₦airaland Forum

LisbonForeigner:
Dear fellow Nairalanders,

I have learned tremendously with this quite educative thread. Thank you very much for sharing so much! I am in need of some help and perhaps some of you will be able to assist me in spreading Hausa culture in my country. I am teaching a course on African Literatures in Portugal early in 2017. I would like to include traditional Nigerian literature because it is so rich and unknown in Portugal. Can anyone PLEASE help me find the story of Burtuntuna (in English or in Hausa, I can read a little Hausa)? Does any of you know this story? I googled it but did not find the full text. Also I would very very much appreciate any other texts of traditional Hausa folktales (in Hausa or in English - full texts). I have Igbo, Fulani and Yoruba friends who helped me with folktales in their languages, but sadly I don't have any Hausa friends to help me.

I thank you very much in advance!

Please help!

Here is collection of hausa folklores written in english http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/hausa/

VomeSchakleton:
I find it especially funny that he admits hes not a historian but somehow relies on botched subjective internet material and swears by it. I dont understand how a person can still be butthurt about something that happened over a hundred years ago and no one even cares about. And about the maikano part, the only maikano i know is a fulani man so i dont understand where this radical gets his sources from.

I realised its best to leave him to his interpretation of history.

An aunt to my step brother at wurno sokoto calls me Maikano, being that i bear the name of her father Abdullahi, so i am not against you on this.

VomeSchakleton:
do you see why you're clueless? a certified piece of history is one that must be found and accepted by all. though i dont believe it, elements of the bayajidda myth is found all over hausa land, including land marks to prove it. living in the cant cant stop you but it limits your resources and i see it does hinder ones reasoning.

Bayajidda is not our progenitor. its tale to call him our progenitor. His account in daura and the kusugu well can be believed but he didnt gave birth to hausa tribes not even the daurawas who he met nor the oldest gobirawas the true origin of hausas.

VomeSchakleton:
Lol! And how are they trying to separate anything? Gobir is one of the original hausa states, if any state is our origin then based on legend it should be daura and they still have the kusugu well to prove it. Youre the one whos trying by all means to establish some sort of superiority over hausas which quite frankly is laughable yet understandable. Every ethnicity or hausa state is always trying to do the same and they all have some sort of legend to prove it. Somehow i still cant fathom how you can think of of the youngest hausa states is the progenitor of all others.

And again if they came looking for their brothers, it still doesnt make them progenitors, just related. You need to take a second look at your sources and stop talking like a dolt. I dont understand how you can live in the east and claim to understand hausa history better than everyone based on partial material you read on the internet.

Ask sokoto historians how they got sakkwatane tushen hausa and they will give you more detail on it. Living in the east cannot stop me from making research on my history.

Baaballiyo:
@Bolded.
So Muhammad Bello is after all proficient; wonderful that coming from you.
I wonder how the Gobirawas made the Fulanis who they are; while apart from those fulani living in their domain no other fulani clan had any dealings with them.

I see you dont know that Kano is a name of person, Kano was named after him and Hadejiya was name after a couple named Hade and Jiya who were originaly Kanuri.

No one is trying to severe any bond here we are just trying to account for events gone by.
Finally Maikano is a name given to any person named Abdullahi, because of the late Emirs of Kano Abdullahi Bayero or Abdullahi Maje Karofi.

Lastly like my brother Gorkosusaay advised we should be wary of Internet materials.

Our historians at tsibirin gobir have the authentic history of your forefather danfodio, his stay with gobirawas at alkalawa, how he was favoured before he grows wing and started bitting them not what you posted on internet about him. Gobirawas regard fulanis as terrorists because of what danfodio did to them and how his decendants are terrorising their farms. Some of our family members have; my step brother of wurno sokoto, who we shared same mother has fulani descent in him and our only sister who is marrying gobir mixed fulani

Baaballiyo:
Abin dariya; wai Yaro ya tsinci haqori. So you mean Gobirawa sun baro garinsu a Nijar a wancan Zamanin da ya shude domin su raba fada tsakanin yan"uwansu Hausawa ?

