(384122607) The Origin Of Fulani People.pdf 1f2l

Fulani People & Their Origins. 8 November 2014 at 23:09

Fulani Presence and Movement in West Africa

N’Guigmi Sous Prefecture on the Celebration of Niger’s Independence Day, August 3, 1966

Illustration of Toubou women, Tchad-Niger

Toub ou ethnic group, found in Chad, Niger, Libya.

Toubou of Chad Look at hair

The Fula people or Fulani or Fulɓe (Fula: Fulɓe; French: Peul; Hausa: Fulani; Portuguese: Fula; Wolof: Pël; Bambara: Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnolinguistic groups in Africa, numbering approximately 40 million people in total. The Fula people are a mixture of both sub-saharan and North African living in the Sahel area. They form one of the most widely dispersed and culturally diverse of the peoples of Africa. The Fulani are bound together by the common language of Fulfulde,

as well as by some basic elements of Fulbe culture, such as The pulaaku , a code of conduct common to all Fulani groups. A significant proportion of their number, (an estimated 13 million), are nomadic, making them the largest pastoral nomadic group in the world.Spread over many countries, they are found mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, but also in Sudan and Egypt.The Anthropologists declare that the study of many Fulbe cranian structure has indicated that they are intimately linked to the Ethiopians and that both types are very similar

Fula or Fulani or Fulbe (the latter being an Anglicization of the word in their language, Fulɓɓe) are an ethnic group of people spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and The Sudan of east Africa. Early human settlement in Niger is evidenced by numerous archaeological remains. In prehistoric times, the climate of the Sahara (Tenere desert in Niger) was wet and provided favorable conditions for agriculture and livestock herding in fertile grasslands environment five thousand years ago. In 2005-2006, a graveyard in the Tenere desert was discovered by Paul Sereno, a paleontologist from the University of Chicago. His team discovered 5,000 year old remains of a woman and two children in the Tenere Desert. The evidence along with remains of animals that do not typically live in desert are among the strongest evidence of the 'green' sahara in Niger. It is believed that progressive desertification around 5000 BCE pushed sedentary populations to the south and south-east (Lake Chad)

Ancient rock engraving showing herds of giraffe, ibex, and other animals in the southern Sahara near Tiguidit, Niger.

Lake Chad The Mystery of Lake Chad Lake Chad is also a limnological mystery. Several rivers flow northward into the lake – the main being the Chari River and its tributary the Logone River – and none flow out; the lake is a "terminal basin" meaning that it has no exit to the ocean. Lake Chad is shallow and is exposed to blazing sun and the dry Harmattan wind; logically, it should be a giant salt lake or a dead sea. However, the lake water was fresh. Although Lake Chad has no apparent outlet, its waters may percolate into a sub-Saharan aquifer or the Soro and Bodélé depressions, once part of Lake Mega- Chad (8). The best explanation for Lake Chad’s fresh water may be that it is

occasionally filled by sudden flooding from sustained monsoons in the jungles of the Central African Republic. However, with global warming, rain is rare in the Sahel. Lake Chad basin is one of the most important agriculture heritage sites in the world. Because the lake has shrunk dramatically in recent decades, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization has labeled Lake Chad an “ecological catastrophe,” predicting that the lake could disappear this century, like the Aral Sea. After the terrible droughts of the 1970s, and because of heavy water use for irrigation in the south, Lake Chad has retreated far from N'Guigmi. Almost no remnant of Lake Chad remains in Niger. However, the drying of the lake may not be permanent. In 1955/56, Chari River floods inundated the archipelagos of the lake. If monsoon rains come again – likely, due to increased atmospheric water vapor – Lake Chad may refill. In the meantime, there are tentative plans to divert water from the Ubangi River (the largest right- bank tributary of the Congo River) with a dam and 96 kilometers of canals to pump water uphill into the Chari River to replenish Lake Chad. In 1994, the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) endorsed the project and, in 2008 the heads of state of the LCBC member countries issued a request for proposals for a World Bank-funded feasibility study. To date, the LCBC has raised more than $5 million for the study. The World Bank is also providing $10.6 million for a project to reverse land and water degradation in parts of the lake. No interbasin water transfer schemes have gone forward to date. Refilling Lake Chad from the Ubangi River will take decades. How will this change the jungle ecology of the Central African Republic? Will the Congo’s goliath tigerfish invade Lake Chad? If the project goes forward, a revitalized Lake Chad could provide fish and agricultural crops to nearly 30 million people in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger – increasing much needed food security for Africa.

