Tuareg
The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern Al ...
tribal confederation. It ruled an area centered on the Aïr Mountains (Aïr Massif) in what is today
Niger
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, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languagesHausa, who later became identified with
Gobir
Gobir (Demonym: ''Gobirawa'') was a city-state in what is now Nigeria. Founded by the Hausa in the 11th century, Gobir was one of the seven original kingdoms of Hausaland, and continued under Hausa rule for nearly 700 years. Its capital was the c ...
(the Gobirawa) and other states to the south. Kel Ayr controlled the sedentary populations of the trading and farming centers in
Assodé
Assodé was a town in the Aïr Mountains in what is now northern Niger. Founded around the eleventh century, it was long the most important Tuareg town, benefiting from trans-Saharan trade
Trans-Saharan trade requires travel across the Sahara ...
, Agadez, In-Gall, Timia and Iferouane. The Songhai Empire seized Agadez, Ingall, and centers to the south and west in 1500, but lost control before the end of the century. Along with the Kel Gres, Tesen and Issandalan confederations, the Kel Ayr controlled the region and helped found the Sultanate in Agadez. In 1740 the large
Kel Owey The Kel Awey (var. Kel Owi, Kel Ewey form ''People of the Bull'') are a Tuareg clan confederation. From the 18th century until the advent of French colonial rule at the beginning of the 20th century, they were a dominant power in the Aïr Mountains ...
destroyed the town of
Assodé
Assodé was a town in the Aïr Mountains in what is now northern Niger. Founded around the eleventh century, it was long the most important Tuareg town, benefiting from trans-Saharan trade
Trans-Saharan trade requires travel across the Sahara ...
, sacked Agadez, placed the Sultanate of Agadez under their control, and dispersed the Kel Ayer to the south and west. The confederation was then under the direct suzerainty of the Anastafidet, lord of the Kel Owey. Between the 1850s and the 1890s, the Kel Owey and the central Aïr again fell under control of the Key Ayr, and the Ayr again retained control of Agadez, the Kouar oases, and the
Azalai
The Azalai (Tamasheq, var. Azalay) is a semi-annual salt caravan route practiced by Tuareg traders in the Sahara desert between Timbuktu and the Taoudenni salt mine in Mali, or the act of traveling with a caravan along that route.
The other ...
salt caravans, which they continue to operate.
As of the 1980s, population estimates for the Kel Ayr range from 55,000 to 20,000, in part because of the decision of which tribes to include, and whether to include the sedentary population (the Ikelan/Bella) whom the Tuareg groups ruled until at least independence.
Existing Kel Ayr groups
To the west of Aïr in the Tamesna plain:
* Kel Gharous
* Kel Tadele
* Kel Tamat (now more identified with the
Kel Owey The Kel Awey (var. Kel Owi, Kel Ewey form ''People of the Bull'') are a Tuareg clan confederation. From the 18th century until the advent of French colonial rule at the beginning of the 20th century, they were a dominant power in the Aïr Mountains ...
) ~4800 in 1979
** Ikazkazan (part centered near Arlit). A second branch is associated with the Kel Ulli/ Kel Gres to the south, near Zinder.
To the southwest of Aïr :
* Kel Fadey (centered at Tchimoumenene; nomadize in regions around In-Gall) ~1780 in 1979.
* Igdalen (part). Igdalen sub groups form a religious class in many Tuareg confederations
*
Kel Ferwan
The Kel Ferwan are a Tuareg nomadic clan, who have historically been a subgroup of the Kel Ayr confederation. In the 20th century, they have mostly been based in the Aïr Mountains of north central Niger
)
, official_languages =
, la ...
(or Kel Ferouane) to the south of the Aïr Mountains, but originally migrating to the area in the 14th century CE. ~6000 in 1979.
In the colonial period the Kel Ayr led a large confederation which included most of these groups, but also held sway over the
Kel Owey The Kel Awey (var. Kel Owi, Kel Ewey form ''People of the Bull'') are a Tuareg clan confederation. From the 18th century until the advent of French colonial rule at the beginning of the 20th century, they were a dominant power in the Aïr Mountains ...
and
Kel Tamat Kel or KEL may refer to:
* Raquel Calderón (born 1991), Chilean singer and actress
* Kei Lun stop, Hong Kong, MTR station code KEL
* Kel, Azad Kashmir, village in Neelam Valley, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan
* Kel Mitchell (born 1978), American actor and ...
in the central Aïr Massif.Paul E. Lovejoy. ''Transformations in Slavery - A History of Slavery in Africa''. African Studies series No 36. Cambridge University Press (1983) pp. 217-220
See also
*
Tuareg
The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern Al ...
Kel Ahaggar
Kel Ahaggar ( Berber: ⴾⵍ ⵂⴴⵔ) (trans: "People of Ahaggar") is a Tuareg confederation inhabiting the Hoggar Mountains (Ahaggar mountains) in Algeria. The confederation is believed to have been founded by the Tuareg matriarch Tin Hinan, ...
Kel Owey The Kel Awey (var. Kel Owi, Kel Ewey form ''People of the Bull'') are a Tuareg clan confederation. From the 18th century until the advent of French colonial rule at the beginning of the 20th century, they were a dominant power in the Aïr Mountains ...
** Aulliminden: Kel Ataram (west) and Kel Dinnik (east)
References
* Samuel Decalo. ''Historical Dictionary of Niger.'' Scarecrow Press, London and New Jersey (1979).
* Jolijn Geels. ''Niger.'' Bradt London and Globe Pequot New York (2006). .
* French Language Wikipedia entry
Also
* Bernus E. 1981. ''Touareg nigériens: Unité culturelle et diversité régionale d'un peuple pasteur.'' ORSTOM, Paris. ''This is the source of the 55,000 population figure.''
* Karl G. Prasse. ''The Tuaregs: The Blue People.'' Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 1995. {{ISBN, 978-87-7289-313-6.
Tuareg confederations