- Toucouleur
The Toucouleurs (or "Haalpulaaren") are a Fula agricultural people who live primarily in the north of
Senegal (where they comprise 10% of the population) in theSenegal River valley,Mauritania ,Mali andGuinea .History
The Toucouleurs are the descendants of the
Iron Age state ofTakrur , and their French name, "Toucouleur" (popular etymology from the French for 'all colors'), is a corruption of this name.Umar Tall founded ajihad state , theToucouleur Empire , in present Mali in the nineteenth century.Demographics and society
The Toucouleurs speak the Fouta-Toro dialect of Pulaar (Fula). They call themselves "Haapulaaren", which means "those who speak Pulaar". They are largely
Muslim , although a small amount areanimist . Culturally, the Toucouleur only differ from other Fulas by the sedentary nature of their society.Toucouleur society is patriarchal and divided into strict hierarchies, with 12
caste s subdivided into 3 classes. The highest caste, the Toorobbê, is made up of religious leaders andmarabout s.Marriage
When girls turn thirteen years old, they are considered eligible for marriage, or "dewgal", which is arranged by her parents. While the bride-to-be celebrates with her friends, the groom goes to the mosque to validate the marriage. Later, the bride and her family go to the husband's house, where they will sit with elders and discuss the marriage. The next day, the bride's aunt will determine if the girl is a virgin, and then bathe and massage her. The bride greets the village and then her husband, and food is prepared, and eventually the celebration ends.
Childbirth and naming
One week after childbirth, or "pémbougale", the baby is named and a woman known as a "googo"(sister of the father) cuts the child's hair. The father tells the
marabout the name he has chosen, after which the marabout whispers the name in the infant's ear and prays. Following this, the marabout informs agriot , or "gawlo", of the name that has been chosen, and the griot announces the name to the village.References
This article is based on a translation of the corresponding article from the French Wikipedia, accessed
July 5 ,2005 .
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