A View of Now-Vanished Lake During my stay in 1966-68, Lake Chad b r i m m e d w i t h f r e s h w a t e r . H i p p o s , crocodiles and the giant Nile perch dominated the lake, along with countless waterfowl and aggressive mosquitoes. Tall papyrus reeds choked the borders – the flat land of the Chad Basin made it impossible to see open water. Clumps of papyrus would break off and float freely in the wind, colonizing all shorelines. The solid wall of papyrus, with ever-changing borders and no visual landmarks, made lake navigation difficult. Chad near N’Guigmi 1967

The countries in Africa where they are present include Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, The Gambia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory

Coast), Niger, Togo, the Central African Republic, Ghana, Liberia, and as far as Sudan in the east. Fulas are not a majority in every country they live, but in Guinea they represent a plurality of the population (largest single group). There are also many names (and spellings of the names) used in other languages to refer to the Fulɓe. Fulani in English is borrowed from the Hausa term. Fula, from Manding languages is also used in English, and sometimes spelled Fulah or Foulah. Fula and Fulani are commonly used in English, including within Africa. The French borrowed the Wolof term Pël, which is variously spelled: Peul, Peulh, and even Peuhl. More recently the Fulfulde / Pulaar term Fulɓe, which is a plural noun (singular, Pullo) has been adapted to English as Fulbe, which some people use. In Portuguese it’s Fula or Futafula. Animism A small percentage of the population practices traditional indigenous religious beliefs. The numbers of Animist practitioners are a point of contention. As recently as the late 19th century, much of the south center of the nation was unreached by Islam, and the conversion of some rural areas has been only partial. There are still areas where animist based festivals and traditions (such as the Bori religion) are practiced by syncretic Muslim communities (in some Hausa areas as well as among some Toubou and Wodaabe pastoralists), as opposed to several small communities who maintain their pre-Islamic religion. These include the Hausa-speaking Maouri (or Azna, the Hausa word for "pagan") community in Dogondoutci in the south-southwest and the Kanuri speaking Manga near Zinder, both of whom practice variations of the pre-Islamic Hausa Maguzawa religion. There are also some tiny Boudouma and Songhay animist communities in the southwest. The Fulani are traditionally a nomadic, pastoralist, trading people, herding cattle, goats and sheep across the vast dry hinterlands of their domain, keeping somewhat separate from the local agricultural populations. Moral Code Central to the Fulani people's lifestyle, is a code of behavior known as pulaaku or (Laawol FulBe) in Fulfulde, literally meaning the Fulani pathway which are ed on by each generation as high moral values of the Fulbe, which enables them to maintain their identity across boundaries and changes of life style. Essentially viewed as what makes a person Fulani or "Fulaniness", pulaaku consists of four basic tenets. The dominant traits of Laawol Pulaaku or the Fulani way are munyal, hakkiilo, semteende, sagata and an intimate understanding of both the Fulfulde language and people. Munyal is a cross between strength and courage in adversity and a stoic acceptance or endurance of the supposedly pre-ordained vicissitudes of life. It is often translated as patience. The word hakkiilo (hakkille) meaning intelligence, foresight and common sense, conveys a blending of prudence and shrewdness in livelihood management and face to face encounters. Semteende (shame) is best described both as a lacking of restraint (gacce/yaage) and self-control in daily social interaction, and evidencing a weakness when facing adversity. It is most often translated as shame. When someone acts shamefully, Fulbe say o semptimeaning they shamed themselves, or alternatively, o walaa semteende (o wala gacce)meaning they have no shame. In other words a pullo must know of the social constraints on behavior and be able to avoid contravening them in all situations, especially in front of others. A true pullo is in total control of his emotions and impulses

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Munyal: Patience, self-control, discipline, prudence

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Gacce / Semteende: Modesty, respect for others (including foes)

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Hakkille: Wisdom, forethought, personal responsibility, hospitality

