with Garri elders. You can also read about it in “Toubou and Gorane of Chad”.


“There are Garris in Chad today, and they are the people who stayed behind after we left during Kedh Gurrai…” -Abdullahi A.

Kanem was an ancient African empire which was located in present day Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Libya from 600 BC – 1380 AD. According to sources, Chad is still refered to as Kanem today. The break-up of Kanem was caused by an invasion which forced it to move to “Bornu” in present day Nigeria. During this time is when the Kedh Gurrai is believed to have happened. When the legend speaks about a “Boran” invasion and defeat, most Garris today usually think it means that their current neighbours (Borana People) invaded them, never does it occur that it could be something that took place in a different part of Africa a long time ago.

An individual of Toubou descent contacted me after reading the connection between Garri and Toubou in the post “Toubou and Gorane of Chad“. He found out, after taking a DNA test, that his DNA matched the Toubou (Kanuri) in Central Africa and also matched the DNA of people who are found in Somali, Kenya and Ethiopia (Garri regions). Garri, Gabra, and Borana among others who live in Somali and Oromo regions, all share the tradition of Kedh Gurrai. Garri and Gabra are the same people who seperated after Kedh Gurrai; they both have Tuf (Toubou) and Quran (Gorane) as a subtribe which is also found amongst the Kanuri.

Today, Toubous (Teda) and Gorane (Daza) live in many countries throughout Central and West Africa. There are also African Americans of Toubou descent; I would not be surprised if Africans in Latin America and Europe, who were pulled out of Sub-Saharan Africa during the slave trades also shared this relation.


”My ancestors came through the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade in the 1820s according to the records… About 3-5% of African Americans have Toubou ancestry and this ancestry is maternal.”


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1lNxZYnce8

[size=24pt] Toubou & Gorane of Chad [/size]

The Garri people divide into two main sub-tribes which is Tuuf and Quran (Quranyowa). It is said that the president of Chad came to a refugee camp in Somalia where the Garri people were displaced after the Ogaden war. Hissene Habre of Chad supposedly met with Garri elders in the 1980′s and told them of the existence of Garris (Tuuf and Quran) in his country. In chad, Tuuf is known as Toubou and Quran is known as Gorane.

[img]http://garagarri.files./2011/10/hissene-habre-traque-dun-dictateur-l-1.jpg[/img]

At a time when Africa was new to independence, the instability, political divisions, and power struggles could be felt throughout the Horn of Africa. Colonial Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, are the lands where the Garris lived. The colonialist left the borders for the natives to govern without any tools or organization pre-established for them. After the departure of Colonialism, the new leaders called it upon themselves to establish an identity for their newly acquired borders. Those who spoke Somali created the Somali Nationality. The Garris in Ethiopia meanwhile dealt with oppression not from foreign entities but leaders of their own nation. Those who spoke Oromo created their own nationality which separated itself, and stood as a rebel group against the oppressions of the Ethiopian Government under the rule of Mengistu Haile Mariam and Haile Selassie. The Garris who spoke both of these languages are later given the option to choose which nationality they wish to be a part of. The elders at the time, chose to be part of the somali ethnicity. This option has caused a massive ripple in the understanding and establishing of a Garri identity. Garris of Ethiopia did not speak Somali and did not want to be part of the Somali ethnicity. This is where this blog comes in. Are Garris Somali, or Oromo? Both of these ethnicities are established through politics to create a nationality which fits a particular interest. Somalia is built to create a “greater Somalia” which expands into Ethiopia and Garris are offered to be part of this so they can be of use to this mission. The Oromo ethnicity is established to eradicate the oppression inflicted by the Ethiopian government upon minorities who speak “Oromo”. If this claim of Garris in Chad was actually made by the former president, there is a possibility that there might be a political agenda behind it. But on the other hand, the possibility of truth behind the claim cannot be completely disregarded.

[img]http://garagarri.files./2011/10/hd001753.jpg[/img]
A girl from the semi-nomadic Garri tribe, of southern Ethiopia, peers out from her headscarf, at the Walde Refugee Camp, in northern Kenya. 1993.

All of the information printed about Garri people in more recent years has labeled Garris as Somalis. The picture above says “Garri tribe of Southern Ethiopia”. Contradiction is the common theme on Garri “nationality” or ethnicity. Sometimes It’s Garri tribe of Ethiopia and sometimes it’s Garri Somali tribe.

[img]http://garagarri.files./2011/10/sahara20niger20woman.jpg[/img]

A toubou woman holding her baby. The physical features of Toubou (Gorane) people are very similar to that of the Garri people as seen in this picture. The item she is holding in her hand, resembles the “idhina” used by Garri people to burn incense.

[img]http://garagarri.files./2011/10/p15316.jpg[/img]

The Garri amber necklace, on a Toubou woman.

[img]http://garagarri.files./2011/10/tubu.jpg[/img]

Similarity in the way the woman dress.

[img]http://garagarri.files./2011/10/11-block020.jpg[/img]

The Toubou and Gorane people of chad live a nomadic lifestyle and value camels, just as the Garri of East Africa.

