The Ferlo, the dry plateau of laterite and grass between the Senegal valley and the Saloum, is grazing country for Fulbe herders who bring their cattle up from the valley's flood plain when the rains come and back to the river in the dry season.
They are kin to the settled Fulfulde-speaking people of Takrur and part of its world. On 1 January 1200, in the dry season, many herds are down by the river or at the wells and pools of the Ferlo valley. Some Fulbe groups have already begun the long drift east that will bring them to Macina.
Who holds it
- Title
- Heads of the Fulbe herding lineages (ardo, in later usage)
- Since
- Not known
- Confidence
- low
The Fulbe took shape in the Senegal valley, in Takrur; Delafosse dated their eastward migrations from the Futa Toro between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries (Wikipedia: Fula people). No herding chief is named for 1200.
Overlord
Probably the king of Takrur in some form (not recorded).
How things stand that morning
Herders on their seasonal round, loosely within Takrur's orbit.
Customs
Herding lineages under their heads; seasonal movement (transhumance); Islam among some (not measured).
Assemblies
Lineage heads; none over the whole.
Overlord claims
Takrur's king (not recorded); the valley farmers whose stubble the herds graze.
Where the sources disagree
- The Ferlo could be drawn as part of Takrur; we keep it separate because no source shows the king ruling it.
Evidence: General histories of the Fulbe; nothing specific to 1200.
On the map: Pastures drawn as a block; the herders moved through the valley and the neighbouring farmlands too.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.