I intend this thread to be a discussion on the various civilizations of Western Sudan(Upper West Africa), namely Ghana, Mali and Songhay and their various but lesser known successor and tributary states. Also their influences, people, culture,etc.
Idk if this is strictly about history or not. So I’m a go on and post a little about the social and political organisation of the soninke society(heritage of the Ghana empire). The Soninke are an ethnic group of about two million and their homeland is the border region of Mali, Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania. There is a huge diaspora mainly in France but also in other regions.
90% of the Soninkes come from these regions, Gajaga, Wagadu, Baaxunu are the names of the ancient provinces. people still claim them irrelevant of modern provinces of each nation.
The social and political organization of Soninké is essentially a hierarchy. Of all ethnic groups in the region, the social organization of the Soninké has traditionally been the most rigidly
stratified, With strongly defined castes and subdivisions. In Soninké society, each person holds its place that is based on the order that it occupies in the scale of the social hierarchy. You do not become village chief, king, warrior chief or craftsman simply by merit, let alone by individual choice. Other Sahelian ethnic groups have a similar stratification but Soninke are among those who still hold on to it.
This means that Soninke social system is relatively closed and totalitarian.
On the scale of the soninké society there is downward
1. Hoore which means noble free man
2. Niakhamala which means casted man
3. Kome or captive/slave
1. The hoore (free noble man, plural hooro)
"The hoore means free man. This is the one which, in the social hierarchy depends on no one. He holds the superior position inherited from his father. He is the one that makes the other dependent of him, by force and cunning. It was he who in Soninke society's had the role to control, distribute, punish ".
The hooro are stratified in three ;
-the tunkalemme is the prince (lord)
-the mange is the courtisan companion and confidant of the chief, in peacetime and also serves as the mediator between the various fractions of hooro in war time he is the warrior(kuralemme as were his ancestors), the shield of the tunkalemme
-the moodini of which the origins took place with the establishment of Islam in Soninke land (about the 11th century). These are Muslim scholars and judges, marabouts, who hail from a long line of moodinu always have more legitimacy.
2. The ñaxamala the dependent man, the casted
In contrast to the hoore is the ñaxamala, individual not sufficient for himself. WIthin niakhamala there are different categories that group together in an often implicit and sometimes explicit hierarchy. The order of the most common classification is:
The tago or blacksmith. hey are dedicated to metal working; master of the forge, iron and fire, they are said to power the invisible beings without which they can not tackle impunity iron extracted from the bowels of the earth. We admire their skills and they are feared for their power.
The Sakko. These are the craftsmen of wood. They are believed to know the power of the trees and the spirits that inhabit the forest. They are teachers and confidants of the tree’s spirit and the good and evil jinn who inhabit them.
the Jaaro. These are real public entertainers are the most popular naxamalo. They are musicians and historians. Mouth of the community or griot, he is the only person authorized to speak publicly, without depriving, all he wants. Griots are originally experts of genealogies and epics of the community.
the garanko. These are the shoemakers; assigned to the confection of animal skin and leather goods, they practice a relatively strict endogamy.
3. The Komo. They are captives or descendants of slaves. In the scale of status groups, they came last. They were until the early twentieth century, the main labor force in Soninke country. In Soninké, there were many more prisoners than free men. The soninké production system, mainly agricultural, was based on an extensive use of slave labor, which helped to maintain the power of kagume(family chief) and generate the surplus required for ceremonies and gifts.
Of all statutory groups, this one is the only practicing strict endogamy.
Political organization of the Soninke society
The Soninke political organization is based on patrilineal hereditary system. Everything is organized so that men take precedence over women. Theoretically, the Tunka or King is the political leader and the owner of the land and of all that which grows on the land of his country (jamaane). Yet there is a system of "cross-checking" that makes it virtually impossible for the Tunka to exercise these rights without reference either to all or to tunkalemmu mangu.
There is no Soninke political status above that of the Tunka. In essence, it is the fankama (fanka = strength, power, kama = owner) and no one can deny his exclusive right to the use of force to keep order.The Tunka always comes of tunkalemmu (princes and heirs apparent of royalty) that come from a clan that often prevailed for centuries in a given region.
In Soninké culture the principle of seniority is essential. The eldest takes precedence over the younger and younger will not be entitled to certain functions unless a delegation allows him the right to claim it.
The mangu (courtiers, warriors, confidants tunkalemmu) are subservient to tunkalemmu but these, to keep the throne and to maintain their authority, need the mangu’s military might and art of conciliation. Thus the mangu enjoy a number of privileges (enjoy the inviolability of his home, etc...)
Soninke political system is designed so as to make solitary exercise of power impossible. This does not mean that the history of soninké kingdoms are completely free of potentates, however these arbitrary kingdoms are exceptions that remain in the collective memory. The exercise of power, in Soninke land can only be consensual because Tunka is only primus inter pares u. He is the first of its peers, tunkalemmu, which all have the same legitimacy of rank. His accession to the throne is pure accident: because of his age, his place in the family tree of the clan. As such, he has no particular merit.
As king, the Tunka has a casting vote in all discussions, but in general, he is on the side of his advisers. He is nothing without his court, he needs soldiers, mouths, ears and memory. Everyone can thus be a co-custodian of the royal power.
Some old Surnames of the Soninke since the Ghana Empire:
Today, we find some of the old Soninké family names in other ethnic groups such as the Malinke, the Soce, the Tukulor, the Dioula etc. This is mainly due to the great migrations that occurred after the collapse of the Empire of Ghana to other countries. The family name was still kept Soninké, however, the Soninke language was less and less spoken in favor of local languages. So there are hundreds of thousands of people with a Soninke surname but claiming another ethnicity or not knowing their precise origin. Of course there are also people with a non-original soninke surname but still Soninke. Their ancestors were Wolof, Fulani, Bambaras, etc settled amongst Soninke communities. The Soninke are called "Sarakholé" by the Wolof, "Markas" by the Bambara, "Wangara" by the Malinke, "Wakoré" by Sonrhai, or "Toubakaï." Aswanik(from Aswan) by the modern Moors of Mauritania.
Typical soninke surmanes are Bathily, Soumare, Doucouré, Diabira, Diagana Koita, Tandia, Wagué, Séméga, Niakaté, Diawara, Marega, Drame, Gassama, or Camara (Camara and Fofana are Kagoro origin’ Kebe, Toure , Sakho or sacko, Sylla, Cissokho (or Sissoko, Sissako).