Nigerian Tribes : Fulani

*Tribe : Fulani
*Location: Guinea-Conakry, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad
*Population: n/a
*Language: Pulaar, Fulfulde
*Types of art: n/a
*History: Fulani are a nomadic peoples who have been influential in regional politics, economics, and histories throughout western Africa for over a thousand years. They played a significant role in the rise and fall of the Mossi states in Burkina and also contributed to the migratory movements of people southward through Niger and Nigeria into Cameroon. They were also responsible for introducing and spreading Islam throughout much of western Africa. The height of the Fulani empire was between the early 1800s and early 1900s. This power was consolidated under Usman dan Fodio and was centered in northern Nigeria. Dan Fodio was a devout Muslim who used religious fervor to ignite his troops to undertake a series of holy wars. Following the early success of Islamic warriors, non-Islamic Fulani joined ranks with their fellows to form an extensive and powerful empire.