Tukulor
Tukulor (also Tukulör , Tokolor , Toucouleur , Tekarir or Takarir ) is the name of a mainly in Senegal and Mauritania resident ethnic group with more than 800,000 members. The Tukulor speak Pulaar , just like the Fulbe , also called Peul. Because of the common language, both are summarized as halpulars .
The economic basis of the Tukulor, mainly in southern Mauritania and northern Senegal, on the lower reaches of the Senegal River , is the cultivation of sorghum , which is supplemented by cattle breeding. Today, however, large parts of the population earn their living in the urban centers, where some of them occupy key positions in administration. The Tukulor profess Islam .
The Tukulor probably made up the core population of the empire Tekrur (also Takrur), founded in the early Middle Ages at the latest , in which they held political supremacy in the 11th and 12th centuries and from which their name is probably derived.
Tekrur, which ruled southern Mauritania and east Senegal until the 14th century and belonged to the Wolof states in the 15th century , drew its wealth from trade and was Islamized as early as the 11th century. In the 19th century, the Tukulor achieved political supremacy in large parts of West Africa through jihad under the ideological direction of the religious leaders known as torobe . The most famous conqueror, Al-Hajj Omar from Fouta Toro , subjugated a vast area, which however, after his death in 1864, could not be preserved by his successors. The Segu-Tukulor empire extended over today's states of Mauritania, Senegal and Mali. With the beginning of colonial rule, however, the Tukulor lost their political supremacy in the region at the end of the 19th century.
Web links
- Peul lady with child (photo)
- Fulani Shepherd (photo)
