De Peul en de Dogon leven, ruim voor het tijdperk van grote Peulstaten als het Macinarijk, reeds lang naast elkaar in centraal Mali. De Peul weidden er hun kudden, pleegden er overvallen en... Show moreDe Peul en de Dogon leven, ruim voor het tijdperk van grote Peulstaten als het Macinarijk, reeds lang naast elkaar in centraal Mali. De Peul weidden er hun kudden, pleegden er overvallen en gebruikten het gebied als slavenreservoir. Ook de Dogon organiseerden van tijd tot tijd overvallen. Door de geschiedenis heen hebben de betrekkingen tussen de Dogon en de Peul afwisselende uitingsvormen gekend afhankelijk van de diverse woongebieden in de Seno-Gondo- en Seno-Mangovlakten. Rond de Falaise van Bandiagara blijkt uit diverse rituelen van de Dogon een diepe rancune jegens de Peul. In het spraakgebruik van de Dogon staat de Peul symbool voor het beeld van 'de ander', de bewoner van de wildernis. Maar als mens van de wildernis vertegenwoordigt de Peul ook andere waarden: omdat de wildernis wijs en sterk is, maar ook gevaarlijk en grillig, is de Peul dat ook. De betrekkingen tussen de Houmbebe, een Dogon subgroep van landbouwers in de Hayre, en de Peul, veehouders en halfnomaden, hebben een werkbare vorm gekregen door de opkomst van de 'njaatigi' (gastheer). In elk dorp heeft de Peul een 'njaatigi' op wie hij een beroep kan doen. Door de aanhoudende droogte in het gebied verandert de 'njaatigi'-verhouding echter steeds meer in een afhankelijkheidsrelatie. Noten. [Samenvatting ASC Leiden] Show less
Mobility is the most important response by the inhabitants of the Sahel to climatic adversity. This 'condition sah‚lienne', characterized by unstable climatic circumstances, irregular rainfall... Show moreMobility is the most important response by the inhabitants of the Sahel to climatic adversity. This 'condition sah‚lienne', characterized by unstable climatic circumstances, irregular rainfall patterns and periods of drought, has an important influence on people's decisionmaking processes regarding their livelihood. Migration studies mainly focus on labour migration to urban areas. Although mobility is part of the repertoire of Sahelian people, the form it takes varies considerably between social groups and individuals, and over time. In this article the authors focus on a neglected and almost invisible category of rural-rural migrants in the Sahel, the Fulbe pastoral people and their developments over the last three decades and the economic and social conditions in which they find themselves. It concludes that these rural-rural migrations are deeply engrained in cultural patterns in West Africa, exemplified by specific institutions for dealing with hosts and strangers. However, mobility is often not a planned process, and all kinds of survival strategies are used in a very flexible manner. The phenomenon has given rise to a specific character of cultural dynamics and ways of defining identity for the people involved. Notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract] Show less
In the literature on population mobility, mobility has generally been seen as a temporary phenomenon. However, in many instances, mobility rather than sedentarity is the norm. This is illustrated... Show moreIn the literature on population mobility, mobility has generally been seen as a temporary phenomenon. However, in many instances, mobility rather than sedentarity is the norm. This is illustrated in the present chapter by two case studies of so-called 'cultures of travel'. The first case concerns the Fulbe, a nomadic cattle-rearing people, in the Hayre area of central Mali. The Fulbe case demonstrates how mobility has been embedded historically in Sahelian cultures under conditions that are marginal, both from an ecological and an economic perspective. It illustrates how people develop economic and cultural strategies marked by a high degree of opportunism. It shows that Fulbe society is, in fact, organized around mobility. The second case, that of Pentecostalism in Ghana, demonstrates how a specific form of culture acts to bring about a particular form of mobility. In this case, it is not a whole culture that is on the move, but individuals who are mobile for personal reasons. Mobility among Ghanaian Pentecostalists is not yet part and parcel of daily life, but presents an example of how people construct cultural forms and means for dealing with everyday problems of mobility. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum Show less
