Fouta-Djalon

The Fouta Djallon , also spelled Fouta Djalon , is a mountainous solid mass located in Guinea, called “the tower water of West Africa” because several rivers of the African West take source there: the Niger, the Senegal, the Gambia, the Koliba. With a surface of 81.952 km, and an average altitude of 1.000 m, Fouta Djallon is a whole of plain and hills whose culminating point is the Mont Loura (1515 m). Indeed, he knows an important pluviometry, and the two principal rivers of the area (Gambia and Senegal), take their source there. The plate consists of a thick sandstone formation which recovers the granitic rock of the basement. Erosion by the rain and the rivers dug deep throats and valleys in the sandstone.

Geography

The territory consists of raised savannas, forests opened, flat gallery-forests and vast which constitute the typical aspect of the landscape, furrowed many rivers whose thousand-year-old action of erosion gave origin to large cliffs and the many ones and splendid falls.

The climate of Fouta is very pleasant; true air of mountain of Africa, moderated and fresh. The temperatures vary considerably according to the place and the seasons which are divided mainly into dry season (from November to May) and rain season (from June to October):

December-January (season dries) max. 30° min. 05°.
February-May (season dries) max. 36° min. 20°
June-October (rain season) max. 32° min. 16°
October-November (end rain season) max. 32° min. 18°

In the whole of the cultivable grounds are produced Fonio, Riz, Potato, Oignon S and Arachide S. It is a zone privileged for the production of fruits (mango, Agrume S, Papaye, lawyer S, Banane, Goyave) and several of other pot productions.

The main cities are Labé, Mamou.

Family

In Fouta Djallon, as in the majority of the African areas, the concept of family indicates is all those which live, grouped or not, under the authority of the same person with which they recognizes family ties, either the social cell formed by the couple and their descendants, or sometimes a whole of people whose ancestors had a strong alliance from their vicinity or of the shared interests.

One distinguishes in Fouta-Djallon the parentage and the household polygyne.

Parentage

The parentage which is composed of the descendants of the same grandfather, which recognize the authority, or at least preeminence, of the patriarch, oldest of the members of this parentage. This grouping is named: gorol, “male line”, or “together of the parents”: musidal, “those which result from the same door”: bhe dambugal gootal. The chief of this grouping is the hoore gorol: head of male line; mawdho musidal: old of the parentage. It would be often inaccurate to regard this old as a chief; the demonstrations of its authority, when authority there is, are intermittent; it is rather about a president of the board of guardians. This parentage can be more or less wide, i.e. to include/understand only the descendants of the same grandfather, especially at the poor people of no importance social, or to extend to the descendants from a former ancestor from five, six generations or more, in the aristocratic groups; in the latter, the genealogical bonds are preserved with more care and the family capacities of the Patriarch double political attributions.

The household polygyne

The household polygyne, or reduced family, composed of the man, his wives and concubines, its children, its agricultural servants, its servants. This grouping is named: bheyngure, i.e. “personal acquisition”, aggregate, grows; these are the beings that the man acquired itself, which is added to him, depend on him, belong to him and obey to him; it is still said that they are “under his feet” (ley koydhe makko). The dwelling of this group is Galle, or enclosed, inside of which it is divided into several huts (suudu); there can be several enclosures: one close to the parochial mosque (misiide) the other with the hamlet of cultures (marga) a third with the hamlet of the servants (runde). The household head is the jom Galle, Master of enclosure, or jom hoggo. The children belong to bheyngure (or Galle) paternal; after one period of waiting which goes from puberty to the marriage, the wire found, with the assistance of their father, new Galle where will be placed the wife, a maidservant, and some heads of cattle, who will be the core of her personal bheyngure. Galle, essaimés of paternal Galle, resulting itself from Galle of the grandfather, from which come also Galle from the paternal uncles, will form the same parentage (dambugal). The assembly of the jom Galle will meet under the presidency of Old, elder of this parentage. The real social cell tends to being more and more the household polygyne, with the detriment of the patriarchal parentage: this is due, here like elsewhere, with the social dislocation caused by colonization. In addition, it does not appear that the Patriarch never had, at Peuls of Fouta Djallon, an authority equal to that of the Patriarch among sedentaries farmers, at Mandingues, for example.

