June 05, 2006

Fulani Proverbs - how to become a crocodile

Ko leggal booyii ley ndiyam, laatataako noora.
Even if a log stays ages in the water, it never becomes a crocodile.

(We came across the crocodile above, just basking in the sun in a lake by the side of the road on our way from Boukouma to Dori back in February.)

I have sometimes been told by Fulani - more, I am sure, as a gracious response to my attempts to adapt to life among them, than from serious conviction:
"A laatake pullo!" - "You have become a Fulani!"

To which I reply:
Ko leggal booyii ley ndiyam, laatataako noora.

This always causes general hilarity, as proverbs are such a deep part of pulaaku (traditional Fulani culture), expressing commonly held Fulani wisdom in pithy expressions. Non-Fulani are not expected to be able to know the language and culture well enough to use them. The Fulani say that you can only speak Fulfulde properly if you have drunk it from your mother's milk. To use Fulani proverbs well - which I don't - is really key to becoming the crocodile.

A few proverbs
I was asked recently to put a few Fulani proverbs up on my website, so here are a few culled from my colleague Steve's post from last year:

Proverb: Heba cofel heba ngoofoondi walaa
Translation: You can't have both a chick and a yolk
Meaning: You can't have your cake and eat it too

Bernde feewa teppeere feewa kaa, walaa
You can't have both a cool heart and a cool heel
If you send someone to do something they'll get it wrong and you'll be upset, but if you go yourself you'll get tired

Mi wadii wootere doobal
I have done the 'one' of the doobal-bird (a bird which lays only one egg)
Said after doing something which you will never do again

Duroowo paabi, kam anndi layooru
The shepherd of frogs recognises the limping one (whereas anyone else would think they are all limping!)
The one who has experience has the accompanying knowledge (i.e. ask the expert)

Alla anndinaay gujjo de bangi munaafiki
God didn't tell the thief he was marrying a gossip
If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have done it. I didn't know that what I was doing was unwise!

Mbuuku bumdo nde wootere yaabetee
A blind man's testicles are only stood on once (i.e. he'll move or cry out to stop it happening again!)
Once bitten twice shy - said regarding unpaid loans, bad experiences etc

Si neddo fiyii howru banndum fuu, nyoofa howru mum
He who hits his neighbour's knee curls up his own legs
If you do something bad to someone, they are likely to avenge it, so watch out!

Si mawdo wi'ii modan jammbere ni nannganaa dum leggal
If a man says he will swallow an axe, hold the handle for him
Don't try and talk someone out of something if they've already made up their mind to do it

For a long list of proverbs, helpfully broken down into categories, go to the Jam Tan website - an excellent site with the best background information on the Fulani that I have seen on the web.

Tags: africa burkina burkina faso fulani proverbs sahel wisdom fulfulde crocodile

Posted by Keith at 11:59 AM | Comments (1)

May 20, 2006

Building a Fulani hut in Gorom-Gorom

A little while ago, Steve showed you how the Fulani in Djibo build their huts, and had one built for me for my visit. I promised to show you how the Gaoob'e Fulani near Gorom-Gorom , in the north-east of Burkina Faso, build their huts, so here it is (click on any photo for a larger version):

First, make your bed Traditional Fulani huts around Gorom-Gorom are made by women, usually at the time when a young man is getting married, as a home for his bride. The hut is built around the bed, which is made as a frame of forked uprights with sticks lying across the top, on top of which will be laid woven grass mats.

Build the frame Branches, or looci, which have been prepared by soaking in the mud of a nearby river or water hole to make them supple, are collected. These are then bent together and tied into an "igloo-shaped" frame around the bed.

Cover with mats Woven straw mats are tied on the outside of the frame. Usually a family will have a "good" set of mats for dry season, and they will be replaced by an older set during the rainy season. The mats do a surprisingly good job of keeping out the rain, but inevitably get ruined by the weather. The whole house is easily taken apart and tied onto donkeys or camels if the time comes for literally moving home.

A new home This is what the finished article looks like from the outside. The small doorway faces away from the direction the wind comes from, to keep dust from filling your house. I should add here that this was not made for my bride, but as a guest room, much to the amusement of my Fulani friends, who kept asking when my wife was arriving.

Inside a Fulani hut This is what a traditional Fulani mat hut is like on the inside. My friend's wife and child are on the bed. This one room obviously has to function as sitting room and dining-room as well as bedroom.

Tags: africa burkina burkina faso djibo gorom-gorom housing building fulani hut

Posted by Keith at 10:20 AM | Comments (4)

April 09, 2006

Name that cow!

So I thought I'd better check up on my cows.

"Yusufi" looks after some of my cows while I am away. He keeps them among his own animals, and his wives sell some of the milk to bring a bit of extra cash into the family budget.

A couple of years ago, I wrote about getting my first cow and the reason for buying cows, and the day my cow got lost. Since then, I have added a few more cows, and some have given birth, and others have died or been sold.

Now, you’re not allowed to ask how many cows I have, as that would be a very un-Fulani thing to do, and likely to provoke a fight. But I have a few.

Fulani names for cows are not dainty names like Daisy or Buttercup. They are much more practical, like “White cow with mottled brown neck”. Except in Fulfulde. Here are the names of some of my cows that you can see in the photos. See if you can guess which one is which (you can click on the photos to see bigger pictures):

Hurooy wunne: “White cow with brown mottled top”
Jamale wunne (offspring of Hurooy wunne): “Mottled cow”
Waage singe: “White cow with red top”
Wurooy singe (offspring of Waage singe): "White cow with patchy red top"
Nayee (offspring of Waage singe): “Red cow”

I think I have the names right, but I'm sure Steve will correct me if I'm wrong.

Tags: africa burkina burkina faso cows travel sahel cattle fulani

Posted by Keith at 07:28 AM | Comments (2)