[img]http://garagarri.files./2011/10/windsofsand.jpg[/img]

I would like to air my opinion with regards to this mystery surrounding the history of Garreh (I know you don’t like the spelling but give me a chance to explain it first). The identity of Garreh nation has been subject of controversies for a very long time and its time someone took the initiative to put this debate to rest. I don’t have enough words to express my gratitude to the author of this blog spot, Garri nation whose intelligence wowed me, just when i started to give up on the existence of the Garreh intelligentsia, I come across someone who is well versed in understanding the history of our people ( ka abeera kiya galat qabd). I also wish to acknowledge the input of Issack Adow although am not too sure I will agree with him but the information looks historically sensible to me the only thing he can do further is just to prove the hypothesis.

Once I was travelling with a friend of mine and while we are at the airport in the transit lounge conversing in Garreh language a woman came to us and started to make a conversation in language we later understood as Hausa of Nigeria. When we started to explain to her we don’t understand her language she said to us boldly ” I just heard you making conversation in Hausa” and we were like, no that is not Hausa its Garreh language the lady left us not convinced at all and later she came back and started talking to us in Hausa when we started laughing and totally flabbergasted by her words she believed us and said in English ” I would have sworn i heard you guys speaking Hausa”.

Coming back to the history of our nation it’s very important to understand who the Garrehs are. Many times people ask the wrong question like when they ask, Are Garrehs Oromo or Somali. The debate is everywhere especially in the diaspora and question sometimes is irritating not to mention the need for our community to solve this identity crisis. The Garrehs answered these questions in our oral tradition by statements like “Garri Garrum “or “keligiis bilisow”.

This statement explains why our people are so independent to the extent that they don’t need to affiliate themselves with any one. It’s very important to understand that Garrehs are independent nation that migrated from North Africa before the Christian era. The land of punt existed as mentioned in the bible portrays that people existed in Somalia then and this people happen to trade with the Egyptians and products like frankincense (lubaadin) and Myrrh (qumbi) whenever I thinks of this international trade I remember all my brothers who are doing business around the borders of the world Busia, Namanga, Moyale, Ndola, Juba, and Malaba. Name them you will find a Garreh man doing what his forefathers do best, trade. The reason why I excluded other Somalis from this history is very simple the fact that they all trace their lineage to the descendants of prophet Muhammad (sallalahu alleyhi wasallam) means their time line can only commence after the turmoil of the third caliph that led to many Arabian muslims to migrate to Africa and other world or when the swahabas conquered the red sea and fought the Berbers of north Africa. If you consider all the major clan of the Somalis except the Rahaweyn they claim their forefather is an Arab or specifically a Hashemite. The fact that the horn of Africa existed prior to the start of the Islamic era is very evident in the historical archives as we have solomonic emperors in our neighbouring Abyssinia and not forgetting the Kush kingdom in Sudan prior to that and judging by the historical evolution of our people majority of them were just pastoralists all this time and they have no access to any form of interactions whatsoever with the outside world except the few who are merchants in the cities.

Garrehs became Somali clan

The Somalis started organizing themselves in to sultanate and dynasties as early 1000 AD where the likes of saad din 2 and fakrudiin manage to lead them form Muslim sultanates like awdal, ajuraan and others and in this time there were major conflicts with all the clans especially ajuraan who are said to be decimated during this time. The Garrehs are Somalis during this time I will give you a simple example, think of going backwards in tracing your fore fathers am sure all the grandfathers taught their children especially the first born how to trace their lineage i.e. Abtirsacha now when I do the abtirsacha I can go back may be up to 15 great grandfathers and guess what? Many of them are Somali names, and the last one always has a funny name! (Remember the last phrase lafti duuban danqara) And I have seen that with my friends too. Anyway if we do a simple back track to the original time line we can get up to may be 400-500 years same time as kedhiguuray ( the great trek). During this time the conflict were so serious and ruthless to the extent that many clans decided to migrate towards the west of Somalia in to now Kenya and Ethiopia. Among the clans that embarked on this trek are The Garrehs, Ajuraans, Dogodia, Rendille and the Gabras.

During this conflict all the oral tradition refers to the Garrehs leaders of the Garreh community as Aw which means mister or respectable title very common with Garrehs that affiliates with the May culture possibly the current Garre koofar. Aw abookar mashar, Aw Aliow Hache and the third one that I could not remember his name had special skills or powers so to speak that had resemblance of the then spiritual piousness that was very common with the Sufis. All this happened some 600 years ago and in this time according to the borana oral tradition the Garrehs crossed their boundary from the famous Dhadach waraab. Some Garrehs chose to remain in Somalia and became Garreh koofar while the others went ahead to liban (historically Garreh County in Kenya and liban zone of Ethiopia) and interacted with borans by supplying them with the cloth loved by the borans (Abu jadi , andaar, guntiina and agoogo) and in this time the social cohesion facilitated the Garrehs to learn borana language for communication purposes and over the years the amalgamation of the Garreh language mixed with boran is now afaan Garreh. (I will bring the clip of the Garre poets in future especially Bahar Abdo and Guraacho to prove my point. if you let a borana person to listen to it and ask him to translate I am 100% sure he will get 40% right). Try this “gaaf saala sirgigaae ini sariigti dhabe….” (Bahar Abdo rahmatullahi alleyhi) or Guraacho said “Ooro buburakhtu farso bubulgaatuu! Bokhondhaw jarsaf jaartiin isaaan farso beled keesat alpaat”.

The Borans traded with Garrehs by supplying coffees and cattle and ghees. During this interaction due to the cultural difference between the Garrehs who are muslims and the Borans who are pagans there were conflict between the two communities and a lot of war was fought over the years and also they were times of peace where many Borans converted in to muslims and peaceful coexistence materialized only to be exploited by the colonialist in the form of British or the Amharas.

