Kirdi

History and Behaviors

The Kirdi fled to their present home during the 19th century after many battles with the Fulbe. They resisted Islam and Fulbe domination by moving their homeland to the isolated valleys and hills of the Mandara mountains.

Among the Kirdi, the Fali group, who are often distinguished by their multi-colored clothes, beautiful hairstyles, and glass beads, are seen as far more isolated than other Kirdis. However, the Guduf and the Afade, also Kirdi ethnic groups, share more with the Fali than they do with the Mousgouma who live in the plains of Chad.

They terrace the sides of hills and plant their crops in neat rows along these terraces. Crops include melons, beans, peanuts, millet, maize, and pumpkins. In addition, the people grow cotton, cereals, indigo, as well as spices and medicinal herbs for religious and hunting purposes. Labor is divided along male and female lines. A man, for example, is involved in spinning and weaving, leather making and iron making, and even basket making, whereas a woman's work includes making clay objects, working with children, preparing meals, and doing other household work. Children are respected and honored, but are put to work at a young age as caretakers of small animals, helpers in the farms, and assistants to their mothers and other siblings.

Because Kirdi houses are clustered in a village around the top of a mountain or hill by clan or lineage, it was not easy to access the Kirdi people. They protected themselves by brick barriers often overgrown by thorns. This made the villages difficult to access in an ordinary sense. Straw fences that serve not to divide, but to unite, the people connect family buildings in the Kirdi villages. The buildings are positioned around an open space that is usually reserved for public meetings, commentary, and libations. Each home has an attic, kitchen, and a room for a husband because the wife or wives live in their own houses.

The Role of Cattle

The cattle they keep are similar to other types of cattle herded by the Savanna West African Shorthorn populations such as the Baoulé and Ghana Shorthorn. However, unlike the camels, these animals do not have humps. They are rather small, with medium-size horns and usually a black or black-and-white coat. They are transhumant herders who mix with other transhumant groups who bring their cattle into the area during the dry season.

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