The islands and reed banks of the eastern lake are the home of fishing and cattle-keeping islanders, the later Yedina (called Buduma by the Kanuri) and the Kuri.
Their traditions give them mixed Kanembu and Sao origins. The lake was their refuge: Dunama Dibalemi, after 1210, is the first mai said to have used a fleet to raid the lake shores (Ibn Said).
Who holds it
- Title
- island and clan heads
- Confidence
- low
Overlord
None recorded for 1200
How things stand that morning
Self-governing islanders outside Kanem's rule on 1 January 1200 (inferred).
Customs
Island communities under clan heads; papyrus boats; cattle swum between islands (later ethnography).
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Later ethnography and tradition; Ibn Said on lake raids after 1210.
On the map: Drawn over the modern lake basin.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.