Niger-Kordofan: Fulbe (Cameroon/Nigeria)
Posted by sociolingo on December 11, 2007
Seen on Mandaras
The Fulbe (Cameroon/Nigeria) Name:
The ethnic name ‘Fulbe’ is the plural of ‘Pullo’, and the autonym for the Fulbe people as an ethnic group. ‘Pullo’ (Peul in French) is singular referring to ‘one Fulbe’ person (Barreteau 1984:172). The Fulbe often choose their clan names in relation to the name of an ethnic group or a place name close to them (Boulet at al 1984:126ff). For example the ‘Badaway’, which is the Kanuri word ‘nomade’, or ‘Sawa’ for the river Sava. The most frequent Fulbe clans in the area are the Yllaga, Wollarbe, Fereoobe, Ngara, Tara, Maoudi, Sava, Djenne and Djafoun. There are other Fulbe clans, but the largest ones are the Yllaga, Wollarbe, and Fereoobe. For the Northern Mandaras the Yllaga and the Fereoobe are the most important Fulbe clans (ibid). The montagnards of the Gwoza Hills refer to the Fulbe of Madagali as ‘Plata/Pelata’.
