12 July 2017

The Difference Between Hausas and Fulanis

The Hausas and the Fulanis are two distinct ethnic groups found in Northern Nigeria, but they have become closely intertwined in the minds of Nigerians and the rest of the world. Hausa/Fulani is now a single term used to describe the Muslims that live in the North and form one of the three main ethnic groups in the country along with Yorubas and Igbos.


Fulani Girl from Sokoto, Nigeria

It is true that the two tribes are very similar: both share a strong Islamic identity and certain customs including the Hausa language, and both groups have intermarried over centuries to almost become one.

But the Fulanis are sometimes loathe to be grouped together with the Hausas because of pride in their own distinct and distinguished history.


Fulani Father and Child from Kaduna, Nigeria

The fact that it was the Fulanis (also known as Fulbe, Puel or Fula) who brought Islam by force to the pagan/animist Hausa states in Nigeria centuries ago also gives them a sense of religious superiority. Also, the Fulanis throughout history have held leadership roles in the various Hausa communities they settled into, working as judges, teachers, emirs and clerics.

These leadership positions continue today as most Northern presidents and heads of state in Nigeria including Umaru Yar'Adua (President from 2007 - 2010), Sir Abubakara Tafewa Balewa (Nigeria's first Prime Minister), Shehu Shagari (President 1979 - 1983) and Aliko Dangote (Richest Black Man in the World) are of Fulani descent.

The Fulani's traditional nomadic lifestyle of roaming the countryside in search of pasture also distinguishes them from the 'settled' Hausas who live in towns, although most Fulanis are now settled in towns. Fulanis also derive much of their foods like Fura da Nono (Millet cakes and yoghurt) and Main Shanu (savoury butter) from their cattle, unlike the Hausas.

Both Fulanis and Hausa women wear henna dye on their hands and men and women from both tribes in rural areas often have dark facial tattoos, but Fulani men traditionally wear wide-brimmed straw hats with a pointed top, loose kaftan and shorts/trousers and carry sticks when herding; whilst the women's traditional costume is a white midriff-exposing top and matching wrapper with pastel coloured patterns. But like Hausa women, they ordinarily dress modestly in headscarves, covered tops and wrappers made using African print material.

A Fulani herdsman wearing a pointed straw hat, loose kaftan and stick

Fulani woman wearing the traditional white costume

Fulani girl wearing everyday clothing of African print material 

Fulanis also have their own language, Fulfude, which is very different from Hausa. However the Hausa language is commonly spoken by many Fulanis in Nigeria, and for some Hausa has replaced Fulfude as their mother-tongue.

Also, the two tribes have different histories.

The origin of the Fulanis, the largest nomad/pastoralist group in Africa, is obscure, but many link them back to Mauritania due to their similarities in appearance, existence of a Fulfude speaking minority there and the possibility of a North-Western origin of Fulani migration. From the 14th century they spread from Senegal into over 20 countries in Western Africa including Guinea, Gambia and Sudan.


Hausa Woman from Kebbi, Nigeria

The historic Hausa kingdoms, as legend has it, was formed when a Prince from Baghdad named Bayajidda, married a Princess from Borno, Nigeria. His seven sons born of the Princess formed seven 'legitimate' Hausa states in Nigeria today which include Kano, Katsina and Zaria, whilst Bayajidda's seven sons by his concubine formed seven 'illegitimate states,' also known as Banza Bakwai (Hausa word meaning 'Bastard Seven') and included Kebbi, Gwari, Nupe and Illorin.

Hausa Father and Son from Kebbi, Nigeria

The Hausa kingdoms were later defeated by the Fulani Muslims who had arrived into Nigeria and, forming a kinship with the Hausas, settled amongst them. But dissatisfied with the pagan Hausa leaders that ruled them, the educated and radical Fulanis undertook various religious wars or jihads in order to install an Islamic leadership.

One such jihad was led by Usman dan Fodio in 1804 and resulted in the formation of Sokoto Caliphate which became a powerful empire in Northern Nigeria. The Fulanis ruled over this booming economic, military and scholarly kingdom that traded successfully with the rest of the world.

Fulani writer and leader Usman da Fodio (1754 - 1817)

After the fall of the Sokoto Caliphate as a result of British invasion, the Fulanis continued to intermarry and live together with the Hausas. But they often maintained a cultural distinction noted in their stricter adherence to Islam and leadership positions as part of the elite of Northern Nigeria, as well as physical distinctions noted in their lighter skin and slimmer features. This together with an awareness of their history of conquest and rulership often gives rise to feelings of superiority by the Fulanis over the Hausas.

96 comments:

  1. I am also a Fula but from The Gambia. Thanks for the enlightening information. Keep up the good work so that you make many to know where they are from.

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  2. This article is very interesting,but contains many errors.
    1-Abubakar tafawa balewa is geri by tribe and no fulani.
    2-As far for Aliko dangote who is HAUSA by tribe.

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    1. What's your source. Look hater,This two elite are Fulani and Fulani's have ruled in Nigeria than any other tribe in Nigeria.

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    2. Yes Tafawa Balewa is gerewa, However Aliko Dangote is a Fulani Man as he himself admit infact my cousin works in his office in Marble House and he most at times speaks Fulfulde with him

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  3. Fulani are the missionaries of Islam in Africa Usman dan Fodio in Nigeria and Elhadji Omar Tall in Senegal have both played a big role in the Islamization of west Africa
    Mauritania was and still the crossroad between North and west Africa and where Arab and African culture connect
    I m Mauritanian and would like to exchange views with you about African culture in general and Fulani in particular

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    1. I am Fulani by tribe and would like to know more about ancestors

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    2. The easiest way to confirm ancestor is through a dna haplotype test. I am American with European ancestry, my husband is fula from the Futa Jallon. My daughters test showed her number one country of origin as Oman, then South Africa then Kosovo. This solidifies the fact that the Fulani are partly a Berber people of N. Africa who mixed with the indigenous tribes as they moved southward during the Fulbe jihads. She is a Jalloh( look up Jalo Berber of Libya) most people even Europeans took the surnames of their city. Also my ancestors spoke German, Irish and Old English when they came to America I only speak English, my point being that you assimilate the language of your surroundings and just because Fula is considered a Niger Congo language now doesn't mean it always was. Also the Fulani Cranial structure is similar to that of Arab , Egyptian, East Africa. This has been published . Good luck on your quest

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  4. Anonymous 1: Thanks for the clarification (although I honestly believed that Dangote is Fulani)

    Anonymous 2: It would be great to talk with you and learn more about Mauritania. Email me on sweetweet121@gmail.com

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    1. Na gode yar u'wata da wannan kokari
      I'm Hausa fulani♡♡♡

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    2. But dangote is not a fulani, he might not be purely hausa (Agalawa: his maternal ancestors who came from niger republic around 1452-1463), and those agalawa are not fulani, they are the original speakers of tamashek, Their main occupation has always been trade not Cattle caring, but that was a very long time ago. dangote was born in the heart of Kano(Predominantly hausa state), and his paternal ancestors are purely hausa.

