The Fulani are one of the most populous ethnic groups in West Africa and are said to be present in twenty countries stretching from Senegal in the West to Chad in the east, and even as far as Sudan and Ethiopia. Known for travelling over great distances with their herds of cattle, the Fulani are actually not all nomads; a good fraction of the 7 million or more Fulanis who are found in Nigeria live in permanent settlements. They speak the Fulfulde language- although many have also taken up the Hausa language, which is widely spoken in Northern Nigeria.
The Fulanis have left a mark on Nigeria’s history; the Sokoto Caliphate, which contributed greatly to the entrenchment of Islam in the north, was founded by Uthman Dan Fodio, who was himself a Fulani. His success was due in large part to the determination of the Fulani (in collaboration with Hausa commoners), to overthrow what they saw as corrupt and oppressive rulers. However, despite the well-documented role they played in shaping Nigeria’s current cultural and religious reality, it is difficult to trace their history further back than a point in the 11th century. But it is known that they had come into what is now Nigeria from the region further to the northwest, and gradually made their presence felt from around the 16th century.
Many Historians believe that the Fulani have their origins in North Africa and the Middle East. This assumption is partly due to their physical looks, including their skin colour, which is generally lighter than that of the average West African. They may have been present in the West African region from as early as the 5th century AD, when the kingdom of Ghana was beginning to take shape. Some speculate that they may have been around even earlier; certain experts point to rock art paintings from Algeria further north dating from the 4th millennium BC, which they say depict cultural symbols closely matching traditions from contemporary Fulani society. This would suggest the existence of a “Proto-Fulani” culture about 5,000 years ago in the Sahara. Whatever the case was, it is clear that by the 10th century, there were Fulanis living in what is now Senegal. From this area they began to expand to the east and south, reaching Northern Nigeria in the early 15th century.
The first set of Fulanis to come into Hausaland settled as clerics. More Fulanis settled among the local people in the 16th and 17th centuries, attracted by the urban culture of the region’s city states. They served as teachers and judges to the local people and gained influence as custodians of the Islamic religion’s teachings. It was in such a role that Dan Fodio served, and it proved instrumental in the struggle that eventually brought about the creation of the Sokoto Caliphate.
Although the Fulani Empire has since disappeared, its legacy remains. And Fulanis, who founded it over two centuries ago, are still part of Nigeria’s ethnocultural makeup.
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References
- Wikipedia: Fula People. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fula_people
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Fulani Empire. https://www.britannica.com/place/Fulani-Empire
- Encyclopedia.com: Fulani. http://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/anthropology-and-archaeology/people/fulani