Adamawa Fulani in Nigeria

"But now, this is what the LORD says—He whocreated you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel:'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name;you are mine."  Isaiah 43:1

The Fulani make up the largest group of nomads in the world. Scattered throughout West Africa, the Fulbe (as they call themselves) number at least 16 million. Many varying subgroups exist among the Fulani, distinguished by dialects of a common language (Fulfulde) and other cultural differences. Fulani share a common heritage of nomadic pastoralism and Islam.

Like most Fulani groups, the Adamawa Fulani subscribe to pulaaku, an unwritten code of behavior that dictates what it means to be "Fulani." This code consists of numerous prohibitions since the objective of pulaaku is self-mastery. For example, husbands and wives never call each other by their first names nor do parents call their first children by their names. Anthropologists offer several varying hypotheses for this taboo. The most tenable theory traces the taboo to the overall power that Fulani accord to words. Paul Riesman, author of Freedom in Fulani Social Life, lived with Fulani in Mali for several years. He writes that, to Fulani "words have a force of their own."

For example, Fulani express their feelings in a neutral tone, without inflection or emphasis. The words have enough power on their own that there is no need to embellish them (as Westerners so often do). Words are so potent that "when one utters the name of something, one brings to life a tie between that thing and oneself, a tie which draws it to oneself."

While this observation does not explain completely the Fulani name taboo, it does provide some insight. This high view of words could be very helpful to any missionary who works with theFulani. Christians also have a very high view of words: at God's word all of creation came into being, at Jesus' command the storm grew still. God often called His people by name: Abram, Moses, Peter, Saul. Isaiah 43:1 makes clear God's specific call to Israel. God has called the Adamawa Fulani byname: He has ordained every tribe to be represented in heaven, including the Adamawa Fulani. Pray for this people, that they will hear the voice of God calling them by name and that this word will bring to life a tie which draws them to Christ. 

Code of Behavior - Pulaaku

There is also a Fulani code of behavior known as pulaaku. Anthropologist Paul Riesman describes pulaaku in this way: "Theultimate quest for the Fulani person is self-mastery, which for theFulani is the mastery of one's emotions and needs. This mastery iswhat the notion of freedom means in Fulani society."

Pulaaku can be expressed in many different ways in Fulani society. For example, patience is a highly exalted virtue. It is very important never to pressure a Fulani person. In fact, there is no translation for the concept of "lateness" in Fulfulde. Time is a vital part of Fulani relationships: community is based on the concept of "being used to" people. Therefore, what is habitual becomes what is accepted and valued.

A second expression of Fulani pulaaku is the role of insults in reinforcing social hierarchy. Any time the hierarchy has been questioned, a superior can re-establish his authority by insulting his subordinate. While the insult does hurt the esteem of the recipient, it's also said to be a back-handed compliment. The one insulting must believe that the one insulted be able to "take it." In fact, if a Fulani person is not occasionally the object of insult, he experiences a great sense of isolation. Isolation is greatly feared among Fulani; it is "closely associated with evil". Perhaps this fear of isolation comes from the practical need of others in the bush environment in which a Fulani person finds himself. It is also surely related to the system of pulaaku that is rooted upon relationship. Thus, insulting is one example of the Fulani's devotion to "maintaining relationships in a particular form." "It is not a society of consumption {like ours}," Riesman writes, "but a society of communication." In fact, the entire pulaaku system is based upon shame: fear of being shamed in front of others is what drives Fulani to fulfill pulaaku. Shame occurs whenever one does not exhibit the proper behavior associated with certain relationships.

Islam plays a very important role in maintaining these right relationships. A man who does not pray, for example, does not put himself on equal footing with others. By not praying, he's implicitly saying than he has fewer needs than other men and is thus superior. Such an attitude conflicts with the solidarity sought by Fulani. The Fulani enjoy a unity maintained by the sense that everyone has the same experience. In fact, a person is only considered truly human if he is subject to the same conditions as others. Thus, a man who does not pray denies the boundaries to which he is subject as a mortal.

The Fulani concept of God is intimately entwined with this notion of human limitations. God is what fills the void beyond human limits. This is typical of the Islamic sense of the transcendence of God. Thus, Fulani language is "God-soaked," full of invocations of Allah. Riesman notes, however, that these "prayers" are not necessarily believed to be efficacious. To invoke the name of Allah is simply a way of expressing intensity of desire.