The Wogo people are a small subgroup of the broader
Songhai people
The Songhai people (also Ayneha, Songhay or Sonrai)'' 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 ...
. They are found primarily in
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. Mali ...](_blank)
on the banks and islands of
the Niger river, a territory they share with the
Zarma, the
Kurtey
The Kurtey people (var. Kourtey) are a small ethnic group found along the Niger River valley in parts of the West African nations of Niger, Benin, Mali, and Nigeria. They are also found in considerable numbers in Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast, and Burki ...
and the
Songhay. The main Wogo communities are found on the islands in the
Tillabery region of
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages[Ayorou
Ayourou (or Ayorou or Ayerou) is a town and rural commune in the Tillabéri Region, in western Niger.](_blank) in Niger and
Boura in
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. Mali ...
. They speak the
Wogo Ciine songhay dialect.
Economy and society
The Wogos are mainly farmers of rice and tobacco and to some extent millet, corn, fishing and rearing of cattle. The Niger River is their main source of living.
Culture
The Wogos are very closely related to the Songhai culturally. They almost speak the same language as them and are both
Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
, but the Wogos practice holy possession dances which the Songhays do not. They are also good craftsmen especially in weaving and basketry.
References
Sources
*
Jean-Pierre Olivier de Sardan
Jean-Pierre Olivier de Sardan (born in Languedoc, 11 July 1941-) is a French and Nigerien anthropologist, and Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Marseilles. He is also Emeritus Director of ...
, ''Les Wogo du Niger'', Institut fondamental d'Afrique noire, Commissariat General Au Plan, IFAN-CNRS, 1966, 116 p.
* Jean-Pierre Olivier de Sardan, ''Système des relations économiques et sociales chez les Wogo, Niger'', Institut d'ethnologie, Paris, 1969, 234 p.
Further reading
*Jean-Pierre Olivier de Sardan, ''La Bouche déliée : mariage Wogo'', CNRS Audiovisuel, Meudon, 1970, 29 minutes.
{{Authority control
Ethnic groups in Niger
Ethnic groups in Mali