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  5. FULANI-Nigerian,it was me who made the first comment about Tafawa Balewa and Dangote.
    1- Dangote is the son of Mohammed Dangote, a close confident to Alhassan Dantata,and a hausa of course to his father (Aliko)side.
    2-He's the son of Hajiya Mariya Dantata(daughter of A.Dantata,the founder of Dantata dynasty).That makes him a true hausa.But as you say in the article there is a lot of melting between fulanis and hausas.

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  6. When Dr Tilde in his blog talked about problems fulanis face in Nigeria,he raised a big debate between hausas and fulanis.To my mind he was misundrestood.But you cant make your own opinion by reading this.
    http://fridaydiscourse.blogspot.com/2010/05/friday-discourse-104-fulani-and-their.html

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    Replies
    1. Hello FulaNigerian,
      Thanks for your interesting blog and for being a rare fulani online writer.
      Yes, a lot of the literature out there is not written by Fulbe (Fulani), that's why there is a lot of misinformation and half-truths (mainly propagated by so-called academics).
      I'm Fulani from Sierra Leone (whose ancestors had an East-West migration route). Half of the Fulani in Nigeria do not share Dan Fodio's West-East route to Sokoto from the Senegambia: but we do not get to hear about them as history is just the version recorded by victors and the famous. Nomads by nature (until the 1900s) who is there to record the Pullo's prints?

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    2. The name Sokoto Nigeria originate From Sokotoro (Timbo-Mamou) in Guinea-conakry

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  7. Thanks for the info on Dangote Garba Yaro, and also the link to Dr Tilde's blog. I found his writing very informative, especially his description of Pulaaku and his call not to abandon the Fulfude language. I agree!

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  8. What iss this website is for?
    Hey British Fulani girl,please close this website,because you make no sense by saying Fulani brought Islam in Hausa states.
    Fulani themselves never created any state of their owns beside HausaStates.

    You know nothing about true Hausa histories,Hausa states adopted Islam in mid 11th centuries,go back and read the Kano Cronilces,read the name of Hausa kings,and don't forget about Queen Amina of 15th century.They all have Islamic name prior to Malam Fodio who is the father of Usman Dan-Fodio who later became known as Shehu Usman Dan Fodio.

    Stop crediting Fulani who lost almost everything to Hausa including their Language.

    Hausa are descendent of the ancient Berber groop of Libya,whom we called today as Chadic speaker.They still speaking a very related Berber Language today.Their DNA profile proved it,and they are more related to Chadic speaker of Northern Cameroon and southern Chad Republic than Fulanis or other Nigerians.
    Go to west African Capital and see ancient Hausa settlement called 'Zongo'

    Islam in Hausaland:

    Dan Fodio was born and raised in Hausaland,grew up watching Hausa praying to Allah.His Daddy was Fulani teacher not a Mujahideen.Dan Fodio grew learn Islam in Hausaland not in Mauritania or Guinee.Dan fodio born with Hausa language,didn't learn it in School.
    Almost all Hausa rulers were Muslim,they even used Islamic Sharia to double tax animist Hausa and Fulanis of that time.
    Dan Fodio is nothing but a reformist of Hausa states.

    Stop fooling people here,cause Islam came to Hausaland by Hausa traders from East (Kaneem Bornu) 900-1000 years ago not from West.

    Fulani are well classified in Niger-Congo (west Africa) while Hausa classified In Chadic-Afro-Asiatic.There was nothing Hausa learn from Fulani,but Fulanis enjoyed Hausa architecture,culture,languages,trade skills etc..

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    1. Kay na ji dadi malam da wanan ansa taka! carry on

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    2. Great feedback but not all true: Kanem Borno Kingdom is Kanuri not Hausa. Although now Fulani/ Hausa and the Kanuris are a beautiful mix and we have all contributed to the Northern Nigerian culture. Such a pity that the youth today are not inspired or making an example of our great history.

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    3. Interesting feedback although you have an error there "Hausa traders from East (Kaneem Bornu) 900-1000 years ago not from West."

      The great Kanem Borno Kingdom was Kanuri not Hausa. Kanuris descend from the Beber tribe also believed to descend from the Nubians. Presently a subgroup of Kanuris in Nigeria are still called Berberi.

      Although presently the Kanuris, Hausas, and Fulani are mixed. I think we make a beautiful mix and all cultures have contributed to what is Northern Nigeria.

      I just hope that the youth get educated about the powerful cultures and history we come from. Knowing our past will shape our future for the better. Funny how from being the great/ admirable cultures we were..... we are now looked at by the South as the non educated North.... When did that happen?!!

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    4. Thank you for this clarification Mallam. Actually, I do not understand this so-called Fulani missions ! They learn leardership and goverment structure from hausa. Even though they took over power in Hausa Land, they did not bring significant changes in the ruling system. The co-called Juhad was nothing but economjc freedom fighting ! Believe me, Shehu Usman is similar with nowadays jihadists

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    5. And the Kanuris are from the Nilo Saharan Language family, fulani language is more similar to yoruba and igbo than it is to hausa, because all three of them are from the niger-congo family tree, while hausa is from afro asiatic language family

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  9. Very Interesting Malam. The story of Hasa/Fulani I've written here is a well-known version of our history, but I'm willing to accept that your version has some truths as well.

    If there's a book or website with more on this let me know. Where can I read the Kano Chronicles?

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  10. Hello,sorry for my rough lecture,it was hard for me to read your post that says Hausa adopted islam from Fulani.
    We all know that Islam spread from East into Africa,not other way around,and Fulani came from west into Hausaland.
    Islam reached Hausaland through Hausa traders in 11th century,almost 900-1000 years ago now,not through Fulani in 1700s.
    In fact Islam is present in Kanem Bornu and Hausa states before reached Fulani of Mauritania or Sene-Gambia.

    I beg you to seek your own knowledge rather than read internet post.
    I am ba-katsine' of Maradi-Niger,and I spent much of my life studying .I studied"C.H. "in France,Morroco,and now I am in U.S.,continuing my Anthro PhD in IUPUI of Indianapolis Indiana.
    I would love to learn basic facts about African not web salads .

    Hausa are the most advanced among all African ethnics or tribes.They are very large in number,but very calm.
    Throughout their histories,they experienced multiple invasion from East to West.
    Hausa never exposed naked to any foreigners,and they never presented in that region as primitve dwellers.
    They are very skillful in iron crafting,and large enough to raise bigger Army,but they chosen to do business with their enemies rather than involving in Warfare,the idea we calling today as Diplomatic.

    Sorry for my English,I am not Nigerian Hausa,but I am Hausa of Niger,which mean French is the language I spent 90 % of my life studying.
    I learn this English here in America,not in Africa or France.
    My mom is Fulani and my dad is Hausa,and I see myself 100% Hausa,and I even consider my mom as Hausa,because she don't speak a word in Fulani not even her father speak Fulani.

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    1. salam to all please do not let a place for our enemies this web is our enemi. hausa or fulani are the same familly and known as muslims

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  11. Your English is very good considering your French/Hausa background. I'm also impressed with your knowledge and passion for Hausa history and your dedication to learning about your heritage. I feel the same about learning about Fulani.

    Do you have a blog? If not, you should so more people can learn about these important African cultures, as not enough of us are writing about it.

