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Mauritania
Index
The Toucouleur, also called the Halpularen, differ from the
Fulbe primarily in terms of livelihood and dialect. Most
Toucouleur live along the Senegal River in Mauritania and
Senegal. As founders of the ancient kingdom of Takrur, they
incorporated a number of local peoples, including the Wolof and
Soninké, into their society. The Toucouleur speak Fulfulde, a
dialect of Pulaar (the language of the Fulbe) that includes many
borrowings from their neighbors and differs from Pulaar in
pronunciation, vocabulary, and syntax. Most Toucouleur are
sedentary farmers, in contrast with the nomadic Fulbe.
In addition to nobles, freemen, artisans, and slaves or
former slaves, the Toucouleur also recognize social groupings
based on age. Called fedde, these age-groups are involved
in a number of rituals designed to ensure solidarity and pledges
of friendship between families. Descent is patrilineal, and the
patrilineage is the most important kinship group. Nonetheless,
maternal kin also play important roles at critical points in an
individual's life.
The Toucouleur are Muslim, and, like many of their neighbors,
they believe in divination and supernatural power (baraka)
associated with Islamic holy men. They are members of the
Tijaniya Islamic brotherhood
(see Religious Life
, this ch.).
Data as of June 1988
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