ImperialYoruba:


You think all the blood spill by fulani na ordinary eye? They are doing so to gain material power...dominance! The blood is a sacrifice. How is the blood spillage by fulani different from the blood spillage by ritualists? Its the same, no difference.

Do you think fulaman or garkosussay will decline a position of power attained through slaughters and atrocities commited by herdsmen?

If herdsmen sack Benue people and start to ask their people to come and settle in Benue, you think garko and fulaman would turn down that prized posession because it was acquired on the blood of middlebeltans?

Garko & fulaman, speak true....if herdsmen sack Yoruba in bloodshed and give you posession of Yorubaland will you turn down an offer of waterfront on the lagoon or on the beachfront of Lekki?

Bloody terrorists, no difference between the herdsmen and non-herdsmen. Ango is not a herdsman, Sanusi is not a herdsman, Sultan is not a herdsman, Elrufai is not a herdsman....but each of them have spoken in clear terms and their sentiments remain steadfastly in support of and even taking ownership of what herdsmen are doing. Garko and fulaman are scholars like Ango, Sanusi.....dont be deceived by their scholarship.


You creep, you Yoruba f00l that call yourself macof, you come here to beat down your Yoruba brother to defend terrorist fulani. You speak bad to me to kiss your slave master @$$ and lay yourself at his feet to step on. May Oduduwa strike you!

Do you forget what Aare Gani Adams said? He said we shall strike down the enemies within. Certain Yorubas, like macof, must first be cut off before we face the enemy.


Dont make me cut you off right now bwoi!

Are you alright pal?

GoddessQueen:
Thank you for this! I am a Black American who only just discovered my Fula ancestry through DNA testing. I am eager to learn about ancient traditions and culture of the Fulani people and your thread has been very helpful in that regard. Are there other resources that you can point me to to aid my exploration?

Do you read French. I can direct you to several sources in French about pre-Islamic Fulani history. And many others in French and English, about post-Islam Fulani history, from Senegambia to the confines of Adamawa/Fombina

Sarkin Gobir (r.1777-1795), Bawa jan Gwarzo's victories

Causer of terror, chief of iron ore, (1)
Son of Alasan, owner of the drum,
Causer of terror, iron gate of the town,
Bawa, you kinsman of Magajin Gari,
His name if ‘Hate Flight’,
His name is ‘Put to Flight’,
As for me, I do not decline to follow Bawa,
Here is my saddle all laid out, (2)
My bridle is here, laid out,
My spur is here, laid out,
My tethering peg is here, planted in the ground,
I lack only a horse,
It is not to talk of war that we came,
It is to console you in bereavement that we came,
Had we come to talk of war,
Wirno would not have lasted the day, let along the night,
Shiki and Dole, the rebellious towns, (3)
Are our little chicks,
Galadi yonder and Tubali,
Are your full grown hens,
Do not wake them up until the feast day!
Dan Taka’ida, leader of the town, (4)
Uban Dawaki Salami, (5)
He clashed with the younger warriors of Jitau,
They unhorsed him at the foot of the mimosa tree
And to this day he has not risen up!
O men of Badarawa, stop beating your drums,
It is not on your account that Bawa comes.
Come, let us follow the leader of the town
so that we may obtain horses to mount.
When we sallied forth, we went by way of Gaya,
No single thorn so much as pricked us.
Bawa, son of Babari, the son of Alasan, (6)
The forked pole that supports the roof,
Dan Taka’ida, fence of the town,
Bawa, it is you I follow, there is no nonsense about this,
Come, follow him you gives you personal adornments,
That you may obtain glory from him.
As for me, that which I desire from you is that
Wherever you go, you take me with you,
As for me, I am your foster-child,
That I may obtain happiness.
Bawa, it is you who begins to conquer the town,
Son of Alasan, wealthy one.
My brethren, let us follow the wealthy one
That we may obtain horses to mount.

from A History of Islamic Verse
Mervyn Hiskett,
(London School of Oriental and African Studies, 1975), 3-4.

1) Usman dan Fodio would not have approved of these praises, which focus entirely on Bawa’s military exploits.

2) The praise-poet, who is not named, has his own agenda. Three times he asks Bawa for horses, for himself and his companions. He has everything else needed for campaigning (saddle, spurs, bridle, tent pegs).

3) Shiki and Dole, like Galadi, Tubali, Jitau and Badarawa later in the poem, are towns in northern Nigeria, subject in those days to Gobir.

4) Dan Taka’ida: one of Bawa’s praise names.

5) Uban Dawaki Salami: A sub-chief.

6)Apart from his conquests, Bawa has also been praised as the town’s “iron gate”, its “forked pole” (the central pillar holding up the roof), and its “fence”.

weyabcom:
This is why history must be taught in our schools. Those who neglect History are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past. Please read below and and learn. BEWARNED!!!!!!!


The story is told of how King Yunfa, the Hausa Sarki in Gobir (now called Sokoto) hosted a Fulani immigrant called Usman Dan Fodiyo and his group in February 1804, as a result of this and since 1808 the whole of the northern region lost its kingdoms and were replaced by Fulani emirates.


