Sonni dynasty

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The Sonni dynasty, Sunni dynasty or Si dynasty was a dynasty of rulers of the Songhai Empire of medieval West Africa. The origins of the dynasty are shrouded in legend and debated by historians. The last ruler, Sonni Baru, ruled until 1493 when the throne was usurped by the Askiya Muhammad I, the founder of the Askiya dynasty.

Sources[edit]

The seventeenth century chronicles, the Tarikh al-Sudan and the Tarikh al-fattash describe the history of the Songhay people and provide lists of their rulers. The Tarikh al-Sudan gives a list of the earlier rulers of the Za dynasty, whose mythical founder Za Alayaman lived before the 10th century and the arrival of Islam. The two chronicles agree on the first and last rulers of the dynasty but differ on the number and order of the intervening rulers.

Debate Over Origins[edit]

The chronicles describe how Ali Kulun (or Ali Golom), the founder of the Sunni dynasty, revolted against the hegemony of the Mali Empire. Both associate him with the Mali court.[1] The Tarikh al-Sudan relates that his father was Za Yasoboy, and as a son of a subordinate ruler of the Mali Empire he had to serve the Mansa.[2] Assuming that Ali Kulun really existed, Hunwick estimated his revolt to have occurred in the early 14th century.[3] Others have disputed this, however. Paolo de Moraes-Farias, citing contemporary epigraphic evidence and the existence of a giant of the same name in Tuareg mythology, argues that this founder, and likely his successor as well, were invented by the chroniclers.[4]

Al-Sadi, the author of the Tarikh al-Sudan uses the word Sunni or Sonni for the name of the dynasty while the Tarikh al-fattash uses the forms chi and si'i.[5] The word may have a Malinke origin meaning "a subordinate or confidant of the ruler", referring to their status as vassals of the Mali Empire.[6]

Dierk Lange disputes both the idea that the Sonni descended from the Za and that they were vassals of Mali, rather linking them with the Zaghe kings commemorated in the funeral stelae found at Gao-Saney. He theorizes that the Zaghe, followers of Sunni Islam, became known as such, and were the Za's rivals for the throne of Gao until finally defeating them in the early 15th century.[7] In a similar vein, Leo Africanus wrote that the Songhay ruler 'Soni Heli' was of 'Libyan lineage', but that his black captain 'Abubacr Izchia' rebelled against Ali's sons and put them to death, and rulership thereby 'returned to the blacks.'[8]

Rise and Fall[edit]

The chronicles do not specify where the early rulers lived. As there is evidence that Gao remained under Mali control until the early fifteenth century, it is probable that the early Sunni rulers controlled a region to the south, with the town of Kukiya[9] possibly serving as their capital.[3] Early 15th century inscriptions from Kukiya indicate that the Sonni ruled over a thoroughly Islamic society at that time.[10]

Under the rule of Sunni Sulayman, the Songhai captured the Mema region to the west of Lake Débo.[11] His successor, Sunni Ali, greatly expanded the territory under Sunni control. The dynasty ended in April 1493 when Sunni Bakr Dao was defeated in battle against Askiya Muhammad I.[12]

Rulers according to the Tarikh al-Sudan[edit]

The names with their diacritics listed below are those given in the translation of the Tarikh al-Sudan from Arabic into English by John Hunwick.[13] The surviving Arabic manuscripts differ both in the spelling and the vocalization of the names. This may be partly due to the difficulty of representing Songhay (or proto-Songhay) sounds in Arabic and perhaps also due to different Songhay dialects. Not all the names are listed in all the surviving manuscripts.

