An Empire One Thousand Years Old

Modern Kanembu Nomads

The Chadian nomads wandering the Sahara seem like living relics of ancient history, and they are.  Their predecessors were traveling the same sands of north and east Chad or cultivating the more hospitable northern and central parts, where historians trace peoples descending from the ancient kingdoms of the area.  Before the French claimed Chad in 1900, indigenous peoples lived in Islamic states.  But before that, traces of kingdoms, chiefdoms, and sultanates can be found. [1] Their histories read like a tangled mess - try to pick out one thread and find it is knotted with several others.  This article focuses on the two main kingdoms existing in the area - Kanem and Bornu.  They interacted with each other for a thousand years.

Kanem Empire

Kanem Flag

In 300 B.C. a nomadic people group called the Kanembu was pushed towards the Lake Chad due to political pressure in their former wandering grounds to the north. The Sao culture already existed there, but the Kanembu, under the Dugawa Dynasty, eventually dominated the Sao. They founded N'jimi (meaning "south" in their language" as their capital around 700 and called their divine king the "Mai." The ruling entity was called the "Magumi." After the arrival of Islam brought by the Berbers and Arabs, a Kanembu noble called Hummay removed the last Dugawa "mai" and established the Sefuwa Dynasty.  With his influence, the Kanem government went through Islmaization. New ideas from Arabia and the Mediterranean came with Islam. Kanem began growing rapidly, peaking under Mai Dunama Dabbalemi (1221-1259). As Dabbalemi proclaimed jihad war on the surrounding countries, the small Bornu kingdom, west of Lake Chad, recognized Kanem's power and began paying tribute. The kingdom flourished and expanded under Dabbalemi, but after his death the kingdom crumbled internally. By the end of the 1300's, Kanem was weak enough that the Bulala, a people group still enraged by the fact that Dabbalemi had destroyed their religious cult, took possession of Kanem and its capital. In turn, the Bulala would be conquered by the Bornu Empire. [2]

Evolution of the Kanem-Bornu Empire

Exiled from Kanem, the Sefuwa built their own state in 1380 - Bornu. They defeated Bulala and retook the old capital of N'jimi. They merged as the Kanem-Bornu empire. (Bornu) During the reign of Mai Idris Alooma (1571-1603), Kanem-Bornu became a great nation. Tribute came from surrounding kingdoms once again and trade flourished in the north. Slowly, however, Kanem-Bornu began to fade, becoming simply Bornu once again. The capital was conquered by the Fulani people, who had been declaring jihad war on most of north-central Africa. [3] Eventually, the Fulani, threatened by war and raiding in the north, accepted French protectorate in 1900. [4]

Bornu Warriors in 1847

Kanem-Bornu existed as a small fragment under small kings called "shehu" (from Arabic title), and this was the Kanem-Bornu which came into contact with the French. [5] Their heritage is preserved in an Arabic volume - called the Girgam - containing the names of 69 Kanem-Bornu rulers spread over almost a thousand years.  After the fall of the Sefuwa dynasty, the Fulani tried to remove the memory of the Sefuwa and destroyed all copies of the Girgam.  There are now only two known copies, but they give historians information concerning the length of the kings' reigns and some notable events. [6]





[1] "Culture of Chad", http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Chad.html#ixzz3SVEA63Y9.
[2] "Kanem Empire", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanem_Empire.
[3] "Kanem-Barnu Empire", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanem-Bornu_Empire.
[4] "Culture of Chad", http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Chad.html#ixzz3SVEA63Y9.
[5] "Kanem-Barnu Empire", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanem-Bornu_Empire.
[6] "Girgam", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girgam.