King Yunfa is said to have been killed in 1808 and the Fulani warrior (Usman Dan Fodiyo) established Sokoto caliphate, making himself Sultan.

Gradually, other Hausa kingdoms were pillaged and taken over by the Fulani emirs. The ethnic groups in the core north were the first victims of Fulani imperialism, a venture that occurred because the people were given access to grazing land as a result of the hospitality of the hosts.


They however failed to overrun the Bornu and Jukun kingdoms , so the Shehu of Bornu and Aku Uka remains paramount till today!

The Afonja dynasty compromised by allowing a Fulani warrior known as Janta Alimi to settle in Ilorin, the Fulani guerrillas killed Afonja in 1824
And Ilorin, a Yoruba town under the Oyo empire, fell into Fulani hands, becoming an emirate under Sokoto caliphate till today! Even the attempts of the O’odua People’s Congress (OPC) to revert to status quo ante and crown an Onilorin of Ilorin became an exercise in futility.


The Yoruba warriors got wise and defeated the Fulani jihadists in Osogbo in 1840, if this didn’t happen there would most likely have been Fulani “emirs” as rulers in Oyo Alaafin, Ibadan, Owo, Osogbo, Ede, Ado, and Igede Ekiti today!


If the Bini Kingdom did not fight and repel the jihadists, they would have penetrated the Edo/Delta region beyond the present day Edo North Senatorial District which gave in and allowed the jihadists to overrun & islamize them.
Along with some ignorant folk most of them are now angling for grazing areas and a corridor through the entire federation.

These grazing areas will in future become Fulani settlements, later commmunities and finally local government areas with elected officials.

If you think I am being alarmist look towards the once beautiful and serene Middle Belt state of Plateau.
The exact same thing happened in Jos.

Therefore, it will not be farfetched to conclude that the Fulani herdsmen are pawns in an agenda to overrun all towns in Nigeria! So that we will have emirs in Owerri, Enugu, Benin, Agatu,Wukari, Abeokuta and other towns where FG creates “grazing reserves” for Fulani herdsmen!


If Yunfa didn’t accommodate Fodio and his warlike immigrants from Futatoro, Hausa sarkis would be ruling today in the north!

And if Afonja didn’t conspire with Alimi, a Yoruba kingdom would not have been ruled by Alimi’s offspring till today!
It is a subtle continuation of the 1804 Fulani jihad by the fully-armed and protected Fulani herdsmen with an age-old agenda to overrun and Islamize the whole of Nigeria very quickly.

I will end this with what someone rightly said- “The grazing bill is not an attempt to solve the problem, it’s a subterfuge to progress the agenda”
It’s an age-old political strategy really- ..create a problem, come up with a “solution” that advances the cause, and then give it a legal backing.


Make it look like a win-win situation.
Be as wise as serpents….

Source : History Book

There's this misconception that Sarkin Yunfa "hosted" Shehu Usman dan Muhammad Fodiyo (15 December 1754- 20 April 1817) who in turn, betrayed him.
Please go read some history and stop peddling lies and untruths.
Dan Fodio's family was long established in Gobir (since the 15th century) and his clan, the Toronkawa, were renowned for their Islamic scholarship. There are 11 generations separating dan Fodiyo and his first Fulani ancestor that settled in Gobir (Musa Jokollo). Their installation in Nigeria preceded the foundation of Ilorin (which was in the 18th century if we follow Johnson's History of the Yoruba) and the foundation of the Eko chieftaincy (Lagos Island) by the Bini in the 16th century.

This is the ancestry of the man you are slandering: Shehu Usman, son of Mallam Muhammad "Fodiyo", son of Mallam Usman, son of Mallam Salih, son of Mallam Harun, son of Malla Muhammad Gurdo, son Mallam Jabbo, son of Mallam Muhammad Sambo, son of Mallam Masirana, son of Mallam Ayyub, son of Mallam Abubakr "Buba" Baba, son of Mallam Musa Jokollo, who emigrated from Futa-Toro to Gobir in the 15th century.

Yunfa never "hosted" Shehu. Actually Yunfa's uncle, Sarkin Gobir Bawa jan Gwarzo (1777-1794), wanted to have the Shehu as a Mallam in his court, a position dan Fodio always refused. Bawa and Dan Fodio entertaiend relations and many of Dan Fodio's commanders fought in Sarkin Bawa's wars against Katsina and Daura. Dan Fodio had standing way before Yunfa became Sarkin of Gobir in 1804 and if we follow some traditions Yunfa was a student of Dan Fodio in his youth.

The jihad started in Gobir where Nafata and his son Yunfa, decided to clamp down on the disciples of the Shehu, due to their increasing influence and their criticisms of his regime. If Yunfa did not try to kill Dan Fodio in Degel, the latter would likely not have fled to Gudu, and started the jihad. Between Fall 1803 and the first half of 1804, Sarkin Yunfa and his ministers raided and enslaved in impunity, all those who were associated with Dan Fodio. Go and read your history before posting lies.

