Bafour

The Bafour or Bafur were a group of people who lived in parts of Mauritania and Western Sahara. They were known by scholars like H.T. Norris as a loose term for the people who lived in the area before the Sanhaja groups arrived.

These early people were a mix of different groups. They were part Berber, part Negro, and part Semite. This mix shows how many different cultures and peoples came together in that region long ago. The Bafour help us understand the history of the people who lived in Northwest Africa before many of the groups we know about today.

History

Some historians think that the Bafour people were the main group in Mauritania during a time called the Neolithic Era. Others believe they were farmers living near the Adrar Plateau, close to the Sahara desert. Early European maps called the area 'Adrar al Bafur' or 'Bafur Mountains'. They helped bring ways to water crops and grow date palm trees.

As new groups of people called Sanhaja Berbers moved into the area, the Bafour people mixed with them and traded goods. Over time, the Bafour became part of other groups like the Wolof, Berber, and Fula. Their history remains a bit of a mystery.

Identification

The Bafour were a group of people who lived in areas that are now Mauritania and Western Sahara. It is not clear how they relate to modern groups in West Africa. Some believe they were the original people before Berber groups arrived, while others think they were a group that mixed with other local peoples over time.

One French art historian, Jean Laude, wrote that before Islam, the land now known as Mauritania was home to the Bafour. They might be connected to groups like the eastern Songhai, central Soninke Wangara, western Serer, and coastal Imraguen.