Up the Chari from the Sao towns of its delta, the flood plains round the later Massenya were held by farming and fishing peoples, the ancestors of the Barma and their neighbours.
The Bagirmi kingdom is later (tradition puts its founding in the sixteenth century; Lange thinks its roots older). Kanem's raiders reached the Chari for captives.
Who holds it
- Title
- village and river heads
- Confidence
- low
The kingdom of Bagirmi is founded in the sixteenth century in tradition (Lange argues for earlier origins).
Overlord
None recorded
How things stand that morning
Self-governing peoples; raided from Kanem (not recorded in detail).
Customs
Village heads and river lineages.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Later tradition only.
On the map: Rough outline.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.