Ana iya samun shaidar farko da ta ba da haske game da al’adun Fulanin da ke cikin tarihi kafin a samo su a cikin fasahar dutsen Tassili n’Ajjer, wanda alama ke nuna rayuwar farkon mutanen da ta fara daga 6000 KZ). Binciken wadannan zane-zanen dutsen ya nuna kasancewar halaye na al’adun Fulani a cikin yankin da akalla karni na 4 KZ. Tassili-N’Ajjer a Aljeriya tana daya daga cikin shahararrun wuraren Arewacin Afirka da ke da zanen dutse na tarihi.
Malaman da suka kware a al’adun Fulanin sun yi amannar cewa wasu hotunan suna nuna al’adun gargajiyar da mutanen Fulanin zamani ke yi har yanzu. Misali a dandalin Tin Tazarift, masanin tarihi Amadou Hampate Ba ya fahimci wurin da aka yi bikin ‘lotori’, bikin asalin shanu na ruwa. A cikin zanen yatsa, Ba ya gano wata ma’anar tatsuniyar hannun Bafulatanin makiyayi na farko, Kikala. A Tin Felki, Ba ya amince da lu’ulu’u mai nauyin gaske wanda yake da alaka da gicciyen Agades, wanda har yanzu matan Fulanin ke amfani da ita ta haihuwar. Har ila yau, akwai cikakkun bayanai a cikin zanen wanda ya dace da abubuwa daga tatsuniyoyin Fulani da aka koyar yayin ayyukan farawa kamar saniyar hermaphroditic.
Filin gabatarwar Fulani yana dauke ne da hoto wanda rana ta zagaye da da’irar da aka kawata tare da kawunan shanu a matsayin bangarori daban-daban na wata a kasa wanda maza da mata suka mamaye su. Siffar mace harma tana da rataye da gashin gashi a bayanta. Kodayake ba a tsayar da takamaiman ranakun da za a zana su ba, amma babu shakka sun yi yawa sosai fiye da lokacin tarihi lokacin da aka fara lura da Fulani a Yammacin Sahara.
Fulanin na iya kasancewa suna da hannu wajen kafa wata jiha da babban birninta a Takrur wanda aka ba da shawarar kasancewar kwararar Fulanin daga gabas suna zaune a kwarin Senegal. kodayake John Donnelly Fage ya ba da shawarar cewa an kirkiro Takrur ne ta hanyar mu’amala da Berbers daga Sahara da “mutanen noma na Negro” wadanda “da gaske suke Serer”.
Fadada aikin gona ya haifar da rarrabuwar kai a tsakanin Fulanin, inda aka sanya mutane a matsayin wadanda ke cikin ko dai kungiyar masu fadada nomad nomad ko kuma kungiyar Fulani wadanda suka fi jin dadin yin watsi da hanyoyin makiyaya na gargajiya da zama a garuruwa ko kuma Fulbe Wuro. Garuruwan Fulani sun kasance sakamakon sakamako ne na kayan makiyaya kuma galibi wasu mutane ne da suka zabi zama suka zauna a wani yanki maimakon su ci gaba da tafiya.
Wannan alakar al’adar tana iya faruwa ne a kasar Senegal, inda mutanen da ke da alaka da alakar harsunan Toucouleur, Serer da Wolof suka fi yawa, wanda a karshe ya haifar da asalin al’adun Fulani, yare da mutane kafin fadadawa ta gaba a yawancin Yammacin Afirka. Wata sigar ita ce, asalinsu mutane ne masu magana da harshen Berber da suka ketare Senegal don kiwon shanunsu a Hamadar Ferlo da ke kudu da Kogin Senegal. Kasancewar sun yanke kansu daga danginsu da sauran al’ummomin da ke yanzu ke zaune a kwarin Senegal mai albarka, a hankali suka fara amfani da yaren sabbin makwabtansu. Yayin da garkensu suka karu, kananan kungiyoyi suka sami kansu da matsawa zuwa gabas da kuma kara kudu kuma don haka suka fara jerin kaura a cikin Yammacin Afirka, wanda ke wanzuwa har zuwa yau.
Tabbacin hijirar Fulani gabadaya, daga Yammaci zuwa Gabashin Sudan yana da rarrabuwa. Delafosse, daya daga cikin wadanda suka nemi sanin tarihin Fulani da al’adunsu, musamman ya dogara da al’adun baka, ya kiyasta cewa Fulanin bakin haure sun bar Fuuta-Tooro, da Macina, zuwa gabas, tsakanin karni na sha daya da na sha hudu. A karni na 15, akwai kwararar baki daga Fulbe zuwa cikin kasar Hausa sannan, daga baya, Bornu. Daga baya an rubuta kasancewar su Baghirmi lokacin da Fulani suka yi yaki a matsayin kawaye, zuwa Dokkenge ko Birni Besif, lokacin da ya kafa Massenya (garin Chadi), a farkon karni na 16.
A karshen karni na 18, kauyukan Fulani sun cika ko’ina a cikin kwarin Kogin Benuwai da rakumanta. Sun bazu zuwa gabas zuwa Garoua da Rey Bouba, kuma kudu sun nufi Kogin Faro, zuwa kasan Mambilla Plateau, wanda daga baya zasu hau zuwa shekaru masu zuwa. Concentididdigar mafi girman kauyukansu sun kasance a Gurin, yankin Chamba, Cheboa, Turua da Bundang. Wadannan da ake kira “Benue-Fulani” sun rage yawan zirga-zirgar da suke yi daga wuri zuwa wuri. Adadin shekarun da suka yi a wuri daya ya dogara ne da dalilai biyu: yadda magabata da suka gabata a waccan yankin suka kasance game da kasantuwarsu, da kuma yadda yanayin ya gamsar, watau, samun makiyaya domin shanunsu.
Tarihi
Asalin mutanen Fulanin ba a bayyane ba kuma an sanya ra’ayoyi daban-daban. A matsayinsu na makiyaya makiyaya, sun ci gaba tare da tsakanin wasu al’adu da yawa. Skutsch ya lura cewa tarihinsu na baka yana nuna farawa a cikin Jordan ko kuma gabas, amma kuma harshensu ya fito ne daga yankin Senegambian. Ya kammala da cewa mutanen Fulanin zamani sun fara ne daga yankin arewacin Senegambian.
Walter Rodney a cikin littafinsa mai suna The History of the Upper Guinea Coast, ya bayar da hujjar cewa Fulbe asalinsu daga Arewacin Afirka suke kuma sun ci yankin Foota Djallon da Fulani Koli Tenguella ke jagoranta.
