Kaabu
Encyclopedia
The Kaabu Empire (1537-1867) was a Mandinka
Kingdom of Senegambia (centered on modern northeastern Guinea-Bissau
but extending into Casamance
, Senegal
) that rose to prominence in the region thanks to its origins as a former province of the Mali Empire
. After the decline of the Mali Empire, Kaabu became an independent kingdom.
, Tirmakhan Traore, conquered the area making Kaabu one of Mali's western tinkuru, or provinces in the 1230s. By the beginning of the 14th century, much of Guinea-Bissau was under the control of the Mali Empire and ruled by a Farim Kaabu (Commander of Kaabu) loyal to the Mansa
of Mali. As in many places that saw Mandinka migrations, much of Guinea-Bissau's native population was dominated or assimilated. Resisters being sold into slavery via the trans-Sahara trade routes to Arab buyers. Although the rulers of Kaabu were Mandinka, many of their subjects were from ethnic groups who had resided in the region before the Mandinka invasion.
to their south and the growth of the new Songhai Empire
. During the 16th century, Mali lost many of its provinces reducing it to not much more than the Mandinka heartland. Succession disputes between heirs to Mali's throne also weakened its ability to hold even its historically secure possessions in Senegal, the Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. Free of imperial oversight, these lands splintered off to form independent kingdoms. The most successful and longest lasting of these was Kaabu, which became independent in 1537. Kaabu's governor, Sami Koli, became the first ruler of an independent Kaabu. He was the grandson of Tiramakhan Traore.
janke wali sanneh was the last ruler of kaabu.
preserved the culture and social structure of the Roman Empire
. The rulers of the Kaabu Kingdom believed their right to rule came from their history as an imperial province. The kings of independent Kaabu discarded the title of Farim Kaabu for Kaabu Mansaba. At the Kaabu capital of Kansala, the Kaabu Mansaba controlled the increasingly valuable slave trade with Europeans. They specifically traded with the Portuguese, supplying many slaves to the Cape Verde Islands and the Americas. Among the provinces of the Kabu empire were Firdu, Pata
, Kamako, Jimara, Patim Kibo, Patim Kanjaye, Kantora
, Pakane Mambura, Kudura, Nampaio and Pacana.
. A kora is built from a large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin to make a resonator, and has a notched bridge like a lute or guitar. The sound of a Kora resembles that of a harp, though when played in the traditional style, it bears a closer resemblance to flamenco guitar techniques. The Kora was traditionally used by the griot
s as a tool for preserving history, ancient tradition, to memorize the genealogies of patron families and sing their praises, to act as conflict intermediaries between families, and to entertain. Its origins can be traced to the time of the Mali empire
and linked with Jali Mady Fouling Cissoko, son of Bamba Cissoko. According to the griots, Mady visited a local lake in which he was informed that a genie who granted wishes had resided. Upon meeting him, Mady requested that the genie make him a brand new instrument that no griot had ever owned. The genie accepted, but only under the condition that Mady release his sister into his custody. After being informed, the sister agreed to the sacrifice, the genie complied, and hence, the birth of the legendary Kora. Aside from oral testimony, historians propose that the Kora appeared with the apogee of war chiefs from Kaabu, allowing the tradition to spread throughout the Mande
area until it was made popular by Koryang Moussa in the 19th century.
rallied against non-Muslim states in the region. This culminated in a regional jihad
led by the Kingdom of Futa Tooro
. In 1867, Kaabu came under siege from Alfa Molo Balde, a general from the Kingdom of Fouta Djallon
. After the eleven day Battle of Kansala
, Mansaba Janke Waali (also called Mansaba Dianke Walli) ordered the city's gunpowder stores to be set afire. The resulting explosion killed the Mandinka defenders and many of the attackers. Without Kansala, Mandinka hegemony in the region came to an end. The remains of the kingdom were under Fula control until the Portuguese suppression of the kingdom around the turn of the 20th century.
Mandinka people
The Mandinka, Malinke are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa with an estimated population of eleven million ....