    A lot of the books and sites about us are written by non-African anthropologists, and I know there are African writers too but not enough and accessible enough to ordinary people.

    I still maintain that Fulanis had a large part to play in Islamasizing Hausas *in Nigeria* and inspiring a kind of Muslim revolution there. Many Hausas were muslims before the Fulani arrived, but in Nigeria the Fulani influence on Islam and Hausaland cannot be denied.

    But like you said, my post is just a 'web salad' to give people (both Africans and non-Africans) a quick outline of our history, but of course it is not conclusive or complete and it is up to people to seek more information themselves.

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  12. Hello,I don't have any blog,but I do have more info And educational video on Youtube about these people.

    Hausa and Fulani are not genetically or linguistically related to each other.

    Hausa who speak Chadic language branch of Afro-Asiatic family ,and still carrying Chadic R1b-V88 DNA marker ,a marker that can only be found among western European and SW Asian and other Afro-Asiatic speaker such as Egyptian Berber ,Libyan Berber, Oran Berber of Algeria.
    Hausa are genetically and linguistically more related to Bolewa of northern Nigeria,Warji,Buras,Mandarawa,Ouldemewa,Zumayawa of Chad than to any surrending neighbor.All these people are descendent of Proto-Chadic settlers 3500 to 4000 years ago.These proto-Chadic speakers are in fact ancient Egyptian dwellers who migrated into Libyan Sahara 4000 years ago,settled in Air mountains before retired around Lake Chad 3500 years ago.

    Fulani who speak Niger-Congo related language migrated from area now called Mauritania before settled in Futa Jalo area 1800 to 2000 years ago.The fact that Fulani speak speak Niger-Congo language stayed mistery until recent DNA evaluation.Fulani ancient origin still a big debat among modern Anthros.Fulani tend to appear in same group as Berber due to tremondous among of Autosomal genes,while their male Y-chromosome DNA tend to be closely related to Niger-congo speaker.The E1b1a was found in high frequency at rate of 78% among Sene-Gambian Fulani,and decrease among Nigerian,Nigerien,Cameroonian Fulani to 50%.
    I have more about these two Nigerian Hausa/Fulani.

    If you are interest to know little more, inbox me your e-mail to " roi.dujour@yahoo.com ".
    Thank you for your time

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  13. This in my Youtube account ,please visit my page .


    http://www.youtube.com/user/roidujour?feature=mhee

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  14. Thanks for the info mallam. I've checked out your youtube videos: very informative, especially the one about the history of africa (screwed racist europeans) which I enjoyed.

    (Although, if I may say, your vivid page background makes it difficult to read and see other things on the page)

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  15. Hi Fulani Nigerian.I liked the exchange you had with Malam.It was interesting.I agree with him,of course fulanis have a great part in islamizing hausaland.I have a french/hausa background too so that many of my documents are in french.But i have a sample of Kano Chronicles in english.If you are intrested this is my mail box:mohiss2000@yahoo.fr

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  16. So excited to see another passionate Nigerian blogging about her culture/tribe. I actually wrote a term paper a few years ago trying to chronicle my ethinic group's history, very hard to find materials online I tell you. More grease to you elbows! I'm Bura, from Adamawa State. My Dad actually speaks Fulani as he learnt it from the some of the Fulanis he grew up with.

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  17. Hi Mwajim, and thanks :)

    I also found that there was precious little about Fulanis, written by Fulanis online that wasn't academic, research or charity related, so writing this blog has been fun and helpful for many people.

    Maybe you should start blogging about the Bura people...?

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  18. I know its kind of late...but better late than never
    There was Islam in Hausaland even before Dan Fodio was born, so he didnt "force" Islam on the Hausas as you suggested. The Hausa land was a mixture of Muslims and pagans (Maguzawa) then.

    Kindly make more research before you write, because many may use your articles for educational purposes

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  19. Hi Ibrahim, well,it's common knowledge that Dan Fodio launched a jihad that Islamisized most of Hausa land. So even though some Muslims existed before this, the Jihad made Islam widespread and powerful.

    And as a professional journalist, I naturally research whatever I write.

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    1. I really doubt this seeing the exchange you had with mallam, although you sounded interesting in the end i got the impression you were very clueless. I am a Ghana Hausa but from London England too.
      I happened to pass this to my dad, who clarified all for me as am not very knowledgeable on this, clearly all from his words all mallam said was the FACT and wasn't sure if you were really a fulani who knows her history. Given the fact that his mom is fulani and dad hausa she cannot even speak fulani except hausa.

      Arguably, Islam came into hausaland from East and not the other way round.

      Finally, i have learn some history from you too.

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    2. Islam was practiced in Hausaland before the coming of Usman Danfodio, He staged a jihad in Hausaland to purify Islam as it was practised with other pagan activites like Bori, etc.
      with the Jihad of Usman Danfodio Islam was cleansed from all pagan activites and taken more seriously. Hausaland was practising Islam before then a good example is the courts of kanem borno empire , mohammed ibn mani is one of such courtiers . so we still go back to Hausaland was already practising Islam before the jihad of Usman Danfodio, am Hausa/FULANI TOO

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  20. This is an intresting article about hausa/fulani, but still more research need to be done to come up with basic facts.

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  21. I am Hausa and found you very beautiful, so let us be friends. who knows what may happen!

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  22. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  23. Amadou M. Diallo7 August 2012 at 23:47

    This is a very interesting article. I am grateful for the Nigerian Fulani´s contribution.

    To Malam, I wonder why Africans like you love to identified themselves as white. It ´sad:
    "Who speak Hausa language Chadic branch of Afro-Asiatic family, and still carrying R1b Chadic-V88 DNA marker has marker That Can Only Be Found Among Western European and SW Asian and Other African-Asiatic Egyptian speaker Such as Berber, Libyan Berber, Berber Oran of Algeria ".
    The Haussas have african Negroid features. We can not deny it. And unlike your research on the Fulani, you make mistakes, the Fulanis does not come from Mauritanian.
    Mauritania is a buffer state. The borders of Mauritania were established in 1904 by France and Spain. The borders of Mauritania are badly made, people were divided A party of Fouta Tooro today, is in the southern of Mauritania and the other party in northern of Senegal. So the Fulani which you speak, do not come from Mauritania, but from Fouta Tooro, who is a big State between the actuel Mauritania and Senegal..
    the Fulani did two mouvements. the first one was from east to west as nomadic. Their passage through Pharaonic Egypt is noted in the Papyrus. It is scientifically proven We are not surprised if Fulani words are similar to the ancient Egyptian: Nagge Fulfulde, cow Pharaonic NAK., Tuhte Fulfulde Any sputum TUFLIT Pharaonic Kossam Fulfulde milk Pharaonic Kossamu and the list goes on Reference Prof. Cheikh Anta Diop.
    During this passage from east to west, there was the Fulani who stayed on the path

    The second mouvement of the Fulanis goes from West to Est with the Jihad
    . The Fulani arrived in Futa Toro, this area was already Islamized. they stayed longer.
    They are culturally and physically mixed with indigenous peoples. many have settled and become Muslims.
    It's the same thing that happened in Fouta Macina, Mali and in Fouta Jalon. Guinea. Fulani had the needs of land for their cattle and also to be autonomous. They went east to spread Islam as Elhadj Omar

    I am far from claiming some Berber origin, white European or Indo Asian origin for the Fulani, but you, (Malam), must learn to see the reality.
    About the DNA of the Fulani your research is very limited. An example of extensive research on the DNA of Fulani:

    "The Fulani peoples DNA. Genetically, the Seem to have a little Caucasian in them, about 8% of Their Maternal lineages are caucasian, a mix of Berber and Arabic lineages, J1b, U5, H, and V. A much centage of Higher Their Y chromosomes are Caucasian in origin though, Some Semitic, 18% K2 (now T) and Some R1b. To about 14% Caucasian DNA in total. This Does Support Their Story of Semitic origin as Being, Descended from Jacob! "
    We must accept reality, malam.

