Ghana Empire: Difference between revisions

According to [[oral tradition]]s, although they vary much amongst themselves, the legendary progenitory of the Soninke was a man named Dinga, who came "from the east" (possibly [[Aswan]], [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uivtCqOlpTsC&q=cisse+aswan&pg=PA104|title=Encyclopedia of African American History [3 volumes]|first1=Leslie M.|last1=Alexander|first2=Walter C. Jr.|last2=Rucker|date=9 February 2010|publisher=ABC-CLIO|access-date=13 September 2018|via=Google Books|isbn=978-1-85109-774-6}}</ref>), after which he migrated to a variety of locations in western Sudan, in each place leaving children by different wives. In order to take power he had to kill a serpent deity (named Bida), and then marry his daughters, who became the ancestors of the clans that were dominant in the region at the time. Some traditions state he did a deal with Bida to sacrifice one maiden a year in exchange for rainfall, and other versions add a constant supply of gold.<ref>{{cite journal| last1=Conrad |first1=David |last2=Fisher |first2=Humphrey |title=The Conquest That Never Was: Ghana and the Almoravids, 1076. II. The Local Oral Sources |journal=History in Africa |volume= |volume=10 |year=1983 |url=https://www-cambridge-org.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/core/journals/history-in-africa/article/conquest-that-never-was-ghana-and-the-almoravids-1076-ii-the-local-oral-sources/01C98BFDB91C78BFAC421A8F42C02407}}</ref>{{rp|pages=55}} Upon Dinga's death, his two sons Khine and Dyabe contested the [[mwod:kingship|kingship]], and Dyabe was victorious, founding Wagadu.{{sfn|Levtzion|1973|pp=16–17}} In some versions, the fall of Wagadu happens when the king tries to save a maiden, and kills the snake, unleashing its curse. This appears to have been a fragment of what once was a much longer narrative, now lost, however the legend of Wagadu continues to have a deep-rooted significance in Soninke culture and history.<ref>{{cite journal| last1=Conrad |first1=David |last2=Fisher |first2=Humphrey |title=The Conquest That Never Was: Ghana and the Almoravids, 1076. II. The Local Oral Sources |journal=History in Africa |volume= |volume=10 |year=1983 |url=https://www-cambridge-org.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/core/journals/history-in-africa/article/conquest-that-never-was-ghana-and-the-almoravids-1076-ii-the-local-oral-sources/01C98BFDB91C78BFAC421A8F42C02407}}</ref>{{rp|pages=54-55}} The tradition of [[Gassire's lute]] discussesmentions Wagadu's fall.