Baku isa ku raba hanta da jini ba duk tsiyar ku. Gobirawane tushen hausa take it or leave it.

GorkoSusaay:
Dan Zubair, I don't think the Toronkawa changed Gobirawa history or anything such. What happened is very simple. Gobir was defeated, the dynasty scattered, and its history was seemingly lost. There is no attempt to deny, erase, or obliterate Gobirawa history. Actually, if you read the works by Boyd and Mack on Sokoto history, you will know that Gobirawa sources were used to confirm or highlight some traditions pertaining to Sokoto. Waziri Junaidu of Sokoto (1903-1997) was very well-versed in oral traditions and many histories were confirmed by custodians of oral history from Tibiri in Niger.

Now about Inna Garka (Hauwa), the third wife of Shehu Usman dan Fodio. You are very wrong to say that she is a Gobirawa Hausa. She was the daughter of a Fulani Mallam, although she might have had Hausa ancestry. What is known is that many of the wives/concubines of the leaders of the second generation were Gobirawa. For example, Sultan Aliyu Babba's mother was Ladi, a Gobirawa princess.

I do think that Gobirawa, Kanawa, Zazzagawa are all part of the same culture. Which was the originator of the other, it is very hard to say. But Gobir, Kano and Zaria are all considered as Hausa Bakwai and that should be enough to put them in the same equal footing. Whether Gobirawa believes that they are superior to other Hausa groups is not surprising actually. But it is not true.
Gobir was among the most powerful Hausa sarautar in the 18th century. Hadejia, Daura were under the influence of Borno while Gobir was always resisting Bornou's encroachment. Besides, Gobir had some influence on Kebbi and Katsina during the rule of Sarkin Bawa Jan Gwarzo. So, this 'superiority complex' might come from that.

And I don't think that reading the Internet is a good way for knowing Gobir history. After all, Abraham Lincoln warns us not to believe anything we read on the Internet . Any fool with an agenda and a keyboard can spew anything he wants and have us believe it is gospel.

This is how past torankawa historians twisted all our history and heritage to favour themselves. Inna garka is bagobira of present isa l.g.a of sokoto state, she is not daughter of a fulani malam. Stop degrading hausa history, we dont mean any harm to you, fulanis. Give credit to who its due, her being bagobira wont stop your leadership.

Gobirawas are the origin of hausas, take it or leave it. I read it from Nuhou salihou's website when it was still funtioning. Even our enemy, torankawas knows that and can attest that we are the origin of hausas no matter the hate they have for us. The saying (Sakkwatawane tushen hausa) was gotten from us.

Sokoto east/ Gobir district is a district in sokoto state with eight local governments; wurno, sabon birnin gobir, isa, illela, gwadabawa, goronyo, rabah where gobirawas are the majority and your here saying that gobirawas were scattered or our history seemingly lost. Our historians at tsibirin gobir have our history, its not lost as your wishing.


Kanuris are among the tribes that our gobir forefathers maintained cordial relationship with. According to sultan bala marafa, the present sultan of tsibirin gobir, our forefathers married off a princess of azbin kingdom to the kanuris royals, when they had contact with them before they shifted to lake chad. Nuhou salihou posted a post in his website, which stated that gobirawas are those that islamised kanuris/barebaris along side zabarmawas/zarmars according to one arabian historian.

VomeSchakleton:
If you have relatives in kano they nust have been settlers or arrived through some other medium. If they were your lost brothers how are you sure theyre your relatives and how did you even keep in touch with them? Mind you gobir was bullying other hausa states during that era. And on ibrahim shames, how am i sure shi ma ba wani bagobirin bane? In which case i'll assume hes being subjective.

Ni ma ban sani ba if he is, amman our relatives leaving in kano were there as a result of homage to their brothers and they used to visit us at Sabon birnin gobir and Niger Republic and we too pays them. As there origin and their backbone do you think we should watch while they fight among themselves. we do anything to keep them as brothers before danfodio came and fought us.

