Bangime

Bangime is a language isolate spoken in Mali, distinguished by an absence of a confirmed genealogical relationship to any other language spoken in West Africa. The term “Bangime,” comes from the equally enigmatic Dogon peoples of the Bandiagara Escarpment, translates as “secret” or “hidden,” a reflection of the language’s unidentified origins. The speakers of Bangime, the Bangande, claim Dogon ancestry, although this claim does not align with linguistic evidence. Oral traditions from both the Bangande and Dogon attest a migration from a region called “Mande.” Geographically, the Bangande are situated between the Dogon people and speakers of a Mande language, Bozo Jenaama. In their interactions with neighboring Dogon and Mande populations, the Bangande communicate using Fulfulde, a language spoken by nomadic Fulani herders who, as they cross the Sahel with their livestock, traverse the Bandiagara region. The linguistic paradox posed by the Bangime language and the Bangande people can provide researchers with insights into the complexity and diversity of West Africa’s ethnolinguistic histories.