Sonni

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The Sonni are a sovereign group or dynasty of Songhai eich that originated on the Wangara , ie Mande returns.

The Sonni separated from the Za in Gao , the capital of the Songhai Empire , after they had called the Keita of the Mali Empire around 1300 AD for help. They moved then into the 150 km Niger downstream Kukiya back. When Mali was shaken by disputes for the throne towards the end of the 14th century, they began a grueling guerrilla war against the Za rulers of Gao with the support of the Songhai cavalrymen. They finally drove the Za out of Gao and, under Sulayman Dama, continued their attacks against Mali as far as Mema , southwest of Timbuktu .

The greatest ruler of the Sonni was Sonni Ali (1465–1492). With the help of the Songhai he conquered the wide area between Jenne and Kebbi and thus became the founder of the Songhai Empire. His son and successor, Sonni Baru , was defeated by Askiya Muhammad at the Battle of Ankagho near Gao in 1493 . As a result, the members of the Sonni ruling group had to flee in order to get out of reach of the Askiya to safety. Their descendants are the Sohance, who can be found today as magicians in Tendirma , southwest of Timbuktu, and northwest of Tillabéry .

bibliography

  • Adam Konaré Ba: Sonni Ali Ber , Niamey 1977 (here pp. 27-37).
  • Dierk Lange: Ancient Kingdoms of West Africa , Dettelbach 2004 (here pp. 495–544).
  • Jean Rouch: Contribution à l'histoire songhay , Dakar 1953.