Mandara people

This article is about a central African people. For other uses, see Mandara (disambiguation).
Mandara people
Mandara people were a part of a Sultanate
Regions with significant populations
 Cameroon75,000[1]
 Nigeria21,000[2]
Languages
Wandala language[3]
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Mura people, Malgwa people

The Mandara people, also known as Wandala or Mandwara, are a Central African traditionalist ethnic group found in north Cameroon northeastern Nigeria, and southeastern Chad.[4] They speak the Wandala language, which belongs to the Chadic branch of Afro-Asiatic languages found in northeastern Africa.[3]

Their origins are unclear. They live in the mountainous region and valleys north of the Benue River in Cameroon, and have long been a part of the Mandara Sultanate.[5] Their region witnessed slave trading and sub-Saharan caravans till the 19th century.[6] The Mandara people were known for their horse raising and iron working skills,[7] and featured a society that was socially stratified.[8][9][10]

  1. ^ "Mandara, Wandala in Cameroon".
  2. ^ "Mandara, Wandala in Nigeria".
  3. ^ a b (Wandala, Ethnologue; Wandala: A language of Cameroon
  4. ^ Mandara/Wandala Muller-Kosack Ethnic Handbook (1999)
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference FageGray1975p129 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference jdfage131 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ David Nicholas (2012, Editor), Metals in Mandara mountains' society and culture, Africa World Press, ISBN 978-1592218905, see Cameroon and Nigeria-related chapters: The development of endogamy among smiths of the Mandara mountains eastern piedmont: myths, history and material evidence by Olivier Langlois; and The wife of the village: understanding caste in the Mandara mountains by James H. Wade
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference sterner355 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference BissonChilds2000p160 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference DavidKramer2001p75 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).