Regarding the other Hausa city-states, it's evident that you have no idea about the context of the 18th century Northern Nigeria. Bornu was the preeminent kingdom and the eastern city-states (Hadejia, Kano, Katsina, Daura) were under Bornu vassalage. When the other kings attacked dan Fodio's partisans in their respective kingdoms to "nip the movement in the bud", they were attacked in turn and this created the problems with Bornu. If these city-states were vassals of Bornu and they engaged in a war against dan Fodio, where does Bornu's responsibility fall? The Kachella of Bornu's involvement would lead to the conquest of most of Eastern Bornu, the establishment of emirates (Katagum, Misau...) and the sacking of Bornu's capital, Ngazargamu, by Gwoni Mukhtar. It's much more complex and I don't think Nairaland is the best forum to discuss on that, but go read your history. If you were a tad informed, you would know that the el-Kanemi dynasty of Bornu is even more recent than the Sokoto caliphate, but whatever.

Regarding ilorin, might i refer you to Samuel Johnson's History of the Yoruba?

Lambast the Fulani herdsmen as you like but do not distort history.

VickyRotex:


I think Iyasu was Menelik's grandson right? And if Menelik was succeeded by Iyasu, then its logical to say that's Iyasu.

Yes, Iyasu's mother was Shoa Reggad, Menelik's daughter. The child in the picture with Menelik is the future Haile Selassie, though. Haile Selassie was also part of the Royal Family. His paternal grandmother Tenagne Worq was the daughter of King Sahle Selassie of Showa, who was also Menelik's grandfather

OPCNAIRALAND:


I thought Li Yasu wad succeeded first by a regent and then Selassie. Li Yasu could not be Selassie, unless he was the first titular SELASSIE, succeeded by the last ruler as SELASSIE II. Which is i?

Actually Lij Iyasu's successor was his aunt Zewditu, Negus Menelik's daughter.
Haile Selassie, whose grandmother was the aunt of Menelik, was named Zewditu's heir. He was crown prince and effective ruler between Iyasu's deposition in 1916 to Zewditu's death in 1930.

VickyRotex:
Menelik and Iyasu

Menelik II and Tafari Makonnen (future Haile Selassie), rather.

TheFreeOne:
If true his death must have been hastened by the 'travails' of his son.

I wish his family strength to bear the loss.

The man was 93 for Pete's sake.
May he RIP and may Firdawsi be granted to him

2nd Battle of Burmi : 27 July 1903.

Since the beginning of June, a British force was watching Burmi, while supplies and troops were being brought for the last assault.
Along with Sultan Attahiru and his six sons, was the E[b]tsu Nupe Abubakar, the dispossessed Emir of Misau Ahmadu, , the Sarkin Tijani Bashir, the infamous Magaji of Keffi Dan Yamusa, Muhammad Bello, brother of the Emir of Kontagora, and hundreds of loyalists who would not bend the knee to the British forces. The Emir of Misau Ahmadu and Bello of Kontagora were the most radical among this jolly company and kept on motivating them about the necessity of battle.[/b]
On the 27 July at 11 a.m. the British began their offensive against Burmi. Several times the British tried to enter the town but were driven off with arrow fire from the defenders. Their morale was unbroken in spite of the total use of the Maxim guns and canons by the British. Even the women played their part, bringing food and water to the warriors.
By 1 p.m. the British had managed to get in the town and burn homes and buildings. However, they were soon driven out of Burmi. During this sally, one of the British officers, Major Marsh, was killed. But an hour later another British party entered the town, while another charged the walls. The defense of Burmi was so strong that Col. Sword was forced to send for more reinforcements.
With the town walls breached, the defenders retreated around the Sultan near the mosque of Burmi.
At 5:30 p.m. the British faced the last desperate struggle near the mosque of Burmi. It lasted for about an hour, after which the mosque stood in ruins. More than 600 defenders lay dead, testifying to the unyielding and courageous nature of their resistance.
Among them lay the body of the twelfth Caliph of Sokoto Muhammad Attahiru ibn Ahmed Zaruku ibn Abu Bakr Atiku ibn Shehu Uthman Dan Muhammad Fuduye’. According to one tradition quoted by Johnston ‘when the fighting began Attahiru went to the mosque. He remained there praying until he heard that the gates had been breached and then he emerged and went down to the walls. He was on foot, unarmed, and his intention was not to fight but to go out to meet his fate. Death came to him with merciful swiftness, for when he was within a stone's throw of the southern wall he was shot through the head’. Among his six sons, two died by his side, two others were wounded and were taken prisoner by the British forces. Muhammad Bello ‘Mai Wurno’ (1878-1940) and another of his brother survived Burmi and made their emigration east.
One of the British officers William Wallace said about the bravery of Attahiru and his men:
"Our recent experiences show that the poorer people and the numerous chiefs collected at Burmi knew how to die when facing the enemy. .our success was due to the great stopping power of our bullets, mark IV, which was one of the principal factors leading to our success. Without this ammunition, our success would have been doubtful.".

The Magajin Keffi Dan Yamusa also died during the battle. The Etsu Nupe Abubakar and Sarkin Tijani Bashir were wounded and subsequently imprisoned by the British forces. They were both interned at Lokoja where they were to die subsequently.

