ABSTRACT
In considering the father-son relationship analysis can be more refined if we consider not only the age difference between the father and son but also their respective chronological ages, for an individual's experience, capabilities, interests, and ambitions vary according to his age. Since among the Fulbe the agnatic principle is of prime significance, the behaviour patterns found among fathers, sons, and brothers are crucial toanalysis. The existence of an outside labour market is a post-Protectorate development the importance of which must be stressed, for it has undermined the father-son authority structure. When a son is old enough to get married, or is approaching that age, the tension between him and his father is, potentially, at its greatest. This tension centres about the family herd, a son begins to compete with his father for the use of cattle, and it is the supply of cattle which places a limit on the number of women married by the men of a family.
