Fulani
West African pastoralists
Fulani refers to a people of West and Central Africa, one of the largest ethnic groups on the continent, traditionally pastoral cattle herders spread across the Sahel region from Senegal to Sudan.
The term also names their language, part of the Atlantic branch of Niger-Congo languages.
Fulani communities have historically been associated with the spread of Islam in West Africa: Fulani cattle herders, the Fulani language.
Related group sharing ancestry
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- descendantsThose who come after
- diasporaScattered population sharing origins
Sahel · West Africa · Senegal · Nigeria · Mali · Guinea · Cameroon · Niger
Fulani-led Islamic state, Nigeria
- jihadsReligious military campaigns
- precolonialBefore foreign domination
- colonialismDomination through foreign settlement
- migration patternsRegular paths species travel
Domesticated bovines kept commercially
- herdingManaging animal groups
- zebuHumped Asian cattle
- livestockDomesticated farm animals
- grazingFeeding on pasture
milking · dairy · pastoral · nomadic · migration · bush · savanna · watering holes
Long-established customs passed down
- rites of passageCeremonies marking major transitions
- ceremoniesFormal observances with ritual
- oral poetryVerse transmitted by voice
- griotsHereditary oral historians
attire · jewelry · calabash · leatherwork · weaving · henna · marriage customs · kinship
Major African language family
- dialectsRegional language variations
- Arabic scriptSemitic consonantal alphabet
- Latin scriptWestern alphabetic writing system
- tonalRelating to pitch
clan
Related group sharing ancestry
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- descendantsThose who come after
diaspora · Sahel · West Africa · Senegal · Nigeria · Mali · Guinea · Cameroon · Niger · Burkina Faso
Sokoto Caliphate
Fulani-led Islamic state, Nigeria
- jihadsReligious military campaigns
- precolonialBefore foreign domination
- colonialismDomination through foreign settlement
cattle
Domesticated bovines kept commercially
grazing · milking · dairy · pastoral · nomadic · migration · bush · savanna · watering holes · cattle raids
traditions
Long-established customs passed down
- rites of passageCeremonies marking major transitions
- ceremoniesFormal observances with ritual
- oral poetryVerse transmitted by voice
griots · attire · jewelry · calabash · leatherwork · weaving · henna · marriage customs · kinship · social hierarchy
Niger-Congo
Major African language family
- dialectsRegional language variations
- Arabic scriptSemitic consonantal alphabet
- Latin scriptWestern alphabetic writing system
- Fulani braidsPatterned plaits with beads