Cultural portrait · Lake Chad and Kanem
Baguirmi / Barma
Founders of the Baguirmi kingdom, court Islam, banco and pottery.
Context
People profile
- Language family
- Nilo-Saharan (Sara–Bongo–Bagirmi)
- Region / province
- Chari-Baguirmi, around Massenya
- Livelihoods
- farming · herding · crafts (Encyclopædia Britannica, « Bagirmi » (archive Wayback), )
- Customs and oral literature
- Court dances and Muslim festivals.
- Present-day situation
- To be checked Not yet documented with a dated source.
- Sources
- Wikipédia, « Barma (peuple) » · EDS-MICS 2014-2015 · Sources
- Last reviewed
- Share (EDS-MICS 2014–2015)
- 1.2%
- Subgroups
- Barma (Baguirmi)
- Culture
- Former Islamic sultanate of the 17th–19th centuries, between Kanem-Bornu and Wadai. Royal society, earth villages.
- Food / staple foods
- Sorghum, fish, sauces.
- To remember
- Barma (Baguirmi) language. Massenya remains a royal place of memory.
SourcesPortraits and pages draw on public sources. Population shares follow the 2014-2015 EDS-MICS household survey, not the last census (RGPH 2009). Main photographs are documentary stills (Festival Dary, Wiki Loves Folklore, Wiki Loves Africa, Wikimedia archives) under Creative Commons, credited to the photographer.
In-depth portrait
Machine translation from French, under review. The French text is authoritative.
What the encyclopedia says
The Barma are a population of West Africa living in Chad and Nigeria.
Cultural profile
1 of 6 sections documented
- History and origins Documented fact
- Language To document
- Social organisation To document
- Beliefs and religious practice To document
- Life cycle (birth, initiation, marriage, funerals) To document
- Housing, crafts and dress To document
Documented fact: based on a published written source, cited under the section. Reported oral account: testimony from a community member, published with their consent, not confirmed in writing. Empty sections stay empty rather than being filled in.
History and origins
Documented fact
The kingdom of Baguirmi took shape in the early sixteenth century around Massenya; its rulers bore the title of mbang. The founding date varies between traditions.
Language
To be documented: awaiting verified sources and community testimony.
Social organisation
To be documented: awaiting verified sources and community testimony.
Beliefs and religious practice
To be documented: awaiting verified sources and community testimony.
Life cycle (birth, initiation, marriage, funerals)
To be documented: awaiting verified sources and community testimony.
Housing, crafts and dress
To be documented: awaiting verified sources and community testimony.
Population share source: EDS-MICS 2014-2015 (INSEED / ICF).
Location
Lake Chad and Kanem
Provinces listed in our data: Chari-Baguirmi
Cultural identities extend beyond provincial boundaries. See on the map
Media
References
Key: Documented: based on the published sources cited below.
You may also like
Video evidence
Reports and footage published on YouTube by media, institutions or first-hand witnesses, checked before publication.
- LE MARIAGE CHEZ NOUS - LE MARIAGE SELON LA COUTUME BAGUIRMIENNEWatch on YouTube ↗
Last updated :