MASSINA AND THE EAST

Along the middle Niger lie broad flat pasture-lands, and it was into this area that the Fulbe arrived in the time of Sonni Ali Ber, and there they have settled and remained. The land is highly suitable for cattle-grazing, and the pastoral traditions remain strong among the Fulbe of the region. In the early 19^th century an Islamic state was established, the Dina of Massina, whose capital was Hamdallaye, and in 1818 the battle of Noukouma assured the independence of the Fulbe from the Bamana kings of Segou. But Islam also brought conflict to the Fulbe, and some fractions, led by Gueladio son of Hammadi Pate (the Red), moved east to a region further down the Niger, in present-day Burkina Faso and Niger. These 'emigrants,' as they are called, share their epic traditions with the Fulbe of Massina and Kounari, and thanks to the work of Gilbert Vieillard (and Eldridge Mohammedou, who has edited Vieillard's collection) we have a corpus of early (ca. 1928) texts to compare with modern versions. Leo Frobenius also collected a number of Fulfulde texts at the start of the century, but it is unclear whether his informants were really Fulbe or possibly Bamana. Certainly the two groups have interacted and share much of the epic tradition.

The Fulbe are also to be found further south and east from these areas, in northern Nigeria and Cameroon, but there they seem not to practice epic singing. Instead, they have settled in to the role of Islamic conquerors over other populations (in Nigeria, principally the Hausa).

Performer	Title Bibliographic Reference	Languages	Date
Gouro Ahmadou	Hambodedio et Fatumata Ham-sire Vieillard/Mohammedou 53 ff.	Fulfulde bilingual	ca. 1927
	Hambodedio et Hamma Alla Seyni Vieillard/Mohammedou pp. 65 ff.	Fulfulde bilingual	ca. 1927
	Silamaka Yero et Pulloru Vieillard/Mohammedou 88 ff.; Seydou 1972 242-261	Fulfulde bilingual	1927
Beidari Allaye of Ngouma	Poullo Djom Ere et le Tuareg CELHTO	Fulfulde bilingual	1984
	Hambodedjo Frobenius Atlantis vi. pp. 182-188	? German	pre-1910
	Maaju et le peul du Tooro Vieillard/Mohamedou pp. 135-142	Fulfulde bilingual	ca. 1928
	Maaju le Torodo et Kumbo Budi Vieillard/Mohammedou pp. 129-134	Fulfulde bilingual	ca. 1927
	Abu Lasan et le Futanke Vieillard/Mohammedou 121-128	Fulfulde bilingual	ca. 1927
	Hama Funa et Safalbe Vieillard/Mohamedou 114-119	Fulfulde bilingual	1927
	Hamidou Hamarou Kulle Vieillard/Mohamedou 108-113	Fulfulde Bilingual	1927
	Konig Djennewerre Frobenius Atlantis vi pp. 190-192	? German	ca. 1910?
	Hamidu Hama Nkulde Frobenius Atlantis vi. pp. 179-182	? German	ca. 1910?
	Bubu Ardo Gallo Frobenius Atlantis vi pp. 195-197	? German	ca. 1910?
	Bongoe Frobenius Atlantis vi. 192-194	? German	ca. 1910?
	Goroba Dike Frobenius Atlantis vi pp. 171-179	? German	ca. 1910?
	Hamma Alseini Gakoy und Hambodedjos Tod Frobenius Atlantis vi pp. 188-190	? German	ca. 1910?
	Samba Kullung Frobenius Atlantis vi pp. 95-106	? German	ca. 1910?
	Buge Korroba Frobenius Atlantis vi. pp. 111-115	? German	ca. 1910?
	Hammadi Fing und Bassala n'Sa Frobenius Atlantis vi 132-137	? German	ca. 1910?
	Sagate Singo Frobenius Atlantis vi 142-145	? German	ca. 1910
	Siga Sanke Frobenius Atlantis vi. pp. 197-202	? German	ca. 1910
	Maliki Edugusega Frobenius Atlantis vi. pp. 208-210	? German	ca. 1910?
	Die Mabolegende Frobenius Atlantis vi. pp. 214-215	? German	ca. 1910?
	Die Bailulegende Frobenius Atlantis vi pp. 212-213	? German	ca. 1910?
	Kombe Alhassu Frobenius Atlantis vi. pp. 216-220	? German	1910?
	Sidi Baba Frobenius Atlantis vi pp. 221-226	? German	1910?
	Der Ursprung der Fulbe Frobenius Atlantis vi pp. 226-228	? German	1910?
	Hassum Labo Frobenius Atlantis vi. pp. 210-212	? German	1910?
	Besma Sougui Frobenius Atlantis vi. pp. 203-205	? German	1910?
	Sirani Koro Samba und Samba ta Samba Frobenius Atlantis vi pp. 106-111	? German	1910?
	Duldibulukassu Frobenius Atlantis vi. pp. 205-208	? German	1910?
Idrissa Batal	Hambodedio et Hamma Alasseyni Gakoy Seydou 1976 pp. 317-353	Fulfulde bilingual	1970
Yero Battare	Silamaka à l'étang de Jibo Vieillard/Mohammedou pp. 104-107 Seydou 1972, pp. 268-271	Fulfulde bilingual	1928
Hamma Diam Bouraima	Hambodedio et Saigalare Seydou 1976 pp. 41-131	Fulfulde bilingual	1970
Yero Camara	Da Monzon et les Peuls Meyer 173-180	Pulaar French	ca. 1977
Kolado Cisse (?)	Hambodedio et Tene Monzon Vieillard/Mohammedou pp. 23-29	Fulfulde bilingual	ca. 1927
Kolado Cisse	Gelaajo et Cheikou Amadou Vieillard/Mohammedou pp. 72 ff.	Fulfulde bilingual	ca. 1927
	Hambodedio et Besma Sougui Vieillard/Mohammedou pp. 15-21	Fulfulde bilingual	ca. 1927
	Ousmane Hambodedio, Fadia et Durowel Vieillard/Mohammedou pp. 39 ff.	Fulfulde bilingual	ca. 1927
	Hambodedio et Boubou Ardo Vieillard/Mohammedou pp. 31-37	Fulfulde bilingual	ca. 1927
Samba Gawlo Futanke	Silamaka I Vieillard/Mohammedou 100-101; Seydou 1972 pp. 262-267	Fulfulde bilingual	1928
	Silamaka II Vieillard/Mohammedou 102	Fulfulde bilingual	1927
Mammadou Ham-Barke	Silamaka et Poullori Seydou 1972 pp. 218-241	Fulfulde Bilingual	1967
Malum Hassan	A Chronicle of Abuja Hassan and Shuaibu	English	1952
Amadou Mabo	Hambodedio et le Peul Dembere Seydou 1976 pp. 355-415	Fulfulde bilingual	1975
Paate Ndiaw	Hambodedio et Fatimata Baaba Lobbo Meyer 228-239	Pulaar French	ca. 1977
Sambourou Parita	Hambodedio et Besma Sougui Seydou 1976 pp. 201-205	Fulfulde bilingual	ca. 1970
	Hambodedio et ses compagnons Seydou 1976 pp. 133-199	Fulfulde bilingual	1970
Maabal Samburu	Silamaka et Poullori Kesteloot and Ba 1969 Kesteloot 1993 II pp. 83-103	Fulfulde? French	1965?
Amadou Sangor	Origine des Maabo Zeltner 1913 143-145	? French	pre-1913
Ougoumala Sare of Ngouma	La guerre entre Ndje Fara Ndje et Hambodedjo Ougoumale Sare de Ngouma, CELHTO	Fulfulde bilingual	1974
Boubacar Tinguidji	Silamaka et Poullori Seydou 1972 T2 and T3 pp. 78-173	Fulfulde Bilingual	1967, 1968
	Silamaka et Poullori Seydou 1972	Fulfulde bilingual	1964
	La guerre contre Saa Seydou 1976 pp. 265-315	Fulfulde bilingual	1967
	Silamaka et Amirou Goundaka/Petaka Seydou 1972 AG and AP	Fulfulde bilingual	1968
Fashir Abbakar Hassan	Baajankaro Abu-Manga	Fulfulde	1980

