Kikala: The First Fulani Shepherd and the Sacred Cattle
According to Fulani legend, the first Fulani shepherd was Kikala, whose hand with six fingers contains the primordial genealogy of the Fulani people. Four fingers represent the four great Fulani aristocratic families (Dyal, Ba, So, and Bari), the fifth finger represents allied tribes, and the sixth represents those in symbiosis with the Fulani. Shortly before his death, Kikala divided his cattle among his first four sons by color, establishing the clan system. The Fulani believe cattle originated from water, and the annual Lotori ceremony drives herds to waterholes in remembrance of their wate