Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Songhaï
The Songhaï, heirs to the Empire of Songhaï, live predominantly in Niger and in northern
Mali, between Timbuktu and Gao. They trace their roots back to a 7th- or 8th-century ex-
odus from Mandinke lands, while other theories claim that the Tuareg founded the original
Songhaï state; yet another hypothesis states that the ancestors of the Songhaï were the ori-
ginal inhabitants of the Upper Niger.
Songhaï villages are divided into neighbourhoods, each of which elects a head. These
heads then come together to elect a village chief, who typically is of noble descent. Most
Songhaï consider themselves Muslim, although their religious practices are often mixed
with strong traditional elements, including ancestor worship and witchcraft. Large com-
munities often have both a mosque and a troupe that specialises in mediums for spirit inter-
vention.
The Pastoral Tuareg: Ecology , Culture, and Society,
by Johannes and Ida Nicolaisen, is a comprehensive two-
volume study of the Tuareg with good photographs.
