Kanuri

Kanuri
/keuh noor"ee/, n., pl. Kanuris, (esp. collectively) Kanuri for 1.
1. a member of a people living in northeast Nigeria and in Niger.
2. the Nilo-Saharan language of the Kanuri people.

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People of northeastern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, with smaller numbers in Chad, Cameroon, and Sudan.

They number about four million. Their language, Kanuri, is one of the Nilo-Saharan languages. The Kanuri developed the powerful empire of Kanem-Bornu, which reached its peak in the 16th century. They have been Muslims since the 11th century. The Kanuri economy is based on millet agriculture and trade with the Fulani and Arab herders.

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people
      African people, the dominant element of the population of Bornu state in northeastern Nigeria and also found in large numbers in southeastern Niger. The Kanuri language is classified as belonging to the Saharan branch of the Nilo-Saharan family.

      The Kanuri developed a powerful state at the Sudanese terminus of the major trans-Saharan trade route through the Bilma oasis to Libya. This empire, called Bornu (or Kanem-Bornu), reached its zenith in the 16th century. The Kanuri have been Muslims since the 11th century and practice the Malikite code of Islamic law.

      Kanuri economy is based on millet agriculture; in recent times, however, peanuts (groundnuts) have become an important additional cash crop. The Kanuri live in settled villages and towns and farm the sandy soil of the surrounding countryside. Maiduguri is the capital of Bornu state. The Kanuri are a commercial people with well-developed internal trade; they trade with the Fulani and Shuwa Arab herders for dairy products. Cowhide and goatskin are exported in quantity.

      Kanuri society is stratified into several distinct classes. The family of the shehu, the political and religious head of all Kanuri, forms a royal lineage. Much pageantry continues to be connected with the court. Most Kanuri are in the class of commoners. Before the British came, there was also a class of slaves who could, nonetheless, rise to prominence in court. Kin groups are not as important among the Kanuri as they are among most other African peoples; the household of a rich, powerful, and noble individual becomes the central focus for many people. The Kanuri are polygynous. The typical household unit is the nuclear family of husband, wife, and children or the polygynous family living in a compound. Houses are of sun-dried mud bricks and may be square or round, with flat or thatched roofs, respectively.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kanuri — (langue)  Cet article concerne la langue kanurie. Pour le peuple kanuri, voir Kanuris. Le kanuri, aussi écrit kanouri en français, est une langue de la famille des langues nilo sahariennes, parlée par plus d un million de personnes réparties …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Kanuri — ou Kanouri adj. (et n. m.) Des Kanuri. || n. m. LING Langue nilo saharienne du groupe saharien parlée notam. au Nigeria, au Niger, au Tchad, au Cameroun. Kanuri ou Kanouri ethnie de la pr …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Kanuri — Kanuri,   Hausa Name Beriberi, Volk in der zentralen Sudanzone mit starkem Berbereinschlag, in Nigeria, Niger, Kamerun und Tschad, mit den Tubu und Kanembu verwandt. Die Kanuri sind seit dem 11. Jahrhundert Muslime und waren Staatsvolk des… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Kanuri — [kä noor′ē] n. 1. pl. Kanuris or Kanuri a member of a Muslim people of N Nigeria and adjacent regions 2. the Nilo Saharan language of this people …   English World dictionary

  • Kanuri — (Kanori, »Leute des Lichtes«), das Hauptvolk von Bornu (s. d.), auch in Mittelafrika ausgebreitet. Nahe Verwandte der K. sind die Bewohner von Manga, Nguru und Kanem. Die K. sind eitel und putzsüchtig, aber rührige und unternehmende Kaufleute.… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Kanuri — Kanūri, die Einwohner von Bornu, etwa 11/2 Mill …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Kanuri — ethnic group group=Kanuri poptime= 4 000 000 popplace= Nigeria, southeast Niger, western Chad and northern Cameroon. langs= Kanuri rels= IslamThe Kanuri are an African ethnic group living in Bornu state in northeastern Nigeria, southeast Niger,… …   Wikipedia

  • Kanuri — Das Wort Kanuri bezeichnet eine Sprache in Afrika, siehe Kanuri (Sprache), eine afrikanische Volksgruppe, siehe Kanuri (Volk). Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselben Wort bezeichneter Begriffe …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kanuri — ISO 639 3 Code : kau ISO 639 2/B Code : kau ISO 639 2/T Code : kau ISO 639 1 Code : kr Scope : Macrolanguage Language Type : Living Individual languages : Identifier : kby Name: Manga Kanuri Individual languages : Identifier : knc Name: Central… …   Names of Languages ISO 639-3

  • kanuri — Pueblo del nordeste de Nigeria y el sudeste de Níger, con poblaciones menos numerosas en Chad, Camerún y Sudán. Suman cerca de cuatro millones de personas. Hablan kanuri, una de las lenguas nilosaharianas. Los kanuri desarrollaron el poderoso… …   Enciclopedia Universal

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