The Mundang people are an ethnic group of northern Cameroon, southwestern Chad, and southeastern Nigeria, a subgroup of the Kirdis. Closely related to the Sara people, they live primarily in the Mayo-Kebbi Prefecture, especially in the Lere region.
They speak the Mundang language, a subset of Mbum languages.
Globally, this group totals 663,000 in 3 countries.
The Mundang of Chad are numbering 484,000 and the Mundang of Cameroon sre numbering 179,000 (Peoplegroups.org, 2024)
They originated in Cammeroon and migrated into Chad. Today, only a minority of the approximately 110,000 remain in Cameroon. Their religious preferences are mixed—animist, Roman Catholic, and Muslim.
Most Mundangs are small farmers who grow millet on subsistence farms. Some Mundangs raise cotton as a cash crop.
Historically, the Mundang were an agricultural people; in the beginning of the 20th century they grew and harvested peas, beans, potatoes, nuts and durra. They also branched out into cotton production and raised cattle and goats, their cattle herds are maintained by Fulbes.They brewed beer as well, from millet.
The chief of the Mundang resides in Lere.
They have also adopted Fulbe dress and Fulbe forms of political organization over the years.
Mundang people in Léré built mud houses with straight roofs and polished interior walls. They also constructed circular corn silos or granaries, accessed through the roof.
The Mundang people of Chad use the billim drum, a "double-headed cylindrical drum with laced membranes" to accompany dance rhythmically, alonside an end-blown trumpet and gourd-vessel wrattle. The drum is struck on each side with a hand by the drummer, as the instrument sits on the ground.
Beyond the Mundang's folk music, the communities also have families of musicians called griots by western writers. One of these includes a modern performing act outside of Africa, Sona Jobarteh who acknowledges her Mundang heritage and sees its influence in the bluesy sound of her music.
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