    Despite all this, I am proud to be a Fulani of Senegal native of Fouta Tooro that s why I proud to be african.

    If you need much more informations about Fulanis, I give you my mail: a.diallo@gmx.de

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    Replies
    1. @Amadou dialo
      Sorry for late reply,your message was forwarded into my spam box,I almost delete it until i came back to check this blog.
      I left my email here ,not for you to send me your worthless and meaningless message ,but the for lady on this blog.

      I will get back to you about your post .

      Delete
    2. Amadou diallo: there is no point in criticizing what malam said, it was a research based on facts as he claimed, not some sort of inclination of one tribe to snother or otherwise, you are free to present yours(as you did), we benefit from all, really informative, far more informative than the bayajidda folklore the western born blogger wrote which was full of every-inch misconceptions, who believes bayajiida tales anymore!

      Delete
  24. Amadou M. Diallo7 August 2012 at 23:51

    This is a very interesting article. I am grateful for the Nigerian Fulani´s contribution.

    To Malam, I wonder why Africans like you love to identified themselves as white. It ´sad:
    "Who speak Hausa language Chadic branch of Afro-Asiatic family, and still carrying R1b Chadic-V88 DNA marker has marker That Can Only Be Found Among Western European and SW Asian and Other African-Asiatic Egyptian speaker Such as Berber, Libyan Berber, Berber Oran of Algeria ".
    The Haussas have african Negroid features. We can not deny it. And unlike your research on the Fulani, you make mistakes, the Fulanis does not come from Mauritanian.
    Mauritania is a buffer state. The borders of Mauritania were established in 1904 by France and Spain. The borders of Mauritania are badly made, people were divided A party of Fouta Tooro today, is in the southern of Mauritania and the other party in northern of Senegal. So the Fulani which you speak, do not come from Mauritania, but from Fouta Tooro, who is a big State between the actuel Mauritania and Senegal..
    the Fulani did two mouvements. the first one was from east to west as nomadic. Their passage through Pharaonic Egypt is noted in the Papyrus. It is scientifically proven We are not surprised if Fulani words are similar to the ancient Egyptian: Nagge Fulfulde, cow Pharaonic NAK., Tuhte Fulfulde Any sputum TUFLIT Pharaonic Kossam Fulfulde milk Pharaonic Kossamu and the list goes on Reference Prof. Cheikh Anta Diop.
    During this passage from east to west, there was the Fulani who stayed on the path

    The second mouvement of the Fulanis goes from West to Est with the Jihad
    . The Fulani arrived in Futa Toro, this area was already Islamized. they stayed longer.
    They are culturally and physically mixed with indigenous peoples. many have settled and become Muslims.
    It's the same thing that happened in Fouta Macina, Mali and in Fouta Jalon. Guinea. Fulani had the needs of land for their cattle and also to be autonomous. They went east to spread Islam as Elhadj Omar

    I am far from claiming some Berber origin, white European or Indo Asian origin for the Fulani, but you, (Malam), must learn to see the reality.
    About the DNA of the Fulani your research is very limited. An example of extensive research on the DNA of Fulani:

    "The Fulani peoples DNA. Genetically, the Seem to have a little Caucasian in them, about 8% of Their Maternal lineages are caucasian, a mix of Berber and Arabic lineages, J1b, U5, H, and V. A much centage of Higher Their Y chromosomes are Caucasian in origin though, Some Semitic, 18% K2 (now T) and Some R1b. To about 14% Caucasian DNA in total. This Does Support Their Story of Semitic origin as Being, Descended from Jacob! "
    We must accept reality, malam.

    Despite all this, I am proud to be a Fulani of Senegal native of Fouta Tooro that s why I proud to be african.

    If you need much more informations about Fulanis, I give you my mail: a.diallo@gmx.de

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    1. are you also proud to be associated with boko haram? the group the northerners used in killing those from the south?

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    2. Part 1:

      I could not ignore the ignorant comment of the person above. I am tired of listening to Southerners( both West and East) complain about Hausas.

      Any act of terrorism is bad and not supported even staged ones like some of the so called "Boko Haram" attacks on Northern Nigerians( both christians and Muslims). Who is Boko Haram? A terrorist group that only puts bombs in the strategic Northern cities of Nigeria. A terrorist group that only destroys Northern infrastructure? A terrorist group that only kills Northern people? Remember bombs don't select select muslims or christians when killing. Keep in mind there is no border between the North and South of Nigeria, therefore I dare to question the ownership of a terrorist group that attacks the South by only putting bombs in the North!! Do you think we are so dumb as to not question this?

      What the Western news fails to report is the fact that many Northerners in Nigeria have Christian family members and likewise. We have lived with each other peacefully for years. So why now have we started bombing ourselves in our own cities? Northerners are the ones who have lost friends and family and I am one of them. We are the victims in this fake war.

      The whole situation in Nigeria at the moment is a platform for the the South to have a claim for separation... Another Biafra. You obviously have not learnt from the past. Are you inspired by Sudan? Do you think you godfathers, your masters who advise our separation want to help you because you all share the Christian belief as opposed to the Muslim North? Are you united by a common enemy? These countries are openly atheist in majority and they don't care for your religions or your black race. What they care about is Oil. You are so dumb, disloyal, and greedy that you fail to see the strength of our unity. You will drive yourselves back to slavery.

      You are people lacking basic human respect, loyalty, or compassion. Look at all the kidnappings in your Southern states. All the poisonings of your innocent successful sons by family member as soon as they set foot in your villages( you know very well what I'm saying). All the human rituals sacrifices to your pagan gods. All the unfair theft of a dead man's inheritance by his family leaving his wife and children desperate and poor in their loss. The North is not perfect, but to be honest I would rather my imperfections that yours.

      I live in Europe and I live day to day with the bad reputation that Nigerians have( fraud, drugs, and abuse of the system). The majority of Nigerians in the Western World are Southern West/ East. We bear the "cross" of your lack of respect and discipline internationally. the same lack of respect you have shown on this page and the same lack of respect you are showing in our beautiful Nigeria.







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    3. Part 2:

      I am amazed at the audacity that Southern Nigerians have to open their mouths to complain about Northern people. In the hands of the much demanded Southern leaders Nigeria is in worst shape ever with terrorist attacks in the North. If we choose to live in the South (like you Southerners have successfully lived in the North and successfully ran your businesses) your people abuse and kidnap. You have even ruined living abroad for us because of the bad shape our reputation is in due to the example you have set to the Western World. Try getting a visa anywhere as a Nigerian( even to another African country). In South Africa Nigerians are hated as we are blamed for many of the gang culture and fraud... again who are the Nigerian living in South Africa? Southerners.

