They are also found in considerable numbers in Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso.
[1] While retaining many aspects of Fula traditional culture, the Kurtey have assimilated into Songhai-Zarma ways of life and speak a Southern Songhay dialect.
[1] Some Kurtey continue to mark themselves with their traditional facial scarification: a small cross at the top of each cheekbone.
[5] The Kurtey are also one of six Nigerien ethnic groups who have historically carried out ritual Female circumcision.
[1] In the 19th century, many Muslim Kurtey engaged in slave raiding amongst pagan Zarma along the Niger,[7] earning them the Zarma nickname "Thieves of Men"[8] While they are, historically, bitter rivals of the Wogo people who settled in the same area from the middle Niger beginning around 1800, the two ethnic groups have become closely related, settled in the same areas, speaking similar dialects, and sharing similar ways of life.