Bankilare
Encyclopedia
Bankilaré is a village and rural commune
in Niger
. Bankilaré commune, centered on the town of the same name, is in Téra Department
, Tillabéri Region, in the northwestern corner of the country. The town lies 60km north of Departmental capital Téra
, and around the same distance from the Burkina Faso
border (to the west) and the Mali
border (to the north).
sub group, formerly a sedentary group bonded to the noble Kel Igirer Aulliminden. The name "Tinguereguedech" is derived from the Tamasheq language phrase meaning "I am under the protection of..." Smaller local nomadic populations also include the Loghmatten and Doufrafrak former bonded sub groups of the Kel Ansongo Tuareg,
and the Fula Gaobé. The Gaobé historically practice a combination of rain-fed seasonal farming and semi-nomadic cattle raising.
Other local sedentary ethnic groups include the Songhai - Djerma
peoples, and Gourmantche. The concentration of Tuareg population here sets the commune apart for the rest of the department, with the area north of Niamey and east of the river a largely Songhay "cultural zone". The rural areas immediately around the town are seasonally home to at least 10,000 nomadic Tuareg,
who take their animals to pastures far north and east of here during the rainy season (roughly June to September).
Large portions of the local Tuareg population were historically slave or other bonded classes. One 2005 study found "practices related to slavery still exist among the Tuareg in Bankilaré" who continue to form "an endogamous group with special rights and obligations but without denying this group a Tuareg identity". Many from this community make seasonal migrations for seasonal labor to the Abidjan
area, mirroring nomadic tuareg migrations north.
and Iferouane
. The French implemented a governance policy, while based in a single town, which governed nomadic groups (called "Fractions") wherever they traveled over the course of migrations. This model was implemented in 27 "Administrative Posts", including Bankliare, from the founding of the Republic of Niger (as a devolved authority from France) in 1959 and independence in 1960. After this local authority was centralized back to the departmental level, the Administrative Post and "fraction" model was re-implemented in part during the decentralization process of the late 1990s that created the Bankilaré commune.
Bankilaré's ethnic differences from nearby towns are echoed in its relations with local "customary leaders" (pre-colonial leaders who now hold limited political roles) and its devolution from local political authority. Bankilaré is bordered by the Songhay majority towns of Yatakala, Gorouol
, and Diagourou
. This has meant that at times, Bankilaré is an ethnic enclave within Songhay majority local authorities, for long periods governed under a now defunct "Gorouol Canton". In 1992, Bankilaré was in fact made an official "Minority group" area by the Nigerien government. Since the 1990s Tuareg rebellion and the 1995-2002 decentralization process, Bankilaré Commune's distinct status has been reinforced by the structures of local govenment.
Communes of Niger
The Departments of Niger are subdivided into communes. As of 2005, in the seven Regions and one Capital Area, there were 36 départements, divided into 265 communes, 122 cantons and 81 groupements...
in Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
. Bankilaré commune, centered on the town of the same name, is in Téra Department
Tera Department
Téra is a department of the Tillabéri Region in Niger. Its capital lies at the city of Téra.-History:Téra Department covers most of the historic territory of Liptako. Today primarily a home to speakers of the Southern Songhai language, prior to the Songhai Empire, the area was populated by...
, Tillabéri Region, in the northwestern corner of the country. The town lies 60km north of Departmental capital Téra
Téra
Téra is a town in the Tillabéri Region, Tera Department of Niger. It is situated 175 km north-west of the capital Niamey, close to the border with Burkina Faso. It is mainly inhabited by Songhai, Fulani, Gourmantche and Buzu ethnic groups. The majority of the population are farmers.- Commerce...
, and around the same distance from the Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
border (to the west) and the Mali
Mali
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...
border (to the north).
Demography
Bankilaré town had an estimated sedentary population of 2,000 in the year 2002, mainly ethnically Tuareg and related Tuareg related groups The major Tuareg group centered on Bankilaré are the "Tenguereguedesh" or "Tinguereguedech", a Uladen AullimindenAulliminden
The Iwellemmedan are one of the seven major Tuareg tribal or clan confederations...
sub group, formerly a sedentary group bonded to the noble Kel Igirer Aulliminden. The name "Tinguereguedech" is derived from the Tamasheq language phrase meaning "I am under the protection of..." Smaller local nomadic populations also include the Loghmatten and Doufrafrak former bonded sub groups of the Kel Ansongo Tuareg,
and the Fula Gaobé. The Gaobé historically practice a combination of rain-fed seasonal farming and semi-nomadic cattle raising.
