BLENDED BELIEFS
10 Dec 2001

The Fulbe are mostly  Muslim, following the teachings of the Koran, Islam's "holy book".  They believe that there is only one God and Mohammed is his prophet. There are some Fulbe who say that they are descendants of Ishmael like the Arabs, and there are others who say they are descended from one of the tribes of Israel.  There are other stories of the origin of the Fulbe including Egypt, Ethiopia, and Europe.  Be that as it may, they see Abraham as a father and a prophet along with Noah, Moses, David, and Jesus.  For the Fulbe, Mohammed was the last and greatest of the prophets.  

  Religious Rites

        There are many religious events in the Fulbe Futa lunar calendar.  First and foremost of the celebrations is the fasting month of Ramadan (Sumayee) in which the Fulbe fast from daybreak to sundown for the entire month.  When the fasting is over there is a big meal and common prayer.  The 27th day of Sumayee is supposedly the day that the Koran came down from heaven.

Thousands gather to pray at the yearly celebration of Sumayee.

Much blessing is supposed to be associated with this day and many Fulbe will pray at the mosque all night long.  It seems that there is much spiritual/demonic activity this night.

       The second celebration is Julde Jombente which is the ninth and tenth days of the month of Jombente, the first month of the lunar year.  It is generally believed that this is the day that Moses gained the upper hand on pharaoh.  Many Fulbe will fast these days.  Others will refer to it as a New Year's celebration.

        The third big event of the Fulbe year is Donkin which is to commemorate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son.  An animal, usually a goat or sheep, is sacrificed and eaten on this day.  There are practices associated with the sacrifice that are not well understood.  Some Fulbe will expect everyone to put a hand on the sacrifice as the throat is cut and others will wash the feet, mouth, nose and ears in a manner similar to the actions performed before prayer.   Donkin is also linked to the pilgrimmage to Mecca.

Lastly, there is another day that is not an official event but many people celebrate it.  It is called Mawludu and is believed to be the day that Mohammed was born.  

Miracles and Magic

      The Fulbe believe very strongly in miracles, but fear them because they can be either good or bad.  The mosque in Mamou is believed to be a miracle because it was supposedly built by an uneducated man who had never built anything.  

      There is a strong belief in magic.  It is believed that the magicians can turn paper into money or make things disappear.  They are also believed to talk to spirits in order to gain understanding and to trap witches, who are believed to fly and to eat people.  

     The religion of the Fulbe Fouta is definitely mixed.  One might be able to debate whether it is more animistic and mixed with Islam or more Islamic and mixed with animism.  It probably is the case that for women the religion is predominantly animism and for the men it is predominantly Islam.