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Caste systems in Africa are a form of social stratification found in numerous ethnic groups, found in over fifteen countries, particularly in the Sahel, West Africa, and North Africa. [1] These caste systems feature endogamy , hierarchical status, inherited occupation, membership by birth, pollution concepts and restraints on commensality.
The official population count of the various ethnic groups in Africa is highly uncertain due to limited infrastructure to perform censuses, and due to rapid population growth. Some groups have alleged that there is deliberate misreporting in order to give selected ethnicities numerical superiority (as in the case of Nigeria's Hausa, Fulani ...
The Inadan, also referred to as Enad or Tinadan, [2] [3] have been one of the historic artisan castes in West Africa, particularly among the Tuareg people. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] Sometimes referred to as an endogamous caste and sometimes as endogamous marginalized class within the Tuareg, the Inadan are found in Niger , Mali , Libya , Sahel and other ...
As West Africa evolved over time, sub-castes emerged that acquired secondary specialisations or changed occupations. Endogamy was prevalent within a caste or among a limited number of castes, yet castes did not form demographic isolates according to Tamari.
The Mandinka castes are hereditary, and marriages outside the caste was forbidden. [24] Their caste system is similar to those of other ethnic groups of the African Sahel region. [63] These castes are also common across Mandinka communities such as those in The Gambia, [64] Mali, Guinea, and other countries. [65] [26]
The history of the indigenous African peoples spans thousands of years and includes a complex variety of cultures, languages, and political systems. Indigenous African cultures have existed since ancient times, with some of the earliest evidence of human life on the continent coming from stone tools and rock art dating back hundreds of thousands of years.
Maasai warriors confronting a spotted hyena, a common livestock predator, as photographed in In Wildest Africa (1907) The monotheistic Maasai worship a single deity called Enkai, Nkai, [13] or Engai. Engai has a dual nature, represented by two colours: [13] Engai Narok (Black God) is benevolent, and Engai Na-nyokie (Red God) is vengeful. [37]
The Tomal caste is not an exception limited to the Somali ethnic group, and equivalent cognate caste is found in numerous ethnic groups in Horn of Africa and the rest of East Africa. According to Donald Levine – a professor of Sociology specializing in Ethiopian and Horn of Africa studies, similar caste groups in different languages and ...