Kounta
Encyclopedia
The Kunta are a Berber
–Arab
tribal group of Saharan
Nomads, today residing mostly in northern Mali
and southern Mauritania
.
Believed to be descended from the Zenata
Berbers, the Kounta consider themselves related to the Arab nomads and warriors who brought Islam
to North Africa in the eighth century (CE). Specifically, they trace their lineage from Uqba ibn Nafi
, a Muslim leader of the conquest period.
Established in Mauritania since the eleventh century, the Kounta were instrumental in the expansion of Islam in to sub-Saharan West Africa
in the 15th century, and formed an urban elite in cities such as Timbuctu which were on the southern end of the Trans-Saharan trade
.
, and many were recruited into Méhariste
units, the urban Kounta trading and religious groups to the east were instrumental in the Fulani Jihad States of the Sokoto Caliphate, Macina
, and the Segou Tijaniyya Jihad state
of Umar Tall
.
Some leaders of the Kunta in north east Mali have come into conflict with Tuareg and Bambara populations in towns where they once held a near monopoly on political power. In 1998-1999 and again in 2004 there were brief flare-ups of intercommunal violence between these groups near Gao
and Timbuctu, a rare event in postcolonial Mali. There has even been a small ethnic Kounta insurgency, begun in 2004 by a former army colonel, though few attacks have been staged and the leadership has been largely rejected by the Kunta community.
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
–Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
tribal group of Saharan
Saharan
The term Saharan is used in the English language to denote someone or something from the Sahara desert, including:* Sahrawi , referring to the people of the Western Sahara* Saharan languages, a subgroup of the Nilo-Saharan languages...
Nomads, today residing mostly in northern 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...
and southern Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
.
Believed to be descended from the Zenata
Zenata
Zenata were an ethnic group of North Africa, who were technically an Eastern Berber group and who are found in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco....
Berbers, the Kounta consider themselves related to the Arab nomads and warriors who brought Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
to North Africa in the eighth century (CE). Specifically, they trace their lineage from Uqba ibn Nafi
Uqba ibn Nafi
Uqba ibn Nafi was an Arab hero and general who was serving the Umayyad dynasty, in Amir Muavia and Yazid periods, who began the Islamic conquest of the Maghreb, including present-day Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco in North Africa. He was the nephew of 'Amr ibn al-'As. Uqba is often surnamed...
, a Muslim leader of the conquest period.
Established in Mauritania since the eleventh century, the Kounta were instrumental in the expansion of Islam in to sub-Saharan West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
in the 15th century, and formed an urban elite in cities such as Timbuctu which were on the southern end of the Trans-Saharan trade
Trans-Saharan trade
Trans-Saharan trade requires travel across the Sahara to reach sub-Saharan Africa. While existing from prehistoric times, the peak of trade extended from the 8th century until the late 16th century.- Increasing desertification and economic incentive :...
.
Modern history
While the nomadic Kunta clans were "pacified" early by French Colonial forcesFrench colonial empires
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
, and many were recruited into Méhariste
Mehariste
Méhariste is a French word that roughly translates to camel cavalry. The word is most commonly used as a designation of military units.-Origins of French Camel Corps:...
units, the urban Kounta trading and religious groups to the east were instrumental in the Fulani Jihad States of the Sokoto Caliphate, Macina
Massina Empire
The Massina Empire was an early nineteenth-century Fulbe Jihad state centered in the Macina and Inner Niger Delta area of what is now the Mopti and Ségou Regions of Mali...
, and the Segou Tijaniyya Jihad state
Toucouleur Empire
The Toucouleur Empire was founded in the nineteenth century by El Hadj Umar Tall of the Toucouleur people, in part of present-day Mali....
of Umar Tall
Umar Tall
El Hadj Umar ibn Sa'id Tall , , born in what is now actual Senegal was a West African political leader, Islamic scholar, and Toucouleur military commander who founded a brief empire encompassing much of what is now Guinea, Senegal, and Mali.-Name:Umar Tall's name is spelled variously: in...
.
Some leaders of the Kunta in north east Mali have come into conflict with Tuareg and Bambara populations in towns where they once held a near monopoly on political power. In 1998-1999 and again in 2004 there were brief flare-ups of intercommunal violence between these groups near 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....
and Timbuctu, a rare event in postcolonial Mali. There has even been a small ethnic Kounta insurgency, begun in 2004 by a former army colonel, though few attacks have been staged and the leadership has been largely rejected by the Kunta community.
See also
- Kunta familyKunta familyThe Kunta family is among the best-known examples of a lineage of Islamic scholarship with widespread influence throughout Mauritania, Senegambia, and other parts of the Western Sudan....
: an ethnic Kounta clan network influential in the history of religion, trade and politics of the western SahelSahelThe Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south.It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea....
.