Baaballiyo:
LOL, be rest assured I donot hate any tribe in this world talkless of Gobirawa, whom I share something in common with, just because my forefathers fought yours that will not make me continue to fight people who have never offended me, but I am a lover of History and I can't standby and look on while wrong historical accounts are being dished out. Let me argue alittle about some of what you claimed above.


1. Gobirawa were mostly on the offensive not defensive during that era, they harass most of their neighbours not the other way round.

2. No one said you are now none Hausas, but originally you were not, and you admitted that Gobirawa arrived later searching for their lost brothers, so if that account is true then it proves they arrived after the Hausa language and culture has already been developed and established by their assumed brother's hence they just adopted it and modify it typical of second language speakers.

3. The "Gayyas, Dalas and Ranaus" of Kano were originally Ethiopians before they came down here and develop Hausa language and culture, they were not Egyptians (Misrans).

4. Its hysterical to say Gobirawa were the founders of Dala, tell that to the Kutumbawa (The direct descendant of the Maguzza) and you will see their rage. Without meaning to offend you, in Kano who ever claims decent from Gobirawa is a decendants of slaves that were mostly brought into Kano after the fall of Gobir.

Like i said i am not a historian, i only learnt from the ones i found on the internet, those broadcasted on tvs at Niger Republic during a visit and through questioning. I was raised and did my primaries and secondaries in Eastern Nigeria but born at North.

There are some gobirawas that have intermarried with fulanis at Nigeria and Niger Republic most especially sokoto where your brothers, toradbe fulanis (torankawas) can't deny sharing relation with gobir hausas. Danfodio married Inna garka who is gobir hausa, mother to the late proficient sultan of sokoto, Sultan Muhammadu Bello. But alas, what the danfodios descendants, torankawas of fulanis are more good at doing is concoting lies and falsifications on the prominent gobirawas, degrading and slaying our patroitic leaders in Gobir/Sokoto East. Torankawa historians should stop concoting lies and falsifications on us because its not allowed in islam.

Gobirawas made fulanis what they are today, but they in return have not done anything credible to favour us, only doing the opposite. Not even a state in Nigeria which they have since decades been denying us because theyre in power. But thank God that we have a recognised state in Niger Rep. by name Tahoua, i dont know the amount of mocks we would have recieved if not for Tahoua state in Niger Republic.

The brothers Nuhou Salihou is pointing at may not be the other hausa tribes. Egypt, eritrea, ethiopia, sudan, yemen are ancient settlements of gobirawas according to our history and theyre evidences found in there. All hausas are gobirawas by name and consolidated in one group (Gungu) at present Niger Rep. before the family heads as a result of desert encroachment dispersed to other regions theyre now and gave name to their group names like kanawas, ranawas, zamfarawas, kabawas, katsinawas, zazzagawas, hadejawas, daurawas, arawas.......Gobirawas are subdivided into family groups e.g konnawas, tudawas, sangerawas, hammadawas, adawas and gobirawas of tsibirin gobir and sabon birni who are the ruling class of gobirawas and refer to themselves as mere gobirawas. This is how other hausa tribes names were gotten.

There is nothing one can do to server the bond of relation between us and our blood brothers and other tribes we mentained cordial relationship with. All hausa tribes according to hausa culture regard gobirawas their cousins, there is a traditional joke (tabbashintaka) thay binds them together till date in hausa land. And that joke is also practised among other gobir subgroups.

Dala is an area in kano not talking of the kano city itself and gobirawas have inhabited there with their brothers ever before danfodio was gotten so there is no room for disdain of calling us slaves in our land. Maikano and dankano is gobir hausa names given to only gobirawas childern born or raised in kano city.

VomeSchakleton:
I don't think we're talking about the same place mate. I'm talking about dala in kano. Gotten from dala hill and I am not aware of any gobirawas there. I don't know where you're getting your tall tales from. And the term yaren gobir, that's another bold statement I have never heard anywhere before. But when did gobir even come into existence? Kuma ai na sha gobirawa suna da yaren su daban.

