The Wodaabe: the Beautiful People of Northwest Africa

The Wodaabe, a subculture of the larger Fulbe-speaking Fulani, are a group of nomadic cattle-herders and traders who historically have been highly influential in politics and economics throughout western Africa.  Known to have existed for over one thousand years, the Wodaabe continue to play a significant role in furthering Fulani domination in the West African region.  Referring to themselves as Bororo, the Wodaabe migration area currently stretches from southern Niger to northern Nigeria, northeastern Cameroon to the western region of the Central African Republic.  In 1983, the number of Wodaabe was estimated at 45,000; a more current assessment virtually impossible due to geographic dispersal and cultural restrictions.  Perhaps the most visually striking culture compared to other indigenous groups of this region, the Wodaabe are known for their beauty (both men and women), elaborate attire, and rich cultural ceremonies.  Read more . . .

The Gullah Language

Gullah is a language spoken by the African American population living on the sea islands and coastal region of the US states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and northeast Florida, and those commonly known as the Gullah people. The Gullah language is what linguists call an English-based creole language, which develop in the context of trade, colonialism, and slavery when people of diverse backgrounds are forced together and must devise a common means of communication.  In the case of Gullah, the vocabulary is largely English in origin, but the African languages have altered the pronunciation of almost all the English words.  Linguists today view Gullah and other creoles as complete and independent languages with their own systematic grammatical structures.  Read more . . .

Marijuana, Medicine, and Religion

During the reign of the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung Shennong (circa 5000 BP), considered the Father of herbalogical studies, cannabis was cited in the most widely-read herbal of the time, recommended for malaria, constipation, rheumatic fever, absent mindedness, insomnia, nervousness, and a variety of female disorders.  In India, hemp has been used for centuries to quicken the memory, lower fever, induce sleep, relieve headaches, and cure venereal disease.  And in Africa, marijuana has been used for malaria and other fevers–with documented results–and even today, indigenous groups continue to use cannabis poultices for snake bites and brew hemp tea for women during childbirth.  Read more . . .

Yoruba/Santeria: From Africa to the Western World

During the Americas’ long slave-trade history, the majority of Africans brought to the New World were a people known as the Yoruba, from the West Africa region of Nigeria.  The Yoruba religion (known as Santeria among Hispanics) is a traditional nature and ancestor worship system with an oral tradition going back at least 1000 years.  Many Yoruba brought to the New World were delivered to Cuba, Brazil, and Haiti to work the sugar cane fields for the Spanish government.  In order to preserve their religious traditions against Catholic repression, the African slaves syncretized their saints called "orishas" with Catholic saints. Thus, Shango became equated with Saint Barbara; Obatala, Our Lady of Mercy.  Read more . . .