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Janyanfara
Tanzania
1350 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Jun 2006 : 21:48:20
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Here was the earliest statement of West Africa's great "migration legend.
The descendants of the prosterity of Kush who was the son of Ham and grandson of Noah, says Ibn munabbeh, include the people of the Sudan near the Goran,east of lake Chad.The Zaghawa who still inhabit western Dafur,the Habesha who still inhabit part of Abyssinia (present Ethiopia),the Berbers and the belad es sudan(present mende of Mali).
According to the early Arab geographer,El Mas'ud,in his book 'meadows of Gold mines of Gems': written in 948 AD ,some of the sons of Kush and Canaan,travelled towards the west and crossed the Nile.Some of them the Nubians,the Beja and the Zanj moved between the East and the West while others merched towards the setting sun..
These incoming migrants- the "Judeo-syrian" groups, for example tradition awards the foundation of Ghana Empire in about A.D 300 in Western Sudan to them.
Great historian Basil Davidson wrote " Lhote's pioneering work in the Sahara has suggested that Negroes had long occupied at least as far north as the mountains of Tassili,halfway to the mediterranean coast."
Paintings of mask found from Tassili is strongly reminiscent to those still used by the Senufu people of today Ivory Coast.Delafosse writing fifty years ago thought that these Senufu tribe were one of three indigenous peoples whom the migrants from east and north-east found in possesion of the land.
Also new fragments of evidence from the old stone age tools discovered from tin workings near Jos, on the plateau of central Nigeria,suggested that there was humanity living there as long ago as the time of the Kanjeran pluvial, the third of the east Africa's generally accepted pluvials.According to Bernard Fagg in 1958,these fragments of charcoal from these Kanjeran level gave an age when submitted to radio-carbon test more than 39,000 years......to be continued
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Edited by - Janyanfara on 11 Jun 2006 16:14:34 |
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njucks
Gambia
1131 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2006 : 11:41:58
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interesting reading janyangfara.i'm not comfortable with ''These incoming migrants- the "Judeo-syrian" groups, for example tradition awards the foundation of Ghana Empire in about A.D 300 in Western Sudan to them.''
as far as i know and what is generally accepted is that the Ghana Empire was founded entirely by the Sarakules in what is presenty Mauritania and there was no foreign influence in its origins. in fact Ghana is how the empire is called in English/French but the people themselves called it Wagadu. Gana was the title of the rulers.the name still exists in Wollof for that area!!
i'm not sure about the descendants of Noah either as this is probably just a biblical story and has no link to Africa.
from what i have read i strongly believe that the earliest form of civilisation in West Africa is from the Nok cultures found in what is today called Nigeria, who left behind a strong appreciation for the arts through beautiful terra cotta scultures. your can see these in any good musuem or read more about the Noks online
http://www.ryannwillis.com/artcatalogue.php |
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Janyanfara
Tanzania
1350 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2006 : 15:53:37
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Bro.njucks,
I think you must read the African history pre-A.D 230.
Though no Historian,I have done a lot of researches and travels to reach to where I am now and am sure of the authentication of what I write.Ofacuse I am not disputing yours either as historical sources vary due to the broad and wide oratoral sayings of varrious narrators but sometimes these narrations meet at a center point so who knows ours may meet at some point.Keep posting and other contributions are also must welcome
You are talking about A.D 738.Try and answer some of these questions.
(1)Was there any cultural and linguistic unity amongst forest-dwelling people of the then Nok tribe of present day Nigeria?
(2)If there was what was it?
I was comming to how the Ghana Empire came to be dominated by the Sarahules but I must continue then you will realise what came to be considered The ancient Ghana.
The people of Ghana according to El Zouhri before A.D 1150 had stated western Sudan was not discovered or written about by Africans south of the sahara until the eight century.It was only through oral tradition which takes it vaguely some way further back.The earliest oregins can be safely attached to the period of installation of iron extractive industries and of social changes associated with that developments.
The period I am taking about began around 300 B.C
Both for work and warfare,the trans-Saharan trade(not slavery),had shown by then supriority of iron over other metals.Western Sudan did not then control the west African gold, for that lay mostly in the forest belt,where western Sudanese states had no lasting penetration of conquest.But they then controlled the passage of these golds to the northward.Their cities flourished on its trade.
