Fellata (Noun)
Meaning
A member of a pastoral and nomadic people of western Africa; they are traditionally cattle herders of Muslim faith.
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Examples
- Traditional Fulani music and dance plays an essential role in the cultural practices of the Fula and other related groups, the Fula being the biggest ethnic group in the Sahel and West Africa, their identity extends across the borders of several countries in western Africa.
- The Fula, Mandinka and other related groups, are the traditional herders and traders in the Sahel, including Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea, Mali and Mauritania.
- Fellata live in a hierarchical society of nobles, farmers, and artisans, but under the strain of colonization, this system did begin to alter to meet colonial demands, such as having to settle into positions which allowed for an administrative or state structure.
- Historically the Fellata are remembered for their role in the Niger Bend region as pastoral traders, nomads and clerics from the 13th century onwards.
- A cross-cultural phenomenon of a trans-Saharan network of scholars, traders and travelers that was sustained on knowledge of the Islamic faith by scholars and teachers known as the Ulama or as Fellata, who kept open this vast trading and knowledge network from the 13th century to the 19th century.