EHESS The Slave Experience in Adamawa: Past and Present Perspectives from Yola (Nigeria) (Une approche historique de l'esclavage dans l'Adamawa du XIXe siècle ànos jours) Author(s): Catherine VerEecke Source: Cahiers d'Études Africaines, Vol. 34, Cahier 133/135, L'archipel peul (1994), pp. 23-53 Published by: EHESS Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4392512 . Accessed: 25/10/2013 22:50 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. EHESS is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Cahiers d'Études Africaines. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 129.128.216.34 on Fri, 25 Oct 2013 22:50:36 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions MACULES Catherine VerEecke The Slave Experience in Adamawa: Past and Present Perspectives from Yola (Nigeria) According to some estimates, by the late nineteenth century, slaves consti- tuted about 50 % of the population of the Islamic (Fulbe) emirate of Ada- mawa. Though seemingly extraordinary, these figures are representative of many emirates of the Sokoto caliphate, of which Adamawa formed a part. Established in 1804 in conjunction with an Islamic holy war of purification, the caliphate rapidly developed as a regional economic system, connected by elaborate trading networks, with slaves constituting the primary commodity, to be bartered, sold, or given as tribute.