This article explores political tensions between successive 19th-century rulers of the inland delta of the Niger in central Mali - the Fulbe Diina (1818-1864) and the Futanke (1864-1893) - and the... Show moreThis article explores political tensions between successive 19th-century rulers of the inland delta of the Niger in central Mali - the Fulbe Diina (1818-1864) and the Futanke (1864-1893) - and the pastoral interests of the Fulbe chiefdoms on the eastern periphery of the area, a region known as the Hayre. Dalla was the main authority of the Fulbe in the Hayre, which in the second half of the century was divided into two Fulbe chiefdoms: Booni and Dalla. The Diina, or Maasina State developed a strict political and economic organization, including a set of rules regarding natural resource management. By contrast, the Futanke introduced chaos into the area as it lacked a strict organization, a legitimate power base and a network of power relations. Analysis of the changing forms of local governance and natural resource management in the Hayre demonstrates that although different strategies were employed by the Fulbe and Futanke States to control the area, the internal dynamics of the Hayre can only partly be explained by the influence of these central powers. In each period, the pendulum swung between external control and the internal dynamics of the Hayre, and the area was never an integral part of an undivided empire. Notes, ref., sum Show less
The authors argue that conventional agroecological and organizational concepts used in pastoral development are strongly biased towards the formulation and enforcement of norms. This leads... Show moreThe authors argue that conventional agroecological and organizational concepts used in pastoral development are strongly biased towards the formulation and enforcement of norms. This leads development experts to attempts to control pastoralists and their herds. The policies and development interventions based on these assumptions have been largely unsuccessful. As a consequence, attention for dryland areas and pastoral development has declined among researchers and development agencies. An important reason for this failure is the fundamental misfit between these normative concepts and the reality of dryland ecosystems and pastoral society. In order to show this, an alternative view on rangeland ecology and pastoral society is presented, supported by a case study of Fulbe pastoral society in dryland central Mali. The authors argue that approaches to pastoral development must be revised in the direction of the dynamics inherent in the pastoral way of life. The paper is based on field research carried out in central Mali in the periods March 1990-March 1991 and June 1991-February 1992. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum Show less
Mobility is an essential feature of the Fulbe lifestyle. This article deals with Fulbe migration into the Manden area of Mali, where they have become the neighbours of Mande populations in various... Show moreMobility is an essential feature of the Fulbe lifestyle. This article deals with Fulbe migration into the Manden area of Mali, where they have become the neighbours of Mande populations in various qualities - as cattle herders working for Mande cultivators, as (former) rulers of Futa Jallon, as sedentary cultivators, and as traders. The article focuses on the migration of two Fulbe groups originating from central Mali, who have recently moved southward into Mande: the Jallube from the Hayre, and the Fittoobe from Duma. Although both groups have a long history of mobility and displacement, this has not always been an easy process. Their mobility increasingly takes the character of a 'forced displacement' resulting from drought and decreasing chances of survival in their homeland areas. Some of the families the authors encountered in the 1990s might be defined as displaced people, while some of those left behind might be labelled 'destitute'. The authors show how this has led to ambiguous attitudes among migrants vis-…-vis their kinsmen and their home areas. After a general description of the Fulbe and their mobility in central Mali, the authors discuss a number of case studies. They end with some observations on the migration process itself and its implications for migrants. Bibliogr., notes, ref. Show less
This chapter looks at a high-profile Fulbe Muslim religious leader from Mali and explores his relations with the people of the Mande. This Muslim religious leader, El-Hadj Cheikh Sidy Modibo Kane... Show moreThis chapter looks at a high-profile Fulbe Muslim religious leader from Mali and explores his relations with the people of the Mande. This Muslim religious leader, El-Hadj Cheikh Sidy Modibo Kane Diallo of Dilly, in the circle of Nara, is perhaps one of the most influential religious leaders in present-day Mali. The author examines the development of Diallo's "career" as a 'shaykh' and a 'wali' (friend of God). He shows how this career has been constructed in large part through ideological oppositions between Fulbe and Mande/Bambara, as well as through the 'shaykh's interactions with actual Bambara people, particularly his efforts to spread Islam among the country's non-Muslim ("pagan") rural Bambara population and to eradicate the widespread practice of spirit possession. As he suggests, it is in such conversion campaigns that one can see most clearly how individuals - both Fulbe and Bambara - deploy such ideological oppositions. Ultimately, however, the results of such campaigns to spread Islam remain rather ambiguous. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. in French. [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
