How the Fulani Conquered West Africa
History, Islam and Rise to Dominance
ORIGIN:
The origins of the Fulani people are unclear till today, and that’s partly because as a nomadic herding people, they have moved through and been a part of many cultures.
However, it is concluded that they came from Morocco and settled at the Futa Djallon in present-day Guinea.
Fulani culture continued to emerge in the upper Niger area and the Senegal Rivers. The Fulani were herders who shared their lands with other nearby groups. They started expanding to the east & west due to the availability of grazing lands in the Sahel and around it. A good number of them took to farming and this led to a division among the Fulani, where individuals were classified into the expansionist nomadic herders and those who settled in towns.
This cultural interaction with the people of that region (Senegal), is probably the reason why the Fulani culture and language are similar to that of the people of Senegal.
This happened before their subsequent expansion throughout much of West Africa.
By the 15th century, there was a steady flow of the Fulani into Hausaland and, later on, Bornu, and by the end of the 18th century, Fulani settlements were dotted all over the Benue River valley, its tributaries and the Mambilla Plateau.
FULANI AND THE EMERGENCE OF ISLAM:
The Fulani were the first to accept Islam in West Africa and according to David Levison, it made them feel a “cultural and religious superiority to surrounding peoples, and that adoption became a major ethnic boundary marker between them and other West African ethnic groups”
The settled and nomadic Fulani became political and warring entities, armed with horses and equipment of war from North Africa. The wars were not merely between the Fulani and other groups, but also between the pastoral and sedentary Fulani, where sometimes they worked together, and other times the Muslim Fulani leaders attacked the nomadic Fulani as infidels.
The Fulani became active in spreading Islamic theology and ideology from important centers of learning such as Timbuktu. They worked with Berber and Arabian Islamic clerics, in the spread of Islam in West Africa.
They also led many jihads, or holy wars, some of which helped spread Islam in West Africa, and also helped them dominate much of West Africa during the medieval and pre-colonial era times, establishing them not only as a religious group but also as a political and economic force.
RISE TO DOMINANCE:
The FutaToro region was established in the 1500s, by the Denianke dynasty built out of Fulani and Mandinka forces. This area was known as the Empire of the Great Fulo, who fought with neighboring Mali and Songhai for territorial and trading rights.
The Fulani were eventually successful in raiding and violently disrupting the trade routes of older African kingdoms, thus beginning their rise. In the 15th Century, the Fulani challenged the Songhai Empire for trading rights but were repulsed. However, in 1493, Askia Muhammad led the Fulani people from western Sudan, and over time gained control of much of the Songhai empire, removing Sonni Baru who had attempted to protect the interests of pastoralists. Askia Muhammad also controlled the caravan trade routes in West Africa but was overthrown by his son, Askia Musa, in a coup in 1528.
Futa Bundu, located in Senegal and Faleme rivers confluence, became the center for the rise of the Fula Empire and Influence in West Africa around the 17th century. From the 18th century onwards, the frequency of Jihads increased vastly, thereby making the Fulani a dominant force militarily and politically in many areas.
The West African region was engulfed in theocratic wars, with many Islamic lineages seeking political power and control. The Moroccans also invaded the western Sahel during that period, thereby increasing the anarchy at the time. Food production plummeted, and during this period famine plagued the region, negatively affecting the political situation and increasing the trigger for militant control of the economic activity.
Over time, as the Fulani spread into different regions, their descendants gradually settled in, then waged Islamic wars which resulted in the development of many Emirates.
The major Fulani empires in West Africa were located in the Senegal River Valley, the Fuuta Jallon mountains, in Guinea, in Mali (Maasina), the north of Nigeria & the Adamawa Plateau in Cameroon.
In between these big empires, there were numerous small ones dominated by the Fulani in central Gourma of present-day Mali, the north and west of Burkina Faso, northern Benin (Borgu), the Sene-Gambia, northern Senegal (Bundu), and the southern and western parts of present-day Niger.
1. Futa Jallon Emirate
The Emirate / Imamate of Timbo in the Fuuta Jallon was the first of the Fulbe emirates in West Africa. It developed from a revolt by the Islamic Fulani against oppression by the Pagan Pulli (who are non-Islamic Fulani), and the Jallonke (the original Mande inhabitants of the Fuuta-Jallon), during the first half of the 18th century.
