Fulani herdsmen

The Fulani herdsmen are Fulani men who are traditionally Nomadic, herders and sometimes traders. They are predominantly herders and pastoralist and are often seen parading with their cattle in search of grazing pasture. They are common in West African countries including Nigeria, Niger, Senegal and Cameroon. The Fulani Herdsmen settled in the Western High Plateau of Bamenda, highlands of the Jos Plateau as well as Adamawa Plateau of Nigeria and the Cameroons. Due to modern civilization, some of the herdsmen now live in towns an cities but a vast majority of them are still either live a fully nomadic, or semi-nomadic life.

Source of Income

Cattle, goat and sheep trading is their primary source of income and livelihood. Their wealth and riches are often measured by the size of the Cattle herd being the most treasured animal they herd. Traditionally, the herdsmen often loaned a cow (habbanaya) to another until she calves and after weaning the calf, the cow is returned to its owner. These herdsmen herds several species of cattle species of cattle, but the zebu cattle is the most common in the West African hinterland because of its drought resistant traits. The dwarf Ndama cattle is commonly herd in the wetter areas of Fouta Djallon and Casamance as result of their resistant to trypanosomiasis and other conditions directly associated with high humidity.

Fula people

The Fula people or Fulani or Fulɓe (Fula: Fulɓe; French: Peul; Hausa: Fulani; Portuguese: Fula; Wolof: Pël; Bambara: Fulaw) numbering approximately 20 million people in total are one of the most widely dispersed and culturally diverse of the peoples of Africa. The Fulani are bound together by the common language of Fulfulde, as well as by some basic elements of Fulbe culture, such as the pulaaku, a code of conduct common to all Fulani groups.

A significant proportion of their number, (an estimated 13 million), are nomadic, making them the largest pastoral nomadic group in the world. Spread over many countries, they are found mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, but also in Sudan and Egypt.

Names

There are many names (and spellings of the names) used in other languages to refer to the Fulɓe. Fulani in English is borrowed from the Hausa term.Fula, from Manding languages, is also used in English, and sometimes spelled Fulah or Fullah. Fula and Fulani are commonly used in English, including within Africa. The French borrowed the Wolof term Pël, which is variously spelled: Peul, Peulh, and even Peuhl. More recently the Fulfulde / Pulaar term Fulɓe, which is a plural noun (singular, Pullo) has been Anglicised as Fulbe, which some people use. In Portuguese, the terms Fula or Futafula are used. The terms Fallata Fallatah or Fellata are of Kanuri origins, and is often the name by which Fulani people are identified by in Sudan.