In conclusion there is a major missing link to our history like the famous phrase lafti duuban danqara means there is a huge communication breakdown between the last great grandfather of this generation and the other older generation due to something that happened in the past that lead to this breakdown it can be war even famine the only factors that can make the ancient clans to migrate from their original homelands.

One thing I know for sure that Garrehs are independent African tribe that originated from either chad or Sudan but the missing link should be established. A lot of questions to be asked:
1.Why is our language very familiar with languages in Nigeria and mali please listen to the songs By Ali Farkatoure of Mali. (You will be amazed by the similarities).
2. Why are the Somalis not convinced Garrehs identity as Somalis
3.Why are the Oromos insisting on claiming Garrehs are oromos
4.If you settle on saying we are Somalis what is our lineage? Hawiye, Dir, Digil or Darood

As for now I will settle being Somali for now unless you get me the identity of those great grandfathers with funny names.

"...please listen to the songs By Ali Farkatoure of Mali."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5Nem-PNHLY

Random African, what country or region of the Sahel are you from?

I was born and raised deep in the U.S. Black Belt Region


In Alabama


I came across the "The Legend Of Kedh Gurrai" and thought it would be of interest. It's also a region that's not discussed enough and respected as the main African east-west corridor that's had important implications throughout history in terms of migration and trade. Someone really needs to do a comprehensive history/historiography of the Sahale. I'd love to read it!

Rich, rich thread.

RandomAfricanAm: I was born and raised deep in the U.S. Black Belt Region


In Alabama


I came across the "The Legend Of Kedh Gurrai" and thought it would be of interest. It's also a region that's not discussed enough and respected as the main African east-west corridor that's had important implications throughout history in terms of migration and trade. Someone really needs to do a comprehensive history/historiography of the Sahale. I'd love to read it!

What would you like to know about the Sahel?

Fulaman198:

What would you like to know about the Sahel?

Hmm...

A good outline would be
1.Formation of the Sahale as the Sahara dries out, from the Niger bend, lake chad, to the Nile valley.
(Early Habitable places in the Sahale versus the Sahara)

2. Earliest know inhabitants of the Sahale with a focus on lake chad area

3. Basic overview of cities along trade routs between lake chad and Upper Nile valley with a focus on El Fashur and the Darfur region.
(basic history of each city)

4. Trade with Kerma via the Sahale
(Projections using trade with Egypt via items not native to the Nile valley as a proxy)

5. Fall and Dispersal of the Kerma people
(possible routs of dispersal using historical movements across the Sahale under similar situations as a model)

6.Nubia trade via the Sahale
(Projections using trade with Egypt via items not native to the Nile valley as a proxy)

6. Sao and Garamantes

7.Christian nubia trade via the Sahale
Note: I actually have a pdf detailing finds of Christian Nubia all the way in lake chad.

7. Basic history of Fulani in relation to Sahara and introduction to Sahale

8. Basic history of Tuareg in relation to Sahara and introduction to Sahale

9. Basic history of Kanem - Bornou complex and it's impact on the surrounding people especially cities along trade routes

10. Further drying of Sahara to current point and impact on inhabitents

11. Basic pictorial/blurb on the current different inhabitants of Sahale region in general
(with a note on the current ecological state of the region)

12. A Focus on the current Inhabitants of Southern Chad, Eastern Niger, Northeast Nigeria, lake Chad, Darfur, and Northern Cameroon.
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That's what imedeatly comes to mind though I feel I'm missing something. There is actually a Sahale history group, I have one of there releases in PDF format but they don't deal in chronology they deal n isolated topics which is what I'm trying to move away from. I like taking one component/topic and walking it in chronological order through history. I feel I get more incite into way certain things happen at certain times.

Force_total = Force₁ + Force₂ + Force₃ +....+ Force_n



On a side note: (a summery translation would be cool)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHWGcUxNYC8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dVTTFYbY98

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3cOZK28CuQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iakEJ_ALBgU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1z_nLaAHo4

RandomAfricanAm:
Hmm...

A good outline would be
1.Formation of the Sahale as the Sahara dries out, from the Niger bend, lake chad, to the Nile valley.
(Early Habitable places in the Sahale versus the Sahara)

2. Earliest know inhabitants of the Sahale with a focus on lake chad area

3. Basic overview of cities along trade routs between lake chad and Upper Nile valley with a focus on El Fashur and the Darfur region.
(basic history of each city)

4. Trade with Kerma via the Sahale
(Projections using trade with Egypt via items not native to the Nile valley as a proxy)

5. Fall and Dispersal of the Kerma people
(possible routs of dispersal using historical movements across the Sahale under similar situations as a model)

6.Nubia trade via the Sahale
(Projections using trade with Egypt via items not native to the Nile valley as a proxy)

6. Sao and Garamantes

7.Christian nubia trade via the Sahale
Note: I actually have a pdf detailing finds of Christian Nubia all the way in lake chad.