The first ruler took the title of Almaami and resided in Timbo, near the modern-day town of Mamou. The town became the political capital of the newly formed Emirate, while the religious capital was located in Fugumba. The Council of Elders of the Futa Jallon state was also based in Fugumba, acting as a brake on the Almami’s powers.
The newly formed imamate was mostly located mainly in present-day Guinea, but also spanned parts of modern-day Guinea Bissau, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. This emirate was, in fact, a federal state of nine provinces: Timbo, Fugumbaa, Ɓuuriya, Koyin, Kollaaɗe, Keebaali, Labe, Fode-Hajji, and Timbi. After the Muslim Fulɓe victory, other ethnic groups who had resisted the jihad were deprived of their rights to land except for a small piece for their subsistence and were reduced to servitude. The nomad Pulli Fulɓe lost all freedom of movement, and thus, began to settle en-masse. The Jalonke, on the other hand, lost their noble status and became slaves (maccuɓe).
Later, due to strife between two branches of the Seediayanke royal lineage, (the Soriya and the Alphaya), a system for the rotation of office between these branches was set up. This led to an almost permanent state of civil strife since none of the parties was inclined to respect the system. This considerably weakened the power at the political center.
2. The Empire of Massina
The Maasina Emirate also called Diina, was established by the Fulani jihad led by Sheeku Aamadu in 1818. The origins of the Maasina Emirate in the Inner Delta of the Niger are also found in rebellion, this time against the Bambara / Bamana Kingdom of Segou, a political power that controlled the region from outside.
This jihad was inspired by events in northern Nigeria where an important scholar of the time, Usman Dan Fodio, established an Islamic empire with Sokoto as its capital.
For some time, groups of Fulani had been dominant in parts of the delta, however, due to internecine warfare, they were never able to organize a countervailing force against the Bamana Kingdom. In 1818, an Islamic cleric named Aamadu Hammadi Buubu united the Fulani under the banner of Islam and fought a victorious battle against the Bamana and their allies. He subsequently established his rule in the Inland Delta and the adjacent dry lands east and west of the delta
This state appears to have had tight control over its core area, as evidenced by the fact that its political and economic organization is still relevant today in the organization of agricultural production in the Inland Delta. Despite its power and influence, the dominance of the emirate was constantly threatened. During the reign of Aamadu Aamadu, the grandson of Sheeku Aamadu, internal contradictions weakened the emirate until it became easy prey for the forces of the Futanke, which subsequently overthrew the Maasina Emirate in 1862.
3. The Sokoto Caliphate
The Sokoto Caliphate was by far the largest & most successful legacy of Fulani power in West Africa. It was also the most organized of the Fulani Jihad states
For most of the 19th century, Sokoto was one of the largest & most powerful empires in West Africa until 1903 when they were defeated by the British colonial forces. The Sokoto Caliphate included several emirates, the largest of which was Adamawa, although the Kano Emirate was the most populated. Others included, but are not limited to Gombe Emirate, Gwandu Emirate, Bauchi Emirate, Katsina Emirate, Zazzau Emirate, Hadejia Emirate, and Muri Emirate.
While establishing their dominance, the Fulbe defined a strict social hierarchy and imposed limitations on economic and trading activities, the purpose of this was to ensure a constant flow of tax revenue and commodities to the state and the standing army, especially for the cavalry. The freedom for pastoralists to move around was curtailed to ensure the smooth functioning of other production activities, such as cereal cultivation and, in the case of Maasina, of fishing activities.
There appears to be considerable resistance to the forced acceptance of Islam by these emirates. For example, many nomadic Fulbe, predominantly Wodaabe fled northern Nigeria when their liberty to roam was abolished and were forced to convert to Islam following the jihads instigated by Usman Dan Fodio from Sokoto. Conversion to Islam meant not only changing one’s religion but also submitting to rules dealing with every aspect of social, political and cultural life, intrusions with which many nomadic Fulbe were not comfortable.
CONCLUSION:
The Fulani came into West Africa from the North as nomadic herders and through systematic cultural integration, acceptance & study of Islamic religion, and warfare was able to exert influence and dominance all over West Africa.
They are currently found in most West African Countries and are a dominant tribe in those countries. Many West African leaders are of Fulani descent including the present presidents of Nigeria, Senegal, and The Gambia.
Their influence in Africa still lasts strong until today as they are responsible for the successful spread of Islam around West Africa.
