![]() Mandara people were a part of a Sultanate | |
Regions with significant populations | |
---|---|
![]() | 75,000[1] |
![]() | 21,000[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]
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