Idea #12 – Meeting Fulani People in Guinea Conakri
The Fulanis (Fulani: of Poullo, plural Foulbé), called also Peuls, Fellata or still Bororo according to countries, establish an ethnic group living in the sahélo-Saharan region, and distributed in about fifteen countries. Mainly of Muslim religion, they are particularly many in Nigeria, in Niger, in Cameroon, in Mali, in Senegal and are majority in Guinea.
The hamlet, “Gure”, organizes the spatial unity of every farm. The hamlet groups, generally fifteen farms, aligned one after the other, is ordered in informal groups. For a long time hamlets were placed under warriors’ protection, to avoid the raids on the cattle.
The farm or “Wuro” is arranged in male and feminine spheres. An attic, “lummuure”, is in feminine zone, near the tree with Shea-tree, near the inner courtyard situated east of this tree where the herd spends at night, as well as a compartment of welcome of the elder son of the farm “dottijo”. The men meet to discuss in the male zone, and it is there as well as stays every visitor and all the called foreigners haabe or jananbe. Farms have essentially a role of management of the herds.
The round house called “Suudu”, having a kitchen, a “bawra”, for circular plan and in most of the straw cases braided, is arranged in the North and in the South from the compartment of welcome, by forming a semicircle which closes near the tree with Shea-tree. While the men check all the activities, the breeding and the agriculture, houses remain the domain of the women. As that of the farm, the internal plan of the construction is very regular and sexualed. However she does not refer to cardinal points but to left-right axis and front-back. The point to pivot is the small front door “dammugal”. The bed of bamboo and stalks of one thousand, called dow leeso, on which sleeps the couple, is always to the left of the entrance. We sleep the head directed by the middle of the room, where is the location of the fire – the “hubbinirde”- , so that the entrance is always to the left.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Fouta Djalon, Guinée