Kurtey people
| Country | Niger  |
|---|
De Kurtey people (var. Kourtey) be small ethnic group wey dem dey find along de Niger River valley for parts of de West African nations of Niger, Benin, Mali, den Nigeria. Dem sanso be found for considerable numbers for Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast, den Burkina Faso insyd.
Assimilation for Songhai insyd[edit | edit source]
De Kurtey komot from de movement of Fula people wey dem dey de Niger River valley der for modern Tillaberi Region, Niger for de 18th century insyd, den dema intermarriage plus local Songhai, Zarma, Sorko den odas.[1] While dem retain chaw aspects for Fula traditional culture, de Kurtey assimilate for Songhai-Zarma dema ways of life insyd den dem dey speak Southern Songhay dialect.[2] Sum outside observers dey consider dem subsection of de Songhai people,[3] whiles odas dey describe dem as communities plus distinct histories, cultures, den ethnic self-identification for de larger Songhai speaking social space insyd, wey de Songhai people be one part per.[4]
Customs den demography[edit | edit source]
Dem today dey number less than 50,000, dem concentrate for islands top den along de Niger river banks wey dey near Sansani, Dessa den Ayorou; for Niamey insyd (especially for Koutoukalé quarter insyd); den for villages wey dey along de lower middle Niger from Gao go northern Nigeria.[1] Sum Kurtey dey continue to mark dema body plus dema traditional facial scarification: small cross wey dey top of each cheekbone.[5] De Kurtey san be one of de six Nigerian ethnic groups wey historically dem carry out female circumcision.[6] Kurtey traditionally dey engage for sedentary cattle raising insyd— legacy of dema Fula ancestry—as well as fishing (lyk Sorko people), tobacco farming, den riverine flood irrigated millet den rice farming.[1]
Relations plus odas[edit | edit source]
For de 19th century insyd, chaw Muslim Kurtey engage for slave raiding insyd amongst pagan Zarma along de Niger,[7] wey dem earn de Zarma nickname "Thieves of Men".[8] While historically bitter rivals of de Wogo people wey settle for de same area from de middle Niger beginning 1800, de two ethnic groups come turn closely related, dem settle for de same areas, dem dey speak similar dialects, wey dem dey share similar ways of life. Both be Muslims before dem migrate come de area, dem dey enjoy close relations plus de Fula Emirate of Say.[2]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Decalo, Samuel (1997). Historical Dictionary of the Niger (3rd ed.) Boston & Folkestone: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-3136-8. pp. 191–192
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Harrison, Byron, Annette Harrison, and Michael J. Rueck, with Mahaman Soumana as Interpreter. "Southern Songhay Speech Varieties in Niger: A Sociolinguistic Survey of the Zarma, Songhay, Kurtey, Wogo, and Dendi Peoples of Niger." (1997).
- ↑ Minority Rights Group International, World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Niger : Overview, July 2008. Online. UNHCR Refworld, [accessed 8 April 2009]
- ↑ Paul Stoller. pp.94-5 in Eye, Mind and Word in Anthropology. L'Homme (1984) Volume 24 Issue 3-4 pp.91-114.
- ↑ Paul Stoller and Cheryl Olkes. In sorcery's shadow : a memoir of apprenticeship among the Songhay of Niger. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, (1987). ISBN|0-226-77542-9 p.56
- ↑ Niger: Legal Ban On Female Circumcision Widely Ignored. UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, 6 February 2004. According to this UN report, these groups are the Fula people (Peul or Peulh; Fulɓe), Gourmantche, Zarma people-Songhai people, Kurtey, Wogo people den Diffa Arabs.
- ↑ Jean-Pierre Olivier de Sardan. Remarques sur la notion de «captif» (à propos des Wogo et Kurtey du Niger). Journal de la Société des Africanistes. (1970) Volume 40, Issue 40-2, pp. 171-174
- ↑ Jean Pierre Olivier de Sardan. Les voleurs d’hommes (notes sur l’histoire des Kurtey). Etudes Nigériennes no. 25. IFAN-CNRSH: Paris-Niamey (1969)
You fi read further[edit | edit source]
- Jean-Pierre, Olivier de Sardan (1984). Les Societes Songhay-Zarma, Niger-Mali: Chefs, Guerriers, Esclaves, Paysans--. Paris: Editions Karthala. ISBN 978-2-86537-106-8.