The Emir of Misau Ahmadu along with Muhammad Bello of Kontagora tried to gather the remnants of the resistants at Jama’are before deciding on what to do. Along with the son of the Sultan, Muhammad Bello (1878-1940), they migrated east with some of them settling in Sudan while others decided to continue on to Mecca or Medina.

Attahiru is the only Sultan of Sokoto to die in battle. His death marks the end of the independent Sultanate and the beginning of another period of history in Northern Nigeria.

Part II: From defeat to hope.
When Lord Lugard’s troops entered Sokoto on the evening of 15 March 1903, the city was empty. Indeed, all the inhabitants had left and congregated further north; while the Sultan and his councillors were devising on the next steps following their defeat. Sultan Attahiru wanted a mass emigration (hijra) rather than submitting to the British rule. Besides, Sokoto has fought without its full forces and there was always the possibility of returning and hopefully, defeating the British.
Whether that was feasible was questioned and many of the titleholders such as the Waziri Muhamadu Buhari and the Marafa Muhammad Mai-Turare wanted to initiate negotiations with the British.
While the Sultan Attahiru and his loyalists dashed northeast and were soon to be followed by the defeated emir of Kano Aliyu Mai-Sango (1858-1926; r.1894-1903) and resistants from the other emirates, the Waziri Buhari initiated talks with Lord Lugard. The British welcomed the overtures since they did not have yet all the necessary resources to initiate a long campaign against Sokoto. The majority, when they found that the conquerors were behaving magnanimously, went back and made their peace. Among them were the Waziri Buhari, the Marafa Maiturare, and most of the Fulani aristocracy. Followers of the Waziri’s stand argued that the Sultan Attahiru absolved his Councillors and closest followers from their allegiance and left to each of them the decision whether to accompany him into exile or return and seek the indulgence of the British. On 21 March 1903, less than a week after the defeat, another [b]Muhammad At-Tahiru ([/b]r.1903-1915) was nominated, Sultan.

With several hundred horse and foot and about two thousand camp followers, the Sarkin Musulmi roamed Zamfara where demonstrations of loyalty were shown to him. While the surrender of the Waziri meant initially for the British that Attahiru was a spent force, the rallying to his side of many young men from Zamfara, Katsina, Kano and the other eastern emirates greatly alarmed the British forces. And while his ranks were being filled by volunteers, emirs and chiefs who were nominatively submissive to the British were helping him. Indeed, when the Caliph arrived at Kwatarkushi on March 31, Abubakar dan Ibrahim, the Emir of Katsina sent him messages warning him of the nearness of Lugard and his forces and he sent him large amounts of provision for his people. This support was reciprocated in many other places.

Lugard's policy had been to harass the multitudes gathering round the Caliph. Major Crozier was at the head of a column which was set up to kill or capture the fugitive Sultan. This column attacked the then-thin column at Bebeji on 22 March 1903 but they were repulsed, with Crozier being wounded during the affair. The Sultan’s loyalists suffered heavy losses in the engagement nonetheless. Between 22 March and 6 May 1903, six engagements occurred between British columns and Sultan At-Tahiru’s party with the British failing to capture or kill the man who was still seen as the legitimate Sarkin Musulmi.
Around May 7 Attahiru and his people reached Misau where they met with the Emir Ahmed ibn Muhammad (1868- ?; r.1900-1903) who was also bent on resisting the British.

Along with the Emir of Misau was In the same place was Sarkin Tijani Bashir ibn Umar (1847-1906 ; r.1898-1906). This augmented the forces of Attahiru so much that it caused the Col. Sword to write; "Attahiru's following is immense; his people are said to take from sunrise to mid-day passing. The Sarkin Muslumi has now many thousands of people with him. The whole population from Kano to the Gongola have joined with him."

Soon after, in Burmi (Gombe State), Sarkin Musulmi Attahiru’s forces repulsed an attack by Colonel Sword. The first battle of Burmi occurred on 13 May 1903 and ended with the retreat of the British forces. Although Major Sword was defeated, there was little hope of victory for the followers of the Sultan given the technological advantage that their enemies had.
Burmi, especially the hill of Bima, in Gombe state had very strong millenarist connotations. For twenty years, it was the headquarters of the Mahdist Mallam Jibril Gaina, whose many followers welcomed the defeated Sultan. There, they meant to fight their last stand against the British and die, if that was the only way to preserve their honour and dignity.

Muhammad At-Tahiru (The Pure) was the last independent Sultan of Sokoto. Much is not known about his life but what is known is linked with his brief reign as Sultan of Sokoto (October 1902-July 1903) and his death, following the British conquest of Sokoto.

Attahiru was the son of Sultan[b] Ahmad Zarruq[/b] (1806-1866; r.1859-1866), son of Sultan Abubakar Atiku (1783-1842; r. 1837-1842), the fifth son of Shehu Usman dan Fodio (1754-1817; r.1804-1817). He was likely born in the 1840s in Chimmola or at Gwadabawa, ribats where Atikawa tended to reside. At-Tahiru was living in Chimmola when the death of his uncle, the Sultan Abdurrahman ‘Danyen Kasko’ (1827-1902; r.1891-1902) propelled him to the Caliphate. These were most trying times since Lord Lugard, the head of the Royal Niger Company was already attacking emirates such as Bida, Kontagora and challenging the authority of the Sarkin Musulmi.

