The Hausa aristocracy had historically developed an equestrian based culture.[3] Still a status symbol of the traditional nobility in Hausa society, the horse still features in the Eid day celebrations, known as Ranar Sallah (in English: the Day of the Prayer)

...Sarkin Fada-The organizer of palace workers.

B. Galadima-The administrator of capital territory.

C... Waziri-The emir’s prime minister and adviser.

D... Madawaki-The commander-in-chief of armed forces.

E... Majji or Magaji-The treasure of government.

F...Sarkin Yandoka-The inspector-general of police responsible for internal security

G... Sarkin Ruwa-The regulator of the use of water resources.

H... Sarkin Pawa-The head of all butchers.

I...Yari-Chief superintended of prisons.

BELLSHEF CYBER WOLD

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GENERAL INTRODUCTION


Before the arrival of the colonial masters, the institutions or government, the position of the chiefs, the maintenance of law and order, function of the council of elders, the nature of its laws, fusion and separation of power and others. In other words, the various groups i.e. Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Fulani, The Tivs and others. All had their own systems of government which were either distinct from one another or greatly similar. The institutions to a large extent performed the same functions wherever they maybe found, but they differ markedly in names or outlook. This outward manifestation is no doubt a reflection of the ethnic and linguistic variability. Efforts would be devoted to sifting out the a

BELLSHEF CYBER WOLD

Menu
GENERAL INTRODUCTION


Before the arrival of the colonial masters, the institutions or government, the position of the chiefs, the maintenance of law and order, function of the council of elders, the nature of its laws, fusion and separation of power and others. In other words, the various groups i.e. Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Fulani, The Tivs and others. All had their own systems of government which were either distinct from one another or greatly similar. The institutions to a large extent performed the same functions wherever they maybe found, but they differ markedly in names or outlook. This outward manifestation is no doubt a reflection of the ethnic and linguistic variability. Efforts would be devoted to sifting out the areas of convergence and similarity.

The main features’ of the pre-colonial traditional forms of government centered on the basic functions of government in the present day. These include the legislative, executive and judicial functions. At times, the three functions are performed by the same person(s) but at different periods. These functions are invariably cloaked religious sacredness so that people were made to obey through fear of the wrath of the gods.

The traditional ruler, who is the central figure in the pre-colonial systems of administration, was the Chief, Keing, Obi, Oba, Tor as the case may be. He is embodiment of all that was needed for effective administration. He was held in very high esteem among his people, because he was regarded as the representation of the gods on earth. At different times, he performed such as the executive, the legislative, the judicial and even the religious functions. The traditional ruler exercise tremendous power but they were not absolution. There were checks and balances built into the system of government.

The legislative function of the chief and his councils of chiefs include formulation of rules and laws and the declaration of customary laws. It is the duty of the traditional to make laws for the day to day ruling of the government in his domain.

The executive function of the traditional ruler includes appointment of his subordinate chiefs on a zonal basis or quarter allocation. Then subordinate chief would carry out the directives of the king. The age group (grade) and members of the community help to carry out community duties, and at times serve as a police force to enforce law. The chief –in-council, could declare war and make peace

The judicial function of the chief is exercised when he pronounces on disputes among members of the community. He settles disputes as occasion arises. He is the final court of appeal in matters that have been settled at the quarter of the level. Punishments involve banishment or death penalty.

The chief or king is also the chief priest in the community. He leads his people in all religious spheres, and uses religious power to support his legislative, judicial and executive function.



 THE HAUSA

The Hausa city-state first emerged between 1000 and 1200 AD. The Hausa developed from a mixture of southern Saharan nomads and local mixed farmers of the northern Nigeria savannah. Their basic political unit was a compact walled village. The wooden stockade of early Hausa villages was to protect themselves from southern Saharan traders. The stockade covered a large area enclosing not only the principal dwellings of the settlement, but also a considerable content of cultivable land. In times of trouble the village enclosure could protect the Hausa of district and their livestock through a lengthy siege. As the population increased, village grouped together under the largest Hausa town. In time there developed into walled cities which became the capital of the states. Hausa, name of an African people of northwestern Nigeria and southwestern Niger. The Hausa are a racially diverse but culturally fairly homogeneous tribe numbering about 10 million to 15 million people.
Historically organized into a group of feudal city-states, the Hausa were conquered from the 14th century on by a succession of West African kingdoms—among them, Mali, Songhai, Bornu, and Fulani. The Hausa occasionally attained enough power and unity, however, to throw off foreign domination and to engage in local conquest and slave raiding themselves. In the opening years of the 20th century, with the Hausa on the verge of overthrowing the Fulani, the British invaded northern Nigeria and instituted their policy of indirect rule. Under the British the Fulani were supported in their political supremacy, and the Hausa-Fulani ruling coalition, still dominant in northern Nigeria, was confirmed. The beginnings of this coalition were, however, much earlier, because the Fulani governed by simply assuming the highest hereditary positions in the well-organized Hausa political system. Many of the ruling Fulani have now become culturally and linguistically Hausa.
Although the earliest Hausas were animists, Islam is now the dominant organized religion among all but several thousand Hausa, called Maguzawa. Hausa culture manifests a greater degree of specialization and diversification than that of most of the surrounding peoples. Subsistence agriculture is the primary occupation of most, but other skills such as tanning, dyeing, weaving, and metalworking are also highly developed. Hausas have long been famous for wide-ranging itinerant trading, and wealthy merchants share the highest social positions with the politically powerful and the learned.
The Hausa language is the largest and best-known member of the Chadic subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages. Hausa has borrowed freely from other languages, especially Arabic, and is adapting well to the demands of contemporary cultural change. It has become a common language for millions of non-Hausa West Africans, and sizable Hausa-speaking communities exist in each major city of West and North Africa as well as along the trans-Saharan trade and pilgrimage routes. An extensive literature and several periodicals in Romanized script have been produced since the beginning of British rule. An Arabic-based writing system, developed before the British conquest, is still in limited use.