Kingdom of Senegambia (centered on modern northeastern Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
but extending into Casamance
Casamance
Casamance is the area of Senegal south of The Gambia including the Casamance River. It consists of Basse Casamance and Haute Casamance...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
) that rose to prominence in the region thanks to its origins as a former province of the Mali Empire
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire or Mandingo Empire or Manden Kurufa was a West African empire of the Mandinka from c. 1230 to c. 1600. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa I...
. After the decline of the Mali Empire, Kaabu became an independent kingdom.
Tinkuru
The Mandinka arrived in Guinea-Bissau around the year 1200. One of the generals of Sundiata KeitaSundiata Keita
Sundiata Keita, Sundjata Keyita, Mari Djata I or just Sundiata was the founder of the Mali Empire and celebrated as a hero of the Malinke people of West Africa in the semi-historical Epic of Sundiata....
, Tirmakhan Traore, conquered the area making Kaabu one of Mali's western tinkuru, or provinces in the 1230s. By the beginning of the 14th century, much of Guinea-Bissau was under the control of the Mali Empire and ruled by a Farim Kaabu (Commander of Kaabu) loyal to the Mansa
Mansa
Mansa is a Mandinka word meaning "king of kings". It is particularly associated with the Keita Dynasty of the Mali Empire, which dominated West Africa from the thirteenth to the fifthteenth century...
of Mali. As in many places that saw Mandinka migrations, much of Guinea-Bissau's native population was dominated or assimilated. Resisters being sold into slavery via the trans-Sahara trade routes to Arab buyers. Although the rulers of Kaabu were Mandinka, many of their subjects were from ethnic groups who had resided in the region before the Mandinka invasion.
Independence
After the middle of the 14th century, Mali saw a steep decline due to raids by the MossiMossi Kingdoms
The Mossi Kingdoms, sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Mossi Empire, were a trio of powerful states in modern-day Burkina Faso. Each state possessed similar customs and government, but were ruled independently of each other...
to their south and the growth of the new Songhai Empire
Songhai 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...
. During the 16th century, Mali lost many of its provinces reducing it to not much more than the Mandinka heartland. Succession disputes between heirs to Mali's throne also weakened its ability to hold even its historically secure possessions in Senegal, the Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. Free of imperial oversight, these lands splintered off to form independent kingdoms. The most successful and longest lasting of these was Kaabu, which became independent in 1537. Kaabu's governor, Sami Koli, became the first ruler of an independent Kaabu. He was the grandson of Tiramakhan Traore.
janke wali sanneh was the last ruler of kaabu.
Consolidation of Senegambia
Kaabu carried on the legacy of the Mali Empire much in the same way the Byzantine EmpireByzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
preserved the culture and social structure of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. The rulers of the Kaabu Kingdom believed their right to rule came from their history as an imperial province. The kings of independent Kaabu discarded the title of Farim Kaabu for Kaabu Mansaba. At the Kaabu capital of Kansala, the Kaabu Mansaba controlled the increasingly valuable slave trade with Europeans. They specifically traded with the Portuguese, supplying many slaves to the Cape Verde Islands and the Americas. Among the provinces of the Kabu empire were Firdu, Pata
Pata
Pata may refer to:* Pata , an Indian weapon* Pata , a Japanese guitarist* Pata, Sulu, a Philippine municipality* Pata, a village in Apahida Commune, Cluj County, Romania...
, Kamako, Jimara, Patim Kibo, Patim Kanjaye, Kantora
Kantora
' is one of the four districts of the Upper River Division of The Gambia.At one point Kantora was a province of the Kabu Empire but it probably had different boundaries then.-References:...
, Pakane Mambura, Kudura, Nampaio and Pacana.
Government
Kaabu, despite its ties to Mali, appears to have run in a quite different matter. Mali was established as a federation of chiefs, and the government operated with an assembly of nobles to which the Mansa was largely responsible. Kaabu, however, was established as a military outpost. So it is of little surprise that the kingdom's government was militaristic. The ruling class was composed of warrior-elites made rich by slaves captured in war. These nobles were known as Nyancho or the sanneh's and held much of the power in the state. These nobles were instrumental in the decline of Kaabu due to internal feuds between powerful Nyancho with their respective slave armies.Music Culture
Mandinka oral tradition holds that Kaabu was the actual birth place of the Mande musical instrument, known as the KoraKora (instrument)
The kora is a 21-string bridge-harp used extensively in West Africa.-Description:A kora is built from a large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin to make a resonator, and has a notched bridge. It does not fit well into any one category of western instruments and would have to be...
