Dendi people

The Dendi are an ethnic group located in Benin, Niger, Nigeria and northern Togo mainly in the plains of the Niger River. They are part of the Songhai people. Derived from the Songhay language, the term "Dendi" translates to "down the river." The community consists of 195,633 people. Among them, only 4,505 live in Nigeria. In Niger they live in around the city of Gaya. Their mother tongue is Dendi. The Dendi and the Songhai descended from the ancient kingdom of Za, whose presence has been recorded since the eighth century between the towns of Kukiya and Gao in modern Mali. In 1010, the Arabs came to the territory. They converted the people to Islam, which was then mixed with their indigenous religion (based on the belief of the holy rivers, soil and hunting). The Songhay Empire collapsed at the end of the sixteenth century, when Morocco conquered the territory. The houses of many Dendis can be characterized by rectangular forms and mud fabrication, as well as corrugated tin roofs. The Dendi people are patrilineal because they believe all men share the same male ancestor. Dendi society is split into social groups, including a noble caste. Among Dendi nobles the first male child born in a marriage is urged to marry the daughter of his paternal uncle, to maintain the purity of the line of the father. Men marry in their thirties, while girls do so in their teens. Dendis accept divorce. All children belong to the husband's lineage. Most men have one wife due to financial reasons, although Islam allows up to four wives. If a Dendi has several, each has her own house in the family compound. The economy of the Dendi is very diverse and includes trading, a occupation they have done for many centuries. However, most Dendi also practice subsistence farming. Common crops grown by the Dendi in Niger include millet, maize, plantains, and manioc. In Benin they grow rice, cowpeas, groundnuts, cassava, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, millet and several types of squash. The Dendi have also cattle, camels, sheep, goats, and chickens.