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Sagata / Tiinaade: Courage, hard work

Herding Fula are primarily known to be pastoralists, but are also traders in some areas. Most Fula in the countryside spend long times alone on foot, they can be seen very frequently parading with their cattle, throughout the west African hinterland, moving their herds in search of water and better pasture. They were, and still are the only major migratory people group of West Africa, although the Tuareg, another nomadic tribe of North African origin, live just immediately north of Fula territory, and sometimes, side by side the Fulani in countries such as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The Fulani as a result of their constant wandering of the past, can be seen in every climatic zone and habitat of West Africa, from the Deserts of the North, to the derived Savannah and Forests of the south. From the 16th to 20th centuries, many Fulani communities settled in the highlands of the jos Plateau, the Western High Plateau of Bamenda and Adamawa Plateau of Nigeria and the Cameroons, these are the highest elevated places in West Africa, and altitude can reach up to 8,700 Feet above sea level. As a result, the highland plateaus have a more temperate climate conducive for cattle herding activities, which allowed Fulbe populations to settle there in waves of Migrations from further West. Though most Fula now live in towns or villages, a large proportion of the population is still either fully nomadic, or semi nomadic in nature. Wealth is counted by how large the herd of cattle is and how many cattle one has. Long ago Fulani tribes and clans used to fight over cattle and grazing rights. Being the most treasured animal that the Fulanis herd, the cows are very special, many people say that a person cannot speak Fulfulde if he does not own a cow. The Fulani have a tradition of giving a "habbanaya" - that is a cow which is loaned to another until she calves. Once the calf is weaned it is retained and the cow is returned to its owner. This habbanaya is a highly prized animal. Upon receipt of this gift, there is a special ceremony in honor of the gift. The recipient buys special treats and invites his neighbors for this event in which the habbanaya is given a name. The habbanaya is never to be struck under any circumstance. Fulani nomads keep various species of cattle however, the Zebu cattle is the most common in the West African hinterland, due to its drought resistant traits, in the wetter areas of Fouta Djallon and Cassamance, the dwarf Ndama cattle is more common, as they are highly resistant to Trypanosomiasis and other conditions directly associated with high humidity. Sub-species of Zebu include the White Fulani locally known as the Aku, Akuji, Bororoji, White Kano, Yakanaji or Bunaji which are an important beef breed of cattle found throughout the area conquered by the Fulani people and beyond in the Sahel zone of Africa. The Red Fulani, which are called the Jafun / Djafoun in (Nigeria) and (Cameroon), and Fellata in (Chad), as well as other names such as the M'Bororo, Red Bororo, or Bodaadi, another sub specie is the Sokoto Gudali and the Adamawa Gudali or simplyGudali, which means: horned and short legged, in the Hausa language. The widely accepted theory for the origin of present day zebu cattle in West Africa states that they came from the westward spread of the early zebu populations in East Africa through the Sudan. As for other zebu types, the cattle breeds of this group are found mainly in the drier regions. Their body conformation