Rights and obligations of the team leader

The term “team leader” is a too strong term to appoint this senior of old, president of the board of guardians, which is Mawdho musidal (or, absolutely: mawdho). In fact, the organization of the parentage is much more parliamentary than monarchical: it is Old which controls, not the Patriarch; one intends to often say: “our old decided this”, - in connection with the family events: baptisms, marriages, successions, or of the decisions relating to cultures and herds; one intends to say much less: our old. The family life peule, like the political life, ran out in an atmosphere of palaver (meetings: pottal). We will reconsider the rights and duties of Mawdho, in the sections relating to the marriage and especially to the property. We will see here the obligations of the parentage towards the Old one.

History

The king of the Mali Soundiata Keïta conquers Fouta-Djalon at the 13th century. At the 16th century, the Peuls of the Senegal appear in the area.

In 1725, the Moslem scientist Karamoko Esparto Barry, with the head of Peul of Fouta-Djalon, undertakes to convert or drive out the pagan . The Soussous are pushed back towards the coast of future the Guinea, the others reduced in serfdom. it was the battle of talansan. thereafter, Karamoko Alfa founds a theocratic State feudal State, it consolidates the union of all the peulhs and the stability of the State while being based at the same time on the traditions peulhs but also on the principles of Islam. With its death in 1751, the scientist Ibrahima Sori Maoudo is elected with the head of Peuls. It pushes back a strong pagan offensive of the Dialonkés and Soulima led by Kondé Birama, then seizes Fouta-Djalon. Its disappearance in 1784 opens one period of Anarchie. The State Peul of Fouta-Djalon becomes a confederation grouping nine Diwé or (Provinces). The title of almani is reserved alternatively for the descendants of Ibrahima Sori (Soria) and for those of Karamoko Alfa (Alfaya). In 1804, the capacity is exerted always alternatively, but every two years. The organization of the State appeared particularly adequate at times and the situation by constituting, for the time, a remarkable example of Décentralisation containing which the Councils of village were which elected their representatives with direct consultation; those last belonged to the great council of wise which assisted Almamy in the management of the whole of the territory.

At the end of the 18th century, the religious capital of the theocratic State of Fouta-Djalon is Fougoumba, where the Almamy is established (of Imam ), which controls in the political capital, Timbo, assisted the Council of Old. The element peul dominates in a multiethnic State. The company is strongly treated on a hierarchical basis and uneven, fundamental cleavage being located between Moslems and not-Moslems. At the top, is the military Aristocratie and the maraboutic class (lasli), then come the free men, then at the base customers of dependant, servants and slave S. the last are installed in villages of culture, exploited with the profit of the aristocracy peul. Economic prosperity and a relative political stability will support the cohabitation. The mixing of the populations, adhesion with the Islam and the values peul will support the integration which will lead to an ethnic homogenization.

During the 19th century, Peuls of Fouta-Djalon will carry out operations of resistance to protect itself from the attacks coming from the close areas.

1850, the chief Toucouleur El Hadj Omar Tall, based with the Fouta-Toro, declares the holy war to found an empire tidjanist. It occupies without difficulty the territories of the Mandingue and the Bambouk (1853), then attacks the Bambara Massassi (1854). -->

Benefitting from division on the succession with the throne, the invaders under the command of Alfred Dodds, occupy the capital Timbo and the last almamy of independent Fouta Almami Bokar Biro is overcome with the battle of Porédaka in 1896. The chiefs of Fouta who had assisted the French, either will be assassinated (Alfa Ibrahima Sori Yilili) or sent in exile Alpha Yaya.

In 1897, the French install a almami in Fouta-Djalon before dismembering the Theocratic Republic. Foutah is integrated in its majority into the new colony of the Rivers of the South which will become French Guinea. A part is occupied by Great Britain in Sierra Leone, and the Portuguese will seize Gaabou in Guinea Bissao. The France imposes hard a occupataion military and founds a slavery called Forced labors.

Fouta Jallon was a theological center of culture peul. The large poets-théologues are Thierno Samba Mombéya, Thierno Saadou Dalen, Thierno Aliou Bhoubha Ndian and Thierno Diawo Pellel. They are regarded as famous personalities resulting from the nobility of Fouta and preaching the good example (erudite and pious, enthusiastic Peul in the religion).

External bonds

Trekking at the bottom of Fouta Djallon
Natural Stock management in 3 basins of the Solid mass of Fouta Djallon
Photographs of Fouta Djalon by '' Michel Tendil ''

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