In pastoral Fulbe society in central Mali women had, and to some degree still have, an important social and economic role, concentrated on a 'milk economy' organized through a female-headed, women... Show moreIn pastoral Fulbe society in central Mali women had, and to some degree still have, an important social and economic role, concentrated on a 'milk economy' organized through a female-headed, women-centred unit, called 'fayannde' or 'hearthhold'. In a society of seminomadic pastoralists who live most of the year in small social units, social relations and networks are crucial to the success of their main survival strategy: transhumant cattle keeping. This article, which is based on field research carried out from March 1990 to March 1992 among the Jallube, one of the four main Fulbe lineages in central Mali, explores Fulbe social organization from a female perspective. It reveals the importance of the hearthhold in the social and material security of its members and of Fulbe society as a whole. An analysis of marriage gifts shows how important the 'fayannde' is not only to the social organization of the Jallube, but also to their economic viability. The article also demonstrates that the droughts of the 1970s and 1980s have had an enormous impact on the Jallube and on the way they perceive their social organization. The existence of the 'fayannde' is endangered by the decline in milk production and by the collapse of social care relations as a result of impoverishment. The erosion of the 'fayannde' may lead to a transformation of gender relations, marriage ceremonies, and the social security of women. Show less
Risk and uncertainty dominate life in the semiarid tropics where most of the world's pastoralists live. Scientific approaches to risk in semiarid zones have been dominated by agroecology and... Show moreRisk and uncertainty dominate life in the semiarid tropics where most of the world's pastoralists live. Scientific approaches to risk in semiarid zones have been dominated by agroecology and agroeconomics. Within these paradigms risk is treated as a stochastic occurrence, and decisionmaking strategies are analysed with the help of simulation models, which are based on assumptions from rational choice decisionmaking theory, and presume that people are either geared towards profit maximization or towards risk minimization. The author shows that this approach is too narrow, because people operate not only in an ecological and economic environment, but also in social and cultural environments. He argues that an understanding of individual behaviour and cultural dynamics in high risk environments may be furthered by treating risk and uncertainty as total events, i.e. that more can be learned by tracing the consequences of single events across space and time, as well as the tracks people follow to deal with calamities. The argument is illustrated by a case study of Riimaybe cultivators and Fulbe herdsmen in an agropastoral community in the centre of the Niger Bend, central Mali. Fieldwork was carried out in the area in 1990-1992. Bibliogr., notes, sum. in French and Spanish Show less
Peut-on considérer que les Fulbe forment un peuple unique, malgré leur dispersion, dans la mesure où ils partagent la même langue? En comparant le discours des anthropologues et des linguistes à... Show morePeut-on considérer que les Fulbe forment un peuple unique, malgré leur dispersion, dans la mesure où ils partagent la même langue? En comparant le discours des anthropologues et des linguistes à propos du concept de 'pulaaku', les auteurs soulèvent la question de la complexité qu'il y a à définir l'ethnicité peule. Alors que certains y voient une sorte d'invariant du monde peul lorsque 'pulaaku' signifie 'code moral' ou 'comportement', dans le delta intérieur du Niger, ou au Massina (Mali), le même mot désigne l'ensemble de la communauté des Fulbe par rapport aux sociétés voisines. En guise d'exemple, les auteurs présentent les mots avec lesquels les Fulbe du clan Jallube du Hayre, dans le Mali central, expriment effectivement 'le code moral'. Elles montrent que les divers groupes sociaux d'une communauté (en l'occurrence les pasteurs et les anciens esclaves) peuvent désigner de façons différentes le contenu des éléments du code moral. Or, dans tous les cas, le discours sur l'identité est une simplification de la réalité, et cela risque de faire d'un peuple une entité artificielle et d''oublier' tout ce qui fait sa diversité et ses différences. L'utilisation du terme 'pulaaku' est le reflet de ce processus. Show less
