Soninke

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Soninke from Sélibaby in southern Mauritania

Soninke (also called Sarakole , Seraculeh , Maraka or Serahuli ) are a West African people. You belong to the Mandé group .

history

They are said to be descended from the Bafour , a presumed indigenous people in the Sahara , and would therefore be relatives of the Imraguen who live on the Atlantic coast of Mauritania .

The Soninke are the founders of the ancient empire of Ghana , which reached its height between the 7th and 10th centuries. The Almoravid Stiru in the 11th century caused a fall after the neighboring Mandé peoples had caused an internal collapse.

distribution

The Soninké live in large areas of West Africa, in Mauritania, Ivory Coast , Mali , Burkina Faso , Ghana and Senegal . They occupy the banks of the Senegal River in southern Mauritania, where they devote themselves to agriculture and trade. The Soninke language is Azayr, a dialect strongly influenced by Berber . The majority have adopted the languages ​​of the peoples among whom they live. In 2005 there were approximately 2.6 million Soninké people.

tradition

They have been mainly Muslim since the 15th century. The Soninké society is rigid and offers little social mobility . The descent , the legacy and the transfer of authority relations and family are absolutely patrilineal . The female genital mutilation , the payment of a bride price and polygamy are established customs; Folklore and rituals are important parts of the Soninkés life.

In the old days there was slavery. Descendants of the slaves still live in isolated villages today.

Web links

Commons : Soninke  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Khady: Die Tränen der Töchter , Knaur, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-426-77963-7 , p. 223
  2. Khady: The tears of the daughters , Knaur, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-426-77963-7
  3. Hans-Heinrich Bass, Klaus von Freyhold and Cordula Weisskoeppel: Harvesting water, protecting trees: Food security in the Sahel , Bremen 2013, p. 9 (PDF; 2.9 MB)