7. Basic history of Fulani in relation to Sahara and introduction to Sahale

8. Basic history of Tuareg in relation to Sahara and introduction to Sahale

9. Basic history of Kanem - Bornou complex and it's impact on the surrounding people especially cities along trade routes

10. Further drying of Sahara to current point and impact on inhabitents

11. Basic pictorial/blurb on the current different inhabitants of Sahale region in general
(with a note on the current ecological state of the region)

12. A Focus on the current Inhabitants of Southern Chad, Eastern Niger, Northeast Nigeria, lake Chad, Darfur, and Northern Cameroon.
.
.
.
.
.
That's what imedeatly comes to mind though I feel I'm missing something. There is actually a Sahale history group, I have one of there releases in PDF format but they don't deal in chronology they deal n isolated topics which is what I'm trying to move away from. I like taking one component/topic and walking it in chronological order through history. I feel I get more incite into way certain things happen at certain times.

Force_total = Force₁ + Force₂ + Force₃ +....+ Force_n



On a side note: (a summery translation would be cool)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHWGcUxNYC8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dVTTFYbY98

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3cOZK28CuQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iakEJ_ALBgU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1z_nLaAHo4

That is a big assignment you have laid out for me lol

(I thought you were simply curious of what I thought. I didn't think about anyone writing it)


Hmm... If you wanted to write it I could be your "co-author" on it for certain general knowledge topics. I also think I need to go back and modify it. I had just woke up when I wrote it.(sort of a knee jerk reaction)
.
I'd add more interesting/intricate topics such as...
"Use of Sahale as a rout for hajj",
"trade between Niger bend lake chad region",
"Sahale as the historic Tarikh al-Sudan"
"brief history of the hausa and Sahale"
Etc.


@kidstranglehold throw me some feedback on the table of contents in the above post

RandomAfricanAm:
(I thought you were simply curious of what I thought. I didn't think about anyone writing it)


Hmm... If you wanted to write it I could be your "co-author" on it for certain general knowledge topics. I also think I need to go back and modify it. I had just woke up when I wrote it.(sort of a knee jerk reaction)
.
I'd add more interesting/intricate topics such as...
"Use of Sahale as a rout for hajj",
"trade between Niger bend lake chad region",
"Sahale as the historic Tarikh al-Sudan"
"brief history of the hausa and Sahale"
Etc.


@kidstranglehold throw me some feedback on the table of contents in the above post

I know the answer to most of your questions/points, but if I start writing, it will be like essays. I want to avoid that at all costs.

1.Formation of the Sahale as the Sahara dries out, from the Niger bend, lake chad, to the Nile valley.
(Early Habitable places in the Sahale versus the Sahara)
Like I said many times the earliest inhabitants of the Sahel were the Ancestors of modern day West Africans. You should check out this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98viuKQnIWU&hd=1

As for the earliest places of the Sahel vs the earliest places of the Sahara? I am not too sure, but the Sonnike people use to inhabitant the Sahara. They moves further south into the Sahel. You should read this thread. Its about the ancient Sonnike town Tichitte Walate which was inhabited around 4000 BC.
https://www.nairaland.com/1321386/west-african-civilization-settlement

One thing is for sure is that Sao is not the oldest West African civilization.

2. Earliest know inhabitants of the Sahale with a focus on lake chad area
I'm not to sure about this.

3. Basic overview of cities along trade routs between lake chad and Upper Nile valley with a focus on El Fashur and the Darfur region.
(basic history of each city)
Hmmmm...You should check this out.
http://www.unreportedheritagenews.com/2011/03/ancient-egyptians-made-arduous-trek-to.html

4. Trade with Kerma via the Sahale
(Projections using trade with Egypt via items not native to the Nile valley as a proxy)
I dont know about trade with Kerma and the Sahel. I have is Ancient Egypt trade with the Sahel via Chad.




5. Fall and Dispersal of the Kerma people
(possible routs of dispersal using historical movements across the Sahale under similar situations as a model)
Hmmm...Kerma was just the first capitol of Kush. The new capitol was Meroe. Pretty suree those people just migrated to the new capitol. If I am reading you correctly.

6.Nubia trade via the Sahale
(Projections using trade with Egypt via items not native to the Nile valley as a proxy)
Again dont have anything on Sahel/Nubia trade but only Egypt/Sahel trade.




6. Sao and Garamantes
For info on the Garamentes just see my debate with PAGAN9 starting here:
https://www.nairaland.com/1526538/ijebu-jebusites-what-myth/4

It is believed that the Garamentes are the ancestors of the Tuaregs.

Don't got much on Sao.

7.Christian nubia trade via the Sahale
Note: I actually have a pdf detailing finds of Christian Nubia all the way in lake chad.
I believe Kanem Empire had trade links with Nubia, I'll have to look for that info. But most medieval Sahelien states had contact with Egypt. Especially Mali.

7. Basic history of Fulani in relation to Sahara and introduction to Sahale
The Fulani ancestors were from the Sahara. They had close relationships with the Tuaregs.



8. Basic history of Tuareg in relation to Sahara and introduction to Sahale
Same thing as above. But Tuaregs are probably the oldest Berber group and they still mostly live in the sahara unlike most Berbers.

9. Basic history of Kanem - Bornou complex and it's impact on the surrounding people especially cities along trade routes

I would say Kanem connected both West and East Africa in a way.

10. Further drying of Sahara to current point and impact on inhabitents
It didn't really impact nomadic people like the Berbers, but it did with the Ancestors of modern West Africans.

11. Basic pictorial/blurb on the current different inhabitants of Sahale region in general
(with a note on the current ecological state of the region)
Not sure about this.

12. A Focus on the current Inhabitants of Southern Chad, Eastern Niger, Northeast Nigeria, lake Chad, Darfur, and Northern Cameroon.

