A Paper Presented At the International Conference on Kebbi/Dosso Relationship Held At Dosso, Republic of Niger on 15th - 17th December, 2014.
The Impacts Of Doss -Kebbi
Relationship On Sarkanci In Kebbi
Dr. Musa Fadama Gummi
Email: gfmusa24@gmail.com
Gsm No. 07065635983
AND
Rabi’u Aliyu Rambo
Email: rabiualiyurambo@yahoo.com
Gsm No.08125507991
ABSTRACT
It is a well known fact that
at one time in history, Kebbi before its rise to become one of the Hausa
states, was a territory of the famous Songhai empire which flourished in the
fifteenth century. The political dominance of Songhai over kebbi brought about
a cordial and beneficial relationship between the people and the socio-political
leadership in Kebbi and their neighbours, Dosso. The relationship between the
two communities had impacted positively on every facet of life of the people
which includes the social, political as well as the economic spheres of human
endeavour. It is the intension of this paper to explore the extent of this
relationship most especially its impact on the artisanal fishery in Kebbi. This
will include the aspects of fishing gear transfer, fishing techniques and some
forms of water rituals in Kebbi.
1.0 Introduction
Kebbi is situated at the north western part of
Nigeria. It is blessed with abundant land suitable for the cultivation of rice
most especially along the flood plain (fadama) areas of the river kebbi whose
major tributaries include the river Rima, and river Sokoto. The flood plain is
a stretch of land said to cover an area of about four kilometers wide.
Alongside the banks of the river kebbi, abundant fishing grounds exists
especially the lakes and ponds that abounds. This water resource has helped
greatly in the migration of people into the area of gulbin Kebbi both for the
purpose of fishing and the cultivation of rice in the low land and other crops
that are mostly grown up land. According to Alkali (1969:45), since the 11th
century, there were waves of migrations into Kebbi area most especially of the
‘sorko’ who first came into Tillberi area before they finally settled down in
Kebbi. This migration is said to have continued up to the 15th
century.
The influx of people from Songhai into the
area of Kebbi coupled with the political subjugation of Kebbi by Songhai has
helped in bringing about a relationship between Kebbi and her neighbour, Dosso.
The 19th century Islamic revival efforts of the jihadist under the
leadership of Shiek Usman bn Fodio had also paved way for a stronger tie and bond
of relationship between not only the people of kebbi and Dosso but also the
political leadership of the two kingdoms. In the course of the jihad which saw
the rise of hostilities between the jihadists on one hand and Kebbi on the
other, the division within the Zarma nation became more manifest as those Zarma
of Dosso entered into alliance with the kingdom of kebbi to suppress the
activities of the jihadist. The Zarma of Ndounga on the other hand aligned with
the jihadists (Alkali: 1969:33). These two alliances had helped greatly in
bringing a reasonable number of Zarma people not only into the area of Kebbi
but also in the other areas neighbouring the kingdom.
The zarma people had earlier contact with Sorko
such that it became very difficult for a lay man to distinguish between the
two. Their settling into kebbi land had immense impacts on the fishing activities
of not only the Kebbi people but also the entire Hausa land. It is therefore
the wish of this paper to explore the areas of fishing that were influenced by
the Kebbi/Dosso alliance.
2.0 Sarkanci Defined
The word Sarkanci is derived from ‘Sorko’.
They are professional fishermen of Songhai origin who in the course of
searching for more conducive fishing grounds migrated to the area of Tilliberi
and then finally settled in Kebbi. They are professional fishermen who also
hunt water animals. They intermarried with the Hausa population and became
assimilated. Due to their expertise in all aspects of fishing, from the
beginning of the 19th century onwards, the craft came to be referred
to as ‘Sarkanci’, while the professional fisherman came to be known as
‘Basarke’ (Alkali, 1969: 30).
3.0 The Impact of Dosso/Kebbi
Relation on Fishing In Kebbi
The relationship that flourished
between the kingdoms of Kebbi and Dosso has a number of impacts. This is so
because whenever a contact is established between individuals or groups, one is
duty bound to be influenced by the other. In most instances, it is the one with
superior civilization that will exert impacts on the one with inferior
instincts. Let’s now turn our attention to those areas in which this alliance
turned out to be beneficial in the area of artisanal fishery not only to Kebbi,
but also to other parts of Hausa land.
3.1 Substitution of Hausa
‘Kamun kifi’ with ‘Sarkanci’.
It is quite evident that there were a large
number of ‘Sorko’ and ‘Zarma’ who settled down in Kebbi kingdom. They inter
married with their host community and became assimilated into the society.
