Quote Originally Posted by ganulv View Post
Northern Songhay languages show clear historical influence from Tuareg, though, so there is a longstanding history of interaction. (Mostly unrelated note: one of my favorite ethnographies is set amongst the Songhay.)
Nice catch. It is rather obvious considering history and geography that there has been much interaction between both, interesting to see part of it imprinted into the language of one ethnic. And of course it is rather clear that this doesn't mean that there isn't conflict between them, as time shows us. The strong French impact on good old Saxon Anglish didn't result in an ever peaceful coexistence....

There must have certainly a fair bit of trading between the relative fertile and densely populated regions around the Niger and the cultures on the southern coasts of our mare nostrum, mostly done by the nomadic tribes like the Tuareg. If you look at the maps it is rather obvious that the vast desert areas are quite foreign to the 'dark-skinned' (All is relative, considering that in the dear USA fellow countrymen were sometimes not considered 'white' enough). I wonder which part played the spread of Islam.

As usual the history is quite interesting. It always amazes me that people tend to imprint the current human borders on older ones. People move, people stay, nothing remains the same.