Most of the inhabitants of those area are Nile Saharan, with some Niger Congo Speakers and Afro Asiatic speakers(Chadic speakers). You also forgot southern Libya. Which was apart of the Kanem Empire and has many Nile Saharan speakers like the Tebu.

I hope I answered some of your questions the best I can.

Fulaman198:

I know the answer to most of your questions/points, but if I start writing, it will be like essays. I want to avoid that at all costs.

Understandable
Actually, if you could critique the "table of contents" in terms of events & people I should add then I can look up the info at my leisure.

KidStranglehold:
...

I thought it was going to be the black mummy video at first. Good'ol Basil Davidson summed up my central position that whether we're talking about akan, mande, Zulu, oromo, haritan, African diasporans, ancient Egyptians, etc. we are talking about people of the sahara who left with a common culture when it dried out and absorbed other groups. And basil explained it all in under in under 1 min.


Actually a desire to avoid the political show pagan was putting on along with an interest in the general topic of that thread is what made me look into and start the thread...
https://www.nairaland.com/1530367/when-arabian-peninsula-northeast-africa


You know I thought about the tebu but I wasn't sure were I would place them. I wasn't sure I should place them in the sahale or sahara(though I did mention the Garamantes) I guess I could take the old gaddafi stance and say the tebu are actually chad citizens


That said what would you add to a table of contnets dealing with the Sahale?

RandomAfricanAm:
An account of the Dispersal of people across the sahale during the fall of kanem



People Have been in the sahale-Saharan area since around the aqualithic /green Saharan period.




The occupation of the Sahara was one that shared certain material culture commonalities throughout such as barbed harpoons for fishing and wavy lined pottery for storage.

[img]http://openi.nlm.nih.gov/imgs/rescaled512/2515196_pone.0002995.g007.png[/img]
[img]http://mathildasanthropologyblog.files./2008/08/ten-pot.jpg[/img]


As the Sahara began to dry out the people began to be pushed out of and mashed between, the desert and forest belt in what is now called the Sahale. Even though most of the occupants were dispersed from the Sahara specific trade routes would be maintained across it till relatively modern times.

Ancient


Modern


Between those two times came first the Garamantes of the Saharan Fezzen (southern Libya/northern Chad) and the Sao people of the Saharan lake chad(Northern Cameron/Southern Chad). Secondly Kanem rose in the Sahale along the trade rout
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Niger_saharan_medieval_trade_routes.PNG[/img]


The Garamantes
(probably from Berber language: igherman; meaning: cities[citation needed] or igarraman; meaning: saints, holy/sacred people) were a Saharan people who used an elaborate underground irrigation system, and founded a prosperous Berber kingdom in the Fezzan area of modern-day Libya, in the Sahara desert. They were a local power in the Sahara between 500 BC and 700 AD.

There is little textual information about the Garamantes. Even the name Garamantes was a Greek name which the Romans later adopted. Available information comes mainly from Greek and Roman sources, as well as archaeological excavations in the area, though large areas in ruins remain unexcavated. Another important source of information is the abundant rock art, which often depicts life prior to the rise of the realm.

The Garamantes were probably present as tribal people in the Fezzan by 1000 BC. They appear in the written record for the first time in the 5th century BC: according to Herodotus, they were "a very great nation" who herded cattle, farmed dates, and hunted the "Ethiopian Troglodytes", or "cave-dwellers" who lived in the desert, from four-horse chariots.[4] Roman depictions describe them as bearing ritual scars and tattoos. Tacitus wrote that they assisted the rebel Tacfarinas and raided Roman coastal settlements. According to Pliny the Elder, Romans eventually grew tired of Garamantian raiding and Lucius Cornelius Balbus captured 15 of their settlements in 19 BC. In 202, Septimius Severus captured the capital city of Garama.[5]

Near East in 600 AD, showing the location of Garamantes before the Arab conquest.
By around 150 AD the Garamantian kingdom (in today's central Libya (Fezzan), principally along the still existing Wadi al-Ajal), covered 180,000 square kilometres in modern-day southern Libya. It lasted from about 400 BC to 600 AD.

The decline of the Garamantian culture may have been connected to worsening climatic conditions, or overuse of water resources.[6] What is desert today was once fairly good agricultural land and was enhanced through the Garmantian irrigation system 1,500 years ago. As fossil water is a non-renewable resource, over the six centuries of the Garamantian kingdom, the ground water level fell.[citation needed] The kingdom declined and fragmented.


The Sao
The Sao were an African civilization that flourished from ca. the sixth century BCE to as late as the sixteenth century CE. The Sao lived by the Chari River south of Lake Chad in territory that later became part of Cameroon and Chad. They are the earliest people to have left clear traces of their presence in the territory of modern Cameroon.[1] Sometime around the 16th century, conversion to Islam changed the cultural identity of the former Sao. Today, several ethnic groups of northern Cameroon and southern Chad but particularly the Kotoko claim descent from the civilization of the Sao.