I asked one bakane who clarified that sometimes ago and the fact that we have relatives there who are gobirawas. We dont have any language order than hausa, only that we speak the refined and hardest hausa which gave birth to kananci, katsinanci...... History of hausa land written in hausa, the YAREN GOBIR is mentioned on ibrahim shames article at end. http://taurari..com.ng/2009/11/tarihin-kasar-hausa.html?m=1

VomeSchakleton:
Good golly, dala was founded by kanawas. Gobirawas speaking the oldest vernacular doesn't make them the originals, just that their language didn't evolve. If the majority of verified hausas don't speak that dialect does that make them none hausas? Even in the days before Dan fodio I don't think gobirawas were ever considered true hausas. I don't know where you're getting your tales from. No group of people uproot their civilization and migrate simply because their brothers left them. I never knew gobirawas held this sentiment against fulas though but it is to be expected. Guess the north isn't as United as I thought.

Dala was founded by gobirawas, theyre the inhabitants of the area and till today they regard themselves as gobirawas not kanawas. Before the term HAUSA came into existence, YAREN GOBIR i.e LANGUAGE OF GOBIR is the term people used to refer to hausa language.

GorkoSusaay:
Did Dan Fodio care about who is the original Hausa? I don't think he did

Danfodio fought for leadership which he started from gobir, when our forefathers gave him authority to preach but he went ahead and be preaching against them with his HARAJI HARAM just like the present BOKO HARAM invented by his descendants, torankawa of sokoto.

Baaballiyo:
1. Dan fodios forefathers were already established in that area before the Gobirawa came down from aire.

2. During that era, u don't asked for territory you fight for it, so its funny if you believe such impossible tale.

3. Most Hausa of that era don't like Gobirawa because they see them as imposters, and while the true Hausa people love peace the Gobirawa of that time Love to fight. That is why the Hausa folks readily sided with the Fulani when Shehu dan Fodio started his struggles.

3. I don't know when or how the Gobirawa became the purest Hausa people to start with they don't even speak pure Hausa Language.

Gobirawas were the founders of that dala your boasting of and up till today gobirawas are occuping the area and other local governments in kano.

Danfodios forefathers were given settlement in hausa land by the gobirawas of that time according to history, when they were on run.

Gobirawas fighting is by emergency they love peace but being manly choses to defend themselves when needed. Even katsinawas have had opportunity of fighting us but we later showed them our other part by dividing them into Maradi after katsina.

Danfodio who terrorises the hausa race with his haraji haram, brainwashed, fought them and dethroned their kings and installed his brothers. The hausa kingdoms that gave deaf ear to Yunfas message later regreted it before europeans came and supported them to continue with their hypocritic leadership.

Our hausa dialet which is the lingua franca in Niger Rep. speaks best of my claim. Gobiranci/arewanci is the hausa dialet spoken in sokoto, kebbi and other parts of zamfara. One cant just call us none hausas out of hate. How can one take advantage of ruling hausas and be inventing tales to us and even went far of labeling us none hausas.

Baaballiyo:
The quote in brackets shows that Gobirawa are not originally Hausa because Hausa people are settlers not Migrators (nomadic) by nature.

I am not a historian but i know a little of our history, which you people are tirelessly trying by all means to cover..Danfodio cost us that by razing our history library but almighty God will judge him on the day of judgement.

Baaballiyo:
The Gobirawa were not originally Hausa they moved down from Aire in Niger into their present day location around the 12th-13th century when they were expelled from their domain by the Tuaregs, they moved down and carved for themselves a kingdom with headquaters at Alkalawa. Besides I dont think you should blame the Fulani or Europeans for discrepancies in our Histories, because if other Hausa states had documented their histories like the people of Kano did there could have been no room for distortions. And again the Hausa bakwai were in existence long before Gobir came into existence.