resembles the zebu cattle of eastern Africa. The zebu did not appear in West Africa until about 1800. The increasing aridity of the climate and the deterioration of the environment in the Sahel appear to have favoured the introduction and spread of the zebu, as they are superior to longhorn and shorthorn (Bos taurus) cattle in withstanding drought conditions. The origins and classification of the Fulani remains controversial; one school of thought is of the opinion that the Fulani cattle are truly long-horned zebus that first arrived in Africa from Asia on the east coast; these are believed to have been introduced into West Africa by the Arab invaders during the seventh century, AD, roughly about the same time that the short-horned zebus arrived into East Africa. This theory is ed by the appearance of the skull as well as the thoracic hump of the Fulani cattle. Another school of thought contends that these cattle originated from the Horn of Africa, present-day Ethiopia and Somalia, and that interbreeding between the short-horned zebu (which arrived in the Horn around the first millennium BC) and the ancient Hamitic Longhorn and/or Brachyceros shorthorn (which had arrived much earlier) occurred in the Horn about 2000-1500 BC. The subsequent successive introductions of the short-horned zebu cattle are believed to have displaced most of these sanga cattle into southern Africa. During this period of constant movements of people and animals within Africa, some of these sanga cattle probably intermixed with the shorthorned, thoracic-humped cattle to produce the so-called thoracic-humped sanga. The latter may have migrated, most probably along with the spread of Islam, westerly to constitute what are today the lyre-horned cattle of West and Central Africa, including the Fulani cattle. Originally the White Fulani were indigenous to north Nigeria, south-east Niger and north-east Cameroon, owned by both Fulani and Hausa people. They then spread to southern Chad and western Sudan. Every year, in the Malian town of Diafarabé, Fulani men cross the Niger river, with their cattle, in an annual cycle of transhumance. This annual festival is known in the local Fulfulde as the Dewgal. Since the founding of the village in 1818, it has always been the most important Fulani Festival and it takes place on a Saturday in November or December; the day will be carefully chosen, based on the state of pastures and the water levels in the river Niger. During the rainy season, the river swells, and the areas around the village are inundated in water, as the levels of the river Niger rises, and turns Diafarabe into an island, the cattle are kept on the lush fields up north or south, but when the West African Monsoon subsides, and the drier season returns, the water level drops and the cattle can return home again. The crossing is more than a search for pastures; it is also a competition to show craftsmanship as a herdsmen. The cattle are driven into the river; each herder, with no help from others, loudly encourages the animals to move forward as he stands or swims between them, holding on to the horns of the bulls. The smaller animals don’t have to swim, they are lifted into Pirogues. When all the cattle are back, they will be judged by a , which decides whose animals are the "fattest", that herder, will be awarded “best caretaker”, and he is awarded by the community. The worst caretaker ends up with a shameful “price” – a peanut. Besides being a competition of herdsmanship, it is also a social event; the herdsmen return after having been away for the most part of the year and they meet their family and friends again. A very good time for celebration. The women decorate their house with woven mats and paint the floor with white and black clay; they braid their hair with very intricate patterns – they dress up for their husbands and loved ones. Impressed by the cultural significance attached to the annual event, UNESCO included it on the list of world Cultural Heritage events.

Music The Fula have a rich musical culture and play a variety of traditional instruments including drums, hoddu (a plucked skin-covered lute similar to a banjo) and riti or riiti (a one-string bowed instrument similar to a violin), in addition to vocal music. The well known Senegalese Fula popular musician Baaba Maal sings in Pulaar on his recordings. "Zaghareet" or ululation is a popular form of vocal music formed by rapidly moving the tongue sideways and making a sharp, high sound. The Fulani music is as varied and rich as its people. The numerous sub-groups all maintain unique repertoires of music and dance. Songs and dances reflect traditional life and are specifically designed for each individual occasion. Music is played at any occasion: when herding cattle, working in the fields, preparing food, or at the temple. Music is extremely important to the village life cycle with field cultivation, harvest and winnowing of millet performed to the rhythm of the songs and drums. Fulani herders have a special affinity for the flute and violin Nianioru. The young Fulani shepherd like to whistle and sing softly as they wander the silent savannah with cattle and goats. The truly Fulani instruments are the 1 string viola of the Fulani (nianioru), the flute, the two to five string lute hoddu or molo, and the buuba and bawdi set of drums. But they are also influenced by the other instruments of the region such as the beautiful West African harp, the kora, the balafon. Entertainment is the role of certain casts. The performance of music is the realm of specialized casts. The Griots or Awlube recite history of the people, places and events of the community.

Guérewol festival Participants in the Guérewol perform the Guérewol dance. The eventual winner is the tall young man in the middle. Photographed 1997 in Niger. “Perhaps human aesthetics emerged through runaway sexual selection, with aesthetic tastes evolving as part of female mate choice… Something like this still happens among the Wodaabe people (also known as the Bororo), cattle-herding nomads who live in the deserts of Nigeria and Niger. At annual gere wol festivals, hundreds of people gather, and the young men spend hours painting their faces and ornamenting their bodies. The men also dance vigorously for seven full nights, showing off their health and endurance. Towards the end of the week-long ceremony, the men line up and display their beauty and charm to the young women. Each woman invites the man she finds most attractive for a sexual encounter. Wodaabe women usually prefer the tallest men with the whitest teeth, the largest eyes, the straightest nose, the most elaborate body-painting, and the most creative ornamentaion. As a result, Wodaabe men have evolved to be significantly taller, whiter-toothed, larger-eyed, straighter-nosed, and better at self-decoration than men of neighboring tribes. The Guérewol festival is a traditional Wodaabe cultural event that takes place in Abalak in Tahoua region or In'Gall in Agadez Region. It is an annual traditional courtship ritualpracticed by the Wodaabe (Fula) people of Niger. During this ceremony, young men dressed in elaborate ornamentation and made up in traditional face painting gather in lines to dance and sing, vying for the attentions of marriageable young women. The Guérewol festival is an internationally attraction and was featured in films and magazines as prominent as the National Geographic.