The earliest of the western Sudanese Empires that rose to fame and fortune was Ghana.Its territory lay to the north/north-west of the upper Niger.The greatest historian of his time then,El Fazari soon after A.D 800,named it "the land of gold".Before 833 A.D,Kwarizm,another historian marked it on a map for the first time.Through the accounts of Abdallah ibn Abdel Azis,known as Abu Ubaid some called him El Bekri has touched an illuminating description with good materials.Writting at Cordoba on southern Spain,where he had at his disposal the official records of the Ummayad rulers with discriminating details with military inteligence believed to be truth about Ghana.When he finished his work in 1067,some 13 years after Ibn Yasin, the Almoravid rulers from the North had marched to invade and had captured Aoudaghast{first capital].The then king moved to a new settlement and called it after his wife Kumbi salleh.This capture [of Aoudaghast]was a turning point in bringing Ghana in closer contact with the outside world...El Bekri wrote,
"The king of Ghana can put 200,000 warriors in the war field with more than 40,000 of them armed with bow and arrows.It is ofcause true that the name Ghana was the title of the king of the people.This was written by El Bekri in 1067.The name of the kingdom was Aoukar.At the time of his writtings, the king was Tankamenin who came to the throne in 455[in the muslim callender] which was 1062 A.D.
You search you history notes as I am no good historian but B4 Tankamenin [The first Sarahule ruler,who came through a rebellion removing the Judeo-syrian tribe which can now be found in Sudan[light skinned Black Arabs].
Tankamenin became a master of a grest empire and had immenced power which was formidable.In an account from Ibn Yasin , fervent promoters of Islam{The Almoravids] had marched southwest from the Meghreb in 1054,took Aoudaghast the following year and almost reduced Ghana to the size of its capital Kumbi saleh.Kumbi was situated according to El Bekri fifteen days from Aoudaghast and two months southwards from Sijilmasa..Talking about Kumbi,he noted "It was a very beautiful city with marbles and solid henna trees as big as olives".It was not until 1076 that the Almoravid leader,Abu Bakr,could take the Capital Kumbi Saleh and drive the Sarahule rulers southwrds thus some ending up around the Gambia river and others esterblishing the fortress of Manda,south of the then Mandingo vassal state of Kaabu then answerable to the Emperor of Mali Empire.
Some historians like the writter of tarikh el fettach who stated in that book (Tarikh el fettach), "kumbi had been the capital of ancient Ghana even b4 the Judeo-Syrians".But other narrators stated it was the first black sudanese capital of the first kingdom Kayamaga.But according to Tarikh es sudan Kayamaga itself was the name of the first King who had according to tradition no fewer than forthy-three successors b4 the Sarahules took over.
What ever accouns we have, could be useful here as we all try to esterblish the true identity of our historical heritage b4 western writers come to write about us.
So don't stop make more researches and come up with any clue that could help our readers to know about Africa b4 and after 300 B.C to the present.
I shall talk about KUMBI and how it fell to Abu Bakr in the next isue.
Peace,
Janyanfara |
Edited by - Janyanfara on 11 Jun 2006 16:40:33 |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2006 : 18:48:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Janyanfara
Here was the earliest statement of West Africa's great "migration legend.
The descendants of the prosterity of Kush who was the son of Ham and grandson of Noah, says Ibn munabbeh, include the people of the Sudan near the Goran,east of lake Chad.The Zaghawa who still inhabit western Dafur,the Habesha who still inhabit part of Abyssinia (present Ethiopia),the Berbers and the belad es sudan(present mende of Mali).
According to the early Arab geographer,El Mas'ud,in his book 'meadows of Gold mines of Gems': written in 948 AD ,some of the sons of Kush and Canaan,travelled towards the west and crossed the Nile.Some of them the Nubians,the Beja and the Zanj moved between the East and the West while others merched towards the setting sun..
These incoming migrants- the "Judeo-syrian" groups, for example tradition awards the foundation of Ghana Empire in about A.D 300 in Western Sudan to them.
Great historian Basil Davidson wrote " Lhote's pioneering work in the Sahara has suggested that Negroes had long occupied at least as far north as the mountains of Tassili,halfway to the mediterranean coast."
Paintings of mask found from Tassili is strongly reminiscent to those still used by the Senufu people of today Ivory Coast.Delafosse writing fifty years ago thought that these Senufu tribe were one of three indigenous peoples whom the migrants from east and north-east found in possesion of the land.
