Fulani

E9155

Muslim people ethnic group nomadic people pastoralist people

The Fulani are a large, traditionally pastoralist West African ethnic group spread across many countries, known for their nomadic cattle-herding culture, Islamic scholarship, and significant historical role in regional empires and trade.

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Observed surface forms (8)

Surface form	Occurrences
Fulani people	18
Fula	5
Fula people	3
Mauritanian Pulaar	1
Peul	1
Peulh	1
Pulaar Fulani	1
Western Fulani	1

Statements (68)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Muslim people ⓘ ethnic group ⓘ nomadic people ⓘ pastoralist people ⓘ
artForm	decorative leatherwork ⓘ epic storytelling ⓘ oral poetry ⓘ
conflictContext	involved in farmer–herder conflicts in the Sahel ⓘ
culturalPractice	Pulaaku code of conduct ⓘ age-grade initiation rites ⓘ elaborate hairstyles ⓘ facial scarification in some subgroups ⓘ
dietStaple	couscous ⓘ milk ⓘ yogurt ⓘ
economicActivity	dairy production ⓘ livestock trade ⓘ
ethnicLanguage	Fula language ⓘ
hasAlternativeName	Fulani ⓘ surface form: Fula Fulani ⓘ surface form: Fulani people Toubou ⓘ surface form: Fulɓe Fulani ⓘ surface form: Peul Fulani ⓘ surface form: Peulh
historicalRole	founders of the Sokoto Caliphate ⓘ leaders of 19th-century jihad states in West Africa ⓘ rulers in the Fouta Djallon Imamate ⓘ rulers in the Futa Toro Imamate ⓘ
identityConcept	Fulfulde ⓘ surface form: Fulfulde (language name in many areas) Fulɓe (plural people) ⓘ Pullo (singular person) ⓘ
languageFamily	Atlantic–Congo languages ⓘ Niger–Congo languages ⓘ
majorityStatusInCountry	largest pastoral group in West Africa ⓘ
migrationPattern	seasonal transhumance ⓘ
notableLeader	Usman dan Fodio ⓘ surface form: Muhammad Bello Nana Asma’u ⓘ Usman dan Fodio ⓘ
populationEstimate	tens of millions ⓘ
presentInCountry	Burkina Faso ⓘ Cameroon ⓘ Central African Republic ⓘ Chad ⓘ The Gambia ⓘ surface form: Gambia Ghana ⓘ Guinea ⓘ Guinea-Bissau ⓘ Côte d'Ivoire ⓘ surface form: Ivory Coast Mali ⓘ Mauritania ⓘ Niger ⓘ Nigeria ⓘ Senegal ⓘ Sierra Leone ⓘ
primaryReligion	Islam ⓘ
region	Sahel ⓘ Sub-Saharan Africa ⓘ West Africa ⓘ
socialStructure	clan-based organization ⓘ division between nomadic and settled communities ⓘ
traditionalDress	distinctive conical hats ⓘ flowing embroidered robes ⓘ
traditionalOccupation	Islamic scholarship ⓘ cattle herding ⓘ long-distance trade ⓘ transhumant pastoralism ⓘ
traditionalReligionBeforeIslam	African traditional religion ⓘ
writingSystem	Arabic alphabet ⓘ surface form: Arabic script Latin alphabet ⓘ

Referenced by (60)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Fulfulde → alternateName → Fulani ⓘ

Sokoto Caliphate → associatedDynasty → Fulani ⓘ

Durbar festival → associatedWith → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fulani people

Hausa-Fulani → associatedWith → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fulani people

Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria → containedEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Ilorin → demographicsSignificantEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Zamfara State → dominantEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Fula language → ethnicAssociation → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fulani people

Katsina Emirate → ethnicComposition → Fulani ⓘ

Kaduna State → ethnicDiversity → Fulani ⓘ

Bauchi → ethnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Bauchi State → ethnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Fulfulde → ethnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fulani people

Gao Region → ethnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Mali → ethnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Mali Empire → ethnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Muhammadu Buhari → ethnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fulani people

Nigeria → ethnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Sokoto → ethnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fulani people

Taraba State → ethnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Usman dan Fodio → ethnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fula

Lake Chad basin → ethnicGroups → Fulani ⓘ

subject surface form: Lake Chad Basin

Timbuktu Region → ethnicGroups → Fulani ⓘ

Afro-Cubans → ethnicOrigin → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fula people

Nana Asma’u → ethnicity → Fulani ⓘ

Emir of Kano → ethnoCulturalContext → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fulani people

Fula language → hasAlternativeName → Fulani ⓘ

Fulani → hasAlternativeName → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fula

Fulani → hasAlternativeName → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Peul

Fulani → hasAlternativeName → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Peulh

Fulani → hasAlternativeName → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fulani people

Pulaar → hasAlternativeName → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Pulaar Fulani

Pulaar → hasDialect → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Mauritanian Pulaar

Fula language → hasDialects → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Western Fulani

Bamako → hasEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fulani people

Borno State → hasEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fulani people

Guinea-Bissau Creole → hasEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fula

Islamic world → hasEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Kaduna → hasEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Kwara State → hasEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

North East Nigeria → hasEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fulani people

West Africa → hasEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fulani people

Adamawa State → hasMajorEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Guinea → hasMajorEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fula

Kano State → hasMajorEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fulani people

Northern Nigeria → hasMajorEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Jigawa State → majorEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Katsina State → majorEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ

Kebbi State → majorEthnicGroup → Fulani ⓘ