Bilala people

Bilala / Bulala

Bilala / Bulala

The Bilala or Bulala are a Muslim people that live around Lake Fitri, in the Batha Prefecture, in central Chad. The last Chadian census in 1993 stated that they numbered 136,629 people. These three peoples are collectively known as Lisi and are believed to be descendants of main ethnic groups of the Sultanate of Yao.

The Bilala have lived near Lake Fitri (or Lake Chad) for over five hundred years. They were originally nomadic people who settled down to grow their crops and raise their livestock near the lake.

Bilala People


History

They first appeared in the 14th century near lake Fitri as a nomadic clan led by scions of the Sayfawa dynasty. They were originally a political entity that came about as a result of fusion of the Kayi (old Zaghawa = current Kanembu, the clan exist even today in Kanem) and Ngizimis Kanembu clan, which exists event today in Dibbinintchi, Lake Tchad inhabitants of the Fittri region. Settled east of the Kanem Empire, in today's Chad, they shattered the empire's power, killing five of six of Kanem's mais (kings) between 1376 and 1400.

At the end the Bulala conquered Kanem and forced the Kanem mais to migrate to Bornu. As a result, the Bulala put their hands on Kanem, founding in the 15th century the Muslim sultanate of Yao. The Kanem-Bornu Empire counter-attacked a century later under Ali Gazi. Kanem was retaken by Ali's son after a great battle at Garni Kiyala, forcing the Bulala to move east, where they were to remain a menace for centuries to Kanem-Bornu. It continued also to be a flourishing kingdom: the traveller Leo Africanus even thought that the Bulala's reign was richer than Kanem-Bornu for its prosperous trade with Egypt.

 

Language

Their language, Naba, is divided in four dialects and is a part of the Central Sudanic language family; it is shared by two of their neighbours, the Kuka and the Medogo. Along with the Kuka and Medogo peoples, the Bilala make up a larger group, the Lisi. The three groups speak mutually intelligible languages and often intermarry.

Bilala Naba is divided into four dialects, It is shared by two of their neighbors in Central Chad such as the Kuka and Medogo.

The Bilala speak a language called Naba. Audio Scripture recordings are available in Naba. Many Bilala also speak Arabic, which serves as a trade language in Chad. There are few, if any, known believers among the Bilala.

 

Economy

The primary occupation of the Bilala is agriculture, along with some animal husbandry. The Bilala grow crops such as millet, sorghum, cotton, and manioc (a tuberous, starchy root). Women usually have their plots of land near their homes. There, they cultivate vegetables for family consumption or sale. Wild rice, roots, locust beans, and wild fruits are also gathered from the forests near Lake Fitri.

In their Culture women have their own lands and they cultivate vegetables as well some practice hunting, they keep sheep, donkeys horses, camels and other cattles, milking of cows and they use the milk to make butter and cheese, women are very caring, helpful,  they help their husbands with farming,

Many Bilala have sheep, horses, camels, and a few cattle. Unlike most of their neighbors, the Bilala milk their animals and make butter. Women perform this task. The men do the hunting, herding and most of the fishing. The women do some fishing, help the men with the agricultural work, and gather forest products. In addition, the women perform all domestic duties such as preparing the meals, collecting the firewood and caring for the children. The entire region of central Chad has several local and regional markets. The men usually trade at the larger, regional markets in caravans, while the women engage in trade at the local markets near their villages.

 

Religion

The Bilala are a Muslim people who live in the central region in Chad.

Villages and Culture

The Bilala live in compact villages, each of which is run by a local chief. The chief and the village elders are to settle disputes between the villagers and deal with outsiders.

In their tradition each village is under a chief, the chief and elders are in charge and also they built round huts which have mudbricks, mat walls and cone shaped with thatch roofs .

The rural Bilala live in round huts that have mud-brick or mat walls and cone-shaped thatch roofs. In the larger towns, they also made the dwellings of mud-brick, but they have flat roofs made of beaten earth. The villages comprise several fenced-in, rectangular compounds. Each compound contains several huts belonging to an extended family.

Polygamy is common among the Bilala. According to Islamic law, a man may have up to four wives. The first wife has privileged status and is considered the "chief" among the others. Each additional wife has her hut where her children will live with her until they are old enough to live on their own.

A Biala girl will live in her mother's hut until she is ready to marry. However, a boy will move out of his mother's hut as soon as he is old enough to build his hut after he reaches puberty. Families arrange marriages with the consent of the young people.

 

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