Buduma people

Last updated
Buduma
Yedina
Total population
128,800 [1]
Regions with significant populations
Lake Chad
Chad 123,000
Nigeria 5,300
Cameroon 500
Languages
Yedina
Religion
Islam

The Buduma are an ethnic group of Chad, Cameroon, and Nigeria who inhabit many of the islands of Lake Chad. They are predominantly fishers and cattle-herders. In the past, the Buduma carried out violent raids on the cattle herds of their neighbors. They were feared villains with aggressive reputations; thus, they were respected and left alone for many years, protected by their own habitat of water and reeds.

Contents

Today, they are a peaceful and friendly people willing to adopt some modern changes. Although their neighbors call them Buduma, meaning "people of the grass (or reeds)," they prefer to be called Yedina. Their language is known as Yedina.

History

The Buduma traditionally claim to be descended from the peoples of the Sao civilization and Kanem-Bornu Empire. [2]

The Lake Chad region was integrated into the political realm of the Kanem-Bornu Empire. During this time (specifically around the 9th to 16th centuries), many ethnic groups in the area assimilated or merged in consequence of the new political power in the region. However, some communities stayed distinct and detached from the central government. This included the Buduma who established themselves in the remote islands and northern shores of Lake Chad. [3]

Culture

Economy

The Buduma are largely fishermen and livestock herders. Some Buduma are engaged in commercial fishing but many fish for personal or familial subsistence. The cattle the Buduma raise are bred to have large and hollow horns. This allows the cattle to float easier when they're transported across the lake or other bodies of water. The Buduma extensively make use of papyrus reeds. The reeds are used for constructing fishing boats, lightweight huts (that can be moved to higher ground if the lake rises), and more. Staples foods of the Buduma include fish, cow milk, water lilly roots (that they grind to flour), and other foods native to the region. Even though they use or consume many products derived from their cattle, the Buduma don't commonly kill and eat them. [4]

Clans

The Buduma are divided into two large groups which are the Kuri and Buduma. There are further divided into smaller groups though the Guria are the largest among them. [2] Other subgroups include the Mehul, Maibuloa, Budjia, Madjigodjia, Ursawa, Media and Siginda. All these subgroups are also divided into specific lineages and clans. [5]

Religion

The Buduma are Muslims. They were converted by Islamic missionaries during the era of French colonialism in Chad. The Buduma still incorporate many traditional beliefs and practices into their Islamic practices. [5]

Related Research Articles

Kanem–Bornu Empire c. 700–1380 empire around Lake Chad, Africa

The Kanem–Bornu Empire existed in areas which are now part of Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria. It was known to the Arabian geographers as the Kanem Empire from the 8th century AD onward and lasted as the independent kingdom of Bornu until 1900.

Central Africa Core region of African continent

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Kanuri people African ethnic group

The Kanuri people are an African ethnic group living largely in the lands of the former Kanem and Bornu Empires in Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Libya and Cameroon. Those generally termed Kanuri include several subgroups and dialect groups, some of whom identify as distinct from the Kanuri. Most trace their origins to ruling lineages of the medieval Kanem-Bornu Empire, and its client states or provinces. In contrast to the neighboring Toubou or Zaghawa pastoralists, Kanuri groups have traditionally been sedentary, engaging in farming, fishing the Chad Basin, and engaged in trade and salt processing.

Baggara Arabs Arab ethnic group of the Sahel

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The Fur are an ethnic group predominantly inhabiting western Sudan. They are concentrated in the Darfur region, where they are the largest ethnic group. They speak the Fur language, which belongs to the Nilo-Saharan family.

Sahelian kingdoms

The Sahelian kingdoms were a series of centralized kingdoms or empires that were centered on the Sahel, the area of grasslands south of the Sahara, from the 8th century to the 19th. The wealth of the states came from controlling the trade routes across the desert. Their power came from having large pack animals like camels and horses that were fast enough to keep a large empire under central control and were also useful in such kind of battle. All of these empires were also quite decentralized with member cities having a great deal of autonomy.

Adamawa Region region of Cameroon

The Adamawa Region is a constituent region of the Republic of Cameroon. It borders the Centre and East regions to the south, the Northwest and West regions to the southwest, Nigeria to the west, the Central African Republic (CAR) to the east, and the North Region to the north.

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North Region (Cameroon) region of Cameroon

The North Region makes up 66,090 km² of the northern half of The Republic of Cameroon. Neighbouring territories include the Far North Region to the north, the Adamawa Region to the south, Nigeria to the west, Chad to the east, and Central African Republic to the southeast. The city of Garoua is both the political and industrial capital. Garoua is Cameroon's third largest port, despite the fact that the Bénoué River upon which it relies is only navigable for short periods of the year.

