Musical Traditions of the Fulani Pastoralists in Adamawa State: Documentation and Analysis

This study documents and analyses the musical traditions of Fulani pastoralist communities in Adamawa State, North East Nigeria. The Fulani people, known primarily as nomadic cattle herders, maintain a rich oral musical tradition encompassing flute playing, praise singing, and communal work songs that reflect their pastoral lifestyle, social values, and spiritual orientation. Music accompanies cattle herding, seasonal migrations, healing rituals, and lifecycle ceremonies. Despite their cultural significance, Fulani musical traditions in the North East remain largely undocumented in academic literature, particularly as sedentarisation and modernisation reshape community practices. This research employs ethnographic fieldwork methods, including extended field visits to Fulani encampments and settlements in Yola North and Ganye local government areas, audio-visual recording of performances, and interviews with Fulani musicians and elders. The study employs Hornbostel-Sachs instrument classification and thematic song analysis to organise findings systematically. It further examines how sedentarisation, inter-ethnic conflict, and media exposure are modifying traditional Fulani musical practice across the region. Findings will produce a documentation archive of Fulani musical heritage in Adamawa and contribute to the broader ethnomusicological literature on nomadic music cultures in West Africa. Keywords: Fulani music, Adamawa State, pastoralist culture, ethnomusicology, documentation.