REFERENCES

Al-Amin Abu-Manga. Baajankaro: A Fulani Epic from Sudan. n.p. n.d.

Beidari Allaye. Poullo Djom Ere et le Touareg. Niamey. CELHTO/OUA. 1984. ed. and trans. by Bocar Cisse and Almamy Maliki Yattara.

Robert Arnaud. La singulière légendes des soninkés: traditions orales sur le royaume de Koumbi. In L'Islam et la politique musulmane en Afrique occidentale française. Paris, Comité de l'Afrique française, 1912.

Amadou Hampate Ba and Lilyan Kesteloot, "Une épopée peule - Silamaka." L'Homme 8 (1969) pp. 1-36. Reprinted in Kesteloot 1972 vol. iv/1993 vol. 2.

Leo Frobenius, Spielmannsgeschichten der Sahel. Atlantis VI. Iena, Eugen Diederichs, 1921. Reprint Martin Sändig.

Leo Frobenius and Douglas C. Fox (ed. and trans.). African Genesis. Berkeley, Turtle Island Foundation, 1983.

Malam Hassan and Malam Shuaibu. A Chronicle of Abuja. Published for the Abuja Native Administration by the Ibadan University Press. 1952.

Lilyan Kesteloot, ed. and trans. Da Monzon de Segou. Paris, L'Harmattan, 1993. 2 vols. First published 1974, Paris. Fernand Nathan, 4 volumes.

Gerard Meyer, ed. and trans. Récits épiques toucouleurs: la vache, le livre, la lance. Paris: Karthala/ACCT 1991.

Ougoumala Sare. La guerre entre Ndje Fara Ndje et Hambodedjo Hammadi. Niamey, CELHTO/OUA. n.d. (1974?)

Seydou, Christiane. Des Preux, des Belles, des Larrons. Contes du Mali. Paris: Nubia, 1987.

-----, ed. and trans. La geste de Hambodedio ou Hama le rouge. Classiques africains. Paris: Armand Colin, 1976.

-----, ed. and trans. Silâmaka et Poullôri. Classiques africains. Paris: Armand Colin, 1972

-----. Contes et fables des veillées. Paris, Nubia, 1976.

Gilbert Vieillard. "Récits peuls du Macina et du Kounari." Bulletin du Comité d'études historique et scientifique de l'Afrique occidentale française. 14.1 (1931). 137-156.

-----. Récits peuls du Macina, du Kounari, du Djilgodji. ed. Eldridge Mohammedou. Niamey. n.p. n.d.

Franz de Zeltner. Contes du Sénégal et du Niger. Paris: E. Leroux, 1913.

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