The Gwiriko Kingdom (
Dyula: ''
Masaya Gwiriko''), also known as Gouiriko was a kingdom in the 18th and 19th centuries in what is now part of present-day
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳ðž¤ðž¤²ðž¤¢ 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...
around the watershed of the
River Banifin. It was founded by Famagah Ouattara (Wattara) and lasted until French occupation in 1897. Its chief city was
Bobo-Dioulasso
Bobo-Dioulasso is a city in Burkina Faso with a population of 904,920 (); it is the second-largest city in the country, after Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital. The name means "home of the Bobo-Dioula".
The local Bobo-speaking population (re ...
.
History
In the early 18th century, Sékou Ouattara took control of the city of
Kong and expanded his influence, creating the
Kong Empire. In about 1714, Seku's brother, Famagah Ouattara, established the Kingdom of Gwiriko, likely ruling as a representative of Seku, although possibly independently.
[Quimby, Lucy Gardner. "Transformations of belief: Islam among the Dyula of Kongbougou from 1880 to 1970." (1972). p31-33] At Seku's death around 1740, Ouattara's brother, Famagah Ouattara, refused to pay allegiance to Sekou Ouattara's sons and seized the area which included Tiefo, Dafin, and Bwamu. He allied with the Bobo-Juula, and established a state. He was succeeded within a few years by Kere Massa Ouattara and Magan Oule Ouattara, who faced repeated revolts which were put down by violent repression.
After the succeeding leader, Diori Ouattara, died in 1839, the state collapsed, and Tiefo, Bobo Joola, Bolon, and other regions became independent.
Guimbe Ouattara (c 1836–1919), daughter of Diori Ouattara, was a noted leader in campaigns against the Kenedougou and against Noumoudara in this era.
[Rupley, Lawrence, Lamissa Bangali, and Boureima Diamitani. Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso. Scarecrow Press, 2013. p154-155] Bako Moru stemmed the collapse by allying with Tiéfo and Bobo Joola. In the ensuing battles,
Tieba Traoré Tieba Traoré was a king of the Kénédougou Empire who reigned from 1876 until his death in 1893. Son of the previous king, Mansa Douala, Traoré moved the Empire's capital to Sikasso, building a palace on the city's Mamelon hill. Traoré fought ...
, future king of
Kénédougou Kingdom
The Kénédougou Kingdom, ( Cebaara Senufo: ''Fǎngi Kenedugu'')also referred to as the Kenedugu Kingdom, (c. 1650–1898) was a pre-colonial West African state established in the southern portion of present-day Mali.
Traoré Dynasty
Kénédougou ...
, was captured and later sold as a slave.
[Ajayi, JF Ade, ed. Africa in the Nineteenth Century until the 1880s. Vol. 6. Unesco, 1989. p677]
During the reign of Ali Dyan (1854–1878) and his successor Kokoro Dyan, the central state lost control of the state and groups such as the Tyefo took control of the land.
[Oliver, Roland, ed. The Cambridge History of Africa. Vol. 6. Cambridge University Press, 1985. p242-243] By the late 1800s, Gwiriko was pressed on many sides and in 1897, Pintieba Ouattara was installed to replace Tieba Ouattara by the French when Pintieba made a deal with French commandant Paul Caudrelier. Thereafter, the influence of the state quickly waned and while Pintieba and his successor Karamoko Ouattara held the title of King until 1915, by that time the state no longer existed.
Historiography
"Gwiriko" means "at the end of the long stage" in the
Dyula language
Dyula (or Jula, Dioula, ''Julakan'' ߖߎ߬ߟߊ߬ߞߊ߲) is a language of the Mande language family spoken mainly in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Mali, and also in some other countries, including Ghana, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. It is one of ...
. The early history of this kingdom is recorded in the Ghunja Chronicle (Kitab al-Ghunja).
[Ogot, Bethwell A., ed. Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century. Vol. 5. Univ of California Press, 1999. pp. 358–359]
List of rulers
See also
*
Mossi states
References
{{reflist
Former monarchies of Africa
Countries in precolonial Africa
States and territories established in 1710
1897 disestablishments
History of Burkina Faso
1714 establishments in Africa