Dinga, also known as Dinka, Dinga Cissé or Kaya Maghan (meaning ruler of gold) (c. 700) was the possibly legendary
Soninke founder of
Wagadou, also known as the Ghana Empire. He founded the Cissé
dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others.
H ...
which ruled the empire from the 8th century CE to the end of the 11th century.
[
Gravrand, Henry, "La civilisation Sereer, ''Cosaan'' : les origines", Nouvelles Editions ]Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
ines, 1983, pp 75-76,
According to Soninke oral traditions, Dinga immigrated westwards from the east, sometimes specified as
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
, a theme commonly found in West African ethnogenesis legends. His first wife was barren, but he took four others, each of whom was mother to various different Soninke clans. His third wife, Diangana-Boro, gave birth to six children; the last of them was the mythical snake, Bida. His fourth wife, Kantana-Boro, gave birth to five Cissé kings of Wagadou. The first of these,
Diabe Cissé, concluded a pact with Bida to sacrifice a virgin to the snake every year in exchange for plentiful rains and gold.
The legend of Dinga is also widespread among the
Songhai people
The Songhai people ( autonym: Ayneha) are an ethnolinguistic group in West Africa who speak the various Songhai languages. Their history and ''lingua franca'' is linked to the Songhai Empire which dominated the western Sahel in the 15th and 16 ...
.
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]
References
Soninke people
Ghana emperors
8th-century monarchs in Africa
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