Bilala people

The Bilala call themselves Balala. The common renditions Bilala, Bulala, and Boulala originate as foreign versions of this name. In Bornu (modern-day northeastern Nigeria), the Bilala are called the Kayi Bulala. == Early history ==

Origin , the lands around which are the present-day homeland of the Bilala. It is unclear if Lake Fitri is the original homeland of the Bilala. Much of the history of the Bilala is largely conjectural. Arabising legends cast Bilal as an early African convert to Islam and perhaps an early companion of the prophet. who was invested as a king by the prophet and who lived for two hundred years. Al-Yamani is said to have attempted to convert populations around the Red Sea and various other locations to Islam before he settled in modern-day Chad. Palmer considered this improbable and instead made the case that they were descended from mai Bulu, Kanem's legendary eighth mai. the idea of kinship between the Bilala and Sayfawa. According to some traditional accounts, the first ruler of the Bilala was Jil Sukumami It is unclear if the lands around Lake Fitri are the original homeland of the Bilala, or even whether the Bilala lived there before their association with Kanem. Several authors have considered this probable, including Gustav Nachtigal According to the girgam, the Bilala defeated and killed Dawud's immediate successors Uthman I, Uthman II, and Abubakar Liyatu. The incursion of the Bilala into Kanem and their ability to inflict frequent defeats on the Sayfawa may have been possible due to civil wars between the descendants of Idris I and Dawud. == Bilala kingdoms ==

Kanem/Gaoga (14th–17th century) in the 15th century, with Kanem (under the Bilala) and Borno (the Kanem–Bornu Empire) shown as separate statesAfter their conquest of Kanem, the leaders of the Bilala declared themselves sultans. The situation in Kanem under the Bilala is largely unknown, but it is clear that they established a powerful According to Leo Africanus, all the kingdoms of the Sudan region were subject to only three rulers: the king of "Tombuto" (=Timbuktu, i.e. the Songhai Empire), who ruled the largest domain, the king of Bornu (i.e. the Sayfawa rulers), and the king of "Gaoga", who ruled "the rest". After Idris Katagarmabe's time, the Bilala rose in rebellion against the empire several times. == Society ==

Bilala society and its organisation has changed very little under colonial occupation and has continued within the modern Republic of Chad. Yao is still considered the capital of the Bilala, and is still the seat of the sultan of Yao, their traditional leader. In the mid-1950s, the Bilala were estimated to number only around 35,000. Through assimilation with other clans, they numbered around 205,000 in 2018. The Bilala are centered around Lake Fitri, where they live in an area roughly 5,000 km2 in size. Some Bilala are also found in Massakory, in the east in Oum Hadjer, and as nomads living among the Daza people. The Bilala are largely Muslim, and educated in Quranic schools, but also retain some pre-Islamic rites and traditions. The Bilala are mostly agricultural farmers, who raise cotton, millet, and maize. Some also engage in fishing and stockbreeding. Bilala economic activity mostly centers around raising herds and trading with Muslim and Arab neighbors. == See also ==