The name of Bághena, as it comprises part of the ancient territory of
Ghánata, has evidently also supplanted the ancient name. At present it
does not comprise a country naturally or politically united; for,
naturally considered, Bághena forms part of the district El Hódh, at
least that portion of it which is most favoured by nature; and in a
political point of view it consists of the most heterogeneous elements,
comprising districts inhabited by Aswánek, Arabs, and Fullán. The
former, even at the end of the last century, were very powerful, when
they became known to Venture under the name of Marka[75], through the
medium of those two Moroccain merchants who visited Paris at that time.
This name is given to them by the Bámbara, who call their country Marka-
kanne or kanda, and are greatly intermixed with them. The Fullán
hereabouts also formerly had great power, and have become famous under
the name Kowár.
The Aswánek, Swánínki, Sébe, or Wákoré, were the original inhabitants of
the country, and once formed the principal stock in the vast and
glorious empire of Ghánata, the ruling class not improbably belonging to
the Púllo stock, the Leukæthiopes, who were settled in this very region
since the time of Ptolemy, till they were overpowered by the nearly
related tribe of the Mandingoes or Júli, who, on the ruins of the empire
of Ghánata, founded a new empire, extending its influence over the whole
middle course of the great river. This new empire was called “Melle,”
from melle, a word meaning “free,” “noble,” as the dominating tribe of
the Mandingoes called themselves, in opposition to their oppressed
brethren, the Aswánek, just in the same manner as the free, roving
portion of the Berbers from ancient times seem to have called themselves
Mázigh, Imóshagh, in opposition to the degraded settlers in the towns.
The feeble remains of the empire of Melle, which had been nearly
annihilated by the Songhay, were extinguished, as it seems, in the
beginning of the reign of Múláy Ismʿaíl, when the Arabs on the one side,
and the Bámbara on the other, began to take the lead in those quarters,
while the Fúlbe or Fullán appeared in the background.
The catastrophe of the extinction of this last remnant of the empire of
Melle is not without interest in the modern history of the western part
of Central Africa. For a civil war having arisen between the royal
princes Dábo and Sagóne, sons of Feréngh Mahmúd, the late king or ruler
of Melle, (the title “Feréngh,” instead of the more exalted one of
Mansa, showing his reduced state of rank,) all the most powerful tribes
in that part of the continent took part in the quarrel: one faction
being formed by the Bámbara, who, in the meantime, had won Ségo from
their masters and near relations the Mandingoes, the Welád Mazúk, the
noblest portion of the Welád Mebárek, and the Áhel Sembóru, that is to
say, a section of the Fullán, who meanwhile had settled in these
quarters; while the opposite party consisted of the Rumá, or Ermá, the
Moroccain conquerors of Songhay, who had settled down in certain places
of that vast empire, and intermarried with the natives; the Zenágha; the
Welád ʿAlúsh, a very warlike tribe, mentioned above; and the Áhel Mása,
or Sáro, a section of the Wákoré. In this struggle the capital of Melle
was destroyed; and while the people of Bámbara took possession of the
south-western portion of its dominions, the Welád Mebárek, with their
friends the Welád Mazúk, rendered themselves masters of its north-
eastern districts. For Hennún, the son of Bóhedel, son of Mebárek, who
had led this tribe in the sanguinary and long-lasting war, received from
the hands of Muláy Ismʿaíl, the energetic emperor of the Gharb, as a
sort of feudal dominion, the lordship of Bághena; and his successors
have at least partly retained it up to this day. I here give a list of
these chiefs, adding the length of their reigns, wherever I was able to
make it out:—
ʿOmár (Ámmer) Weled Hennún, a powerful chief, who has given his name to
the ruling tribe, which, after him, is called Welád ʿOmár (Ámmer), a
name corrupted by Park into Lúdamar.
ʿAlí Weled ʿOmár ruled almost forty years; was visited by Park shortly
before his death.
ʿOmár Weled ʿAlí, ruled about thirteen years.
Mohammed Weled ʿOmár was chief about the same number of years.
ʿAlí Weled Mohammed was chief seven years.
Hennún Weled Mohammed murdered his brother ʿAlí, but was chief only four
months, being murdered in his turn by
Mukhtár, a near relative of his, who was chief for about twelve years.
Babúne succeeded him. Between this chief and Hámed Weled ʿAlí e’ Sheikh
Weled Hennún Weled Bóhedel, there arose a civil war, which lasted seven
years, devastating all Bághena, and weakening especially the power of
the Arabs. At the end of seven years, Hámed died, Babúne, who altogether
ruled about nine years, surviving him by one year. He was succeeded by
ʿAlí Weled el Mukhtár, the present chief of the Welád Mebárek, who in
1853 had ruled two years.
As for the Fullán, or Fúlbe, they had become very numerous in Bághena,
and were in possession of several ksúr, principally Dáguní, Jibónfo,
Kemeñyómo, Nara, Kebda, Barréu, and Gurúnge, till they were driven out
of these places by ʿOmár Weled Hennún, when most of the ksúr remained
deserted. But the policy of the Fullán of Bághena became entirely
changed when their brethren on the other side of the river, led on by
the fanatical and energetic chieftain Mohammed Lebbo, raised the
standard of the Jihád in the year 1821. Jealous of their political
independence, which thus became threatened, they then joined the Arabs
in their struggle against the new empire of Hamda-Alláhi, and supported
them. Nevertheless, favoured as he was by the civil war amongst the
latter, the chief Áhmedu, son of Mohammed Lebbo, made considerable
progress in Bághena, which was not arrested until recently. At present
Sumbúnne, son of Bú-Bakr, the present emír of the Fullán in Bághena, has
built a new ksar, the place El Imbedíye mentioned above, situated a few
miles east from Lombo Tendi, and to the north of another ksar called
Gurúnge. There is also a Pullo emír in Bághena, of the name Ábú El Háji
Ibrahíma, who seems to enjoy considerable authority.
