Bafour

The Bafour or Bafur are a group of people inhabiting Mauritania and Western Sahara. Their origins most likely ultimately lie in the Mandé peoples, only to later be absorbed by groups such as the Wolof, Serer, Fulani, or Tuareg. Scholars such as H.T. Norris describe "Bafur (Bafour)" as a loose term to encompass the pre-Sanhaja peoples, who were "part Berber, part Negro, and part Semite." And others describe them as Mandé agriculturalists who inhabited the area prior to the arrival of the Berbers. Others say they occupied these territories in the 15th century and, before the end of the 17th century, and were comprised by various groups, including the Wolof, Berber and Fula.