Kanuri - History and Cultural Relations Although there are
semilegendary views about early Kanuri roots in Yemen, little is
known of the earliest phases of Kanuri culture. Contemporary
Kanuri are the descendants of the ruling Saifawa family of the
Kanem Empire. As a result of civil war, this family left Kanem
in the fourteenth century and, after nearly a century of
internal strife, established a new empire southwest of Lake
Chad. This empire was and is known as Bornu, although Borno is
now its official name. The area to which the Saifawa moved was
inhabited by various peoples about whom little is known. Now
they are known collectively as the Sau—reputedly a race of
giants. For a period of several centuries, the efforts of the
Saifawa to consolidate their power and expand their kingdom's
boundaries led to the incorporation of many distinctive groups
within Kanuri society. This process has not ended.
Intermarriage, commerce, politics, and other factors have
combined to produce a people who are culturally hetero