Rise and decline

The Sao civilization may have begun as early as the sixth century BCE,[6] and by the end of the first millennium BCE, their presence was well established south of Lake Chad and near the Chari River.[7] The city states of the Sao reached their apex sometime between the ninth and fifteenth centuries CE.[7]

The Sao's demise may have come about due to conquest, Islamization, or both.[8] Traditional tales say that the Sao west of Lake Chad fell to "Yemenites" from the east. These invaders made several unsuccessful attempts to conquer the Sao before finally succeeding by resorting to trickery. If true, the newcomers may have been Arab Bedouin or Sayfuwa raiders coming from the east who moved into the region in the fourteenth century .[9] Although some scholars estimate that the Sao civilization south of Lake Chad lasted until the fourteenth or fifteenth century, the majority opinion is that it ceased to exist as a separate culture sometime in the 16th century subsequently to the expansion of the Bornu Empire.[10] The Kotoko are the inheritors of the former city states of the Sao.[11]

Culture

Little is known about the Sao's culture or political organisation: They left no written records and are known only through archaeological finds and the oral history of their successors in their territory.[5] Sao artifacts show that they were skilled workers in bronze, copper, and iron.[8] Finds include bronze sculptures and terra cotta statues of human and animal figures, coins, funerary urns, household utensils, jewellery, highly decorated pottery, and spears.[12] The largest Sao archaeological finds have been made south of Lake Chad.

Ethnic groups in the Lake Chad basin, such as the Buduma, Gamergu, Kanembu, Kotoko, and Musgum claim descent from the Sao. Lebeuf supports this connection and has traced symbolism from Sao art in works by the Guti and Tukuri subgroups of the Logone-Birni people.[13] Oral histories add further details about the people: The Sao were made up of several patrilineal clans who were united into a single polity with one language, race, and religion. In these narratives, the Sao are presented as giants and mighty warriors who fought and conquered their neighbors.





The Kanem Empire

The Kanem Empire(ca. 700 - 1376) was located in the present countries of Chad, Nigeria and Libya.[2] At its height it encompassed an area covering not only much of Chad, but also parts of southern Libya (Fezzan) and eastern Niger, northeastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon. The history of the Empire is mainly known from the Royal Chronicle or Girgam discovered in 1851 by the German traveller Heinrich Barth

Origins

The empire of Kanem began forming around AD 300 under the nomadic Tebu-speaking Kanembu. Also, the first african empire. According to the Girgam, the Kanembu were forced southwest towards the fertile lands around Lake Chad by political pressure and desiccation in their former range. The area already possessed independent, walled city-states belonging to the Sao culture. Under the leadership of the Duguwa dynasty, the Kanembu would eventually dominate the Sao, but not before adopting many of their customs. War between the two continued up to the late 16th century.

One theory proposes that the lost state of Agisymba (mentioned by Ptolemy in the middle of the 2nd century AD) was the antecedent of the Kanem Empire.

Duguwa Dynasty (Kanembu)

Kanem was located at the southern end of the trans-Saharan trade route between Tripoli and the region of Lake Chad. The Kanembu eventually abandoned their nomadic lifestyle and founded a capital around 700 AD under the first documented Kanembu king ("mai" known as Sef of Saif. The capital of N'jimi (the word for "south" in the Teda language) grew in power and influence under Sef's son, Dugu. This transition marked the beginning of the Duguwa Dynasty. The mais of the Duguwa were regarded as divine kings and belonged to the ruling establishment known as the Magumi. Despite changes in dynastic power, the magumi and the title of mai would persevere for over a thousand years.

Sayfawa Dynasty

The major factor that influenced the history of the state of Kanem was the early penetration of Islam. North African traders, Berbers and Arabs, brought the new religion. In 1085, a Muslim noble by the name of Hummay removed the last Duguwa king Selma from power and thus established the new dynasty of the Sefuwa.

The introduction of the Sefuwa dynasty meant radical changes for the Kanem Empire. First, it meant the Islamization of the court and state policies. Second, the identification of founders had to be revised. After the 13th century, the empire began associating Mai Sef with the legendary Yemenite hero Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan. Hence, it became customary to call the new ruling dynasty the Sayfawa instead of the Sefuwa.

Islam and Kanem

Islam offered the Sayfawa rulers the advantage of new ideas from Arabia and the Mediterranean world, as well as literacy in administration. But many people resisted the new religion, favouring traditional beliefs and practices. When Hummay had assumed power on the basis of his strong Islamic following, for example, it is believed that the Duguwa/Sefuwa began some kind of internal opposition. This pattern of conflict and compromise with Islam occurs repeatedly in Chad's history.

By the 12th century, the Sayfawa ruled all over Kanem. At the same time, the Kanembu people drew closer to the new rulers and increased the growing population in Njimi. Even though the Kanembu became the main power base of the Sayfawa, Kanem's rulers continued to travel frequently throughout the kingdom and especially towards Bornu, west of lake Chad. Herders and farmers alike recognized the government's power and acknowledged their allegiance by paying tribute.

Mai Dunama Dabbalemi

Kanem's expansion peaked during the long and energetic reign of Mai Dunama Dabbalemi (ca. 1221–1259), also of the Sayfawa dynasty. Dabbalemi initiated diplomatic exchanges with sultans in North Africa and apparently arranged for the establishment of a special hostel in Cairo to facilitate pilgrimages to Mecca. During his reign, he declared jihad against the surrounding tribes and initiated an extended period of conquest. After consolidating their territory around Lake Chad, the Fezzan region (in present-day Libya) fell under Kanem's authority, and the empire's influence extended westward to Kano (in present-day Nigeria), eastward to Ouaddaï, and southward to the Adamawa grasslands (in present-day Cameroon). However, he also destroyed the national Mune cult and thus precipitated widespread revolt culminating in the uprise of the Tubu and the Bulala. The former could be quenched but the latter continued to linger on and finally led to the retreat of the Sayfuwa from Kanem to Bornu c. 1380.

