Cultural portrait · Sahel and centre

Fulani / Fulbe

Muslim herders, Fulfulde, transhumance, pastoral music.

Context

People profile

Language family: Niger-Congo (Atlantic: Fulfulde)
Region / province: Chadian Sahel, north–south transhumance
Livelihoods: herding · nomadism or transhumance
Customs and oral literature: Transhumance dances, herders’ songs.
Present-day situation: According to Crisis Group, the Fulani and Hausa are among Chad’s main herding groups; having arrived in the southwest from Nigeria and northern Cameroon in the 20th century, they have settled or semi-settled while often having others move their livestock. (International Crisis Group, Briefing Afrique n°199, « Tchad : rompre le cycle des violences agropastorales », 2024-08-23)
Sources: Wikipédia, « Peuls » · EDS-MICS 2014-2015 · Sources
Last reviewed: 18 October 2026

Share (EDS-MICS 2014–2015): 1.8%
Subgroups: Fulbe, Bodore; the Mbororo/Wodaabe form a neighbouring cluster
Culture: Present across the West African Sahel. In Chad: herding, Islam, pulaaku honour codes. Census label: Fulani/Fulbe/Bodore.
Food / staple foods: Milk, meat, millet.
To remember: Fulfulde language. Braids, indigo, calabash — pastoral aesthetics shared with the Mbororo.

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.

In-depth portrait

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

What the encyclopedia says

The Fulani, who call themselves Fulɓe in their own language, are a traditionally pastoral people spread across West Africa and beyond the Sahelo-Saharan belt — some fifteen countries in all — with an estimated total of 40 to 65 million.

Quoted from French Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) : « Peuls » · 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.