The Igdalen (var.: Igdalan, Agdal) are a
Berber people inhabiting northwestern
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages[Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...](_blank)
and
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
.
[Tagdal A language of Niger]
in Lewis, M. Paul (ed.), 2009. ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'', Sixteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com/. They speak
Tagdal, a mixed
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 Alg ...
–
Songhay language. The Igdalen are closely related to
Idaksahak people of eastern
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...
and the
Sawaq of
Ingal
In-Gall (var. In Gall, I-n-Gall, In-Gal, Ingal, Ingall) is a town in the Agadez Region, Tchirozerine Department of northeast Niger, with a year-round population of less than 500. Known for its oasis and salt flats, In-Gall is the gathering po ...
in Niger, with whom they share a very similar language. Culturally, the Igdalen are often considered a
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 Alg ...
faction. In the past they have formed a sub-confederation with the
Kel Fadey,
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 =
, l ...
and others in the
Kel Ayr Tuareg confederation or ''Drum Group''.
[Edmond Bernus, Suzanne Bernus]
Du sel et des dattes: introduction à l'étude de la communauté d'In Gall et de Tegidda-n-tesemt
''Etudes Nigeriennes'', 31. Centre nigérien de recherches en sciences humaines, 1972. OCLC 248836480
There are an estimated 27,000 Igdalen,
and are centered on
Tanout and
Tchin Tabaraden in northern Niger, although seasonal transhumance with livestock take them well north and south.
Igdalen are Muslim, and have previously been a
Marabout
A marabout ( ar, مُرابِط, murābiṭ, lit=one who is attached/garrisoned) is a Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the function of a chaplain serving as a part of an Islamic army, notably in North Africa and the Sah ...
(religious) and herding caste within Tuareg society.
The Igdalen do not form a single political or tribal group, but factions are through recent history attached to at least two aristocratic Tuareg tribes. These include the
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 =
, l ...
''Immuzurag'' and ''Ikherkheren''.
In the Ingal area, the Igdalen are divided into two additional tribes, the ''Kel Tofey'' and the ''Kel Amdit''.
The Igdalen are believed to have been among the first Berber people to move into the area, before large Tuareg groups migrated from the 11th to the 16th centuries CE. It is believed that Igdalen came to the Niger river valley from Morocco by the 11th century, moving up towards the
Aïr Mountains
The Aïr Mountains or Aïr Massif ( tmh, Ayăr; Hausa: Eastern ''Azbin'', Western ''Abzin'') is a triangular massif, located in northern Niger, within the Sahara. Part of the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands ecoregion, the ...
.
[James Stuart Olson. 'Igdalen' in ''The peoples of Africa: an ethnohistorical dictionary''. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996 p. 238]
See also
*
Dawsahak people
*
Tuareg people
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 Alg ...
References
*Regula Christiansen-Boll
''A Grammar of Tadaksahak, a Northern Songhay Language of Mali'' Leiden University Centre for Linguistics. (31 March 2010).
*Cyffer, Norbert (Ed) (2000). Michael J Rueck; Niels Christiansen. "Northern Songhay languages in Mali and Niger, a sociolinguistic survey". in ''Trends in Nilo-Saharan linguistics: proceedings of the 7th Nilo-Saharan linguistics conference'', Vienna, Austria, 2–6 September 1998. Cologne : Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.
{{authority control
Berbers in Algeria
Berbers in Mali
Berbers in Niger
Ethnic groups in Mali
Ethnic groups in Niger
Tuareg