  1. Sunni ʿAlī Kulun (early in the 14th century[3] or fictional[4])
  2. Sunni Silman Nāri (brother of ʿAlī Kulun, possibly fictional[4])
  3. Sunni Ibrāhīm Kabay
  4. Sunni ʿUthmān Kanafa
  5. Sunni Bār Kayna Ankabī
  6. Sunni Mūsā
  7. Sunni Bukar Zunku
  8. Sunni Bukar Dala Buyunbu
  9. Sunni Mār Kiray
  10. Sunni Muḥammad Dao
  11. Sunni Muḥammad Kūkiyā
  12. Sunni Muḥammad Fār
  13. Sunni K.r.bīf
  14. Sunni Mār Fī Kuli Jim
  15. Sunni Mār Ar Kayna
  16. Sunni Mār Aranda
  17. Sunni Sulaymān
  18. Sunni ʿAlī (ruled 1464-1492)
  19. Sunni Bāru or Bukar Dāo (ruled 1492-1493)

Rulers according to the Tarikh al-fattash[edit]

The names with their diacritics listed below are those given in the translation of Tarikh al-fattash from the Arabic into French by Octave Houdas.[14]

  1. Sunni Ali-Golom
  2. Sunni Silman-Nâri
  3. Sunni Ibrâhîm-Kabayao
  4. Sunni Ousmân-Guifo
  5. Sunni Mâkara-Komsoû (on throne in 1321-1322)[15][16]
  6. Sunni Boubakar-Katiya
  7. Sunni Ankada Doukourou
  8. Sunni Kimi-Yankoï-Moûssa
  9. Sunni Bâro-Dal-Yomho
  10. Sunni Mâdao
  11. Sunni Mohammed Koûkiya
  12. Sunni Mohammed-Fâri
  13. Sunni Balam
  14. Sunni Souleïmân-Dâma
  15. Sunni Ali (ruled 1464-1492)
  16. Sunni Bâro (ruled 1492-1493)

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Kâti 1913, p. 334; Hunwick 2003, pp. xxxvi–xxxvii, 7
  2. ^ Hunwick 2003, p. 7.
  3. ^ a b c Hunwick 2003, p. xxxvii.
  4. ^ a b c Conrad, David (2005). "Review of Arabic Medieval Inscriptions from the Republic of Mali: Epigraphy, Chronicles, and Songhay-Tuareg History, by P. F. de Moraes Farias". The International Journal of African Historical Studies. 38 (1): 108-9. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  5. ^ Kâti 1913, pp. 80, 334
  6. ^ Hunwick 2003, pp. 333–334, Appendix 2.
  7. ^ Lange, Dierk (1994), "From Mande to Songhay: Towards a political and ethnic history of medieval Gao", Journal of African History, 35 (2): 275–301, doi:10.1017/s0021853700026438, JSTOR 183220, S2CID 153657364, retrieved 22 March 2024
  8. ^ "Della descrizione dell'Africa e delle cose notabili che quivi sono per Giovani Lioni Africano" (PDF). p. 320. Egli è vero che il presente re di Tombutto, Abubacr Izchia, è del popol negro: il quale, essendo fatto capitano di Soni Heli, re di Tombutto e Gago, della stirpe di Libia, doppo la morte del detto si ribellò contra i figliuoli e quelli fece morire, e tornò il dominio nei negri" English translation: "It is true that the present king of Tombutto, Abubacr Izchia, is of the black people: who, having been made captain of Soni Heli, king of Tombutto and Gago, of the lineage of Libya, after the death of the said rebelled against his sons and he put them to death, and dominion returned to the blacks
  9. ^ The town of Kukiya is believed to have been near the modern village of Bentiya on the eastern bank of the Niger, north of the Fafa rapids, 134 km south east of Gao. Bentiya is located at 15°20′56″N 0°45′36″E / 15.349°N 0.760°E / 15.349; 0.760
  10. ^ Lange, Dierk (2004). "Review of P. Moraes Farias, Medieval Inscriptions (2003)" (PDF). Afrika und Übersee. 87: 303.
  11. ^ Kâti 1913, pp. 80–81
  12. ^ Hunwick 2003, p. 102; Kâti 1913, pp. 101–102
  13. ^ Hunwick 2003, p. 5.
  14. ^ Kâti 1913, pp. 335-338
  15. ^ A comment in the Tarikh al-fattash states that the fifth ruler was in power at the time when Mansa Musa made his pilgrimage.
  16. ^ Kâti 1913, p. 335.

References[edit]

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