An Amazing Picture of a west afrcan nomadic woman

[Congadelica]

Look into her eyes , she has so much spirit and wisdom .


Fulani ( Peul ) woman on Birni Kazoe market, eastern Niger. Fulani are nomad tribe spread all over West Africa Sahel belt, they travel a lot and seem to be a lot more open and intelligent than settled folk.They are dreamers, storytellers and singers, and they have great sense of humour.

[akdom]

NAME: Fulani


GEO HIST:
Fulani people came from Middle East and northern regions of Africa.
They settled in Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Niger and Cameroon, but they remain nomads within the big plains of this area. They raise huge amounts of cattle and have to change territories according to vegetation and climate conditions.
This very proud community is actually considered as the largest nomadic group in West Africa.
Throughout the years, they absorbed some smaller groups that are now fully part of the Fulani people.
The first Fulani descendants have interesting features. They have a much less Negroid (look for wording here) look and are even sometimes called the “white Africans”.


SOCIAL LIFE:
Cattle and a very strong sense of pride rule the life of the Fulani people. They fiercely defend their cattle and their community and can use violence and fire arms if they think they need to. They are used to control and overpower people.
This violence is present in their rituals. Like in some Ethiopian ethnic groups, men initiation includes fights where they fight slashing each other with long sticks or stems. The intensity of these combats sometimes leads to the death of one of the participants.
Fulani are traders and opened several trading routes throughout West Africa.
Cattle is the focal point of the Fulani and a hierarchy is made according to how big of a herd one has.

ART:
Fulani are great craftsmen and those of Mali are well known for their metal, leather, weaving and terra cotta work.
But the most relevant part of their art is once again linked to their pride. Beauty is very important for them and they enhance their natural beauty using tattoo techniques, and other sorts of body art.

ECONOMY:
Fulani people are nomadic traders and cattle are their first activity. They also are good farmers. They move around West Africa to sell and trade goods made by craftsmen and cattle. Herds can be very big and moving the cows around to find food is a necessity for the Fulani.
A recent problem might have a dramatic impact on the Fulani tradition. Due to modern life, facility or because they are forced to do so, Fulani people tend to settle in villages and farms. This will slowly degrade their cultural identity and their economic predominance.

POLITIC:
Based on a cast system, the Fulani political system has four well-defined groups: First the nobles, then the traders and merchants, comes after the smiths and former slave family members.


RELIGION:
Fulani were one of the first ethnic groups to be islamised. They are proud of their religion and feel that there are Islam missionaries. They spread Islam throughout West Africa using violence when necessary.