A traditional home in Zinder

Participants in the Guérewol perform the Guérewol dance. The eventual winner is the tall young man in the middle. Photographed 1997 in Niger.

Cure Salée festival "La Cure salée" (English: Salt Cure) is a yearly festival of Tuareg and Wodaabe nomads in In'Gall in Agadez Region traditionally to celebrate the end of the rainy season. For three days, the festival

features parade of Tuareg camel riders followed with camel and horse races, songs, dances, and storytelling. The early origin of Fulani People is most fascinating and deepened in mystery with widely divergent opinions.Various theories have been postulated regarding the enigmatic origins of Fulani people. The ethnogenesis of the Fulani people, however, seems to have begun as a result of interactions between an ancient West African population and a North/East African population in the areas around the bend of the Niger river. They are people of combined West African as well as North/East African origin Papyrus Reed Boats Papyrus reeds, reaching twice the height of a man, choked the shores of Lake Chad. In the absence of trees, N’Guigmi villagers used the reeds for matting, fencing and house building. The ancient Egyptians also used papyrus for boats, mattresses, mats, rope, sandals, and baskets. Famously, they made writing scrolls from papyrus (the English word "paper" is derived from the word "papyrus"). The Buduma navigated Lake Chad in papyrus reed boats called kadai in Yedina. These were similar to ancient Egyptian papyrus boats, the primary water transportation on the Nile (where wood was also scarce). Buduma boats had a high, ornamental prow and a blunt stern. In 1969, Thor Heyerdahl used Buduma boat builders to construct the original Ra from papyrus; he attempted to cross the Atlantic Ocean to prove that ancient Egyptians could have made the same voyage (now a rejected theory). Papyrus boats are ideal for Lake Chad. They can be built anywhere from abundant papyrus reeds. The only tool needed is a knife; in the Neolithic Era this would have been a simple stone blade. The triangular reeds are cut and dried in the sun. The tough skin is peeled and twisted to form rope. Tapered bundles of reeds are tied together - and then the bundles are tied to each

other to construct the boat. Historically, the Buduma built very large papyrus boats, some used to carry livestock papyrus barges transported natron salt (hydrated sodium carbonate), used by the ancient Egyptians for embalming and recently as a cleansing agent. Iwasaengeron Buduma papyrus boats are surprisingly stable and comfortable. The hull is not watertight; the reeds simply float, so the boat is unsinkable. However, the reeds on the bottom absorb water, adding ballast so that the boat has little tendency to tip or roll. The Buduma papyrus boats were either poled in shallow water or paddled in deeper water. They lasted several years before becoming waterlogged. When older boats lose shape and become too heavy, they are left to rot along the shoreline. Papyrus boats are disposable watercraft with no environmental impact

Early History

Tassili rock Art The earliest evidence that shed some light on the pre-historic Fulani culture can be found in the Tassili n'Ajjer rock art Fulani's artifacts, which seem to depict the early life of the people dating back thousands of years (6000 BC). Examination of these rock paintings suggests the presence of protoFulani cultural traits in the region by at least the 4th millennium BC. Tassili-N'Ajjer in Algeria is one of the most famous North African sites of rock painting. Scholars specializing in Fulani culture believe that some of the imagery depicts rituals that are still practiced by contemporary Fulani people. At the Tin Tazarift site, for instance, historian Amadou Hampate Ba recognized a scene of the 'lotori' ceremony, a celebration of the ox's aquatic origin. In a finger motif, Ba detected an allusion to the myth of the hand of the first Fulani herdsman, Kikala. At Tin Felki, Ba recognized a hexagonal carnelian jewel as related to the Agades cross, a fertility charm still used by Fulani women. There are also details in the paintings which correspond to elements from Fulani myths taught during the initiation rites like the hermaphroditic cow. The Fulani initiation field is depicted graphically with the sun surrounded by a circle lined-up with heads of cows as different phases of the moon at the bottom and surmounted by a male and a female figures. The female figure even has a hanging braid of hair to the back. Though no exact dates have been established for the paintings they are