We speak the most refined and pure hausa. history of hausa land is in our mist, our system of government is one in used in hausa land and beyond. Then how come we happen to be non hausa, while we are more knowledgeable than in hausa terminology? That gobir hausas are not originally hausa is nothing but false accusations by fulani historians to keep on covering our identity forever, but that maynot be since we still have our oral history off head and the accolades we receive from our brothers and the tribes we maintained cordial relationship with in hausa land and beyond. Fulanis can deny us freedom in Nigeria but cant dare do it at Niger Rep.

Danfodio who they favoured and gave shelter to his forefathers in gobir territory did it during his terrorist movement, HARAJI HARAM, burnt their history library at Alkalawa and also killed their islamic scholars- the scholars that taught him but he being betrayer killed them in return just because they asked him questions regarding islam he cant answer.

Gobir hausas were not expelled by the tuaregs during their stay at bagazam. Tuaregs met them there and requested the territory from them whenever they were leaving, as their migratory behaviour of overall packing. Tuaregs tried fighting them but they over powered them and continue with their journey.

GorkoSusaay:
Should there be "a" homeland?
If we follow the Bayajidda myth, Hausa was composed of seven "trueborn" city-states (The Hausa Bakwai): Daura, Gobir, Kano, Rano, Katsina, Biram (Hadejia), Zazzau/Zegzeg/Zaria. Those were the homeland of the Hausa, the first seven city-states.
Expansion led to the inclusion of seven other city-states, satellites to the original seven, the Banza Bakwai. Those were Yauri, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kwararafa, Nupe, Yoruba/Ilorin.

Gobir hausa and other normal hausas dont consider this bayajidda as their begetter. The story of daura was invented by Muhammadu bello just because fulanis are ruling the hausas of nigeria

VomeSchakleton:
Then they would be biased and subjective would they not?

Untill you ask

VomeSchakleton:
There is no credible historian that will support your claims brother.

Allow it.

Ask sokoto historians, they will.

VomeSchakleton:
Used to say? When was this? Before the caliphate was built and history distorted you mean? You do know sakwatto was coined by the fulanis right? Why would they use that if they were referring to gobirawas when sokoto didn't exist then? I think they just say that because sakwatto was the capital of the caliphate.

Your claim is pretty ridiculous.

You can ask historians for more information concerning the saying.

Source of the saying started when conference on hausa progenitor was met at sokoto. years back.

Danfodios son, Muhammadu bello invented the history of bayajidda in relation to hausas begetter, so due to its weakness, when meeting was sat to discuss the real hausa progenitor not bayajidda.

A katsina hausa sat and said it was the daurawas, the bayajidda saga and was rejected. Then a fulani of sokoto raised and said it was gobirawas but since theyre under sokoto, "sakkwatane tushen hausa" sokoto is the progenitor of hausas...

VomeSchakleton:
I see gobirawas as our brothers in every sense of the word but our progenitors? are you drunk?

Gobir hausas are the progenitor of hausa tribes, take it or leave it. Hausas used to say "sakkwato tushen hausa" sokoto progenitor of hausas. Who are real hausas in sokoto, if not gobir hausas.

This fulanis rulers have done great harm to our history, distorted almost all and addedly invented false history on us, by name Bayajidda and the lake chad of a thing as our origin.

Gobir hausa are the progenitor of hausa kingdoms located at gobir territory now sokoto/sokoto east after danfodio who they favoured carried out war that lead to dissocation of their ruling class to Tsibirin/Tibiri Gobir, Maradi Niger. In Nigeria the ancestral home is Sabon Birnin Gobir while in Niger Rep. its Tsibirin Gobir.

The ruler of S/Birnin Gobir is Sarki Abdulhamid Balarabe, but some of other hausas don't regard gobir hausas as their origin due to the accusations the fulani hypocrite historians labelled on us to cover up their malign and misruling of hausas.

My late maternal grandfather who was a kanuri clarified that. He was kolanut dealer there for 15 years before he resettled home

Hausas in the olden days, when there's no technological means of entertainment, often in the evenings or before bedtimes, after dinner i.e after filling all the facet of spaces in between their ribs, mostly children, adolesents and also grown-ups usually organises themselves under sheld of tree or moon light: seated on trunk, mat or bare ground listening attentively to grandparents, big-sisters or aunts narrating folkores. Younger ones are those that used to call for the gatherings in every hausa societies, Tanko! Uwani! Kadade! kadada! aunty Magajiya is narrating folklore... As they informs their peers in merriment.