These people came with a superior civilization, not comparable to what obtained
in kebbi. The civilization was not only in the realm of political spheres but
also on agriculture and fishing. Prior to the arrival of the ‘Sorko’, the host communities
who were mostly of Hausas do engaged in fishing which was being referred to as ‘kamun
kifi’ in Hausa.
Realizing the fact that the ‘Sorko’ displayed
outright superiority in terms of the fishing skills, the superiority of the
fishing gears they use and even their knowledge of water and high ability of
how they manipulate water and the creatures within it, and also their expertise
in water rituals most especially supplications in the form of water
incantations of various kind, the kabawa came to succumb. Gradually, the Hausa
phrase name for fishing, ‘kamun kifi’ was replaced with ‘Sarkanci’. Any Bakabe
that is a professional fisherman is now called and being referred to as ‘Basarke’.
The occupation itself was given a new nomenclature of ‘Sarkanci’, a derivation
from ‘sorko’. This undoubtedly happened as a result of the good understanding
and cordiality which people of the two kingdoms enjoyed as a result of the
alliance they entered into.
3.2 Impacts on Fishing Gears
Fishing gears refers to the tools and
instruments used by the fishermen to enhance their catch. These are in the form
of nets, traps, hooks, spears, etc. The Kabawa have a number of fishing gears
which they made for their own use prior to the arrival of the ‘Sorko’ from
Songhai. A good example of these was the clap net referred to as ‘homa’ in
Hausa. They also had the seine net which they operate along with the homa
(Harris, 1942: 23).
However, the arrival of the ‘Sorko’ into the
land of Kebbi witnessed the introduction of more sophisticated fishing gears
which were brought by them. Because of the efficacy of the introduced fishing
gears, they gained wider and total acceptance and usage by the kabawa fishermen.
Such fishing equipments that gained acceptance are the ‘babban taru. ‘ara’,
‘mamari and ‘kamba’.
3. 2.1 The Big Seine Net
(Babban Taru)
Harris (1942:23) has posited that even before
the arrival of ‘Sorko’ in Kebbi, Kabawa employed the use of seine net which was
being operated alongside the clap net (Homa). The operetors of the net will
drag it towards the fishermen using homa. The fish is frightened and pushed in
the direction of clap net users. It is being caught with the use of the clap
net. However, the coming of the ‘Sorko’ into fishing activities in Kebbi
witnessed the introduction of a big seine net which is being operated and
dragged by fishermen on boats. It was introduced by the Dankanawa whose leader was
said to be Magaji Alfa. To date, the descendants of Magaji Alfa hold the title
of Magajin Dankanawa who is the head of all fishermen who operate the seine
nets (taru) in Argungu. Today, the Dankanawa who are entitled to this office
can be found at ‘Yarmahauta quaters of Argungu town. The title of Magajin
Dankanawa as the leader of the seine net operators is peculiar to Argungu only.
In most other parts of Hausa land, the same title is referred to as ‘Sarkin
Taru’.
3.2.2 The Ara (Basket Trap)
Ara is a fishing gear that is made in the
shape of a bucket using the sticks of certain shrubs like the ‘geza’. It is usually
operated in the shallow waters of lakes during the dry season. The ara is used
to encircle fish when its movement is noticed by the fisherman or when one is
certain of where fish lay at the bottom of water. It is also used during the
rainy season to catch migratory juvenile fishes as they swim in water that
flows. This is referred to as ‘gala’ in Hausa. The instrument of ara is said to
be introduced to Kebbi fishermen by the Sorko and Zarma fishermen much later.
According to Harris (1942: 28) the ara was not in use throughout Kebbi prior to
colonial administration in the kebbi area. It gained wider acceptance not only
in Kebbi, but also in most parts of Hausa land.
3.2.3 Mamari and Kamba. (Hooks &
Line And Hook Sticks)
Mamari is the Zarma word for hook.[1] Kamba[2] refers to a short stick that
is used in arranging the line on which the hooks are tied. The hooks are
arranged on the stick for easy spread in water, so much so that it is not
intricately interwoven to warrant hardship in using the gear in the future.
From enquiries made, it is understood that the word mamari is derived from
Zarma language. The Hausa word for mamari is ‘Ƙugiya’. In Argungu, the
entire Kebbi, and most parts of Hausaland, especially Zamfara, the hook is
called ‘mamari’ which was borrowed from the Zarma language.