This thesis deals with the ways in which the agropastoral Fulbe in the Sahel deal with ecological, social and political insecurities. It is based on field research carried out in the Hayre dryland... Show moreThis thesis deals with the ways in which the agropastoral Fulbe in the Sahel deal with ecological, social and political insecurities. It is based on field research carried out in the Hayre dryland region of central Mali, notably in the villages of Dalla and Serma, from March 1990 until February 1992. The first part of the study examines the history of natural resource management and ideologies in the Hayre (1400-1985). The second part is about the role of the past in the present. It analyses the spatial organization, ecological environment, economic organization, and division of labour in the area, as well as the normative complexes typical of Fulbe society. Part three focuses on the use and management of natural resources, paying attention to farming and herding practices, agricultural and pastoral production, the circulation of property, and land tenure. Part four is concerned with the way in which people who have been pushed out of agricultural production survive. It focuses in particular on how people manage social and cultural resources. Part five deals with the interactions of the Fulbe pastoralists with the State and the outside world in a situation of drought Show less
This paper focuses on the interaction of the cultivation of cereals and the keeping of livestock among the Fulbe in a dryland region in central Mali in the district of Douentza. This interaction is... Show moreThis paper focuses on the interaction of the cultivation of cereals and the keeping of livestock among the Fulbe in a dryland region in central Mali in the district of Douentza. This interaction is shown to be crucial for understanding the impact of variable ecological conditions, notably the Sahelian droughts of the 1970s and 1980s, on the land use strategies of the Fulbe and their former slaves, nowadays labelled Riimaybe. There are not only physical interactions between livestock keeping and cereal cultivation in the form of flows of manure and crop residues, but also institutional and social interactions. The institutional interactions take the form of land tenure arrangements which allow people to make efficient use of soil fertility and agricultural production and appropriate the manure produced by their own livestock, and which also permit the careful spacing and timing of herding and cultivation. In times of crisis the cultivation of cereals becomes the most important means of survival. In principle, temporary cultivation would allow people to rebuild their herds, and reenter the pastoral economy after some time. However, the combined effects of droughts and changes in resource tenure have had a disastrous effect on the productivity of the land use system. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. in French and Spanish. Show less
This paper examines how poor members of Fulbe society, a group of agropastoralists in the Sahel, central Mali, are surviving after two decades of environmental disaster. The focus is on the... Show moreThis paper examines how poor members of Fulbe society, a group of agropastoralists in the Sahel, central Mali, are surviving after two decades of environmental disaster. The focus is on the Jalloube of the Hayre in central Mali. Social security relations and institutions based on Islam seem to be becoming more important for these people, who are not sufficiently supported anymore by 'traditional' social security mechanisms. Islam has a long history in the Hayre, as have its institutions such as 'zakat' (the basis of the Islamic principle of charity), Koranic schools and networks of Moodibaabe (Islamic scholars). The harsh circumstances in which the Jalloube live have given new values and importance to these institutions and to social relations based on Islam: new networks based on Islam are being explored; 'zakat' has become much more an institution directed at alleviating poverty and is replacing other obligatory kinship-based gift relations; Islamic knowledge and the status related to it open up new possibilities of survival. Fieldwork for this study was carried out in 1990-1992 in the 'cercle' Douentza. Show less