      So what I will say to you and other people from the South is "with all due respect, shut up!!".

      Don't come here and try to make jest of the a cultural debate being made by people who descend from greatness. No matter what you say.... you will always be in awe of our Northern beauty, dignity, and loyalty. These qualities will continue to elude you until you stop playing the blame game and take responsibility for your own faults. You will always secretly wish you were Northern.

      Thank You

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    4. Wow, Anonymous, what a passionate, measured and comprehensive reply to an ignorant comment!

      Bravo! More grease to your elbow.

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    5. Its complete ignorance for you to claim that the south are staging "boko haram " you need to do your research well about the origin of boko haram .... are you trying to say that the likes of Ibrahim Shekarau and the leader (Muhammed Yusuf) they once said they are fighting for is southern ? You must be Joking !!! my dear you need to talk with all the northerners who abduct and bomb people anyhow.

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    6. Lolx, Ibrahim Shekarau was a kano state governor, not a boko haram leader, so you see? clueless

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  25. Mamadu
    first of all, this Mallam fellow need to understand how to engage in intellectual debate with some civility. He comes across as aggressive, arrogant and has a air of "I know it all". Thanks, my fulbe people, for your informed contribution. Jarama.

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  26. Modibbe, I am Pullo Nigeria, I am from Sokoto, like it or not Danfodio's jihad is the reason all of northern Nigeria and even parts of Niger is still islamised that why it is still refered to as 'The Fulani Empire'. The complete 19 northern states of Nigeria and their periphery, for e.g Ilorin ( a yoruba northern state) is still ruled by fulani speaking people, so Malam, calm your nerves and pay a little grattitude for the probable reason why you're Muslim today, Danfodio was a great man, and also happens to be fulani, so fulani or not, he deserves our respect, and a good thing you all are doing here, makes me have a clearer view of my fulani Origin.

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    1. People still fail to realize that not all emirs are fulanis, the sullubawas are ruling kano, the descendants of the late emir ado bayero, and they are not fulani, but you are saying all. I just gave you an example because I hail from Kano, both my grandmothers are fulani, but I am bahaushe

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  27. About 5 years ago, my aunt took a DNA test and found out that my mom's maternal side is Fulani from Nigeria, Niger, and Guinea-Bissau regions. I'm still researching my ancestry, but I would love to travel to those regions and actually meet my family that we've been separated from since slavery.

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  28. Just to inform you , the man in the picture above noted as shehu usman dan fodio,is actually sidi ahmed al-bakkai(rahimahullah) from walata in mali not the shehu. He was not a fulani either, rather an arab with black ancestry.

    Another note, I love to hear about the history of african ethnic groups but we must be careful not to perpetuate the errors of colonialism.

    The colonialists(as well as some arabs before) tried to build a theory of a superior fulani race based on phenotypical traits .ie the fulani are whiter than hausa/southern black therefore they are superior. The same as they did in rwanda with the tutsi's and even in america with the lighter skinned blacks.

    However in the case of the fulani theory it didn't prove quite true because the true fulani 'pastoralists' were not in positions of power but rather the mixed fulani(with hausa ie. black african) which confirms what Allah has said :" O men! Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware. "
    The people of the Shehu(rahimahullah) were from this group.

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    1. Hi Anonymous. Yes, we have to be careful where we get our information. The truth is none of us where around centuries ago when these things happened, so we have to rely on the texts we have.

      I've learnt a lot from everyone's comments though. I didn't even know it was possible to get such details about the histroy of Islam/Fulani/Hausa in Nigeria.

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  29. Who care’s about the supremacy between Hausa and Fulani when both of you are the same in using Boko Haram to kill innocent people,,
    You should be ashamed of identifying with such dubious group that just killed expatriates who came to your country to build good roads and provide infrastructures that will help grow your business..

    You people should be ashamed to tell the world you are in anyway related to such tribe,

    You’ve never hared of a single northern man being killed in the south; whereas, all the time its about killing and bomb blast in the north. You have help destroy the Nigerian reputation all the world over many thanks to your people.

    Now you are fight over supremacy

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    1. The actions of a few misguided youths should not be used to judge the rest of the people of the tribe. Boko Haram has nothing to do with me and I have nothing to do with Boko Haram.

      Also, Nigeria's reputation was destroyed a long time ago by the fradulent practices and money laundering in Western countries perpetuated by *a few* southerners, like former Delta State governor James Ibori. Have you ever heard of a Hausa or Fulani person imprisoned abroad for advance fee fraud?

      (It's hard not to get tribalistic when discussing some things with Nigerians...)

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    2. u stoop so low when u said this..

      ''Have you ever heard of a Hausa or Fulani person imprisoned abroad for advance fee fraud?''

      Have u heard of the DIKO AFFAIR under Shehu Shagari???? that didnt start in the fourth Republic...way way before now my dear... No tribe is immune to d collapse of the Nigerian state... It even tilts towards the Notherners of Fulani extraction, as they've always held sway in the national polity

      u are human anyways and like u said its hard not to cleave to ethnic leanings when talking about Nigeria

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    3. i think we should mind words that we say we are too educated to say such harsh words to oneanother, we never complained in the north or call others name . We have the Niger delta militants, kidnappers, and oil bunkers but we never say bad things why should Boko Haram be an issue here when we are discussing something else that its totally different. We want unity not division please

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  30. Hmmmmmm..... so so interesting i wasn't going to leave a comment but am moved to. A few bad apples always spoil the bunch?(not too sure that is how the quote goes)but as we say in Naija idea is need! My point?! The few bad selfish people give Nigeria a bad name, but if we could only learn to appreciate and celebrate our difference and use them right, this Nation would be so great! So What! Hausa's were Muslims before Dan Fodio, So What! Dan Fodio propagated Islam the fact is that History is there to inform and guide so lets focus on the right things please. Fulani-Nigerian i laud your efforts "cause at least we know a little more about the Fulani people now kudos!

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    1. Thanks Anonymous. Yes, we should just focus on the right things.

