Soninke people

Soninké people

Soninke soldiers, 1890.
Total population
(~2 million)
Regions with significant populations
Mali, Mauritania, Sénégal, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau
Languages
Soninke language
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Mandinka people, Bambara people, Imraguen, Jakhanke

The Soninke, also called Sarakole, Seraculeh, or Serahuli, are a West African ethnic group found in eastern Senegal and its capital Dakar, northwestern Mali and Foute Djalon in Guinea, and southern Mauritania. They speak the Soninke language, also called Maraka language, which is one of the Mande languages.

Predominantly Muslims, the Soninke were one of the early ethnic groups from Sub-Saharan West Africa to convert to Islam in about the 10th century. The contemporary population of Soninke people is estimated to be over 2 million.

Soninke people were the founders of the ancient empire of Ghana c. 750-1240 CE. Subgroups of Soninke include the Maraka and Wangara. When the Ghana empire dispersed, the resulting diaspora brought Soninkes to Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, Burkina Faso, and Guinea-Bissau where some of this trading diaspora was called Wangara. The cultural practices of Soninke people are similar to the Mandé peoples, and those of the Imraguen of Mauritania. It includes traditional Islamic rites of marriages, circumcision and social stratification.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the regions where Soninke people are found were inhabited in ancient times. These stone settlements were built on the rocky promontories of Tichit-Walata and the Tagant cliffs of Southern Mauritania. However, there are no surviving records to suggest which ethnic group these people were, but the settlers of this region by between 1000 BCE and 600 BCE are likely related to the Soninke people. A significant agro-pastoral society had developed in this pre-historic era.

According to Soninke oral tradition history, the ancestor of the Soninke was Dinga, who came from the Middle East. His sons included Dyabe Sisse, the founder of the Wagadu kingdom with its capital at Kumbi.