Page 115 - Empires of Medieval West Africa

Empir E s of m E di E v al w E st africa

Someone born into a family that had been enslaved generations
earlier might be almost impossible to tell apart from a freeborn per-
son. Some groups, such as the people called Arbi, were considered
“possessions” of the Askia. They were slaves in the royal residences,
bodyguards, and farmers who raised grain for the Askias.

The Sorko, MaSTerS of The WaTer
The Niger River flows through much of Songhay territory and the
Inland Delta is a vast region of creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes. There-
fore, boats have always been very important. Dugout canoes were made
by hollowing out a single tree trunk. Large boats called kanta were con-
structed by drilling holes in wood planks, sewing them together with
strong twine or leather strips, and then sealing the holes and seams.
Boats are still built this way, and some of the sealing material is made
from a plant called burgu.
Several boat-building groups of the Inland Delta claim to be “mas-
ters of the water.” But in medieval Songhay, only the Sorko held that
distinction. Today they are generally seen as being dominant in the
fishing industry. In addition to being great fishermen, the Sorko are
hunters of all large animals that live near the water or in it, including
elephants, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, and manatees.
The Sorko are also priests who associate with genies. One of their
most important genies is Mayé, who had a genie mother and a black-
smith father. Mayé is the genie
CONNECTIONS of floods and causes the river
water to rise.
A Wild River Plant The original homeland
of the Sorko is said to have
along the edge of the river in the great Niger Bend grows a been the ancient state of
plant called burgu that provides excellent food for horses. Kebbi. It was located in what
Burgu also grows out in the river itself, where it is a favorite is now northern Nigeria. The
food of the manatee and the hippopotamus, sometimes first boats called kanta that
called the “river horse.” this wild plant is also a favorite of appeared in Songhay were
humans. it has a sweet, syrupy sap with edible seeds that built in Kebbi and brought up
resemble wild rice. local people also use it to thatch the the river to Gao.
roofs of their houses, seal the seams of leaky boats, and In the days of the Askias,
make soap and indigo (dark blue) dye. the Sorko were among the

socially inferior classes. The

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