Armas
Encyclopedia
The Arma people are an ethnic group of the middle Niger River
valley, descended in part from Moroccan
- Spanish
invaders of the 16th century. The name, applied by other groups, derives from the Arabic word arrimah, « shooters ».
trade routes by the Moroccan Saadi Dynasty
was made up of four thousand Spanish and other European converts. Converted to Islam
, they were either hired as mercenaries or captured as slaves by the Moroccans. After the destruction of the Songhai in 1591, the Moroccan forces settled into Djenné
, Gao
, Timbuktu
and the larger towns of the Niger River bend. Never able to exert control outside their large fortifications, within a decade the expedition's leaders were abandoned by Morocco. In cities like Timbuktu, the men of the 1591 expedition intermarried with the Songhai, became small scale independent rulers, and some of their descendants came to be identified as minor dynasties of their own right. By the end of the 17th century, Bambara, Tuareg, Fula
, and other forces came to control empires and city-states in the region, leaving the Arma as a mere ethnicity.
, mostly around Timbuktu
, the middle Niger bend, and the Inner Niger Delta.
The Arma ethnicity is distinct from (but sometimes confused with) the 20 million Djerma
(or Zarma, Zerma) peoples of Western Niger, who predate the Moroccan invasion, and speak the Zarma language
, also a sub category of Songhai.
Famous modern Arma people include the late Malian musician Ali Farka Touré
.
Niger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
valley, descended in part from Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
- Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
invaders of the 16th century. The name, applied by other groups, derives from the Arabic word arrimah, « shooters ».
The Songhai expedition and aftermath
The 1590 expedition sent to conquer the Songhai EmpireSonghai Empire
The Songhai Empire, also known as the Songhay Empire, was a state located in western Africa. From the early 15th to the late 16th century, Songhai was one of the largest Islamic empires in history. This empire bore the same name as its leading ethnic group, the Songhai. Its capital was the city...
trade routes by the Moroccan Saadi Dynasty
Saadi Dynasty
The Saadi dynasty of Morocco , began with the reign of Sultan Mohammed ash-Sheikh in 1554, when he vanquished the last Wattasids at the Battle of Tadla....
was made up of four thousand Spanish and other European converts. Converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, they were either hired as mercenaries or captured as slaves by the Moroccans. After the destruction of the Songhai in 1591, the Moroccan forces settled into Djenné
Djenné
Djenné is an Urban Commune and town in the Inland Niger Delta region of central Mali. In the 2009 census the commune had a population of 32,944. Administratively it is part of the Mopti Region....
, Gao
Gao
Gao is a town in eastern Mali on the River Niger lying ESE of Timbuktu. Situated on the left bank of the river at the junction with the Tilemsi valley, it is the capital of the Gao Region and had a population of 86,663 in 2009....
, Timbuktu
Timbuktu
Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...
and the larger towns of the Niger River bend. Never able to exert control outside their large fortifications, within a decade the expedition's leaders were abandoned by Morocco. In cities like Timbuktu, the men of the 1591 expedition intermarried with the Songhai, became small scale independent rulers, and some of their descendants came to be identified as minor dynasties of their own right. By the end of the 17th century, Bambara, Tuareg, Fula
Fula people
Fula people or Fulani or Fulbe are an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa...
, and other forces came to control empires and city-states in the region, leaving the Arma as a mere ethnicity.
Today
As of 1986, there were some 20,000 self-identified Arma in MaliMali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, mostly around Timbuktu
Timbuktu
Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...
, the middle Niger bend, and the Inner Niger Delta.
The Arma ethnicity is distinct from (but sometimes confused with) the 20 million Djerma
Djerma
The Zarma people , are a people of westernmost Niger and adjacent areas of Burkina Faso, Benin, Ghana and Nigeria. The Zarma language is one of the Songhai languages, a branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family...
(or Zarma, Zerma) peoples of Western Niger, who predate the Moroccan invasion, and speak the Zarma language
Zarma language
Zarma is a member of the Songhay languages...
, also a sub category of Songhai.
Famous modern Arma people include the late Malian musician Ali Farka Touré
Ali Farka Touré
Ali Ibrahim “Farka” Touré was a Malian singer and guitarist, and one of the African continent’s most internationally renowned musicians. His music is widely regarded as representing a point of intersection of traditional Malian music and its North American cousin, the blues...
.
See also
- Judar PashaJudar PashaJudar Pasha was a military leader of Morocco's Saadi Dynasty and the conqueror of the Songhai Empire.Born a Spaniard, Judar had been captured as a baby. As a young boy he joined the service of Moroccan Sultan Ahmad I al-Mansur Saadi...
: Spanish Muslim commander of the Moroccan Expedition of the 1590s. - Battle of TondibiBattle of TondibiThe Battle of Tondibi was the decisive confrontation in Morocco's 16th-century invasion of the Songhai Empire. Though vastly outnumbered, the Moroccan forces under Judar Pasha defeated the Songhai Askia Ishaq II, guaranteeing the Empire's downfall....
: Culmination of the Moroccan Expedition, destroying the Songhai Empire in 1591.
External links
- I Congreso Internacional sobre los Arma. Al-Andalus, Andalucía y España en Tombuctú y la frontera subsahariana (s. XVI-XXI). Universidad de Jaén (Spain), 19-20 February 2004.