undoubtedly much earlier than the historic times when the Fulani were first noticed in Western Sahara. In the 9th century the Fulani may have been involved in the formation of a state with its capital at Takrur which is suggested to have had influx of Fulani migrating from the east and settling in the Senegal valley although John Donnelly Fage suggests that Takrur was formed through the interaction of Berbers from the Sahara and "Negro agricultural peoples" who were "essentially Serer". Fulani culture continued to emerge in the area of the upper Niger and Senegal Rivers. The Fulani were cattle-keeping farmers who shared their lands with other nearby groups, like the Soninke, who contributed to the rise of ancient Ghana. During the 16th century the Fula expanded through the sahel grasslands, stretching from what is today Senegal to Sudan, with eastward and westward expansion being led by nomadic groups of cattle breeders or the Fulɓe ladde. While the initial expansionist groups were small, they soon increased in size due to the availability of grazing lands in the sahel and the lands that bordered it to the immediate south. Agricultural expansions led to a division among the Fulani, where individuals were classified as belonging either to the group of expansionist nomadic agriculturalists or the group of Fulani who found it more comfortable to abandon traditional nomadic ways and settle in towns or the Fulɓe Wuro. Fulani towns were a direct result of a nomadic heritage, and were often founded by individuals who had simply chosen to settle in a given area instead of continue on their way. This cultural interaction most probably occurred in Senegal, where the closely linguistically related Tukulor, Serer and Wolof people predominate, ultimately leading to the ethnogenesis of the Fulani culture, language and people before subsequent expansion throughout much of West Africa. Another version is that they were originally a Berber speaking people who crossed the Senegal to pasture their cattle on the Ferlo Plateau just to the South of the Senegal river. Finding themselves cut off from their kinsmen by the Negroid communities now occupying the fertile Senegal valley, they gradually adopted the language of their new neighbours. As their herds increased, small groups found themselves forced to move eastward and further southwards and so initiated a series of migrations throughout West Africa, which endures to the present day. Evidence of Fulani migration as a whole, from the Western to the Eastern Sudan is very fragmentary. Delafosse, one of the earliest enquirers into Fulani history and customs, principally relying on oral tradition, estimated that Fulani migrants left Fuuta-Tooro, and Macina, towards the East, between the Eleventh and the Fourteenth centuries. By the Fifteenth century, there was a steady flow of Fulɓe immigrants into Hausaland and later on, Bornu. Their presence in Baghirmi was later recorded when Fulani fought as allies, to Dokkenge or Birni besif, when he founded the town of Massenya (A Chadian town), early in the Sixteenth century. By the end of the Eighteenth century, Fulani settlements, were dotted all over the Benue River valley and its tributaries, Eastwards towards Garoua and Rey Bouba, Southwards towards the Faro River, to the Foots of the Mambilla mountains, which they would later ascend in subsequent years. The heaviest concentrations of their settlements, were at Gurin, Chamba territory, Cheboa, Turua and Bundang. These so-called "BenueFulani" reduced the frequency with which they moved from place to place. The number of years they stayed at one spot, depended on two factors: The reaction of the earlier settlers of that locality to their presence, and how satisfactory the conditions were i.e. availability of pasture for their cattle.

