The Wodaabe ( ff, Woɗaaɓe, Adlam: ), also known as the Mbororo or Bororo (Adlam: , ), or Pullo, have a name that is designated to those of the

Fula Fula may refer to: *Fula people (or Fulani, Fulɓe) *Fula language (or Pulaar, Fulfulde, Fulani) **The Fula variety known as the Pulaar language **The Fula variety known as the Pular language **The Fula variety known as Maasina Fulfulde *Al-Fula ...

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

who are traditionally

nomad A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...

ic and considered to be "ignorant of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

." For this reason, ''Mbororo'' is normally used as a derogatory term by other Fulani groups against the Wodaabe. It is translated into English as "Cattle Fulani", and meaning "those who dwell in cattle camps". The Wodaabe culture is one of the 186 cultures of the

standard cross-cultural sample The Standard Cross-Cultural Sample (SCCS) is a sample of 186 cultures used by scholars engaged in cross-cultural studies. Origin Cross-cultural research entails a particular statistical problem, known as Galton's problem: tests of functional relat ...

used by anthropologists to compare cultural traits. A Wodaabe woman,

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is a Chadian environmental activist and geographer. She is the Coordinator of the Association of Peul Women and Autochthonous Peoples of Chad (AFPAT) and served as the co-director of the pavilion of the World Indigenous Peo ...

, was also chosen to represent civil society of the world on the signing of Paris Protocol on 22 April 2016.

History

The Wodaabe are cattle-herders and traders in the

Sahel The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...

, with migrations stretching from southern

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesNigeria 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 ...

, northeastern

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 ...

, southwestern

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

, western region of the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

and the northeastern of the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. The number of Wodaabe was estimated in 2001 to be 100,000. They are known for their elaborate attire and rich cultural ceremonies. The Wodaabe speak the

Fula language Fula ,Laurie Bauer, 2007, ''The Linguistics Student’s Handbook'', Edinburgh also known as Fulani or Fulah (, , ; Adlam: , , ), is a Senegambian language spoken by around 30 million people as a set of various dialects in a continuum that stre ...

and don't use a written language.Carol Beckwith
Niger's Wodaabe: "People of the Taboo"
''National Geographic'', 1983, vol. 164, no4, pp. 483–509 In the Fula language, ''woɗa'' means "

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

", and ''Woɗaaɓe'' means "people of the taboo." This is sometimes translated as "those who respect taboos", a reference to the Wodaabe isolation from broader Fula/Fulani culture, and their contention that they retain "older" traditions than their Fula neighbors. By the 17th century, the Fula people across West Africa were among the first ethnic groups to embrace Islam, were often leaders of those forces which spread Islam, and have been traditionally proud of the urban, literate, and pious life with which this has been related. Both Wodaabe and other Fula see in the Wodaabe the echoes of an earlier pastoralist way of life, of which the Wodaabe are proud and of which urban Fula people are sometimes critical.Carol Beckwith
An Interview with Carol Beckwith
African Arts, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Aug. 1985), pp. 38–45

Everyday life

The Wodaabe keep herds of long-horned

Zebu The zebu (; ''Bos indicus'' or ''Bos taurus indicus''), sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in the Indian sub-continent. Zebu are characterised by a fatty ...

cattle. The dry season extends from October to May. Their annual travel during the wet season follows the rain from the south to the north. Groups of several dozen relatives, typically several brothers with their wives, children and elders, travel on foot, donkey or camel, and stay at each grazing spot for a couple of days. A large wooden bed is the most important possession of each family; when camping it is surrounded by some screens. The women also carry

calabash Calabash (; ''Lagenaria siceraria''), also known as bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, long melon, birdhouse gourd, New Guinea bean, Tasmania bean, and opo squash, is a vine grown for its fruit. It can be either harvested young to be consumed ...

es as a status symbol. These calabashes are passed down through the generations, and often provoke rivalry between women. The Wodaabe diet consists of milk and ground

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...

yogurt Yogurt (; , from tr, yoğurt, also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial Fermentation (food), fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as ''yogurt cultures''. Fermentation of sugars in t ...

, sweet tea and sometimes goat or sheep meat.

Religion, morals and customs

Wodaabe religion is largely

ic (mixed with pre-Islamic beliefs). Although there are varying degrees of orthodoxy exhibited, most adhere to at least some of the basic requirements of the religion. Islam became a religion of importance among Wodaabe peoples during the 16th century when the scholar al-Maghili preached the teachings of

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

to the elite of northern Nigeria. Al-Maghili was responsible for converting the ruling classes among

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...

, and

Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern A ...

peoples in the region. The code of behavior of the Wodaabe emphasizes reserve and modesty (''semteende''), patience and fortitude (''munyal''), care and forethought (''hakkilo''), and loyalty (''amana''). They also place great emphasis on beauty and charm. Parents are not allowed to talk directly to their two first born children, who will often be cared for by their grandparents. During daylight, husband and wife cannot hold hands or speak in a personal manner with each other. 1997 274-24 Gerewol

Beauty ideal and Gerewol festival

At the end of the rainy season in September, Wodaabe clans gather in several traditional locations before the beginning of their dry season

transhumance Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower vall ...

migration. The best known of these is

In-Gall In-Gall (var. In Gall, I-n-Gall, In-Gal, Ingal, Ingall) is a town in the Agadez Region, Tchirozerine Department of northeast Niger, with a year-round population of less than 500. Known for its oasis and salt flats, In-Gall is the gathering poi ...