Also new fragments of evidence from the old stone age tools discovered from tin workings near Jos, on the plateau of central Nigeria,suggested that there was humanity living there as long ago as the time of the Kanjeran pluvial, the third of the east Africa's generally accepted pluvials.According to Bernard Fagg in 1958,these fragments of charcoal from these Kanjeran level gave an age when submitted to radio-carbon test more than 39,000 years......to be continued
Well there is a small settlement in CRD called Tassili. Could it be that they have historical relations to the people form the mountains of Tassili in the north? |
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njucks
Gambia
1131 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2006 : 19:56:12
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ok well you clearly know more than me. but honestly i can't follow your text and i dont get your question
(1)Was there any cultural and linguistic unity amongst forest-dwelling people of the then Nok tribe of present day Nigeria?
what are you trying to imply. Nok was not a tribe. the remains of their existance was found in a village called Nok and hence the name. linguistic unity is not a neccesity for civilisation.
i'm equally confused by judeo-syrian??? who were these people, were they africans or people with afro-asiatic languages??
also the dates are confusing you seem to jump from BC to AD. this is a span of 1000yrs.
well we will learn from each other but make it more chronological its easier for people like me.
thanks |
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Janyanfara
Tanzania
1350 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2006 : 15:40:06
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Thank you my dear learned brother njucks and Kon.
(1)Well to answer your first Question njucks,Nok was actually a tribe and thus the culture named after it by Ibn Al kawkwa in the twelve century.
As you can rightly see now a days certain villages are named after tribes or family names eg Fulabantang,Mintehkunda,or after a founder like Ker Jarigajobe.I give examples of towns or villages in the Gambia so that you will understand the nature of the then writters who while making their researches,normally write they are told by different narrators or about places they've been taken to see.
(2)As to the Judeo- Syrians ,they are the direct descendants of Ham as I said earlier on (Ham grandson of Noah).They are dark skinned,and were regarded by their kinsmen as childreen of the Black mother(Noah's second wife).
You might as well know Noak's first son(son of his first wife) refused to join the AORK and thus drowned.His younger brother Seith was regarded as the rightful son and the father of Ham, Judeo who was dark skinned due to the colour of his mother,as a second class .(Just like Ismaiel and Ishaq.Ismaiel's mother being from Egypt was black while Ishaq'as mother the first wife was Arab semitic colour.) In those days Black was seen as second to semitic.When he(Judeo left after the great flood,according to Ibn mustahaq went first to what is today called syria but found it difficult to settle amongst the people thus he left for the Goran which can be found in today Dafur region......This story goes on and on and on so what I actually want to focus on most is how the kingdoms came about b4 whites or western writters came to us.
(3) Pleadse don't be confused about the dates the first migerations happened around the 300.B.C.
Well b4 Christ(Which historically is called B.C),the family of Ham had been migrating south of the Sahara which was then fertile with bedioun herdsmen occupying it for gracing of their animals.I was going to continue with that but also I have be here when questions are asked so that I try to the best of my ability to answer them so that reading can be a bit more interesting not so?
You asked me about the Ghana Empire which took place between about 230 A.D to about 1181 A.D when it finally gave in for the incomming power of the Mandingo of kaniaga and kangaba which gave rise to the Empire of Mali. Thats what gave you the confussion between the migration of the Black people toward the south which took place Before Christ B.C and the comming of Ghana Empire which took place After christ A.D
Thank you so much for your Question and I hope I have tried to answer to the best of my ability though as I said earlier I am no historian.Infact am into a very different field but as I did history b4,I felt inlove with it as I have this urging in me to trace my roots and thus I found it the most facinating field of all human life.I love it and am ready to learn more from any sector as I go through this trying momments.History is very wide and no one can know all.
Kondorong boy,
Well I have no idea whether there is any historical link between Tassili in CRD and that of ancient Tassili as many towns today in the Gambia have similar names to ancient towns like Taifa, Bijini, Darselamme,ect ect.Maybe the founders of those towns and villages had some ancestral links.
By the way how was Yero baol?How did you manage to write to us from there?I couldn't when I went to Basse.Also have you visited Armitage?
Thank you all for your encouragements I shall continue with Kumbi in the next issue when time permits me.
Peace.
Mankajang Janyanfara |
Edited by - Janyanfara on 13 Jun 2006 15:58:34 |
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njucks
Gambia
1131 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2006 : 16:29:28
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thanks Janyafara good luck with your research. i saw you mentioned Bijini in the Gambia. but the original settlement is in Casamance or G.Bissau there is a german academic that has just wrttien a book based on Tarikh de Bijini . this 'Tarikho' was written by Jahanka clerics and recounts their history and that of Kaabu.
its called Tarikh Mandinka de Bijini (Guinée-Bissau) you can get a copy from
http://www.brill.nl/m_catalogue_sub6_id24454.htm
keep it up. |
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Janyanfara
Tanzania
1350 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2006 : 17:40:15
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Thank you my wounderful brother.
njucks I really appriciate you comments.Please don't stop,keep sending them.That information is a masterpiece.Bless you!
