The Kotoko people, also called Mser, Moria, Bara and Makari,
[People Groups]
. Retrieved June 03, 2013, to 12: 56 pm. are a
Chadic ethnic group located in northern
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
,
Chad and
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
.
[ UNHCR. Cameroon: The Kotoko ethnic group including its homeland and relationship with the National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP)]
. Retrieved June 03, 2013, to 01: 01 pm.
The Kotoko population is composed of approximately 90,000 people of which the majority live in Cameroon. The Kotoko form part of the Chadic people. Their mother tongue is
Lagwan. Most of the Kotoko are
Sunni Muslims.
History
They founded the
Kotoko kingdom The Kotoko kingdom was an monarchy in what is today northern Cameroon and Nigeria, and southwestern Chad. Its inhabitants and their modern descendants are known as the Kotoko people.
The rise of Kotoko coincided with the decline of the Sao civil ...
in the 1500 CE,
and are considered to be descendants of the
Sao civilization
The Sao civilization (also called So) flourished in Central Africa from ca. the fourth or sixth century BC to as late as the sixteenth century AD. The Sao lived by the Chari River basin in territory that later became part of Cameroon and Chad. The ...
.
Economy and religion
The Kotoko engage in fishing (with the aid of their long canoes) and in agriculture. The fish they catch is subsequently smoked or dried then sold in local markets. Wealthier families also raise cattle.
Most Kotoko profess
Islam. Most of them are Sunni Muslims. The Kotoko converted to Islam via cultural influences from the
Kanem-Bornu Empire. Many traditional beliefs and practices are incorporated into the Islamic practices of the Kotoko.
References
External links
The Secret Of The Putchu Guinadji
{{Authority control
Ethnic groups in Cameroon
Ethnic groups in Chad
Ethnic groups in Nigeria
Chadic-speaking peoples