's Cure Salée salt market and

seasonal festival. Here the young Wodaabe men, with elaborate make-up, feathers and other adornments, perform the ''Yaake'': dances and songs to impress marriageable women. The male beauty ideal of the Wodaabe stresses tallness, white eyes and teeth; the men will often roll their eyes and show their teeth to emphasize these characteristics. Wodaabe clans then join for the remainder of the week-long Gerewol: a series of barters over marriage and contests where the young men's beauty and skills are judged by young women.Niger's dandy Gerewol festival
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', 4 July 2004

Documentaries and popular culture

The 1989 documentary '' Wodaabe - Herdsmen of the Sun'' by

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with un ...

describes the Wodaabe. In the 1999 documentary '' Zwischen 2 Welten'' (between two worlds) director Bettina Haasen films her personal conversations with Wodaabe members. Sahara - Absolute Desert (2002) - a documentary with Michael Palin who follows a camel caravan of Wodaabe to Ingal in Niger for the annual Sahara Cure Salée festival, to an oasis at Tabelot, then across the Tenere Desert to the border of Algeria. The 2010 ethnographic documentar
Dance with the Wodaabes
by Sandrine Loncke explores, from the point of view of its participants, the complex cultural significance of the spectacular but frequently misunderstood and sensationalized Wodaabe ritual celebrations known as "Geerewol". The Niger-based band '' Etran Finatawa'' is composed of Wodaabe and

members and creates their unique style of "Nomad Blues" by combining modern arrangements and electric guitars with more traditional instruments and polyphonic Wodaabe singing. In 2005 they recorded an album and toured Europe. "Wodaabe Dancer" is the name of an

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

track on guitarist

Jennifer Batten Jennifer Batten (born November 29, 1957) is an American guitarist who has worked as a session musician and solo artist. From 1987 to 1997 she played on all three of Michael Jackson's world tours, and from 1999 to 2001 she toured and recorded wit ...

's 1997 album, '' Jennifer Batten's Tribal Rage: Momentum''. Image:1997 275-15 young Wodaabe women.jpg, Young Wodaabe women with facial tattoos Image:1997 276-22A Wodaabe fashion.jpg, Two Wodaabe men Image:1997 275-9 Gerewol.jpg, A young woman judging the beauty of men at a Gerewol Image:North Beauty fo Cameroon.jpg, Woman from Cameroon

References

Sources

* Beckwith, Carol. ''Nomads of Niger''.

Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher La Martinière Groupe. Run by President and CEO Michael ...

1993. * Beckwith, Carol
Niger's Wodaabe: People of the Taboo
''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

'', October 1983 * Bovin, Mette
''Nomads who cultivate beauty: Wod̳aab̳e dances and visual arts in Niger''
Nordic Africa Institute, 2001 * Loncke, Sandrine
''Geerewol : Musique, danse et lien social chez les Peuls nomades wodaabe du Niger''
Société d'ethnologie, 2015, 415 p. (with a DVD-ROM including annotated music recordings, short videos and the documentary featur

') * Loncke, Sandrine
Mémoire et transmission musicale dans une société nomade. L’exemple des Peuls Wodaabe du Niger
''Cahiers d'ethnomusicologie'' 22, 2008, p. 203-222

External links

Website of Djingo, the Wodaabe collectif in Niger

Article on the creation of the Wodaabe collectif

Report on a 2001 trip with a Wodaabe group to Cure Salée
from ''

Sahara with Michael Palin ''Sahara with Michael Palin'' is a four-part BBC television series presented by British comedian and travel presenter Michael Palin, and first broadcast in 2002. In it, Palin travelled around the Sahara in Northern and Western Africa, meeting ...

'' *Radio program on Fulbe Wodaabe and Fulbe Jelgoobe singing and dancing :
À corps et à voix avec les Peuls Jelgoobe et Wodaabe
', by Sandrine Loncke, France Musique, April 2015.
Online musical archives dedicated to Fulbe Wodaabe singings
(Telemeta, CREM-CNRS).

Photos and videos

Gerewol photos by BBC Human Planet photographer

Video of Wodaabe dance

Video of Gerewol festival
National Geographic * Wodaabe dancer photos

The Wodaabe's Cure Salée
by Christine Nesbitt
Festival of the Nomads – Cure Salée

Conversation with Woodabe member about marriage
(Experience from Cure Salée festival and Wodaabé photos)

by Sandrine Loncke (Website about Wodaabe ritual celebrations, with annotated music recordings and short videos featuring dance and ritual sequences. Supplement to th
book of the same author
.
Dance with the Wodaabes
documentary feature directed and produced by Sandrine Loncke, Berkeley Media, 90', 2010
Wodaabe, Dance instead of War
, documentary feature written and directed by Sandrine Loncke
Point du Jour International
52', 2013 {{Authority control Fula people Ethnic groups in Cameroon Ethnic groups in the Central African Republic Ethnic groups in Nigeria Ethnic groups in Niger Indigenous peoples of West Africa African nomads