Crossing Archaeology and Oral Tradition: Approaching Dendi History from Sites of Memory

Chapter 2 Crossing Archaeology and Oral Tradition: Approaching Dendi History from Sites of Memory

Olivier Gosselain and Lucie Smolderen

En définissant une certaine autochtonie, un ordre concerns about land access and political legitimacy, and social et politique ne livre pas le résultat d’une inves- should thus be approached as such (see also Bako-Arifari tigation historique et ne rend pas compte d’un fait & Le Meur 2003; Izard 1985). indépendant des perspectives prises sur lui, il situe Keeping in mind that the focus of this book is the long- un référent symbolique nécessaire à la place qui lui term history of Béninois Dendi, but wanting to avoid the paraît la meilleure, du point de vue de sa vision du pitfalls of an approach that consists mainly in listing a monde. succession of population strata (besides the works cited Izard 1985: 27 above, see also Perron 1924; Séré de Rivières 1965; Walther 2006), it will look at Dendi “from the soil up”, by focusing on a group of sites which are of significance to historically- ∵ minded people in Dendi. These sites differ from those usually evoked in oral testimonies, inasmuch as they do not relate to a single village community,1 but to a network 1 Introduction of communities, in a radius of tens (or even hundreds) of kilometres. They may thus be considered as “regional The history of Dendi written through the prevailing ortho- sites of memory”. Four of them will be considered here: doxy might be quickly summarised: a faraway province of Katanga, Nooru Bangu (the cowrie pond), Turuwe (also Mali, the southern province of Songhai, and a place of re- spelled Torouwey) and Mulabon (See Figure 2.1). The first sistance against Moroccan invaders. Yet such a history is two were mentioned in about twenty villages within a so well published but so little demonstrated. For example, triangle demarcated by Dangazuri, Kambouwo Tounga it is still not clear whether the region currently known as and Kandi; the last two seem to have a more restricted “Dendi” corresponds to the “Dendi” evoked in the Tārīkh notoriety. as-Sūdān, and there are actually reasons to believe it might Multiple correspondences in the narrative structures of have been situated further north (Moraes Farias 2013). As the traditions associated with these places suggest that we for the information provided by the Tārīkh al-fattāsh, it are in the presence of myths, which would explain their probably refers to a situation prevailing at the end of the higher profile within the study area. But, as often hap- eighteenth century (Levtzion 1971; Nobili & Mathee 2015), pens, the stories are interspersed with economic or tech- well after the dislocation of the Songhai Empire. Since the nical details, with evocations of political processes or with beginning of the twentieth century, local oral traditions links with relatively controllable historical facts. We are have been increasingly incorporated in historical narra- therefore faced with hybrid aggregates which may indeed tives. This culminated in the 1980s and 1990s, with a series have a legendary element but which also justify a histori- of historical studies devoted specifically to Béninois Dendi cal analysis. The idea is to consider the four sites succes- (Ayouba 1991; Bako-Arifari 1989; Bello n.d.; Bio Bigou 1987). sively and try to assess their historical relevance. It will be Although these works have considerably improved our evident that if such an approach sometimes forces us to understanding of the area and remain an essential intro- consider questions of autochthony, peopling processes duction to its history, their overall focus on settlement processes and political elite led them to reify narratives 1 Examples include the sites that have been subjected to an archaeo- that have probably more to do with modern-day power, logical test by our colleagues: Boyeri/Bwayeri (BOY) for the vil- economical and religious relationships than actual histor- lages of Kompanti (PTI), Loumbou Loumbou (TTO) and Banikani, or Kwara zeno (KAZ) for the village of Bogo Bogo (GOG). Turuwe/ ical processes. The division between “autochthones” and Torouwey was also test pitted (as TRO) (see Map 6 for location of all “conquerors” that constantly crops up in these works is a sites, and the Catalogue (Part 6) for descriptions of each archaeo- good case in point, as such division mainly reflects current logical unit and associated finds).

Figure 2.1 Location of the sites of memory discussed in this chapter (triangles), present-day villages (filled circles), and abandoned settlements (empty circles) and power relations, or to focus on specific populations Ouna.3 The old village was established “at the foot of a hill”,4 or social identities, it does so in a way that avoids reduc- which corresponds to the topography of the area, marked ing history to a succession of population strata and allows by the presence of several escarpments that stretch from issues to be explored that have not been central in previ- west to east. Some informants however place Katanga on ous historical studies. It also contributes to reducing the the right bank of the river, “next to Kompa”5 (possible con- gap between archaeological, historical and ethnographi- fusion with Turuwe), on the island of Lete6 (possible con- cal data. fusion with Mulabon) or in Nigeria.7 In the latter case, it is likely that our informants were making a reference to Oyo, which the Hausa designated as Katanga (Crowther 1852: i) 2 Sites in the Oral Traditions of Béninois Dendi or Katunga (Clapperton 1839); one of these informants also specified that Katanga is “in Yoruba”.8 We will see later 2.1 Katanga that such an association is not accidental and that it has The name Katanga was mentioned in eighteen villages an impact on the historiography of the site. located on or near the river,2 but seems unknown south of Guene. The majority of our informants place Katanga on the left bank of the river in the present-day Republic 3 Kompa, 30 and 31/01/12, 30/01/13; Bogo Bogo 01/02/12, 31/01/13; of Niger, and many evoke an area between Koulou and Gourouberi, 25/01/13; Karimama, 26/01/13; Birni Lafia, 03/02/13; Tomboutou, 09/02/14; Kwara Tegui Sambo Kwara, 31/01/14; Kofounou 23/01/13; Dangazuri, 30/01/13; Bodjekali, 11/02/14. 4 Bogo Bogo, 29/01/14. 5 Kwara Tegui Sambo Kwara, 12/02/12. 6 Torozougou, 05/02/13. 2 Kwara Tegui Seydou Kwara, Banikani, Dangazuri, Kompa, Koulou, 7 Garou Tegui, 08/02/13; Kambouwo Tounga, 09/02/13. The story of Bogo Bogo, Garbey Kwara, Gourouberi, Kari mama, Birni Lafia, the foundation of Garou collected by Bio Bigou (1987: 214) also Tomboutou, Molla, Kwara Tegui Sambo Kwara, Kantoro, Toro- evokes a Katanga situated in Nigeria. zougou, Malanville, Bodjekali and Kofounou. 8 Garou Tegui, 08/02/13.