I also urge all readers of Bantaba to do likewise.Be it critical or constructive,it will surely help as History is not my field and I know there are some of you out there who know more than I do.so help me improve.
I want to do everything I can to share what I have and know with my people...Bantaba for you are all great God chosen Salvationists.
As Bob Marley said "If you know your history,then you'll know where you comming from...."(though am no rasta,I like that piece.)
peace
Mankajang Janyanfara |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2006 : 21:55:36
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Sankofa has installed a wireless network at Yero Bawol. So next time you come around you will find me under the trees just near the health center surfing cyberspace.
Thanks for your insights on History. No i have not been to Armitage for almost 10 years now but i try to find latest news about the school. By the way do you have the telephone number of the school. You see although Yero Bawol is near, it is so far away. |
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Janyanfara
Tanzania
1350 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2006 : 15:17:45
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Yes ofcause you foolish fool(laughs)
How can you be at Yero bawol and you can't atleast try oneday visit to you old home?Oh kon you dissappointed me.How ever bussy you might be,sometimes you passed Armitage to kombo.10 years is too long.I have no doubt you will definately not recognise the school now.
The then principals office is now the v.p's office and near the basket-ball court is the p's office.The school is almost in ruins.I have been there three times during my last visit and our group will visit the school in August this year.
I think kondorong should do something about Sankofa...Like you know what I mean.....Kon please try your ... on sankofa (laughs)You are killing me with laughter. |
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Janyanfara
Tanzania
1350 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2006 : 00:40:14
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.....Kumbi Saleh in short was Ghana's capital.In 1914,a french district officer,Bonnel de Mezieres dug into a site that was suggested by tradition to be the old city of Kumbi saleh.
Renewed work on this site found that Kumbi layed 205 miles north of modern Bamako.
Also in 1924,Thomassey and Mauny were able to to discover the squire mile of the city considering that due to the size, Kumbi saleh may have a population of about 30,000 people.
As Ghana lay between the salt deposits of the north and the gold deposits of the south,thus Kumbi saleh mightily frofited from exchange between the two..The gold producing people according to El Bakri,are called the Ferawi who needed salt so much would exchange an equivallent weight of salt for gold a comodity the north wanted so much.Thus when the people of Wangara (A place found to be somewhere near the source of the Senegal river) captured the gold producing arrears,the Almoravids who conquered part of Ghana wants the gold for themselves.They therefore made their garrison at Taghaza so that any thing going into Kumbi saleh or comming from it could be stopped by them thus forcing the king into submission.But the king was with other ideas for he expanded towardsGhiarou ,the best gold producing region filled with Negro people.All nuggest of gold that are found in the mines belong to the king:but he leaves all the gold dust to the people.The people were happy thus the kingdom boomed...(tobe continued) |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2006 : 19:06:57
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| This is history time Give us more of the glory of the motherland. |
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njucks
Gambia
1131 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2006 : 22:18:03
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if i may add something Wangara is also the name given to people of 'Jula' origin in Northern Ghana, Ivory Coast going eastwards.
infact othman dan fodio credits them for spreading trade and Islam from the Mali region.
its very interesting Jayanfara. |
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Janyanfara
Tanzania
1350 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jun 2006 : 00:15:11
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Thank you so much njucks and Kondorong,njucks yes wangara was also found around the sokoto caliphate.I shall come to that some time.....
However, lets continue with Ghana and how it crumpled under the Almoravids,then latter the comming of the Mali Empire?
In 1054,the Almoravid ruler Abu Bakr sent his armies south to control the gold and salt mines(despite posing as trying to force the pagan Ghanians to convert to Islam.)El Bekri, Ibn Khaldun would summarise the experiance as thus:" The Almoravids spread their dominion over the negros(of Ghana),devastated their teritory and plundered their properties.Having submitted poll tax on them,they imposed on them a tribute,and compelled a great number of them to become muolems.They reduced the authority of the king,thus creating neighbours to seize that advantage to finish the remnants of what was left under the king's control."