As for the Aswánek of Bághena, who, as will have been gleaned already
from the itineraries, are masters of many ksúr, their present policy is
said to consist in keeping prudently in the background, and economising
their strength for some great exertion in favour of their own
independence. I here insert a list of the several sections into which
the Aswánek are divided, as far as I have become acquainted with them:
The Kométen, in Sansándi or Sansánni, which originally was an Aswánek
town.
The Síse, not unlikely related with the Súsu.
The Sása.
The Konne.
The Berta.
The Berre.
The Dúkkera, or Dúkerát.
The Silláwa, or Sillát.
The Kágorát, a very remarkable tribe, distinguished by a lighter hue,
and, according to report, even by a peculiar idiom, while in other
respects, especially by the three cuts which they make along both
cheeks, they approach closer to the customs of the Bámbara and Áhel
Mása.
The Kúnnatát.
The Jáwarát, speaking nothing but the pure Aswánek language, and divided
into the two sections of the Welád Dábo and the Swági, the latter
especially being very numerous and warlike.
The Fófanát.
The Dárisát.
The chief of the Aswánek in Bághena is Músa, son of Benédik, who resides
in Ershán, at no great distance W. from Bisága.
Related to the Aswánek are also the Sáro, whose seats are one day S.
from Jinni, and who, together with the Bámbara, fight against the Fúlbe.
Their former chief was Chong Weled Músa.
The hostilities carried on between the inhabitants of the northern banks
of the Niger, or Dhiúliba, as a whole, on the one side, and the Fúlbe of
Hamda-Alláhi on the other, exercise their influence also upon the
relation which exists between the Arabs of Bághena and the Bámbara,
which therefore at present cannot but be a friendly one.
On the whole, the country of Bághena, which well deserves the attention
of Europeans, is not less capable of fixed settlements, than it is fit
for rehála life, or nomadic wandering, although it is not suited for the
camel. Besides cultivation of dukhn, or, as it is here called, bíshen,
or héni, and dhurra or sába, wild rice is procured from the numerous
swamps formed in the rainy season, as is also the case in the whole of
El Hódh. The trees most common in Bághena are the tédum or baobab, at
least in the southern districts, the róma or líyene, the chígfit, the
baferéwa, and the aúrnal; of the date-tree I have spoken above.
Z.—_Route from Kasambára to Tishít, or Shétu, from the information of El
Imám, a native of the latter place._
1st day. Mabrúk, a large well, or hasi.
5th. Ajwér, a large and much frequented well, distant a long day’s
journey W. from the celebrated well “Bir Nwál.”
As far as Ajwér, the direction is almost N., but here it becomes N.W.
10th. Agérijít, in former times nothing but a well, but in the year
1850, owing to a civil war having broken out in Tishít, one section of
the Welád Bille left their home and settled near this well, where they
built a small ksar or village. Here the direction of the road changes to
the W.
11th. Tishít, or as the place is called by its original inhabitants,
Shétu. These indigenous inhabitants of Tishít are the Másina, a section
of the Aswánek, or Azér, consisting of two divisions, one of darker, and
the other of lighter colour. These Másina are the founders of the
kingdom of Másina, or Másín, whose centre was the island, or rúde,
formed by the Máyo Balléo and the Máyo Rannéo, with Tenéngu as its chief
place. It is still an important market-place. Tishít is said by the
Arabs to have been founded by ʿAbd el Múmen about the fifth century of
the Hejra; but that means only that about the period indicated the
Berbers took possession of the town, the original name of which they
thus changed into Tishít. At present there live in the town, intermixed
with the Másina, the Welád Bille, who about two centuries ago formed an
extremely rich and powerful tribe, but part of whom, as stated before,
have at present emigrated. The consequence is, that the town has decayed
greatly, and seems scarcely to contain at present more than about 3000
inhabitants. Besides the Welád Bille, there live also in Tishít a
certain number of Zuwaye or Tolba, especially the Áhel Hindi Nislim.
Tishít lies not far from the southern foot of the Kódia, which encircles
El Hódh, and there is, at no great distance from it, a sebkha, where an
inferior kind of salt is obtained. The only produce of the place are
dates of various quality, the names of which are as follows:—Básebúrk,
Dérmakúl, Dérmasúggin, Batáye, Mandínga, Géti, Habbes, Getfáf, Dáram,
Birkeráwi, Zengít, Tamaraníye. All other articles of food are brought
from Nyámi, which forms the great market-place of Tishít and the
surrounding country.
There is another more westerly road, leading from Kasambára to Tishít,
and reaching on the 4th day the well called “bir Fóg,” or, perhaps,
“fók,” meaning “the upper well;” on the 8th, another well or hasi,
called “Ájwe,” and bringing the traveller to Tishít on the 10th before
noon.