Gula, also spelled ''Goula'', is an ethnic group who lives in

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...

Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

, and

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

. In the Central African Republic, they live in the northern regions of

Vakaga Vakaga is one of the 20 prefectures of the Central African Republic. Its capital is Birao. It covers an area of 46,500 km and has a population of 52,255 (2003 census). In 2024, official estimates suggest the population reached 89,189 inhabit ...

Bamingui-Bangoran Bamingui-Bangoran is one of the 20 prefectures of the Central African Republic. It covers an area of 58,200 km2 and had a population of 43,229 as of the 2003 census. The capital is Ndélé. In 2024, official estimates suggest the population ...

, and

Haute-Kotto Haute-Kotto (, "Upper Kotto") is one of the 20 prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdiv ...

History

Gula people are believed to have originated from

Blue Nile The Blue Nile is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It travels for approximately through Ethiopia and Sudan. Along with the White Nile, it is one of the two major Tributary, tributaries of the Nile and supplies about 85.6% of the wa ...

region in Ethiopia. Around 1750, they migrated to

Darfur Darfur ( ; ) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju () while ruled by the Daju, who migrated from Meroë , and it was renamed Dartunjur () when the Tunjur ruled the area. ...

. In Darfur, the Gula people faced hostility from the

Fur A fur is a soft, thick growth of hair that covers the skin of almost all mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an ...

. Consequently, they migrated to an area near Lake Mamoun, Vakaga, in 1795. Lake Mamoun was chosen because there was plenty of fish, and the area was uninhabited before they arrived. In the 19th century, Gula people were often attacked by slave raiders from Darfur,

Dar al Kuti Dar al Kuti ('Dar al-Kuri' in some sources) was an Islamic state in the center and northwest of the present Central African Republic which existed from around 1830 until 17 December 1912. From around 1800 the name Dar al-Kuti was given to a stre ...

, and Kara. Moreover, they had to pay a tribute of 1,000 slaves, ivory, honey, and copper to Darfur. Enslavement of Gula reached its peak in 1890-1911 when Dar al Kuti's ruler, Muhammad al-Sanussi, sent slave raiders to the Gula region to obtain slaves and pillage the villages. Hence, by 1905, Vakaga was depopulated and Gula fled to either

N'Délé N'Délé or Ndele is a market town and sub prefecture in the north eastern Central African Republic, lying east of the Bamingui-Bangoran National Park. Ndélé is the capital of Bamingui-Bangoran, one of the 16 prefectures of the Central African ...

Abéché Abéché (, ''Absha'') is a city in Chad and the capital of the Ouaddaï Region. It is one of the List of cities in Chad, largest cities in the country and has within it the remnants of the ancient capital, including palaces, mosques, and the tom ...

. Gula only returned to Vakaga after France subjugated

in 1911. In 1926–1927, France ordered Gula to live in settlements along the Ouanda Djalle-Birao Road for defensive purposes. They also recruited Gula men for the

Congo–Ocean Railway The Congo–Ocean Railway (COR; , ) links the Atlantic port of Pointe-Noire (now in the Republic of Congo) with Brazzaville, a distance of . It bypasses the rapids on the lower Congo River; from Brazzaville, river boats are able to ascend the Con ...

project. Some Gula refused to follow France's order and fled to

. Around 1960, Gula converted from animism to Islam. Nevertheless, they still retained some pre-Islam practices.

Groups

Gula is divided into two major groups and eight subgroups: Each sub-group has its dialect and Sara is the most distinct dialect.

Social life

Gula is a patrilineal society. For marriage, Gula allows

levirate Levirate marriage is a type of marriage in which the brother of a deceased man is obliged to marry his brother's widow. Levirate marriage has been practiced by societies with a strong clan structure in which exogamous marriage (i.e. marriage ou ...

marriage. Polygamy is common practice among Gula people.

Economic life

Gula people heavily rely on agriculture, hunting, and fishing for their livelihood. Millet, sorghum, and peanuts are the plants that the Gula people cultivate. They also made alcoholic beverages made from millet. Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park is the place where Gula does their hunting activities. Nowadays, Gula also involve in diamond mining activity in Bria.

Notable people

* Arnaud Djoubaye Abazène, current minister of justice * Herbert Gontran Djono Ahaba, Central African politician and current minister of transport and civil aviation *

Michel Djotodia Michel Am-Nondokro Djotodia (born c. 1949) is a Central African politician who was President of the Central African Republic from 2013 to 2014. He was the first Muslim to hold that office in the predominantly Christian country. Djotodia was a ...

, former president of

* Joseph Kalite, former minister of agriculture and health. * Damane Zakaria, Central African warlord and former leader of

Patriotic Rally for the Renewal of the Central African Republic Patriotic Rally for the Renewal of the Central African Republic (RPRC, ) was an armed group in the Central African Republic based in the northern part of the country, in Ouadda and Sam Ouandja in Haute-Kotto and Tiringoulou in Vakaga. History ...

Joseph Zoundeiko General Joseph Zoundeiko (or Zindeko) (born 1969-1970, died 11 February 2017) was the leader of military wing of the Central African rebel militia alliance, Séléka. Early life and career Born in Tiringoulou, Vakaga, he worked as a guard an ...

, Central African warlord

References

Bibliography

* * Ethnic groups in the Central African Republic Ethnic groups in Chad Central Sudanic peoples {{CentralAfricanRepublic-stub