Dabbalemi devised a system to reward military commanders with authority over the people they conquered. This system, however, tempted military officers to pass their positions to their sons, thus transforming the office from one based on achievement and loyalty to the mai into one based on hereditary nobility. Dabbalemi was able to suppress this tendency, but after his death, dissension among his sons weakened the Sayfawa Dynasty. Dynastic feuds degenerated into civil war, and Kanem's outlying peoples soon ceased paying tribute.

Fall of Kanem

After the death of Dunama II, Kanem quickly fell into a downward spiral. By the end of the 14th century, internal struggles and external attacks had torn Kanem apart.

Sao Resurgence

Between 1342 and 1352, the Sao, who had dominated Kanem prior to the Zaghawa, killed four mais in battle. The proliferation of mai claimants to the throne led to a series of internecine wars.

Bulala Invasion

The death knell of Sayfawa power in Kanem was dealt by the Bulala, invaders from the area around Lake Fitri to the east. By 1376, the Bulala had driven the Sayfawa from their capital. By 1388, they had taken Kanem altogether. The Kanuri were forced back into their nomadic ways and migrated west of Lake Chad, eventually establishing a new empire in Bornu.

[img]http://africanlegends.files./2011/12/kanem_bornu-court-ca-1700.jpg[/img]

.
.
.
.
Continued below

These are some interesting threads. Ok, someone asked a question about the Toubou and I hope to clarify. First, Ghaddafi's bid against our people was a political one. And I hope that we're all aware of geo-politics. Africans tend to draw lines of division based on color, language and culture. This situation is no different. History attest the fact that we have inhabited the Libyan border since time immemorial and will continue to. Our land spans into the Tenere desert in Niger and down into Bornu. Yes, I said it,"into Bornu." Some Toubou clans have roots in Bornu and some Kanuri have roots in the BET of Chad and the Fezzan of Libya. In fact, they can still be found there today. Our oral traditions states we came from Arabia but this is most likely a transition of origin myth just as the Kanuri Girgam changes from a particular origin to an "Arab" one. The Toubou are of Garamante origin…hence the word "Gourane." We share much of the same blood with the Touareg except while the Touareg mixed with the Hausa and the Fulani, we mixed with the Wadai, Kanembu, Zaghawa and the Kanuri, especially the Kanuri.

Also, the Fulani originated on the border of Algeria and Mali, not the Sahara. They are Kel Ouli, "people of the goat." Toubou are Ikaradan, cousins of Touareg but not dominated by the Touareg.

AllachiToubou:


These are some interesting threads. Ok, someone asked a question about the Toubou and I hope to clarify. First, Ghaddafi's bid against our people was a political one. And I hope that we're all aware of geo-politics. Africans tend to draw lines of division based on color, language and culture. This situation is no different. History attest the fact that we have inhabited the Libyan border since time immemorial and will continue to. Our land spans into the Tenere desert in Niger and down into Bornu. Yes, I said it,"into Bornu." Some Toubou clans have roots in Bornu and some Kanuri have roots in the BET of Chad and the Fezzan of Libya. In fact, they can still be found there today. Our oral traditions states we came from Arabia but this is most likely a transition of origin myth just as the Kanuri Girgam changes from a particular origin to an "Arab" one. The Toubou are of Garamante origin…hence the word "Gourane." We share much of the same blood with the Touareg except while the Touareg mixed with the Hausa and the Fulani, we mixed with the Wadai, Kanembu, Zaghawa and the Kanuri, especially the Kanuri.

Also, the Fulani originated on the border of Algeria and Mali, not the Sahara. They are Kel Ouli, "people of the goat." Toubou are Ikaradan, cousins of Touareg but not dominated by the Touareg.

That's an interesting output of things but I don't necessarily agree with your statement. People of the goat? lol

RandomAfricanAm:


Understandable
Actually, if you could critique the "table of contents" in terms of events & people I should add then I can look up the info at my leisure.



I thought it was going to be the black mummy video at first. Good'ol Basil Davidson summed up my central position that whether we're talking about akan, mande, Zulu, oromo, haritan, African diasporans, ancient Egyptians, etc. we are talking about people of the sahara who left with a common culture when it dried out and absorbed other groups. And basil explained it all in under in under 1 min.


Actually a desire to avoid the political show pagan was putting on along with an interest in the general topic of that thread is what made me look into and start the thread...
https://www.nairaland.com/1530367/when-arabian-peninsula-northeast-africa


You know I thought about the tebu but I wasn't sure were I would place them. I wasn't sure I should place them in the sahale or sahara(though I did mention the Garamantes) I guess I could take the old gaddafi stance and say the tebu are actually chad citizens


That said what would you add to a table of contnets dealing with the Sahale?

Aye... The bolded is the exact same theory I have.

You should check out this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4U3W0zZwA8

I'm subscribed to him and he makes a lot of good vids. But in this particular vid I posted he mentions later on in the vid that there once being a large African culture in the sahara. The same thing I think you're saying.

