Savannah Nomads

Book excerpt: This 1959 account of the Nomadic pastoral Fulani of Bornu, Northern Nigeria, begins with a brief historical sketch of the ancient kingdom of Bornu, and the Holy War of the nineteenth century and its repercussions. A detailed analysis of the family structure of the pastoralists (or Wodaabe) follows. The volume covers their organization into lineage groups, their forms of marriage and of inheritance, the status and functions of leaders in the lineage group and the cattle camps, and the central place the herds occupy in the social structure. The volume covers the impact on the traditional structure and way of life of the British administration, in particular the effects of the introduction of village headships and of new methods of taxation. A concluding chapter describes current plans for improving the general economy of the pastoralists, by developing various modifications of their methods of agricultural and animal husbandry, and by establishing forms of settlement.