Other local sedentary ethnic groups include the Songhai - 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...
peoples, and Gourmantche. The concentration of Tuareg population here sets the commune apart for the rest of the department, with the area north of Niamey and east of the river a largely Songhay "cultural zone". The rural areas immediately around the town are seasonally home to at least 10,000 nomadic Tuareg,
who take their animals to pastures far north and east of here during the rainy season (roughly June to September).
Large portions of the local Tuareg population were historically slave or other bonded classes. One 2005 study found "practices related to slavery still exist among the Tuareg in Bankilaré" who continue to form "an endogamous group with special rights and obligations but without denying this group a Tuareg identity". Many from this community make seasonal migrations for seasonal labor to the Abidjan
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
area, mirroring nomadic tuareg migrations north.
Economy
Bankilaré's economy is based around pastoral livestock, local subsistence farming, and services to these populations. Bankilaré is also known for it's large market, where nomadic and sedentary groups buy and sell goods.Communications center
Because Bankilaré is a dry season transhumance center for Tuareg groups which range as far north as Algeria, in 1999 the town was chosen to pilot what became a very successful radio project in which locals would broadcast pasturage conditions to desert populations across the region. Because of this it has since become the site of several Nigerien government and foreign radio and internet based community communication programs.Drought and food scarcity
Bankilaré commune was particularly hard hit by the 1983-5 drought and famine which struck the region and faced notable food insecurity again in the late 1990s and 2005.Governance
Bankilaré's importance as a pole for nomadic populations is reflected in the history of local governance. Prior to independence Bankilaré's administration was overseen by a series of "Tuareg specialists" within the French colonial service, notably Michel de Geyer d'Orth, who was "chef de poste" at Bankilaré from 1957, after serving in the northern Tuareg communities of AgadezAgadez
-Sources:* Aboubacar Adamou. "Agadez et sa région. Contribution à l'étude du Sahel et du Sahara nigériens", Études nigériennes, n°44, , 358 p.* Julien Brachet. Migrations transsahariennes. Vers un désert cosmopolite et morcelé . Paris: Le Croquant, , 324 p. ISBN : 978-2-91496865-2.*. Saudi Aaramco...
and Iferouane
Iferouane
Iferouane , also spelled Iferouan, is an oasis town in northern Niger, in Agadez Department. It is located northeast of Arlit in the northern Aïr,in the Ighazar valleynear the Tamgak Range....
. The French implemented a governance policy, while based in a single town, which governed nomadic groups (called "Fractions") wherever they traveled over the course of migrations. This model was implemented in 27 "Administrative Posts", including Bankliare, from the founding of the Republic of Niger (as a devolved authority from France) in 1959 and independence in 1960. After this local authority was centralized back to the departmental level, the Administrative Post and "fraction" model was re-implemented in part during the decentralization process of the late 1990s that created the Bankilaré commune.
Bankilaré's ethnic differences from nearby towns are echoed in its relations with local "customary leaders" (pre-colonial leaders who now hold limited political roles) and its devolution from local political authority. Bankilaré is bordered by the Songhay majority towns of Yatakala, Gorouol
Gorouol
-References:...
, and Diagourou
Diagourou, Niger
-References:...
. This has meant that at times, Bankilaré is an ethnic enclave within Songhay majority local authorities, for long periods governed under a now defunct "Gorouol Canton". In 1992, Bankilaré was in fact made an official "Minority group" area by the Nigerien government. Since the 1990s Tuareg rebellion and the 1995-2002 decentralization process, Bankilaré Commune's distinct status has been reinforced by the structures of local govenment.
Further reading
- Pierre-Marie Decoudras. Territorialités plurielles à l'exemple des Touaregs de la région de Bankilaré (Niger). Les cahiers du CERVEL, Bordeaux, n° 4, 1998, pp. 143-165.