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 Portrait of a Yalunka (1861) | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Over 1.3 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Guinea | 131,000[1][unreliable source] |
 Senegal | 136,000[2] |
 Sierra Leone | 52,000[3] |
 Mali | 19,000[4][unreliable source] |
| Languages | |
| Yalunka,French | |
| Religion | |
| PredominantlyIslam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Susu people,Soninke people, Mikhifore people,Jakhanke people, | |
TheYalunka, orDialonké, are aMandé-speaking people and the original inhabitants ofFuta Jallon (French:Fouta Djallon), a mountainous region inGuinea,West Africa.[5] The Yalunka people live primarily inGuinea, particularly inFaranah, while smaller communities are found inKouroussa. Additional Yalunka are also located in northeasternSierra Leone, southeasternSenegal, and southwesternMali.[6]
The Yalunka are a branch of theMandé peoples and are closely related to theSusu people.[7][8] Some scholars classify the two as one group, The Yalunka are notable for having first converted to Islam, but then renouncing Islam en masse when MuslimFula people began dominating their region. In the eighteenth century, many of the Yalunka's were displaced from the Futa Jallon.[9][10] The Yalunka fought against theFula jihads, left Futa Jallon, migrating south to the foothills of the mountains inMamou or east to live amongst theMandinka people of Upper Guinea, others migrated and established new towns such asFalaba near the region whereRokel River starts, while the remaining of the Yalunka went further into the mountains to settle among theKuranko,Limba andKissi people. In the midst some were raided by AlmamySamori Toure during theWassoulou Empire expansion. Ultimately, The Yalunka were subdued and absorbed by theImamate of Futa Jallon.[9][6]
They speak theYalunka language, which belongs to the Mande branch of theNiger–Congo language family. Yalunka is mutually intelligible withSusu language.[citation needed]
The Yalunka people are referred to as Jalonca, Jalonga, Jalonka, Jalooke, Jalonke, Jalunka, Jalunke, Jellonke, Yalanka, Yalonga, Yalounka, Yalunga, Yalonka, Yalonke, Yalunke, Dialanké, Dialinké, Dialonka, Dialonque, Djallonké, Djallonka, Djallounké, Djallounka, Dyalonké, Dyalonka, or Dialonké.[11][12][13]
The meaning of the term Dialonké," literally means 'inhabitants of the mountains.' Jallon meaning 'mountain' in the Yalunka language and which name only Futa carries in contemporary extends from the northeast ofSiguiri to the mountainous massif of Futa. Jallon is a name that portrays a situation of pride, unlike authors such as André Arcin have claimed, derived from the surname Diallo of the Fulani.[14][15]
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The Yalunka people originated in the mountainousKoulikoro along theNiger River valley.[16] According to Susu oral tradition, they Identify the Yalunka with the medievalSosso Empire ofSoumaoro Kanté.[17][18][19] The earliest evidence suggests that sometime around the eleventh century, the Yalunka people arrived in the hilly plateau region of the Futa Jallon in Guinea, since the disintegration of the Sosso Empire.[20][21] The Yalunka people were agricultural animists and among the first settlers in Jallonkadu, the former name in what eventually became Futa Jallon. At first, the Yalunka accepted Islam. After the seventeenth century, Islamic theocracies supported by theFula people began a period of Fula dominance and their version of Islam in the region traditionally occupied by the Yalunka. The Yalunka people, along with theSusu people, then renounced Islam.[9][22] The Fula people and their leaders, such asKaramokho Alfa andIbrahima Sori, launched a series of jihads targeted against the Yalunka in the eighteenth century. The Yalunka were defeated, subdued, and returned to Islam in 1778.[23] The jihads contributed immensely to the Solima Yalunka state's creation in Guinea and Sierra Leone's northeastern boundary in the nineteenth century.[24] In the time of the Yalunka's desolation, AlmamySamori Touré collaborated with the Fulani, French, andToucouleur allies, against the Yalunka people, In the process Samori Touré consistently attacked the Yalunka.[25][26]
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The Yalunka are predominantlyMuslim and are considered devout. At the same time, they have retained many pre-Islamic beliefs and practices, combining the two in a syncretic way. One of their traditional practice isBarinkiina, which involves making sacrifices in memory of their ancestors to gain power. They also make sacrifices forSuxurena andNyinanna, or nature spirits, to gain powers.[27]
The New Testament was translated into theYalunka language byPioneer Bible Translators's current president, Greg Pruett in 2013.[citation needed]
The Yalunka people commonly practicepolygyny. Arranged marriages are their traditional practice, and they follow theIslamic law that a man may have up to four living wives. The first wife has seniority and authority over the wives he marries later.[27] The husband, according to Bankole Taylor, "has complete control over his wives and is responsible for feeding and clothing them".[27]
The Yalunka society ispatriarchal, consisting of households headed by a man, his wife or wives, and their unmarried children.[27] Extended households form a compound, which may consist of two or more married men from the same father and their families, each living in a separate hut.[27]
The Yalunka people also utilize practices of theBondo secret society which aims at gradually but firmly establishing attitudes related to adulthood in girls, discussions on fertility, morality and proper sexual comportment. The society also maintains an interest in the well-being of its members throughout their lives.[28][29][30]
The Yalunka are primarily subsistence farmers, with rice and millet being their staple crops. Peanuts, sweet potatoes, maize, and beans are also grown. Chickens, herds of cattle, and flocks of sheep and goats are kept. Goats and cattle provide milk as a food source, which is used directly and processed for cheese and other products. This livestock, such as goats and cattle, is significant as a marker of wealth and because they serve as bride-price payments. The boy's family gives animals to the girl's family before the marriage takes place—these animals are used as a means of economic exchange.[31]
Among the Yalunka, herding is done by the children. The women milk the cattle and help the men in some of the agricultural work.[31]
The Yalunka live in larger settlements established since the eighteenth century. The Yalunka region is mixed savannah and forest. The country is hilly, and most of it is 1,000 to 2,000 feet above sea level. Most Yalunka settlements are located in the valleys between the hills. Since the 1950s, many Yalunka have migrated to cities to find work.[31]
Some Yalunka surnames are:
