Pastoralism in Fulbe Folktales

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Periodical article

Title:	Pastoralism in Fulbe Folktales
Author:	Eguchi, Paul Kazuhisa
Year:	1994
Periodical:	Cahiers d'études africaines
Volume:	34
Issue:	133-135
Pages:	461-471
Language:	English
Geographic terms:	Togo Cameroon
Subjects:	Fulani folk tales animal husbandry Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) Education and Oral Traditions
External link:	https://doi.org/10.3406/cea.1994.2060
Abstract:	Although most of the Fulbe of northern Cameroon and northern Togo have become sedentary and adopted agriculture, they still keep cattle and they still place great value on pastoralism. The purpose of the present paper is to examine how pastoralism is reflected in their folktales. Folktales travel from one ethnic group to another very quickly and all the tales of West Africa show great similarity. Relatively few Fulbe folktales have pastoralism as their central theme, but elements of pastoralism appear as the background of the stories and replace other expressions in corresponding folktales told by agriculturalists. Especially scenes of milking and cattle grazing appear in many stories. Cattle are associated with wealth and presented as a symbol of well-being, which illustrates the continuing strength of the pastoralist identity in the Fulbe unconsciousness. Bibliogr., note, ref., sum. in French (p. 526).