At-Tahiru’s sole focus during his brief rule was to confront the British challenge. The Sarkin Musulmi could not be subservient to the British; war had to happen even if there was a technological divide between the two parties. Lord Lugard’s ultimatum of February 1903 was simply disregarded by the Caliph who was preoccupied with repairing the crumbling walls of Sokoto and mustering all forces to defend the city.

15 March 1903: Battle beneath the walls of Sokoto

Excerpts from H.A.S. Johnston's The Fulani Empire of Sokoto (1967). Interestingly, Johnston interviewed survivors of the battle

The Sultan was able to call up his troops from all the districts of western Sokoto, but there was no time to bring men in from Zamfara, or further afield. Nor had any help arrived from Gwandu or Katsina. For the last decisive battle, therefore, the Empire was able to deploy only a fraction of what had once been its total strength.
‘By daybreak on the following day, Sunday, 15 March 1903, the Sokoto army was drawn up in three divisions on the common south of the city.
In the center was the Sultan himself.He took up his position at the foot of a fan-palm and his flag was set up beside him and took up his position. The right wing which covered Kofar Atiku, was commanded by the Sultan’s brother Marafa Maiturare, the left by his cousin Sarkin Rabah Ibrahim (c.1850-1915), the father of Sardaunan Ahmadu Bello.

The British force marched out of camp at six o'clock in the morning and about an hour later reached the ridge from which Morland had made his reconnaissance on the previous evening. Being separated from the Sokoto army by only a shallow valley, the infantry now formed a square and the Mounted Infantry took up positions on the flanks. When all was ready they advanced cautiously across the valley. As soon as they had crossed it the four machine-guns were set up in positions where, at a range of six to eight hundred yards, they covered the serried ranks in which the Sultan's army was drawn up.

As for the Fulani, just as they were preparing to deliver their cavalry charge across the open ground of the common, they found themselves being raked by a merciless fire from the machine-guns. At the same time 75-mm. shells from the guns also started dropping among them. Some who tried to charge the British position found that their horses would not face the racket but swerved away to left and right. Others, who remained in the line of battle waiting for orders which were drowned in the din of battle, saw great swathes being cut through their ranks. The truth was that warfare of two different ages of history had come into collision and there was never any question of which of them would prevail.
As soon as he realized that there was no hope of coming to grips with the British, the Marafa Maiturare galloped over from his position on the right to urge the Sultan to abandon the battle.
— Beware, he said, lest the fire be extinguished while you hold it.
By this, he meant that if the Sultan persisted in a hopeless struggle he might be guilty of destroying the whole heritage and posterity of the Fulani. But the Sultan was made of sterner stuff than his brother.
— Do you think, he demanded angrily, that this is my first battle?
The Marafa, who had already had two horses hit under him, was now wounded in the shoulder, and the Majasirdi, one of the household slaves, was killed. At this, the Waziri Muhammadu Buhari (1842-1910) intervened and told the Sultan that from then on the blood of all those who fell in the battle would be on his head
Sa'i Umaru, the hereditary standard-bearer and the grandson of Ibrahim Mai-Tuta, who had been one of Shehu's standard-bearers, courageously upheld the flag as a rallying point for the Fulani forces. They became the target of the machine-gunners, however, and were mown down to the last man.
At this, the Fulani forces began to melt away and the Sultan, at last, allowed his horse to be led from the field. It was the end not only of a battle but virtually of an epoch. There remained only the last act in which the unhappy Attahiru had to play out the tragic part that fate had assigned to him’

To be continued

VomeSchakleton:


Abraham lincoln?

I was being sarcastic. We should be wary of the Internet

DanZubair:
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.

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.

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

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

I am interested in Dan Zubair's argument though.
He should develop the thesis of Gobir, as the original homeland of the Hausas.

By the way, the Bayajidda thesis was not made by Sultan Bello. It was already present in oral history before being compiled in the Kano Chronicle, that was compiled during the rule of Emir Muh'd Bello of Kano (1882-1893).

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.

lawani:


Yoruba have been trading all over the place for thousands of years but if we never conquered a place, as in subdue it, we dont say we control it. People like Amos Adamu, Babangida and etc are Yorubas who have assimilated into the culture of their hosts. Go to even Mali, there will be traditional compounds headed by people of Yoruba descent. In Kano, there are Mai Ungwars of Nupe, Yoruba descent. A sizeable percentage of Hausa, Kanuri and etc are Yoruba descent paternally even if 2 percent but Yorubas assimilate well. So a Gambari is a Yoruba man not a Hausa man. I believe you are Fulani and not Yoruba or Hausa, so Ilorin does not concern you! Better behave yourself. You have nothing with Yoruba. The people of Balogun Fulani in Ilorin can only speak with you in English. Those are Yorubas ethnically and by DNA if you test them. A Hausa descended man was made Emir in Ilorin to prove that Hausas afterall can make good Emirs despite that they are not allowed to be Emir on Hausa land. So behave yourself and face your issues. When Nigeria breaks up, Ilorin can not join Sokoto, neither can Jebba, Bariba, Kabba, Igala and etc. Fulani have negligible stake in all those places. They are not indigenes. So it does not make sense for you to be fretting over Ilorin a Yoruba traditional state that appointed a Hausa descended man as Emir to spite the Fulani holding Hausa land by the jugular!