      "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things." Phil 4:8

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  31. Fulani Nigeria I don't think that's your name, but I may like to call you by your name. mine is Abubakar. History is what happened long before we were born and I love it! This is why I went back to my old secondary school History notes.
    Legend says the Fulani originated from the Arabian Peninsula 8th century and migrated south-west to Senegambia. From Senegambia, they moved eastward, crossing several Sahelian and Sudanian zones, to the Red Sea (Frantz 1981). The Fulani of Nigeria are a part of this migrant, ethnic population having common occupational and biogenetic characteristics. Light-skinned with curly hair, the Fulani have pointed nose, thin lips, and slender statue.
    The fact is that it is not known when the movement of the ancestors of the Hausa people actually occurred; neither has the migrants' place of origin been pinpointed. The historic Hausa kingdom However, connotes that Bayajidda came from Baghdad, traveled across the Sahara, and arrived in the Kanem-Bornu Empire, where he married a local princess. Tensions with her father, the king, forced him to flee; leaving his wife in Hadejia, where she delivered his first son, he made his way to Gaya, where he had the local blacksmiths forge him a knife.
    With this knife and his sword, Bayajidda proceeded to the final point on his journey, the city of Daura, where he slew a serpent that had been terrorizing the townspeople. In gratitude for this heroic deed Magajiva Daurama, the local queen, married him. but it was against the custom of the people of Daura for their queens to marry, Daurama made a compromise with Bayajidda and said she would only have sexual intercourse with him later; because of this, Daurama gave him a concubine named Bagwariya. Daurama gave him Bagwariya because she wanted to break her "queenly vow to remain a virgin," but had to undergo rituals to do so. Bagwariya had a son fathered by Bayajidda and she named him Karap da Gari, or Karbagari which means "he snatched the town" in Hausa. This worried Daurama, and when she had a son of her own (also fathered by Bayajidda), she named him Bawo which means "give it back.
    Throughout his life, Bayajidda is said to have fathered three children with three different women. Bawo fathered six of his own sons, whose names were Daura, Gobir, Kano, Katsina, Rano, and Zaria. Together with Biram, the son of Magaram, these seven went on to rule the seven "legitimate" Hausa states, the Hausa Bakwai. (Some versions of the tale leave Bawo and Magaram out entirely, with Biram, Daura, Gobir, Kano, Katsina, Rano, and Zaria being the sons of Bayajidda and Daurama). Karbagari's descendants, meanwhile, founded the seven "illegitimate" states, the Banza Bakwai.
    The emergence of a Hero, Scholar and a Philosopher was therefore a big blow to the hausa state. This no other but Usman Dan Fodio son of Muhammad Fodiye from the Toronkawa clan, which had emigrated from Futa-Toro in Senegal about the 15th century... To be continued










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    2. My previous comment was having some mistakes I tried to correct but I was not fully satisfied.. However I do not fully agree with you in many points 'Yar pullo so I tried to check things with other 2 friends we together are Hausa/Fulani in a way.. so what we reached to was huge information led to a youtube video of 20 minutes though we focus on Sudan without ignoring our near and far past related to beeing secendants of the called (Hausa/Fulani) ye it is Arabic narrative but you still can take a look.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHAB8tgY0Is

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  34. It is interesting to see how almost everybody is desperate to protect his ancestry The fundamental issue however, is for god sake, what contribution does any body have in the CHOICE OF HIS PARENTS?. Mhm? We all came to this world through some biological activity by a couple without our consent or any effort. What is really important as far as i am concerned is, what you as individual, contribute to humanity and what you will meet in the hereafter, if you believe in it. Everybody naturally traces his ancestry to ADAM and EVE. Therefore, whether your DNA leads to ARABS JEWS, TUSI, HOTU or ZULU does not really matter.The great people we are trying to identify with contributed POSITIVELY to humanity. Our prophet, MUHAMMAD SAW warned strictly against tribalism. It actually emanates from racism, take or leave it. THERE IS NO PERFECT TRIBE OR RACE. Scientifically, it has been proved that difference between human beings as individuals is statistically greater than the differences between races. Therefore everybody is actually on his own. We talk about Usman Danfodo, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstien, Murata, not his parents,

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  35. Please educate me cos someone just bit my fcking head off cos i refered to Ruka Indimi as a hausa and apparently she aint, she is kanuri

    I was referred to her and her new husband Usman Dantata and i was saying how gorgeous she is and that the hausa fulani mix are so gorgeous, i was almost shot to death cyber.

    I don't want to be ignorant about the norther tribes so tell me the relation between .

    Usman is definitely Hausa though - am i right?

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    1. Ms Tilii, Kanuris are similar to Fulanis in appearance and both usually speak Hausa, but they are distinct ethnicities.

      I don't know Usman, but from what I can gather yeah, he's Hausa, as in a Hausa-speaking Northerner...

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  36. Fulani,Hausa,Ibo,Yoruba we are all one from the beginning and till the end. Lets Treat each others with Love and care and you will that the issue of tribe will go below 6ft.

    Mean while am a single man and am searching for a Fulani wife. contact me via Chygee4Christ@gmail.com thank you.

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  37. Usman Dan Fodio only started a Jihad because he was kicked out of Sokoto and wanted power. He achieved his aim in the end.

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    1. Looool! Crude representation of the story, but sort of...yes, still, we move on.

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  38. A very interesting Topic indeed. But I have a few corrections to make.
    1) The Fulani DID NOT introduce Islam to the Hausas. The Hausa had been Muslims centuries before Fulani migration.
    2) Some of the leaders mentioned above are/were not Fulanis at all;
    i) Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was Bageri
    ii) Umaru Yar'adua was patrilineally descended from Kanuri migrants.
    iii) Aliko Dangote is Hausa.

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    1. Thanks for the corrections Muhammad, although I still doubt Hausas were muslims for centuries before Fulanis.

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    2. No, I'm not saying the Hausas became Muslims before the Fulanis did. I said they became Muslims centuries before Fulani MIGRATION (into Hausaland).

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  39. hausas and fulanis are arabs foot soldiers in africa!These people are slaves to arabs to the core and shouldnt even be in africa in the first place.Without bantus africa would be an arabs land right now.These people contribute for nothing to africa yet are the cause of so many troubles in africa

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  40. Jamtara! I am a descendant of enslaved Africans of the U.S. Through other Hausa/Fulani's & DNA, I discovered that I am 100% Fulani!!!! I am in constant search of information about my people. I love this site. Peace & Love to all!

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  41. It is interesting to note that I became Muslim 38 years ago, even though, my relatives were Christian. DNA runs deep!

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  42. When one is kidnapped & kept in bondage, denied your identity, culture, language, spirituality & brutalized for over 400 years & has no idea of his/her lineage it leaves one in a state of not belonging of loss, Once I knew where I was from I no longer feel that way & know that I too came from people who actually exists & better still who have a rich history. Ideally we should feel connected to The Most High, & I always have but my earthly origins especially after a systematic program to deny me of those rights has provided healing for me. One can't know until one has had those experiences.

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  43. Tribalism is what caused the problem of displaced & abused Africans throughout the diaspora & it still is a big issue for us. Yes we must embrace, learn and love one another WE ARE ONE! Indigenous Africa for Indigenous Africans at home and abroad!

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  44. I love all African tribes and believe all are beautiful and talented in their unique ways. However I am not so sure we should use the practising or the spreading of a foreign religion as what we base our pride in our tribal groups on.

    Rock paintings show Fulani have been in West Africa for over 5000 yrs, Bayyajidda met a well developed culture when he arrived in Hausa land, many Southern groups are related to the groups in the North, it is due to different religious cultures and centuries of habitation in our different physical environments that does not allow us to see our similarities.

    For those who do not believe me, our middle belt region shows our connectedness. Proto-Fulani were probably in the middle belt before they became Muslims, many groups from the middle belt migrated from the North (most migrated through lake Chad Kanaem Borno area) most Southern tribes migrated from the middle belt. Do you really believe we were not mixing with each other, if not actually from the same peoples ? You have a group called Bille in Adamawa state who are perhaps considered Hausa now but are actually Ijaw descent, all that remains of their Ijaw language is their numerical words. Language can be a deceiving criteria for judgement of ethnicity. I hear all this talk about Bantu but has anyone ever realized that the suffix of "Ba" before a tribal group like used by the tribes of central and South Africa is also used by the Hausa. Also central to quite a few Bantu groups is a cattle culture. Cattle cultures do not exist in any southern Nigerian tribal group. Could Bantu be a mix similar to Hausa Fulani way before Islamic identities? If this was the case we can be assured that such mixes also took place in West Africa.