. A kora is built from a large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin to make a resonator, and has a notched bridge like a lute or guitar. The sound of a Kora resembles that of a harp, though when played in the traditional style, it bears a closer resemblance to flamenco guitar techniques. The Kora was traditionally used by the griot
Griot
A griot or jeli is a West African storyteller. The griot delivers history as a poet, praise singer, and wandering musician. The griot is a repository of oral tradition. As such, they are sometimes also called bards...
s as a tool for preserving history, ancient tradition, to memorize the genealogies of patron families and sing their praises, to act as conflict intermediaries between families, and to entertain. Its origins can be traced to the time of the Mali empire
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire or Mandingo Empire or Manden Kurufa was a West African empire of the Mandinka from c. 1230 to c. 1600. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa I...
and linked with Jali Mady Fouling Cissoko, son of Bamba Cissoko. According to the griots, Mady visited a local lake in which he was informed that a genie who granted wishes had resided. Upon meeting him, Mady requested that the genie make him a brand new instrument that no griot had ever owned. The genie accepted, but only under the condition that Mady release his sister into his custody. After being informed, the sister agreed to the sacrifice, the genie complied, and hence, the birth of the legendary Kora. Aside from oral testimony, historians propose that the Kora appeared with the apogee of war chiefs from Kaabu, allowing the tradition to spread throughout the Mande
Mande
Mande may refer to:* Mandé peoples of western Africa* Mande languages* Manding, a term covering a subgroup of Mande peoples, and sometimes used for one of them, Mandinka* Garo people of northeastern India and northern Bangladesh...
area until it was made popular by Koryang Moussa in the 19th century.
Decline
The power of Kaabu began to wane as the heavily Islamic and militant FulaFula 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...
rallied against non-Muslim states in the region. This culminated in a regional jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
led by the Kingdom of Futa Tooro
Futa Tooro
Futa Tooro refers to the region on the Senegal River in what is now northern Senegal and southern Mauritania.The word Fuuta was a general name the Fulbe gave to any area they lived in, while Tooro was the actual identity of the region for its inhabitants. The people of the kingdom spoke Pulaar, a...
. In 1867, Kaabu came under siege from Alfa Molo Balde, a general from the Kingdom of Fouta Djallon
Kingdom of Fouta Djallon
The Kingdom of Fouta Djallon was a pre-colonial West African state based in the Fouta Djallon highlands of modern Guinea.-Origin:...
. After the eleven day Battle of Kansala
Battle of Kansala
The Battle of Kansala or ‘’’Final Battle’’’ or Siege of Kansla was a military engagement between forces of the Kaabu Empire and the Futa Jallon Kingdom...
, Mansaba Janke Waali (also called Mansaba Dianke Walli) ordered the city's gunpowder stores to be set afire. The resulting explosion killed the Mandinka defenders and many of the attackers. Without Kansala, Mandinka hegemony in the region came to an end. The remains of the kingdom were under Fula control until the Portuguese suppression of the kingdom around the turn of the 20th century.
See also
- Mali EmpireMali EmpireThe Mali Empire or Mandingo Empire or Manden Kurufa was a West African empire of the Mandinka from c. 1230 to c. 1600. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa I...
- Battle of KansalaBattle of KansalaThe Battle of Kansala or ‘’’Final Battle’’’ or Siege of Kansla was a military engagement between forces of the Kaabu Empire and the Futa Jallon Kingdom...
- Kingdom of Futa Jallon
- Portuguese GuineaPortuguese GuineaPortuguese Guinea was the name for what is today Guinea-Bissau from 1446 to September 10, 1974.-History:...
- History of Guinea-BissauHistory of Guinea-BissauThe history of Guinea-Bissau was dominated by Portugal from the 1450s to the 1970s; since independence, the country has been primarily controlled by a single-party system.-Portuguese rule:...