Authentic Beautiful Beadded Songhay Headdress – Gao Region, Mali

Glass beads, carnelian and metal rings. The headdress is cm. 40,0 in lenght (15.75″); grams 201,8 (7.12 oz.).

The Songhai people are an ethnic group in West Africa. Their history is linked to the Songhai Empire which dominated the western Sahel in the 15th and 16th century. The Songhai are primarily located in Niger and Mali. Historically, the term “Songhai” did not denote an ethnic or linguistic identity but referred to the ruling caste of the Songhay Empire known as the Songhaiborai.

Although some speakers in Mali have also adopted the name Songhay as an ethnic designation, other Songhay-speaking groups identify themselves by other ethnic terms such as Djerma or Isawaghen. The dialect of Koyraboro Senni spoken in Gao is unintelligible to speakers of the Djerma dialect of Niger, according to at least one report.

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