We all know that when Yoruba say f, Hausa use p. So their word is Pula where ours is Fula or Fulani. The cattle Fulani to Hausas are Bororo. The word Pul, Pulbe, Fulbe are used by the town Fulani to describe themselves but Yorubas dont use those words, what we know is Fulani while Hausas see the town Fulanis as Hausas and the cattle Fulani as Bororo. So the word Fulani is a Yoruba nomenclature.

You are a shamefaced ignoramus of a liar. Yorubas are generally knowledgeable about their history but I don't know what happened to you.

lawani:
IF YOU LACK REASON, WHY NOT STAY QUIET? NIGERIA WILL SOON BREAK UP, LET US SEE HOW IT WILL BE, MAYBE FULANI WILL TAKE THE LAND OF YORUBA AND BARIBA AND NUPE THAT THEY WERE NOT CONTROLLING IN THE 19TH CENTURY! UNINTELLIGENT LOT! PLEASE CONTRIBUTE SOMETHING THAT MAKES SENSE ABEG. HOW DO YOU THINK A BROKEN UP MIGERIAN SPACE WILL LOOK? WHICH NEW COUNTRIES ON WHICH LAND? WHO WILL JOIN UP WITH WHOM? SAY SOMETHING THAT MAKES SENSE O!

Watch out for the High Blood pressure Mr. Akin Lawanson

lawani:


Gorkosussay who call you here now? Okay let us say other Yorubas ban Ilorin from joining them, will Ilorin now join you? Will they join Nupe or who? Even Bariba will stay alone or join Yoruba! Abeg be serious. Go and join a discussion that can bring you benefit. This one you are joining is a waste of time and energy. You have nothing to gain therein! Are you a child? The Emir of Ilorin is Hausa descent and Hausas are not even allowed to be Emirs on their own land! Abeg wise up! Ilorin will beg to join her kith and kin once Nigeria breaks up and it wont be an issue, they wont even beg, they will just join. If yoy think they will join Sokoto, then you are a sleepwalker! A deluded individual!

You're killing yourself over what happened 200 years ago. My eyes are set on the future.

Nowenuse:

Abeg my brother, i hear u jare.
Some people should just be left to continue in their ignorance and self delusion.
I decline from responding to him henceforth. He does not even know the settings and division of Kwara state. He just continues saying one the same thing irrespective of the loads of fact i am dishing out to him.

This guy has a circular mindset. Once, an idea is etched into his brain, all facts and evidence MUST lead to that .
It's fun sometimes to poke at the holes in his reasoning, but I just wanted to let you know

Nowenuse:



See, stop making generalizations for God sake, u are not from Kwara and neither are you from Ilorin emirate. Me i am from neither places and i dont make generalizations about the place because i have met Ilorin indigenes who claim fulani, nupe, yoruba and ilorin tribe itself.

Read this link below and confirm, it was written by Ilorin indigenes who believe they are yoruba because they are afonja's descendants and they clearly noted the fact that their city is in identity crisis and some of their friends claim to be fulani because they are fulani descendants

http://www.thescoopng.com/femi-owolabi-akeem-addio-ilorin-the-city-wrapped-in-a-crisis-of-identity/

Dont just sit in your room in Ogbomosho and be concluding facts you know nothing about. Hear from the horse's mouth!

This is just like someone claiming that the Anioma people of Delta state are 100 % igbos, that is very wrong. The people of Anioma are mixed, some beieve they are igbos and some do not, some still speak igala, yoruba and edo as their mother's tongue in Anioma till date.

Ilorin emirate is a mixed place and nothing can change that! I have met familes from Ilorin who claim they are fulani and Nupes and you have no right to deny them the choice of their ethnicity!

Nowenuse, you should know that Lawani is a very thick guy.
He never lets facts, history and logic stand on the way of his childish mumblings.
Nice write-up on Ilorin, by the way

"War makes states and states make war" according to Charles Tilly.
State formation is necessarily bloody because one entity has to prove its sovereignty over a certain territory.
So the formation of the Sokoto Caliphate was bloody, and so were the establishment of any political realm. But as you implied, there were regular wars between the City-states before the Caliphate. Yunfa, the Sarkin Gobir was trying to quell the Dan Fodio uprising but at the same time he was wary of rebellion in Zamfara and an attack from Katsina. The Sultans of Sokoto never had to have such fears

It's a misnomer to say that "Fulani history is bloody" though. What do we mean by Fulani history? The last 300 years? Or the mythical days where women bathed with cowmilk and men worshipped Geno Dundaari?
It all depends on what we mean and which historical period we aim to study.
Yorubaland for example, saw an endless series of war between the death of Alaafin Abiodun and the British colonisation of Nigeria. But there's much more to the history of Yorubas than that century of blood.
Such is also the case with the History of Borno and Kanuri. Borno which was the most important realm in Northern Nigeria in the 1700s collapsed during the last 20 years of the 19th century, due to succession quarrels and the invasion of Rabih Zubayr.