Borno State State of Nigeria

Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south while its eastern border forms part of the national border with Cameroon, its northern border forms part of the national border with Niger, and its northeastern border forms all of the national border with Chad, being the only Nigerian state to border three foreign countries. It takes its name from the historic emirate of Borno, with the emirate's old capital of Maiduguri serving as the capital city of Borno State. The state was formed in 1976 when the former North-Eastern State was broken up. It originally included the area that is now Yobe State, which became a distinct state in 1991.

Far North Region, Cameroon region of Cameroon

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Kanembu people

The Kanembu are an ethnic group of Chad, generally considered the modern descendants of the Kanem-Bornu Empire. The Kanembu number an estimated 890,000 people, located primarily in Chad's Lac Prefecture but also in Chari-Baguirmi and Kanem prefectures. They speak the Kanembu language, which the Kanuri language is derived from, with many speaking Arabic and sometimes nowadays French as a second language.

Bilala people

The Bilala are a Muslim people that live around Lake Fitri, in the Batha Prefecture, in central Chad. The last Chadian census in 1993 stated that they numbered 136,629 people. Their language, Naba, is divided in four dialects and is a part of the Central Sudanic language family; it is shared by two of their neighbours, the Kuka and the Medogo. These three peoples are collectively known as Lisi and are believed to be descendants of main ethnic groups of the Sultanate of Yao.

Idris Alooma, Idris ibn 'Ali (Alooma), or Idriss Alaoma, was Mai (king) of the Kanem-Bornu Empire, located mainly in Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria. His name is more properly written Idris Alawma or Idris Alauma. An outstanding statesman, under his rule Kanem-Bornu touched the zenith of its power. Idris is remembered for his military skills, administrative reforms and Islamic piety. His feats are mainly known through his chronicler Ahmad bin Fartuwa.

Sao civilisation

The Sao civilization flourished in Central Africa from ca. the fourth or sixth century BC to as late as the sixteenth century AD. The Sao lived by the Chari River basin in territory that later became part of Cameroon and Chad. They are the earliest civilization to have left clear traces of their presence in the territory of modern Cameroon. Sometime around the 16th century, conversion to Islam changed the cultural identity of the former Sao. Today, several ethnic groups of northern Cameroon and southern Chad, but particularly the Sara, Kotoko, claim descent from the civilization of the Sao.

History of Nigeria before 1500 History of Nigeria before 1500

Long before 1500, much of modern Nigeria was divided into states identified with contemporary ethnic groups. These early states included the Igbo Kingdom of Nri, the Benin Kingdom, the Yoruba city-states including the Kingdom of Ife, Igala Kingdom, the Hausa States, and Nupe. Numerous small states to the west and south of Lake Chad were absorbed or displaced in the course of the expansion of Kanem, which was centered to the northeast of Lake Chad. Bornu, initially the western province of Kanem, became independent in the late 14th century. Other states probably existed, but the absence of archaeological data prevents accurate dating.

Omar ibn Idris, or Umar Idrismi, Idris Dunama III, was the ruler of the Kanem Empire from 1372 to 1380. He moved the capital from Njimi, Kanem to Kaga, located on the western edge of Lake Chad in present day Borno State, Nigeria.

Chad Basin Largest endorheic basin in Africa, centered on Lake Chad

The Chad Basin is the largest endorheic basin in Africa, centered on Lake Chad. It has no outlet to the sea and contains large areas of semi-arid desert and savanna. The drainage basin is roughly coterminous with the sedimentary basin of the same name, but extends further to the northeast and east. The basin spans eight countries, including most of Chad and a large part of Niger. The region has an ethnically diverse population of about 30 million people as of 2011, growing rapidly.

The Kotoko people , also called Mser, Moria, Bara and Makari, are a Chadic ethnic group located in northern Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria. The Kotoko population is composed of approximately 90,000 people of which the majority live in Cameroon. The Kotoko form part of the Chadic people. The mother tongue is Lagwan. Most of the Kotoko are Sunni Muslims.

References

  1. "Buduma". Joshua Project . Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  2. 1 2 Azevedo, Mario J.; Decalo, Samuel (2018). Historical Dictionary of Chad. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 541. ISBN   978-1-5381-1437-7.
  3. Gritzner, Jeffrey A. "Lake Chad". Britannica.com. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  4. Winston, Robert, ed. (2004). Human: The Definitive Visual Guide. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 417. ISBN   0-7566-0520-2.
  5. 1 2 Olson, James Stuart; Meur, Charles (1996). The Peoples of Africa: An Ethnohistorical Dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 114. ISBN   978-0-313-27918-8.