Kamba is derived from the Zarma word ‘kambe’
which stands for hand. To fully neologize the word into Hausa, it went through
transformation where the last ‘e’ vowel was substituted with ‘a’ vowel. In
Zarma, the phrase ‘mamari kambe’ is translated literally as a ‘hand of mamari’.[3] It is figuratively coined
because the length of the stick called ‘kamba’ is almost the length of a hand
from the ankle to the fingers hence the reason for the phrase, ‘mamari kambe’.
This a part, the leadership structure of the
artisanal fishing in Kebbi includes in its line of authority, the title of
Kamba who is the head and leader of all the fishermen whose instrument or gear
of operation is line and hook known in Hausa as ‘Ƙugiya’. The title is a
derivation from the name of the gear which emphatically is of Zarma origin. It
suffices for one to assert that if Kebbi/Dosso alliance and relationship is not
an intimate and strong one, this cultural and linguistic borrowing of terms in
fishing as a local craft wouldn’t have suffice up to the present.
3.3 Impacts on Water Rituals
Fishing is an important craft that takes place
only in areas with abundant surface water which could be rivers, lakes,
streams, or ponds. It involves entry into the water with the intent to catch
fish for food, for commercial purpose or for some parts of the fish to be used
in preparing local concoctions for the cure of illnesses and for other traditional
medical purposes.
Water is known to be an abode to vicious and
dangerous animals like the hippopotamus or reptiles like the crocodile. It is also
a dwelling place for spirits that may be harmful to humans. It is in
realization of these dangers that the artisanal fishermen engage in a number of
water rituals so as to ward off evil and avoid danger of water accidents. The
ritual may be ‘ɗaurin ruwa’ which is done to
seek for protection and safety in fishing, from the beginning to the end of a
fishing expedition. There is also the ‘tsaraka’ ritual purposely done to invoke
good luck and enhance big catch during fishing. There is also the ‘Ƙulle ruwa’ ritual which is
done with the intent to prevent or deny a rival from making catches during
fishing. Though it is a pure display of voodoo and African medicine, it
involves the invocation or recitation of some incantations in the form of
abracadabra which is a mixture of words from different languages that are often
without meaning. Greater number of these incantations invoked by the Kebbi and
largely Hausa fishermen for the purpose of offering rituals of this nature are
derived from the Zarma language. They may not be necessarily meaningful words
in Zarma language but they rhyme with the words in Zarma. One example of the
incantations will suffice here. It is recited when one intends to literarily
lock the water i.e wards off evil spirits and harmful water animals. One will
recite:
Bismillahi langwarmai,
Kwarma gwarmai,
Mainan jaboga
Barnan jaboga.
Alako akwai ijikwai jaboga
Ai sanka karai, ainan tinti da.
Ai nan wai banda kulma da.[4]
This is in fact not the only aspect of fishing
in which the Zarma language has impact in the Sarkanci of Kebbi. Sarkanci as a
craft that is dominated by the male folk, has its own form of oral literature
in form of oral songs which are composed in praise of those who show high
commitment and have excelled and are successful in it. The persons to whom the
songs are sang resort to the chanting of personal epithets in which they praise
themselves. This is known as kirari in Hausa. Most fishermen in the course of
chanting their personal praises tend to employ the use of words that rhyme with
the Zarma words just as cited above. A good example is the personal epithet of
one Alu Danhoma of Bubuce village. It has code mixtures of Hausa and Zarma
words as pointed out by Argungu (2007:153). It goes thus:
Bismillahi
Rabbina na hwara
Islande
biga ai Annabin Sulaima kwaiga
Ai
hwantimi ai dosine ai gisi
Ai hwargo ai Harakwai maiga
Gindi gura, kwamba gura sidisi gimbiya
Sinisigi ɗigi kwanda harago kwanga
Ni gimbiya ma minde
Ni shalshabani shalshabani kanda ishirin
Iskwai Dandi iskwai danga
Ai Annabi lango-lango ko har abada
Kuwara ta yi kwadarko
Kuwara
ta yi kwadarko
Kwaɗɗo ya wuce shi giwayo tabki
The question one is likely to ask is why a
fisherman from the Hausa tribe should go to the extent of code mixing his own
language with a language he does not even understand. This really point to the
fact that at one time in history, there was a strong bond of relationship between
the people of Kebbi and Dosso. The bond was so cordial and intimate to warrant
a lot of borrowings and usages of some lexical items in the area of fishing. It
is the Hausa that benefitted because the ‘Sorko’ has a superior civilization in
the field of fishing as such, they seems to make impacts into the aspect of
fishing in kebbi.