    We should be proud of our ethnic groups because of its indigenous culture, assimilation of non African cultures does not make any group superior, it could be argued, on the contrary, it depletes from the beauty of who we are. Truly our beauty is our diversity but let us also learn about and celebrate our similarities, as well.

    We are more one people than many realise. Let us think in ways that will move us forward and not hold us back! This is what we should all pray, in all our different ways. Tolerance is the key.

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  45. P.S. Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and perhaps Ijaw and even Fulani are most likely groupings of many different groups, the larger the group the greater the amount of assimilation of other smaller groups. Some quite similar but also some quite different, all coming together to create a single ethnicity with one dominant culture. Kanem Borno is a good example of this.

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  46. Laouali Yahaya25 May 2015 at 12:57

    Usman Dan Fodio was born in Maratta (Konni, Niger Republic). His father then, moved to Deguel( a pastoralist hamlet he founded). His first teacher was Malam Jibril Ben Omar; a Targui from Agadez(Niger Republic). Usman Dan Fodio could be described as a "Hausa/Fulani" because he grew up among Hausa people and mastered very well hausa language.
    His islamic learning, he got it from hausa malams and this is a passage that relates it from the book of Ibrahima Baba Kaké, Othman Dan Fodio, fondateur de l'empire peulh de Sokoto, 1975( Ahmadu Bello, grandson of Usman Dan Fodio sources).

    Translation:
    " You Were right, Muhammad. Your eldest son is of the kind that can be made great teachers. It is time for him to see the country. In Kano, the Shehu Abdur Rahman Dan Hamada will teach him grammar and syntax; in Sokoto, my friend Othman Bindawo Bakebbi will teach him poetry; in Katsina, Hashimu Bazanfare, Amadou Dan Mohammed and Mohammed Raji Aminou will make him an expert in exegesis and tradition. So your son Othman will join me in Agadez where we will make him the most brilliant Shehu of Hausaland.
    So Othman dan Fodio until the age of twenty, following strict Islamic University from city to city. Under the tutelage of his father, he had been initiated only in the Quran in literary Arabic. Thanks to Sheikh Omar bin Jibril and other teachers, chosen to him, he will become an expert in grammar and comments, astronomy, mathematics, medicine".

    All the other teachers of Usman dan Fodio were pure Hausa malams apart from Malam Jibril who was a Ba-Agadashé (mix of Hausa/Tuareg).


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  47. Laouali Yahaya25 May 2015 at 12:59

    Usman Dan Fodio, had been the teacher of Prince Yunfa of Gobir, before he became King of Gobir. The story begun when, at the palace of Gobir , the King gathered all the the great malams to give them the "Goron Salla"(gifts to learned islamic men) . The wise Usman Dan Fodio said that, he didn't want this gift, but he wanted one thing if the King could grant him.

    The aim of Usman was to get the permission to preach all over Gobir's Kingdom. By doing this, Usman got many followers from the masses of peasants and herdmen who were tired of taxes. This situation begun to disturb the King.

    The war begun when a group of muslims from another hausa kingdom were chased and settled in Gobir. King Yunfa asked them to come in the Capital Alkalawa, otherwise, he would bring them by force and that was done. By passing by Deguel, village of Usman Dan Fodio, Cheick Usman freed the muslims hausas prisonners and told the soldiers to go and told his former student King Yunfa that he was the one who freed the prisonners.

    This is to say that the majority of Usman troops were not Fulani. Majority of warriors were hausas (includind some princes of Gobir, Kebbi etc.) : an example was the existence of Sarkin Gobir of Illorin who were princes of Gobir who followed Usman; Prince Yakubu Nabame of Kebbi, a great warrior who protected some fulanis princes from death during wars.
    It is said that Usman always gave the flag to fulanis during wars and the bearer of the Flag was chosen as Emir after conquest.

    Hausas people were muslims more than 1000 years ago. Examples are rampants:

    - Baba Ghuri, a Kano merchant whom, after performing hajj in Mecca with his men in the 14th century went to India via Cambat where he combatted a godess and destroyed many idols (according to SIDIS legend). He was linked to the islamization of India. Baba Ghuri was helped by his sister Mai-MISRA, who came to India with an army to combat the Goddess.
    Baba Ghuri was the Patron of Agate, whom according to an explorer, Barbossa 15th century, made trade of Agate worldwide. His Shrine, that of Mai Misra, of Bawa etc. are till today visited by sidis muslims in India and abroad;

    - In the 15th Century, Zaria city acknowledged the arrival of Konawas people who were hausas muslims scholars from Egypt. the Limamin Kona was choosen among them and still conducts Jumu'a prayer in the main mosque of Zaria city.

    - Al Maghili and Alsuwiti were said to teach islamic learnings in Kano and Katsina in the 15th century ( The code of conduct of Prince : Al Maghili to Sarki Rumfa).

    Thanks for reading

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  48. Laouali Yahaya25 May 2015 at 15:14

    Usman Dan Fodio criticized Sarki Mohamed Kanta Kotal of Kebbi(15th century) for not going further than digging wells every where for people.

    I continue to say that the first Army General of Usman who was at the biginning the only who knew the strategies of war, was a Hausa man in the name of Mahamadu Gayar

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  49. It Is From My Understanding,,, That Neither Tribe Belong To Africa,,, But Are Both Of Semitic Stock Perhaps An Hebrew-Asiatic Descent,,,, Neither Have A Prior Knowledge Of True Religious Practices Before The Acceptance Of Islam,,, Which May Imply That They Were On The Run Like Many Other Israelite Clans Of People Who Were Displaced From Israel,,, And Only Chose Islam For Protection From Persecution,,,, Like So Many Other Israelite Peoples Scattered In The World None Of Us Have Known Our Own True God For A Very Long Time,,, Because We Have Adopted The Gods Of Others For Protection From Our Curses And Offenses Against Our Own True God,,,, But We Israelites Are Searching For Each Other Right Now All Around The World,,, And We Are Not Seeking The Differences Between Each Other,,,, But Are Searching The True Likeness Of YehoVaSha (The God Who Saves) In Each Other In Our Attempt To Be Awakened By The God of Yisrael Our True God,,, And There Is Only One True God Who Sent His Saving Grace,, ,Through The Acceptance Of His Son,,, Yehoshua.... Take The Test,,,, Take The Genetic Tests To See Just How Related We All Are... And Take The Other Test To Join Hands And Serve One God Our Only True God... Peace And Love To All The Lost Tribes Of Israel...

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  50. Do Fulani and Hausa people have relationship with igala people. People say because of physical features

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    1. Nope. The two tribe have nothing in common and no history of intermarriage, and except for a few exceptions, the Igalas and Fulanis look nothing alike.

