Most speak Sinyar, a Nilo-Saharan language, as well as Chadian Arabic and Fur.
[2] According to local tradition, the Sinyars claim to trace their origins to Arabs from Egypt.
[3] Starting in 1874, the Turco- Egyptians began invading the region.
Hunting and fishing used to be common among the Sinyars but environmental degradation has led to their virtual extinction as a form of significant subsistence.
Sinyars live in extended families where women often outnumber men.