3.4 Names of Water Spirits
Prior to their contact with any civilization
whether from the West or the East, the Hausa people to which the inhabitants of
Kebbi belong have strong belief in the existence of the Spirits which cannot be
seen with the naked eye. It is believed also that water bodies are one of the
abode of these creatures. Hausa people believe in the spirits like ‘Jittakuku’,
‘Zodo’, ‘Tamashaya’, ‘Hajiruwa’ and hosts of others believed to inhabits the
waters in which fishing is conducted. To these Spirits, some offerings and
sacrifices were made in the olden days, in order to appease them. That was why
before the emergence of Islamic revivalist movement of the revered Sheikh
Usmanu bn Fodio, the Bori cult enjoys quite a large number of adherents not
only in Kebbi but in almost every part of Hausa land.
The relationship between Kebbi and Dosso paved
the way for increase contact and mutual understanding between the political
leadership and the subjects. This led to further understanding and acceptance
of the Spirits that are believed to be Zarma. Gobir (2002:26) has advanced a
list of Spirits which are believed to be Zarma and to which the Hausa fisherman
also has conviction. They are Sulaimanu, Baba Dango, Harkwai, Markwai, Dango
Musa and Garkame. Some of these Spirits termed as Zarma are believed to inhabit
the fishing water as such are strongly revered and appeased by the fishermen.
These Spirits are Harkwai and Markwai who are most often made mention of by the
fishermen in their self epithets. An extract from the ‘Kirari’ epithet of Alu
Danhoma Bubuce, cited in Argungu (2008:151) will be a testimony to this
assertion. It reads:
Na yi sallama gidanka Harakwai
Ko
da niy yi sallama kak karɓa
Ka ba ni babban kina
ko ko ka ni babban nagge
Ya ce ka
ga saniya na baka.
4.0 Conclusion
This paper has attempted an explicit
description of how the alignment and cordial relationship between two
neighbours from the divide of Nigeria and Niger became beneficial to the
aspects of artisanal fishery particularly in Kebbi and in Hausa land generally.
The relationship had brought about the introduction and wider use of a good
number of fishing gears. This include the of seine net, ‘ara’ and the ‘mamari’.
This a part, relationship in question had also helped in enriching the lexical
items from the Zarma, which have direct bearing on Hausa language most
especially fishing nomenclatures. The Hausa word for hook is ‘ƙugiya’ and fishing itself is
called ‘kamun kifi’. However, with the bond of ties between these two kingdoms,
these fishing nomenclatures were substituted with the ones of Zarma origin.
This did not stop there as it had touched and strengthened the belief of the
Kebbi fisherman in Spirits, some of which are strongly said to live in the
water that serves as fishing area. From what has been discussed however, one
will assert that the people and culture of the ‘Sorko’ and Dosso had direct
influence on all and every aspect of fishing not only in Kebbi but also most
parts of Hausa land and beyond. This came about as a result of the cooperation
and peaceful co-existence that the kingdoms Kebbi and Dosso enjoyed over time.
In essence, the bond led to the intermingling of the people including the
‘Sorko’ who exerted their influence in the area of fishing not only in Kebbi
but also her neighbours.
REFERENCES
Contact the authors.
[1]
Oral interview with Muhammad Maisamari of unguwar Gwazange in Argungu town,
Kebbi State Nigeria on Tuesday, 18th November, 2014.
[2]
According to Amadu Ɓaidu who i interviewed at
Kamba town of Kebbi State, Nigeria, on 20th, May, 2012. The word
‘Kamba’ do exist in Zarma language but it has no bearing with fishing in terms
of its meaning. It means ‘ratse’ in Hausa which according to Bargery (1934:845)
may mean ‘deviate’, ‘stray’, ‘go aside or turn aside.
[3]
Oral interview with Amadu Ɓaidu
Kamba and Kaka Badande at unguwar Birni, Kamba, Kebbi State on Sunday, 20th
May, 2012.
[4]
This incantations was obtained from Homan Kebbe, Sani Naba’u in an oral
interview held beside the residence of Sarkin Kabin Kebbe on Saturday, 5th
May, 2012.This respondent vehemently attested that he learnt to chant this
incantation from his late father who told him it was derived from Dandanci,a
sub dialect of the Zarma language. On further enquiries as to the validity of
his claim, it became clear that though the words of the incantation rhyme the
words of the Zarma language, they are not derived from the Zarma language as
the respondent insisted.
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