Cultural portrait · Lake Chad and Kanem

Buduma / Yedina

People of the lake, fishers and herders; Buduma cattle swim between the islands.

Context

People profile

Language family: Afro-Asiatic (Chadic: Yedina)
Region / province: Islands and shores of Lake Chad
Livelihoods: fishing · herding
Customs and oral literature: Fishing festivals and island dances.
Present-day situation: Lac province has internally displaced people and hosts about 22,000 Nigerian refugees, in Dar es Salam camp and in host villages. (UNHCR, « Chad: Forcibly Displaced Persons » (octobre 2025), 2025-10)
Sources: Wikipédia, « Buduma (peuple) » · Sources
Last reviewed: 18 October 2026

Subgroups: Buduma (Yedina), Kuri
Culture: Often grouped with the Kanembu in the census. Islam, amphibious life, canoes, Sao memory. Distinct in language and lake environment.
Food / staple foods: Fish, millet, milk, meat.
To remember: Yedina (Buduma) language. Lake cluster with the Kuri.

SourcesPortraits and pages draw on public sources. Population shares follow the 2014-2015 EDS-MICS household survey, not the last census (RGPH 2009). Main photographs are documentary stills (Festival Dary, Wiki Loves Folklore, Wiki Loves Africa, Wikimedia archives) under Creative Commons, credited to the photographer.

Subgroups

Each subgroup shares the essentials with the main people, with its own nuances of language, place and custom.

Boudouma (Yedina)
Area
Lake Chad islands
Language or dialect
Yedina (Chadic)
Island fishers and herders; traditional papyrus canoes.
KouriTo be confirmed
Area
South-eastern Lake Chad
Language or dialect
Yedina or Kanembu depending on sources
Associated with the Kuri cow with bulbous horns, which swims between islands; their exact status relative to the Buduma is debated.

Passing on between generations

Navigating, fishing and guiding the Kuri cow from island to island are learned from childhood with elders.

Quick quiz

Pick an answer: the correction and its source appear right away.

Question 1 of 3

Which of these groups is a subgroup of the Buduma / Yedina?

Kotoko of the Chari and LogoneNgambayeBoudouma (Yedina)

Sources for this section

How cultures are passed on · Resources for teachers

In-depth portrait

Machine translation from French, under review. The French text is authoritative.

What the encyclopedia says

The Buduma are a Central African population living on the north shore and on the islands of Lake Chad, mainly in Chad, but also in Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon.

Quoted from French Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) : « Buduma (peuple) » · Translated excerpt, licence CC BY-SA 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Cultural profile

0 of 6 sections documented

History and origins To document
Language To document
Social organisation To document
Beliefs and religious practice To document
Life cycle (birth, initiation, marriage, funerals) To document
Housing, crafts and dress To document

Documented fact: based on a published written source, cited under the section. Reported oral account: testimony from a community member, published with their consent, not confirmed in writing. Empty sections stay empty rather than being filled in.