- ETHNIC
GROUPS IN NIGER
Zarma
Songhaï
- Peuls
- Touaregs
- Haoussa
- Kanouri
-
- ZARMA
SONGHAI
:
- We can consider Zarma (or Djerma) and
Songhaï as real cousins whose resemblance is characterized by
an almost identical dialect. Zarma lives mainly in the left bank
of river Niger, around Dosso and in the region which has their
name, Zarmaganda. We also find them in Mali and in the North of
Benin. Songhaï also populates the valley of the river and are
mainly cultuvators or craft designers.
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-
- PEULS
:
- Peuls are present almost everywhere in
Africa, their origin remains rather mysterious. They would have
left east Africa (Egypt, Ethiopia, Yemen) at the beginning of our
era to make graze their crowds. They represent 10 % of the
population of Niger. They remained nomads in North and became non
nomads in South. Peul Bororo, which occupy all the Sahelian
band(, form a very different ethnic subgroup. Remained
fundamentally animistic, they dedicate a real cult to the beauty
and forbid any interbreeding.
- Gerewol
celebration
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-
- TOUAREGS
:
- Descendant of Berbers, Touareg became
established in the massif of Aïr from VII th century and
spread gradually their territory which covers now all Sahara.
Today, Touaregs are still nomads but the aridities urged some to
become non nomads . The pride of this ethny, is showed by their
way to walk,their deep look, and tremendous beauty. Their dialect,
Tamasheq is one of the rare written African languages and which
possesses an alphabet: Tifinar.
- Touaregs is the only Moslem people where
men wear a veil while the women are bare face.
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-
- HAOUSSA
:
- About 25 million Haoussa are distributed in
the countries of western and central Africa, as well as in Sudan.
They form the majority of the population of Niger and occupy
mainly the central part of the country. Farmers in most of the
cases, Haoussa is also, by tradition, skillful artisans and wild
storekeepers.
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-
- KANOURI
: (ou Béri-Béri)
- Several million Kanouri are distributed on
both sides by the Lake Chad. They are farmers.
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