Hausa folklores are mostly narrated in the evening or at night for according to hausas believes, people used to vanished to unkown world when listen to folklores or participates in narrating it in the afternoon or broad daylight. Today, the rules are now being
over-looked, hausas now pleased themselves even in the broad daylight without minding whether they would be vanished to world unknown to, unlike the grey-haired or elderly, who are currently maintaining the norms.



Hausas folklores are rich and bound with moral lessons of everyday life. At the end of every story, the narrator would asked the listeners what and what lessons they learnt from the stories. Our forefathers used it as a tool to indict moral characters to their children in those days.



Hausa folklores as modern drama like comprises human beings, insects, beast of burden, domestic animals, wild animals, gift of nature, non-living things which makes it easily accepted by ''Kannywood'' an hausa film industry based in kano state of Nigeria as film materials and also in schools.



Hausa folklores like other african has been passed from generations to generations and have over the years remained intact, documented and are now mostly used by hausa film industry "kannywood" as film materials, published and translated into many languages for used in schools, mostly Niger Republic and Nigeria.


In starting any story, the saying goes like this, "gatanan, gatananku, ta je ta dawa, wannan gatanace game da... - a story a story, let it goes let it come... this is a story about..." while in conclusion, the narrators used to say, "kunkur kan kusu- Off with the rats head" to end the story and affirms them that folklore is fiction.

Continue reading http://gobirmob.com/hausa-folklore-and-traditions-in-the-olden-days/

Available in hausa http://gobirmob.com/ha/gatanan-hausawa-da-gargajiyoyinta-a-zamanin-daure/

You talked sense,, but this is not section for this post. Move it to culture section

We are condoned to keep strangers in our everyday life, as instructed by our religious bodies and humanity, but the opposite is more prevailing that is shunning because they can turn-over at any time and be of a moral decadense factor in our households. This writeup is about a stranger in most of our households, which is very interesting, educative and entertaining. It was culled from islamcan.com.



"A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our abode Abagana being a muslimi. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.

As i grew up i never questioned his place in our family. In my young mind, each member had a special niche. My step-brother, Lawali, three years older, was my example. Halima, my younger sister, gave me an opportunity to play "big-brother" and develop the art of teasing. My parents were complementary instructors- Inna taught me to love Allah, and
Baba taught me how to obey him and his last messenger (S.A.W). But the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales. Adventures, mysteries and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our whole family spell-bound for hours each evening. If I wanted to know about politics,
history, or science, he knew it.

He knew about the past and seemed to understood the present. The pictures he could draw were so live like that I would often laugh or cry as I listened. He was like a friend to the whole family. He took Dad, Lawali and i to our favourite league game. He was always encouraging us to see the movies and he even made arrangements to
introduce us to several famous people.

The stranger was an incessant talker. Baba didn' t seem to mind-but sometimes Inna would quietly get up- while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of far away places go to her room, read the Qur'an.

I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave. You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions. But this stranger never felt obligation to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house not from us, from our friends, or adults. Our longtime visitor, however, used occasional four letter words that burned my
ears and made Dad squirm. To my knowledge the stranger was never confronted. My dad was a teatotaler who didn't permit alcohol in
his home - not even for cooking.

But the stranger felt like we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often.

He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely
(probably too much too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I know now that my early concepts of the man-woman relationship were
influenced by the stranger.

As I look back, I believe it was Allah's Mercy that the stranger did not influence us more. Time after time he opposed the values of my parents. Yet he was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave. More than twenty-two years have elasped since the stranger moved in
with the young family.... Continue reading: http://gobirwap.com/story-of-the-stranger-that-turned-out-moral-decadense-factor/ Available in hausa: http://gobirwap.com/labarin-bakonda-ya-juye-gurbata-tarbiya/?lang=ha