Page 116 - Empires of Medieval West Africa

t h e s o n g h a y p e o p l e

Niger River and its tributaries were the strategic and economic life-
lines of the Songhay Empire, so the Askia had to control the Sorko. The
17th-century Timbuktu historians claim the Sorko were “owned” by the Traffic Jam on
Askias. This meant that whenever they were called on by the ruler, they the River
had to obey his commands for water transport, whether in peace or war. One of the Timbuktu
historians reported that
at one time along the riv-
erbank at Gao there were
TradiTional religion 400 kanta that were
Long before Berber traders carried Islam across the Sahara Desert and described as the Askia’s
introduced it into Songhay society, there were powerful traditional barges. There were
priests who communicated with a variety of local spirits. These priests also 1,000 other boats
were still around during the empire—as they are today. They are divin- belonging to the Sorko,
and 600 or 700 other
ers and sorcerers, or sohanci in the Songhay language. boats belonging to the
The sohanci are among the most learned people of their society. Askia’s family, traders,
They use special ways of communicating with the spirit world to dis- and other people.
cover what seems to be the source of problems that arise among indi-
viduals and the entire community. Once the problem is identified, the
sohanci seek solutions by conducting ritual sacrifices to communicate
with the appropriate spirits.
A sohanci is knowledgeable about different kinds of poisons and
the medicinal properties of healing herbs. Therefore, he can select from
a wide variety of remedies according to the nature of the problem. He
might prescribe an herbal cure. Or, depending on the seriousness of
the problem, he might indicate the necessity of sacrificing kola nuts, a
chicken, or a goat. If he believes an enemy is the source of the problem,
the sohanci might use sorcery that will sicken or even kill the person
responsible.
Since at least the 11th century in Songhay culture, religion has
involved a combination of traditional spiritual beliefs and Islam. In
Songhay, Islam has been regarded as an additional source of power that
could be combined with traditional practices. In the Kingdom of Gao
and later in the Songhay Empire, Islam was a powerful force in urban
centers such as Gao, Timbuktu, and Jenne, and it had at least some
influence in the imperial government. Looking back at the literature
on Songhay history, Islam might seem more important than it actu-
ally was, however, because the writers of Timbuktu were Muslims and
regarded their own religion as very important.
In the Kingdom of Gao before it developed into the Songhay Empire,
many of the merchants involved in the trans-Saharan trade were North

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