The Sosso independance
The first to rebbelled was the Sosso under their fierce general Sumanguru Konte in 1209.The Sossos faught with Ghana at the battle of Tankongana difeated the Ghanians and gained their independance.However Sumanguru did not stop there,He went on annexing other small states from Ghana includding the small Mandingo states of Kaniaga and Kangaba.Thus the Sossos took their country and reduced its inhabitants to fear and slavery.
MALI EMPIRE
In 1213 Mansa Allakoi Keita submitted to Sumanguru with the hope that his sons would succeed him as vassal chiefs under the Sosso rule.But little did Sumanguru knew that the Mandinkas were trying to find out what would actually kill this tyrant who many believed that has got supper natural powers.After Allakoi's death,Sumanguru kept his promise and allowed the son Farako Keita to succeed his father.He ruled for five years but died after many believed was due to Sumanguru's devil woman who fell inlove with handsome Farako,but because Farako was told by the Jalangs that he was not the right man to tackle Sumanguru but his great grand son who would be called Mari Jatta.Farako was succeeded by his son Magan Keita but died early.However he had a son Nare farako magan keika who became the new chief.He had many sons but as tradition had it that Sumanguru's jalangs told him a son would be born to a woman from kaniaga royals who would distroy his kingdom,Nare magan Keita had six wives,three from kaniaga and three from Kangaba.So any of his wives from kaniaga who delivers a baby boy,he is immidiately put to death by Sumanguru but he let Nare Magan's other three wives from kangaba to have sons so that Nare magan can have someone to succeed him when he die.He actually killed twelve sons born within the royals from Kaniaga women.(Little did he know that Sugulung Conte,marijatta's mother was actually born in kaniaga but grew up in Kangaba)
The women from kangaba bore a son each to Nare magan.The first wife (sasuma Beretti) bore to him Dangarang Touman,the second wife (Sugulung conteh) bore him Sundiatta and his third wife bore him Manmding Bori......to be continued |
Edited by - Janyanfara on 16 Jun 2006 00:32:58 |
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Janyanfara
Tanzania
1350 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jun 2006 : 23:37:07
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....In 1238,Nare Manghan died and the kingdom was without a king as the eldest son,then very youngDankarang Touman was scared of Sumanguru's power and didn't want to succeed his father.However when Sumanguru sought his younger sister,s hand in marriage,he saw his chance to have the great feared king's support.The next brother then a crippled but fearless, didn't want his sister to marry Sumanguru.Dankarang Touman gave no listening ear to anybody.Now that he had Sumanguru's protection,he became brutal towards his people including his half brothers and their mothers.
According to tradition(Which I personally think was fictious),Sundiata's mother asked Dabnkarang Touman for powder baubab leave which they used for stew and Dankarang told the old woman"why don't you ask your crippled son good for nothing except eating to go and fetch you baubab leave?".This made Sugulung conte so sad that she kept crying and would not be consoled there then Sundiata crawled towards his mother and said to her "Mum today you will not only have a baubab leave but as much as you want.There then he got up to the surprise of everyone and walked to the bush with anger,he uprooted the whole baubab tree and carried it to his mother saying "mama, jata te siigi la koteng"(meaning "mother the lion will never sit again").
Fearing the power of his half brother Dankarang Touman fled to Sumanguru leaving the state without a leader.In 1239,Sundiata was choosen as the new leader,without waisting time,he decleared independance from the Sosso king and led a war to crush the mighty Sosso.
Sundiata eventually overcame his physical obstacles, and grew into a strong young man. He led a Mandinka revolt against Sosso rule, and his forces routed Sumanguru at the Battle of Kirina (c. 1240 AD). Sundiata converted to Islam as gesture of goodwill to Islamic traders, after the defeat of Sumanguru. The Epic of Sundiata is part of the oral tradition of the Mandinka and is still told today.
Following this victory, Sundiata expanded his Empire to include most of the important parts of West Africa, including the towns of Walata, Tadmekka, and Gao at the southern end of the desert trade routes. The Mali Empire was made up of 3 allied states and 12 tributaries. The three states were Mali (which held the capital of the Empire, Niani), Mema, and Wagadou, the former Ghana Empire. The 12 tributaries were referred to as the 12 doors of Mali to which only the Mansa (emperor) holds the key. They were Djebeda, Tabon, Negueboria, Kankigne, Togom, Sili, Krina, Koulikoro, Diaghan, Kita, Ka-ba, and Do. to be continued
Mankajang Janyanfara.x |
Edited by - Janyanfara on 19 Jun 2006 23:40:02 |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jun 2006 : 23:57:21
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| This is powerful stuff. Good job Jayangfara. |
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