AllachiToubou:


These are some interesting threads. Ok, someone asked a question about the Toubou and I hope to clarify. First, Ghaddafi's bid against our people was a political one. And I hope that we're all aware of geo-politics. Africans tend to draw lines of division based on color, language and culture. This situation is no different. History attest the fact that we have inhabited the Libyan border since time immemorial and will continue to. Our land spans into the Tenere desert in Niger and down into Bornu. Yes, I said it,"into Bornu." Some Toubou clans have roots in Bornu and some Kanuri have roots in the BET of Chad and the Fezzan of Libya. In fact, they can still be found there today. Our oral traditions states we came from Arabia but this is most likely a transition of origin myth just as the Kanuri Girgam changes from a particular origin to an "Arab" one. The Toubou are of Garamante origin…hence the word "Gourane." We share much of the same blood with the Touareg except while the Touareg mixed with the Hausa and the Fulani, we mixed with the Wadai, Kanembu, Zaghawa and the Kanuri, especially the Kanuri.

Also, the Fulani originated on the border of Algeria and Mali, not the Sahara. They are Kel Ouli, "people of the goat." Toubou are Ikaradan, cousins of Touareg but not dominated by the Touareg.

Are you Libyan? If so I may have some questions.

KidStranglehold:



Are you Libyan? If so I may have some questions.

---

With his English being that good he's probably a Nigerian

Fulaman198:

---

With his English being that good he's probably a Nigerian

Indeed.

AllachiToubou:


These are some interesting threads. Ok, someone asked a question about the Toubou and I hope to clarify. First, Ghaddafi's bid against our people was a political one. And I hope that we're all aware of geo-politics. Africans tend to draw lines of division based on color, language and culture. This situation is no different. History attest the fact that we have inhabited the Libyan border since time immemorial and will continue to. Our land spans into the Tenere desert in Niger and down into Bornu. Yes, I said it,"into Bornu." Some Toubou clans have roots in Bornu and some Kanuri have roots in the BET of Chad and the Fezzan of Libya. In fact, they can still be found there today. Our oral traditions states we came from Arabia but this is most likely a transition of origin myth just as the Kanuri Girgam changes from a particular origin to an "Arab" one. The Toubou are of Garamante origin…hence the word "Gourane." We share much of the same blood with the Touareg except while the Touareg mixed with the Hausa and the Fulani, we mixed with the Wadai, Kanembu, Zaghawa and the Kanuri, especially the Kanuri.

Also, the Fulani originated on the border of Algeria and Mali, not the Sahara. They are Kel Ouli, "people of the goat." Toubou are Ikaradan, cousins of Touareg but not dominated by the Touareg.

Thanks for the reply, I apologize if I missed anything concerning the Toubou. As I said at the time I didn't really know were I should place the Toubou. This is especially an issue in that contact with English speaking Toubou is rare, along with pertinent knowledge constantly being mediated by the extent to which Europeans are interested enough to collect information on a given group( though that's a wider issue ).

Also, do you know of any big war that occurred around 600 years ago that the Toubou survived but could've caused the migration of others from the area? (as depicted below)

The story of the “Kedh Gurrai” (great migration to the south) states that there was a big war which caused people to disperse in different directions. Some stayed, some moved away, and this was also when people converted to different religions; this migration is believed to have happened around 14th Century AD. The legend says the war was triggered by a “Boran” invasion. The Borana people have always lived in the same regions, and speak the same language as Garris.

In recent years, further information has shed light on exactly when, where, and why the migration of Kedh Gurrai took place. Many senior Garris, claim that they have always heard about Garris who live in Chad. This claim was also confirmed by president of Chad Hissene Habre, who supposedly came to East Africa and met with Garri elders. You can also read about it in “Toubou and Gorane of Chad”.


“There are Garris in Chad today, and they are the people who stayed behind after we left during Kedh Gurrai…” -Abdullahi A.

It's a very interesting thread op. I really would like to know more about the Sao and what happened to them...

AllachiToubou:


These are some interesting threads. Ok, someone asked a question about the Toubou and I hope to clarify. First, Ghaddafi's bid against our people was a political one. And I hope that we're all aware of geo-politics. Africans tend to draw lines of division based on color, language and culture. This situation is no different. History attest the fact that we have inhabited the Libyan border since time immemorial and will continue to. Our land spans into the Tenere desert in Niger and down into Bornu. Yes, I said it,"into Bornu." Some Toubou clans have roots in Bornu and some Kanuri have roots in the BET of Chad and the Fezzan of Libya. In fact, they can still be found there today. Our oral traditions states we came from Arabia but this is most likely a transition of origin myth just as the Kanuri Girgam changes from a particular origin to an "Arab" one. The Toubou are of Garamante origin…hence the word "Gourane." We share much of the same blood with the Touareg except while the Touareg mixed with the Hausa and the Fulani, we mixed with the Wadai, Kanembu, Zaghawa and the Kanuri, especially the Kanuri.

Also, the Fulani originated on the border of Algeria and Mali, not the Sahara. They are Kel Ouli, "people of the goat." Toubou are Ikaradan, cousins of Touareg but not dominated by the Touareg.

Do you mean people of the cows.

Border of Algeria and Mali is well in the Sahara fyi @ AllachiToubou

Fulaman198:

---

With his English being that good he's probably a Nigerian

Are there Toubous in Nigeria? His name suggests he is Toubou, a group I thought was found only in Chad and Libya.

Radoillo:


Are there Toubous in Nigeria? His name suggests he is Toubou, a group I thought was found only in Chad and Libya.

Nah, there are Toubous in Nigeria and Niger (where I believe they are the most) as well.