Fulani People Background - Admission/Application Essay Example

Fulani People Background Introduction Although the history of the Fulani people remained unknown for many years, it is now clear that the Fulani people come from sub-Saharan regions. There were cattle herders and nomadic traders, which made them to develop many trade routes in the entire Western Africa (Cavalli-Sforza, Paolo & Alberto 217). Currently, Fulani people remain to be cattle farmers all over West Africa. The Fulani people mainly occupy the plain areas of Niger, Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso. The following is a Fulani people background research, which explains their culture, origin, classes, area where they live, their relationship with the cow, and religion. Culture Certainly, the cows are the most treasure among the animals the Fulani people herd. Cows are the most special animals such that the Fulani people believe that one cannot speak Fulfulde if he does not have cows (Ndukwe 14). The people of Fulani also have a tradition of offering a “habbanaya”. This means that one loans a cow to another until the cow calves. Once the calf grows, the borrower retains it and the cow is returned back to its owner. According to the tradition of Fulani people, this habbanaya cow is a very prized animal. Upon the receiving of this highly treasured gift, the Fulani people conduct a special ceremony in honor of this prize. The gift recipient purchases for special luxuries and invites his neighbors to the cerebration whereby the habbanaya gets a special name. The habbanaya cow is never beaten under any situation (Ndukwe 15). The Fulani people have numerous cultural taboos. One of the common and famous taboos states that, a woman should never speak of her husband’s name, her first-born, or her in-laws. Even if there is another individual in the family who bears the same name, she should not call her by that name. A second taboo to some Fulani people is alongside consuming goat’s meat. The traditional fear is that, if somebody eats the goat’s meat, he or she will be a leper (Hrbek 79). Lastly, another taboo is that, an infant should not consume goat’s milk. The Fulani people believe that if a child drinks goat’s milk, he or she will itch. The Fulani people practice numerous life events such as marriage, naming, first born, funerals, and many others. Fulani people celebrate all these events with different sorts of ceremony. The “sorro” ceremony according to Fulani group demonstrates to the community that a youthful man has reached of age (Ndukwe 27). During the ceremony, the adolescent boys walk around hitting each other their walking sticks on their chest. The boys are not supposed to show any outward pain. It is even common the boy who is struck to laugh or shout instead of showing pain. A Fulani man is not termed a “true man” if he had not participated in this strength ceremony. In Niger, this ceremony is illegal, but men would gather in private places away from the public eyes to conduct the ceremony (Ndukwe 61). The market acts a very vital role in the life of women and men of Fulani. Markets enable Fulani women to sell their milk, calabash bowls, homemade soaps, straw mats, and other goods. Upon attending the weekly market days, they are able to meet other women from other village and be updated about the current births, deaths, and marriages. The men attend the market to sell cows, goats, and sheep. Other men like the women congregate to catch up with the latest news from other villages (Swartley 410). Because of the high rate of illiterate, the traditional beliefs of Fulani people are still maintained. Origins The origin of the Fulani people seems to start with the North-Africa Berber people back in the 8th or 11th centuries. As the Berber people, moved from North Africa and mingled with the Senegalese people of West Africa the people of Fulani came into existence (Ndukwe 3). Over many years since AD 900 to 1900, they extend to cover a large area of West Africa and spread out over areas of Central Africa. Some Fulani people groups exist around the western borders of Ethiopia. As they were migrating eastwards, the Fulani people met with different tribes of Africa. As they met these other tribes, they conquered the tribes, which were less powerful (Ndukwe 48). Along their way, a number of the Fulani people partially or completely abandoned their nomadic culture favoring sedentary existence in farms or towns among the conquered tribes. The nomadic Fulani migrated towards eastward for searching for suitable grazing lands for their herds. Their lives determined around and fully dedicated to their nomadic nature. The large number of cattle somebody owned, the more respect he could expect from others. Currently, an approximate of eighteen million Fulani people spread across West Africa countries. Fulani people remain to be the biggest nomadic group in the entire world (Swartley 406). Religion The Fulani religion is widely Islamic. Although the degree of orthodoxy exhibited throughout the entire community vary with different Fulani groups, Most Fulani people follow and adhere to the rules and basic requirements of the Islamic religion (Swartley 407). It's clear that, those who are more powerful