Tassili rock Art

Countries with Presence of Fulani: In 21 countries (Ethnic Groups and religions); (2008 Data) 1- Nigeria; Population: 130 million; Fulani: 9%; Growth rate: 2.54%Nigeria, which is Africa’s most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10% 2- Ethiopia; Population: 54 million; Fulani: small; Growth rate: 2.64%Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1% Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 3%-8% 3- Cameroon; Population: 16.2 million; Fulani: 10%; Growth rate: 2.34%Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20% 4- Niger; Population: 10.6 million; Fulani: 9%; Growth rate: 2.7%Hausa 56%, Djerma 22%, Fulani 9%, Tuareg 8%, Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%, Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%, about 1,200 French expatriatesThe Fulani who, together with their herds, are concentrated in the Dosso-Agadez- MaineSoroa triangle. Some have also settled in the West, around Tera, Say and Niamey. They predominate in certain parts of Maradi, Tessaoua, Mirriah and Magaria Districts. Sometimes they live alongside Tuaregs and Toubous. (ref : Upenn)Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian 5- Guinea; Population: 7.8 million; Fulani: 40%; Growth rate: 2.3%Fulani 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10%Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7% 6- Chad; Population: 9 million; Fulani: small; Growth rate: 3.27%200 distinct groups; in the north and center: Arabs, Gorane (Toubou, Daza, Kreda), Zaghawa, Kanembou, Ouaddai, Baguirmi, Hadjerai, Fulani, Kotoko, Hausa, Boulala, and Maba, most of whom are Muslim; in the south: Sara (Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye), Moundang, Moussei, Massa, most of whom are Christian or animist; about 1,000 French citizens live in Chuslim 51%, Christian 35%, animist 7%, other 7% 7- Benin;

Population: 6.8 million; Fulani: small; Growth rate: 2.91%African 99% (42 Ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500Indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% 8- Togo; Population: 5.2 million; Fulani: small; Growth rate: 2.48%African (37 Ethnic Groups; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%-Indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 29%, Muslim 20% 9- Central Africa Republic; Population: 3.6 million; Fulani: small; Growth rate: 1.8%Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M’Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%- Indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15% 10- Burkina Faso; Population: 12.6 million; Fulani: 8%; Growth rate: 2.64%Mossi over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani.- Burkina Faso also has several hundred thousand Fulani nomads in the northern part with their goats, sheep, and other livestock.- Indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10% 11- Cote D’ivoire; Population: 16.8 million; Fulani: small; Growth rate: 2.45%Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%, Northern Mandes 16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 130,000 Lebanese and 20,000 French) (1998)- Christian 20-30%, Muslim 35-40%, indigenous 25-40% (2001) note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%) 12- Gambia; Population: 1.4 million; Fulani: small; Growth rate: 3.09%African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fulani 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%, other 4%), non-African 1%- Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1% 13- Ghana; Population: 20.2 million; Fulani: small; Growth rate: 1.7%Black African 98.5% (major tribes – Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%, Gurma 3%, Yoruba 1%), European and other 1.5% (1998)- indigenous beliefs 21%, Muslim 16%, Christian 63% 14- Guinea Bissau; Population: 1.3 million; Fulani: 20%; Growth rate: 2.23%African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fulani 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%- indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5% 15- Mali; Population: 11.3 million; Fulani: 17%; Growth rate: 2.97%Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke), Fulani 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5%- Muslim 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1% 16- Mauritania; Population: 2.8 million; Fulani: small; Growth rate: 2.92%Maur 30%, Fulani, Soninke, Wolof, Haratin – Muslim 100% 17- Senegal;

Population: 10.6million; Fulani: 23.8%; Growth rate: 2.91%Wolof 43.3%, Fulani 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%, Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4%- Muslim 94%, indigenous beliefs 1%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic) 18- Sierra Leone; Population: 5.6 million; Fulani: small; Growth rate: 3.31%20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia’s recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians- Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10% 19- Sudan; Population: 37 million; Fulani: small; Growth rate: 2.73%Black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%.The Fulani nomads are found in many parts of central Sudan from Darfur to the Blue Nile. In the Eastern Sudan there are large colonies of Fallata the name by which the Fulani are called. They are also called Teckruri and believed to number between 1 and 2 millions.In Darfur groups of Fulani origin adapted in various ways to the presence of the Baqqara People. Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum) 20- Somalia; Population: 7.7million; Fulani: small; Growth rate: 3.46%Somali 85%, Bantu and other non-Somali 15% (including Arabs 30,000)-Sunni Muslim 21- Eritrea; Population: 4.4; Fulani: 1-2 million; Growth rate: 1.28%Ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%, other 3%. The Tekruris have been part of the Eritrean society.

8m Papyrus Cattle Boat