In the end, it is the monopoly of violence that is the basis on which all states thrive.

What a filthy and defamatory piece by Femi Fani-Kayode. What a filthy piece by somebody who calls himself a Christian!
Shame, Shame, Shame (ringbells)

One wonders what FFK reproaches Fulani in this piece? Of accepting to speak Hausa?
What would he have said if Fulfulde was the lingua franca in Arewa? Certainly, he would have said that Fulani imposed their languages on the poor, hapless peoples of the North.

Sigh. This guy is a miscreant. He's bent on hating, and nothing will stop him. There's nothing that will change his mind.
So keep on hating FFK. Fulani will eat your amala and your egusi. What do they care about your hate lol

OPCNAIRALAND:
There is nothing worthy of praise or pride in fulani herdsman lifestyle, absolutely nothing! A life and history full of blood and agony. Your lack of civilization is on exhibition, you are classified in same line with delta militants and bokoharam. What a shame!

"Lack of civilization". Wow

Ecce Homo, King William Koko of Nembe, Bane of the British

Baaballiyo:


In addition none of the leaders of the prominent Fulani clans that participated in the jihaad were also recent arrivals, infact none of them was born outside present day Nigeria.

Some people are being willfully ignorant here.

No apologies needed at all, Sir. Everyone has his obligations outside of Nairaland .

Thank you for the answer. Informative as always. There's so much to write about our culture, about Shehu, about Kano, about Nigeria...etc.
The policy was very fair to the body of people, but it saddens me still .

Emir Muhammad Bello of Kano seems to be one of the most interesting figures. If I recall correctly, the Kano chronicle was compiled during his reign and you said also, that he wrote a History of Kano, later completed by the Emir Bayero. I have to get these books....

Baaballiyo:


Apologies, for not responding in time; too much events conspired against the will to reply.


After the jihad was successful Sokoto city was built and made the administrative Capital of the Caliphate. But a little confusion arose as to which language should be used for administrative correspondence, so most were supporting the use of fulfulde, this was then refered to Shehu and Shehu asked them " Was this jihad of ours undertaken to promote the fulbe course (race) or to promote the Islamic faith ? They answered that the jihad was to promote the Islamic faith. Then he said;

Those who imposed their language and culture upon a subdued territory are conquerors not Jihaadist. Our struggles were undertaken to promote the Islamic faith, to free the poor from being oppressed and promote their faith and well being not to impose upon them our language and culture.

Thenceforward the following policy was enacted and communicated to all Fulani Amirs secretly.

1. All official correspondence should be made in Arabic or Hausa Languages.

2. In areas were Hausa is not the common language the lingua franca of that area should be used as the official language of that area.
They were also advised/cautioned not to do anything that will make their subjects feel their language or culture is inferior to that of the Fulani.

This policy made all fulbe royal houses in Hausa land conduct their official affairs mostly in Hausa language since Arabic was not commonly spoken. So at the initial stage fulfulde was relegated to domestic lives of the royals. But still within their houses apart from their immediate family most of their servants, coutiers and bodyguards were of Hausa extraction or speak Hausa, so it meant they tend to speak more Hausa officially and domestically. The second generation of the royals became proficient in both Hausa and fulfulde but from their third generation downward Hausa overtook fulfulde as their first language up to a point that they can't speak it anymore. By my own deductions the last emir of Kano to speak fulfulde fluently was Amir Muhammad Bello (r. 1882-1893) , Tukur, Aliyu Babba, Abbas and Usman were also believed to have speak it partially ( not fluently ) .


It is interesting to know that although Shehu was not alive when Ilorin, Nupe, and kontagora were captured but this policy was also applied there, that is why today their fulbe royals speak only the local language of those areas as their first languages, I think that's what made people like "Lawani" think the emirs of Ilorin are not of Fulani descent.


But the case is different for the Northeastern part of the caliphate in areas like Adamawaa, Gombe, Muri/Jalingo and some part of Bauchi emirates, the policy can not be applied in these areas because, they do not speak Hausa at that time and do not have a lingua franca, the region consisted of a mosaic of small pagan tribes that did not have any common language. So the fulbe royals over there were abled to hold onto their language and culture and were also abled to conduct both their domestic and official affairs in fulfulde this lead to many locals learn fulfulde, there was a time when fulfulde in this region was the lingua franca, but gradually it gave way to the encroaching and conquering power of the indomitable Hausa language. Today Hausa language is the lingua franca of that region.
NOTE: Even these areas that do not speak Hausa did not correspond with Sokoto or Gwandu ( as the case may be) in fulfulde, they mostly used Arabic.

I called it a secret policy because it was not transmitted in writing to all Amirs but verbally.

