The Nyancho (also spelled ''Nyantio'', '' Ñaanco'', ''Nyanthio'' or ''Nyanco'') were a royal maternal dynasty that ruled the West African empire of
Kaabu
Kaabu (1537–1867), also written Gabu, Ngabou, and N'Gabu, was a federation of Mandinka kingdoms in the Senegambia region centered within modern northeastern Guinea-Bissau, large parts of today's Gambia, and extending into Koussanar, Kou ...
.
Origins
The Nyancho's legendary origins begin with a
Mandinka
Mandinka, Mandika, Mandinkha, Mandinko, or Mandingo may refer to:
Media
* Mandingo (novel), ''Mandingo'' (novel), a bestselling novel published in 1957
* Mandingo (film), ''Mandingo'' (film), a 1975 film based on the eponymous 1957 novel
* ''Man ...
woman named Balaba, or in some versions Tenemba. She fled the
Manding region
Manding, Manden or even Mandé is a region located in West Africa, a space between southern Mali and eastern Guinea. It is the historic home of the Manding languages, Mandinka community.
The Malinke people, Malinke are at the origin of the found ...
to
Mampatim, at the time the center of a
Bainuk
The Bainuk people (also called Banyuk, Banun, Banyun, Bainouk, Bainunk, Banyum, Bagnoun, Banhum, Banyung, Ñuñ, Elomay, or Elunay) are an ethnic group that today lives primarily in Senegal as well as in parts of Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.
Etymol ...
kingdom, and took shelter in a cave.
Pregnant at the time of her arrival, the local population took her for a djinn or sorceress as there was no man living with her. She gave birth to three daughters who were then married to the three sons of
Tiramakhan Traore
Tiramakhan Traore (variations : Toure-Makhan Traoré or Tirimakhan Trawally) was a 13th-century general in the Mali Empire who served under Sundiata Keita. In oral histories, Traore is credited with expanding the power of Mali into two very diffe ...
, who had led a powerful force to incorporate the area into the
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire (Manding languages, Manding: ''Mandé''Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: ''UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. IV, Abridged Edition: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century'', p. 57. University of California Press, 1997. or ''Manden ...
. The Nyancho were the maternal descendants of these three couples. They could therefore claim legitimacy through conquest, the Mandinka patrilineal inheritance system, and local Bainuk matrilineal traditions.
The term 'Nyancho' is derived from the
Mandinka
Mandinka, Mandika, Mandinkha, Mandinko, or Mandingo may refer to:
Media
* Mandingo (novel), ''Mandingo'' (novel), a bestselling novel published in 1957
* Mandingo (film), ''Mandingo'' (film), a 1975 film based on the eponymous 1957 novel
* ''Man ...
phrase ''I nyon ten'', meaning 'you have no equal.
[
]
Rule
Traore's three sons and their descendants ruled Kaabu's royal provinces (or constituent kingdoms) of Jimara, Pacana, and Sama, alternating the '' mansaya'' (overall kingship) between them.[
The Nyancho ruling class, warrior-elites made rich war and slave raiding, were part of either the Manneh and Sanneh paternal lineages. Only those descended from Nyancho bloodlines on both sides could be elected ''mansa'' of Kaabu.
]
See also
*Mali Empire
The Mali Empire (Manding languages, Manding: ''Mandé''Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: ''UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. IV, Abridged Edition: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century'', p. 57. University of California Press, 1997. or ''Manden ...
*Battle of Kansala
The Battle of Kansala or Turban Keloo ( Mandinka for ''Annihilation war'') was the siege of the capital of the Kaabu federation in 1867 by the Imamate of Futa Jallon, allied with rebellious Fula people from Kaabu itself. The battle, which saw the ...
*Guelowar
Guelowar (or Gelwaar in Serer language, Serer), also spelled Gelwar, Guelwar, Guelware, Gueleware or Gueloware, was a maternal dynasty in the pre-colonial Serer people, Serer kingdoms of Kingdom of Sine, Sine and Kingdom of Saloum, Saloum (in the ...
References
Bibliography
*{{cite book , last=Barry , first = Boubacar , title=Senegambia and the Atlantic Slave Trade , publisher=Cambridge University Press , location=Cambridge , year=1998 , pages=388 Pages , isbn=0-521-59226-7
Gambian noble families
Senegalese noble families
Former monarchies of Africa
History of Guinea-Bissau
Former countries in Africa