and wealthy are among those who are more religious, while the poor and those who has limited resources are less concerned with religion and likely observe the religious requirements. Islam justifies the holy jihads that resulted to two northern territories of the current Nigeria under the leadership of the Fulani people. Islamic leaders are currently receiving resistance pressure from some groups outside the nation because of their strict religious laws especially the women’s dressing code. Furthermore, these Islamic leaders are unhappy with their government because of its allowance of Christianity and other forms of religion in the country (Swartley 29). These tensions are likely to influence leaders to come up with a more liberal shift, which will be advantageous for the Christianity growth in the country. Should the government support the Islamic dressing code, then the entire country will remain to be Islamic but if they shift to a higher liberal standard, this will benefit Christians. This is the reason there are some religious conflicts in the country and other countries where the tribe exists (Swartley 29). An area where they live The Fulani people are an ethnic group of people living in many countries mainly in West Africa but they also exist in Central Africa and east Africa (Sudan). The Fulani people exist in a number of African countries (Mwakikagile 34). These countries include Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, Mali, Guinea, Benin, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea Bissau, Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Togo, Niger, Ghana, Central African Republic, and Sudan in East Africa. The Fulani are not the majority groups in the countries the liver, but in Guinea, the group is among the largest single groups in the country (Mwakikagile 10). Fulani classes The Fulani people believe in class or caste system. They have a caste or class system that comprises of three distinct groups. The first class is the Rimbe (Mwakikagile 60). This class has the highest political powers and owns the largest portion of land. Secondly, there is the Neeybe class, which comprises of the general blacksmiths, artisans, and workers. Lastly, there is the Jeyaabe group, which is the lowest class. The class consists of the servants and the slaves. Fulani people are accountable for spreading caste system to the other tribes throughout Africa (Mwakikagile 61). Once the initial group of Fulani people was small, they further increased because of grazing land availability in the Sahel and its bordering lands. Agricultural expansion also led to the division of the Fulani group, whereby, individuals were categorized as either being a member of the expansionist nomadic group or belonging to those who abandoned their nomadic traditions and settle in urban centers such as Fulbe Euro. The Fulani cities were because of a nomadic legacy, and were mainly founded by Fulani individuals who chose to settle in the areas instead of continuing with their journey. These resulted in the two classes of Fulani, “the settled and nomadic”. The nomadic and settled Fulani began to live as two different political entities, whereby, each class had its own leader (Reid 280). The first nomadic leader was Tenguella Koli who was opposing the Songhai Empire control because of its limitation of available land for grazing. Because of this, Tenguella established a rebellion against the Songhai Empire in the year 1512, and unfortunately, this led to his death in the same year. In Nigeria, the group is often classified with Hausa as a mixed ethnic group (Hausa-Fulani) (Hrbek 25). Because of the Fulani war, their backgrounds in Nigeria have been highly intertwined. In other countries, consideration of these two groups is different and distinct. Conclusion In conclusion, a large percentage of the Fulani people still maintain their cultural beliefs. They are among the largest popularity groups in most countries of West Africa. Most of the Fulani are Islamic and it is rare to find a Fulani who is not a Muslim. One of the main aspects that lead to conflicts within the Fulani people is the existence of caste system. The caste system is the reason for other global matters, such as poverty. Some of Fulani people are currently nomadic while others have settled in cities. Currently, Fulani people remain to be cattle farmers all over West Africa. Work cited Cavalli-Sforza, Luigi L, Paolo Menozzi, and Alberto Piazza. The History and Geography of Human Genes. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 2004. Print. Hrbek, I. Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century. Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers, 2004. Print. Mwakikagile, Godfrey. The Gambia and Its People: Ethnic Identities and Cultural Integration in Africa. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: New Africa Press, 2010. Print. Ndukwe, Pat I. Fulani. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2006. Print. Reid, Richard J. A History of Modern Africa: 1800 to the Present. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Print. Swartley, Keith E. Encountering the World of Islam. Downer's Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2005. Print. Read More