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    2. This is a really interesting issue. I'm 100 percent hausa myself but somehow I'm more light skinned than the fulanis I've met. Not that it matters to me. But trying to refer to hausas as a single ethnicity is absurd. Hausas are racially diverse, as through out history what we know as hausa today is an assimilation of various ethnicities that settled and eventually identified as hausas. For example katsinawas are lighter in general than kanawas(I'm from kano). Also you were clueless to claim kanuris look like Fulbe as they look nothing alike. Most Kanuris on general are the darkest people you'll meet, so are some fulbes and a good number of Hausas, not that it matters. I think you claimed kanuris look like you because the lady on question possessed sharp features, but accept those features are not limited to you, not everyone with light skin or pointed nose is Fulbe. As to your claims about Fulbe islamized hausas, that's quite laughable. I'm not stingy with culture, I wont claim cultural of historical superiority over you because like I said, Hausa through time is an assimilation of different ethnicities and no single ethnicity can be reliable attributed as hausa. I'm glad you are accepting your roots as a pullo lady as it baffles me why some fulbes reject and even detest being called that in Northern Nigeria. To be honest I'm also a little disappointed you lost faith in islam, I guess living in England for a long time could do that to you.

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    3. The issue of bayajidda I think is better suited to explain the afro asiatic language and not ethnicity as the name itself is language oriented "baya ji da", for God sakes people, he met people when he came, that's if it ever happened. I think you like every human are trying to indirectly claim superiority but against the hausas it's an exercise in futility, most Hausas today are closeted fulbes, some are mixed so they don't know where to stand with, you yourself to the nomad Fulbe are not pure enough for them. I think this tribal superiority charade is useless, as a kid, I was thought fulbes were uncivilised dumbos with a stick, no offense, but teaching such things tO children is poisonous. As for eleojo, I think you fell prey to the infeeeriority complex dealt upon you that the Hausas or Fulbe look better so I've noticed most northern minorities try to be associated with such and for me it's really sad, let's just be comfortable with who we are.

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    4. @paul
      Hi, i am a Hausa/Fulani/Ikwere(long story), i speak Hausa fluently,very little fulfulde & 0 of ikwere.
      after reading the whole educative post. i decided to answer your question about the relationship between The northern nigerians(not hausas alone)/fulani and Igala people.
      I have an aunt who is married to a man from Dekina, kogi state whose story i am going to tell you in reference to my answer.
      The jihad of mujaddad Usman Danfodio didn't only spread around the northern state but also through some places in the middle belt(kogi state, benue.....) because, if you will look at the Attah of Ebira & Igala, They all dress in the northern turban and attire. Even the guards of the igala and Ebira land kings(Dogarai in hausa) are mostly being assigned to them from the sultan of sokoto's palace(serving as the headquarter), a cousin of mine once visited the palace of attah of igala & to his surprise the head of the guards(Sarkin Dogarai) was from katsina, which brought them ease in their meeting with the king.

      Secondly, i have an aunt(paternal) who is married to man from Dekina, kogi state. His mother is Igala from kogi state while his father belongs to the bolawa tribe from yobe state, he first migrated to dekina working as a local islamic scholar and ended up marrying an igala woman. he died when all his children where very young which brought an end to their relationship with yobe and the bolawa tribe, they grew up speaking only Igala, but believe they are originally from yobe and my cousins from that side of the family own & have been using a Yobe state indigene certificate. my point here is: the main reason for the mixture was due to hausa people's migration from their homeland to neighboring states to trade("Ci rani", in hausa language).

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  51. Hi guy
    Firstly I would like to introduce myself am fulani from Sudan and Saudi originally my ancestors are from Senegal, Fouta Toro tribe decedent fro Alhaj Omour Tall.
    I have read some of arguments early here about Hausa and Fulani who is come with Islam first, so I would like to explain some points firstly Fulani brought the Islam to the west Africa or almost all South and west Africa based on two most powerful Islamic emperors that founded by Alhaj omar alfouti Tall and Osman Danfodio. The first one fought French and the second fought British, and becuase it will take while to explain here but you can check on Web about.
    Also thats why I found myself far away from my homeland because my grand grandfather immigrated to here to be closer to Makkah after the fallen of Fouta empror in French hand.

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    1. im sorry to say but you dont know what youre talking about. Dan fodio united hausa states and eliminated elements of paganism from hausa states and he will always be a hero for that. but bringing the religion, thats quite absurd, he grew up in an islamic hausa state, gobir. you should know that the first islamic jihad recorded in west africa was fought by a hausa king, Ali yaji dan tsamiya, in the battle of santolo, some 500 years before bil foduye was born. stop trying to force this falsity on people by force, this is the age ogf knowledge, please do some research before you make baseless comments. Islam in hausa states is the work of the Wangaras of the soninke empire of mali.

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  52. Also, Dan fodio never fought the brits, as he was long gone before the brits attacked the caliphate. i wonder where people get these fairy tales from.

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  53. So Interesting of a discussion, the the discussion seems to be one inclined to the superiority of the fulanis over the hausa's, or their diferences, in reality it is not like that. just like one anonymous said, as kids, we were led to believe that fulanis are silly people (always with a stick, of course), and there are more than countable numbers of stories citing their silliness, and they make us laugh, they make you forget your sorrows, like the stories my father liked: A fulani man was teased by a hausa man, the hausa man was telling the fulani man that he didnt know who was Osama, but then another man listening to their discussion was saying "how could you say that dan fullo doesnt know Osama, he surely does", then the fulani man replied (quoted in hausa) "Don Allah rabu dashi, waye bai san Osama mijin Ladi ba?" Translation: "Please leave him alone, who doesnt know osama, the husband of Ladi?"
    The point is, the fulanis and hausa are the most harmonized tribes that co-existed together I have ever seen. I have seen how Igala and Ebira people hate each other (e.g), but not the hausa fulani. I have friends from adamawa, and they are fulanis, and very friendly, the first time abubakar called me, he was speaking in fulani language, I couldnt get a single word out of what he said, he had to speak in hausa. When he came to our office, he saw so many fulanis, but they couldnt even understand a single word out of it.
    It might be true shehu danfodion reformed the Islamic religion, but that was a breeze, and he understood the direction of that breeze and followed it, if it had been his language he wanted to spread, it would have been impossible, that time people were tired of the tyranny of the Kings, they needed change, the same thing happened to the fulani kings when the british came, that was why there was no bloodshed in northern nigeria when the british conquered the part, the hausa people can form an alliance with anybody to achieve their goal, they are seriously diplomatic, thats the reason why they always remain relevant in their country's political circle.

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  54. Hello I am french and by my profession and also personnaly I am very interested in your discussion. I like the fact that it started as an heated argument with plenty of harsh words but then turn as a constructive debate full of informations and nuances.

    Its rather confusing when you read about the history of the Lake Chad region and espécially about what happened in XIX century for every book is saying something différent.

    And in the same time many questions are in all this books not really answered even I have difficulties to put my hand on elementary details such as the frontiers of the (former) State of Gobir. I would like if anyone has more about this.

    Also the discussion was full of details about Fulani and Hausa but there was only a marginal mention of Kanuri. May I ask you if they were a distinct and United group in XIX century and if yes what were they standing for back then.

    Thank you.


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