CC:
Maisuya.

masseratti:
where can I get articles on usthma dan fodio

This is a good introduction. You can have read many other publications on WebPulaaku

http://webpulaaku.net/defte/hasJohnston/toc.html

One is a major-general who has seen war, being on active duty 40 years ago.
The other is the president of Ghana

Baaballiyo:


I do not think she speaks Fulfulde well, but she understands it well because she was once married to a Fulani man from Adamawa (Mubi)and lived there for almost 20yrs after her marriage with the Emir's father ( Ciroma Aminu Sanusi) was dissolved by Emir Sanusi 1. So the present Emir (sanusi 2) have half brothers and sisters that speak Fulfulde fluently, but he and his full sister donot speak or even understand Fulfulde.

As for the Sultan not speaking Fulfulde that is normal for fulbe Royal houses in the North~West, non of them speak it any longer due to a policy which the Shehu ( Usman bi fodiyo ) himself promulgated in secret to all fulbe Royal houses after the Jihad was successful.

Baaballiyo, your posts are always very instructive. I wouldn't be surprised if you were a Sullubawa Dabo .
Can you elaborate about the policy that was promulgated in secret by the Shehu?

These seven are all Shaykhs from whom I took [knowledge] and from whom I copied [texts].

As for my father, with him I studied most of what I have transmitted and from him, I took most of what I studied. Indeed, through him, my faculties blossomed and I partook of his abundance and swelled up with it.

As for my Shaykh Muhammad Sambo, I took from him the Sufi path and transmitted from him some books of the People [the Sufis] such as the Hikam, after getting it from my father, and al-Insan al-kamil and Usul al-tariq and others. I was attached to him for long and drank from [his knowledge].

As for his brother Muhammad Bello, I studied with him al-Jawhar al-maknun and some of the [pre-Islamic] poets and some of the fundamentals of Sufism and medicine, etc.

As for Muhammad al-Bukhari, I studied with him grammar, such as al-Imrltiyya, the Mulha, the Qatr and the Khulasa and he taught me [various other] matters.

As for Shaykh Gidado, I studied with him al-Kawkab al-sati and the Nuqaya with its commentary, and al Sullam al-murawnaq on logic,and the Kafiya of Ibn Malik, and his work Kashf al-aqfa fi ilm al-amthal and other works.

With Shaykh Mudi I studied al-Ramziya on prosody.

From Muhammad Yero I took some wirds and wazifas. In sum, I copied [texts] and memorized and (unclear) [learning] from the scholars of my age.

Praise be to God. The note is ended, and completed.

Also his brother [Sultan Bello], the author of the Infaq. He mentioned himself in the book and listed some of the books he had studied. I say: As he mentioned, he was, praise be to God, accomplished in all branches of learning, a savant of abundant scholarship, one of the outstanding scholars, quick to comprehend, keen of mind, a man of sagacity and shrewdness, easy in temperament, knowledgeable about human relations, little given to causing offence, very helpful, a lover of knowledge, of perfect insight, and of glowing mental faculties. He took to medicine and therapeutic wisdom, and had extraordinary insights into the Quran which no unbiased Sufi would deny.

Another of them is their brother Muhammad al-Bukhari, to whom [Muhammad Bello] did not devote a notice in the Infaq. I say: Muhammad al-Bukhari was a faqih of abundant learning and wide education (kathir al'ilm wa'l-adab), well-spoken and eloquent, of ample intelligence and high moral character, loving learning and its practitioners, quick to comprehend, highly articulate, like his two brothers. He was a man of few words, dignified, searching avidly for good and for beneficial knowledge, very shy. He was a man whose prayers were answered, and I consider him to have been granted mystical unveilings or [spiritual] states( hawa’il [sic]).

Also my father Mustafa b. Muhammad [died in1261/1845] He was one of the scholars of the age, and one of the jurists of the time, one of those in whom people sought refuge on account of his knowledge of the Sunna, the jurisprudence of the [Muslim] community, and his memorization [of texts]. In addition to his learning and his jurisprudence and his [powers of] memory, he was someone who was blessed with fine moral qualities, as well as good faith and confidence in is fellow Muslims.

Among them also is our shaykh, the man of letters, Gidado, son of the shaykh, the scholar, the ascetic Ahmad Gare. He was mentioned together with his father in the Infaq. I say: He is our shaykh, the man of letters, the philologist, the usuli [theologian/jurist], the rhetorician, the grammarian. He memorized a great deal, indeed he memorized most of the texts he transmitted. In addition he taught and gave instruction at all times, and was much occupied with that. He also engaged in other transmitted and cognitive disciplines. I say: He was of fine moral character, good-hearted. He did not tire of teaching or despair of his students. I studied a number of books with him and these will be mentioned later.

Among them also is the scholar Mudi. He was a man of culture, eminent, distinguished, intelligent, a man of letters, an usuli [theologian], a rhetorician, who also had some knowledge of jurisprudence. He also had insights into the cognitive sciences.

Another is the scholar[b] Muhammad Yero b. Ghari[/b] who was one of the shaykhs of the age, imbued with scholarship and piety, having a keenness for good deeds, and a man of accomplishment in worship and litanies. The writer of this note, Abd al-Qadir b. al-Mustafa, says: This is the end of what I have added to it, to the best of my ability, despite haste and lack of time. They are seven persons, and if time permits, I will write more about them in a [separate] compendium.