FULANI TRIBE AND CULTURE

                                                                                                                                                                     This is the Fulani ethnic group. The Fulani ethnic group is largely nomadic. They are believed to have originated from the Futa Jalon highland region of West Africa from where they migrated in stages to various places in the West African

 

Fulani is a notable ethnic group in Northern Nigeria. They are described differently as follows: “Peul” by the Wolof, “Fula” by the Bambara, “Fell

ata” by the Kanuri and are generally called Fulani by other Nigerians. The Fulani call themselves Fulbe”. They profess Islam while others maintain syncretic practice and their main occupational activity is cattle rearing by the males and cow milking by the females.The Fulanis are of two categories, namely: fulanin daji (nomadic) fulani and fulanin

gida (sedentary) fulani. The former, who have maintained their nomadic way of life, move from one place to another in search of pasture or grazing land for their livestock. The latter have settled in towns and villages teaching, farming, trading etc.

The Fulani are widely distributed in West Africa most especially in the Sahel, wandering from one spot to another with their herds of cattle  In fact, they are found in almost every country of the Sudan zone of West Africa extending from the Senegal area in the West to the Upper Nile in the east

the pastoral Fulani’s life is principally basic and simple. They strive to maintain their tradition and culture wherever they go. They generally adhere to a code of behaviour referred to as pulaaku which suggests they must exhibit the following qualities: shiness, bravery, ownership of cows etc. In the precolonial period, the Fulani, under Shehu Usman Danfodiyo’s leadership, were able to revive Islam in most parts of the Hausaland. Following the Jihad, (an aggressive campaign for an idea) they functioned basically as administrators and sometimes as cultivators. As devout Muslims, they were very instrumental in assisting Shehu Usman Danfodiyo in the execution of the popular Sokoto Jihad which helped in the sociopolitical as well as the religious changes of Northern Nigeria in the course of the nineteenth century.