The Wodaabe - Grade: A PDF

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An Essay on a cultural tribe anywhere in the world. ...

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Lauren Carney, Erin Zimmer The Wodaabe History The Wodabbe tribe is actually a subgroup of the “larger Fulbe-speaking Fulani.” The Fulani are a very influential group in western Africa, and have been for over a thousand years. They are very widely known for their “religious politics, economics, and histories.” One of the main goals of the Wodaabe tribe was to spread Fulani domination throughout the Nigeria area when the Fulani was at the peak of their power in the early 1800s to 1900s. The Wodabbe tribe refers to themselves as Bororo. (Wodabbe Information) Settlement The Wodaabe tribe is a nomadic tribe that focused mainly on cattle-herding throughout the Sahel, mostly from northern Cameroon to Chad, Niger, and the upper region of Nigeria. The Wodaabe tribe are among the last nomad in the area, with numbers of around 180,000. They are regarded as "wild people" by surrounding tribes, but they refer to the other tribes with a similar amount of derision. They are very notorious for their ceremonial dances, the Worso, Yakke, and Geerewol. During these dances, all of the lineages come together, but the rest of the year they are split up. (Wodaabe | Cultural Survival) Livelihood The Wodaabe are structured based on two seasons: Dry and Wet. The Wet season is from around July until September, where massive storms create intense flooding, and the dry season is the remaining months of October to June. During the dry season, the milk production from their Many times, they have had to sell their cattle for money or earn wages in a nearby town. The wet season is the time where they have plentiful dairy products, such as yogurt. Milk and grains are the basis of their diet, they cannot afford to eat very much meat because they cannot afford to lose very much cattle (Wodaabe People). Cultural Systems There are 15 lineages within the Wodaabe tribe, based on blood-lines as well as traveling together in the dry season. A lineage determines marriage, which normally are arranged but on occasion there will be Teegal marriages, allowing flexibility among couples. The tribe's religion is mainly Islamic, but previous to that they believed in various "bush" spirits that live in the trees, which are intertwined in taboos. They have made reference to Allah in very tough times, but it is not clear as to who "Allah" is for the Wodaabe. Their main values center on beauty, patience, and fortitude. They place high significance upon physical attractiveness, and are famous for their extremely white teeth and eyes.

Lauren Carney, Erin Zimmer Economy With the Wodabbe being primarily traders and herders, they have established and constructed multiple routes throughout western Africa. This has also provided many links, both economical and political, to other “isolated ethnic groups.” One of the more common things for the Wodaabe tribe to trade was dairy products that the cultivated from their cattle. These items were mostly traded to “sedentary farmers for agricultural products and luxury items.” These farmers would then trade the dairy from the Wodaabe to “trans-Saharan traders such as the Tuareg” in exchange for the farmers to be taken up north. Woven fabric, or cloth, made by the Wodabbe was also considered very special and a very prestigious item that could be traded on the international market. Political Systems Since the Wodabbe is part of the larger Fulani tribe, the Wodabbe follows their political system. For the Fulani, the most important factors to obtain a higher power are “clientage and competition.” In order for a Wodabbe man to prove his political favor within the tribe, he could demonstrate that he has a large group of followers. His follower could be his family, other families, and or individual followers. To prove worthiness to be a follower of a possible future political figure, one would “offer tribute in the form of gifts and political support in exchange for security.” Wodabbe men would not only hold a very substantial amount of political power in their own communities, but also with the communities that they settled in in northern Nigeria. (Wodabbe Information) Religion The Wodabbe tribe is primarily Islamic. It became their religion “during the 16th century when the great prophet El Maghili preached the teachings of Mohammed to the elite of northern Nigeria.” Some members of this tribe chose to be orthodox, but the majority of the tribe follows at least some of the basic requirements of the Islamic religion. Within the Wodabbe, the wealthiest families and individual are the ones that are most obedient to the religion’s practices, whereas the poorer people are less likely to follow their religion in a strict manner. “Islam has been used to justify the holy jihads that brought the northern territories of modern day Nigeria under the auspices of Wodaabe and Fulani leadership.” It has been documented throughout Wodabbe history also that “political and economic gains” have been results from following Islamic religion correctly and accurately and by building empires (Wodabbe Information).

Lauren Carney, Erin Zimmer Works Cited "Wodaabe | Cultural Survival." Wodaabe | Cultural Survival. N.p., 10 Mar. 2012. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. "Wodaabe People." Wodaabe People. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. "Wodabbe Information." Arts & Life in Africa. N.p., 3 Nov. 1998. Web. 26 Feb. 2013....