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Adventures in the chronology of the states of the Chad basin
Introduction:
The city of Damagaram is geographically located on coordinates 14° 8' 15" North, 9° 28' 57" East in the present day Niger republic. Damagaram is situated 861 km (535 mi) east of the capital Niamey and 240 km (150 mi) north of the Nigerian city of Kano.
Damagaram is also known with the name Zinder, formerly Zinder which is also spelled as Sinder. Damagaram is the second largest city in Niger republic, with a population of around 500,000; though displacements due to the ongoing insurgency around the Lake Chad keeps its population rapidly growing as a result of migration caused by displacements of surrounding towns and villages near the shores of the Lake Chad.
Damagaram was originally the capital of Niger Republic before it was moved far west to Niamey by the French colonial masters, Zinder (together with Agades further to the North) had been an important center on the historical Trans-Saharan Trade route from North Africa with southern termini in Borno (ancient Kanem-Bornu territory).
The indigenous people of Damagaram are of Kanuri origin connected to the ancient Kanem-Bornu empire which is the Africa’s ancient largest and mightiest empire.
The name Damagaram is from the Kanuri language of Kanem-Bornu.
Meaning of Damagaram:
The name Damagaram was coined from the name ‘Da ma-Jerem’ (Daa ma-J3r3m),
Dama-Jerem is derived from two Kanuri words namely “DA” meaning edible meat from animals (Cattle, Sheep, Goat etc.) and Jerem (J3R3M) meaning eat.
So literally Dama-Jerem means “Eat Meat”.
DA + J3REM = DA JEREM
Why was the name Damagaram coined out of Da-Jerem or Eat Meat?
To understand this concept let’s look in to the history Damagaram city from foundation.
when the first settlers Kanuri settlers who found Damagaram came to establish this town of from the ancient Kanem-Bornu kingdom in the middle of the Sahara Desert around the 16/ 17th century, just like any other founder of a new settlements they first look around to assess possibility, viability and sustenance of livelihood when this settlement is created, despite the very good geographical location of this new settlements favorable for facilitating the great Trans-Saharan trade routes of the ancient time in Africa, but they noticed that the land it’s a bit dry, with low annual precipitation (rainfall) which is not a very good favorable condition for farming or agricultural activities, so as a result some of them asked their leader (Mai) of this mission that ‘WHAT SHALL WE EAT IF WE END UP SETTLING HERE BECAUSE IT’S ALL DESERT ?’ and their leader replied them that “you can even eat Meat” (DAMA JEREM/ J3R3M) to survive. The meat here the leader was referring to was their livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats etc. they owned in their possession, because the ancient Kanuri people are generally pastoralists and agrarians, but well blessed with abundant and best quality of livestock. Hence this answer from the Mai was turned to mean a name for this newly formed town of Dama-Jerem which later metamorphosed in to Damagaram.
DAJ3R3M DA MA J3R3M DAMAG3R3M DA MA GARAM
DAMAGARAM
In view of the above the Kanuri people end up founding, settling and started living in Damagaram since that period and till date.
Today the city comprises of three main areas. Birni, which is a home to the Great Mosque and the Sutan’s Palace. The Zango which is the old Tuareg suburb, known for its traditional northern architecture and the Bula Birin /Sabon Gari (or new town), lies between Birni and Zango, and is the commercial center, known for its large market.
the Sultanate of Damagaram was founded in the year 1731 by a Muslim Kanouri aristocrats. Damagaram was technically a vassal state of the decaying Kanem Bornu Empire of the post Mai Idris Alauma era, but quickly came to conquer all its fellow vassal states of western Bornu.
In the 1830s, the small band of Bornu nobles and retainers conquered the Myrria kingdom, the Sassebaki sultanates (including Zinder). By the 19th century, Damagaram had absorbed 18 Bornu vassal states in the area. Zinder rose from a small settlement to an important center of the Trans-Saharan trade with the moving of the capital of Damagaram there in 1736. The large fortress of the southeast central city (Birini) was built shortly thereafter, and became a major hub for trade south through Kano and east to Kukawa and Monguno towns of Bornu.
In fact, for many years Damagaram became a transit town for the very rich Arab merchants travelling to the Gold Coast (Ghana) cities of Ashanti, Kumasi, Obuasi, Tarkwa and Bogoso to buy golds. Most of these merchants spend almost two weeks breaks resting in Damagaram, before proceeding on their journey to the Gold Coast. This was part of the reasons why Damagaram, became one of the most popular cities of the Sahara Desert in the ancient times.
When the French arrived in force in the 1890s, Zinder was the only city of over 10,000 in what is today Niger. Damagaram found itself threatened by well-armed European incursions to the west, and the conquering forces of Rabeh (war load that terrorist Bornu and was killed by French army in 1900 at Kousori now in Cameroon republic) to the east and south. In 1898, A French force under Captain Marius Gabriel Cazemajou spent three weeks under the Sultan's protection in Damagaram. Cazemajou had been dispatched to form an alliance against the British with Rabah, and the Sultan's court were alarmed at the prospect of their two most powerful new threats linking up. Cazemajou was murdered by a faction at the court, and the remainder of the French escaped, protected by other factions. In 1899, the reconstituted elements of the ill-fated Voulet-Chanoine Mission finally arrived in Damagaram on its way to revenge Cazemajou's death. Meeting on 30 July at the Battle of Tirmini, 10 km from Zinder, the well-armed Senegalese-French troops defeated the Sultan and took Damagaram's capital.
With colonialism came the loss of some of Damagaram's traditional lands and its most important trade partner to the British in Nigeria.
The French placed the capital of the new Niger Military Territory there in 1911. In 1926, following fears of Hausa revolts and improving relations with the Djerma of the west, the Niger republic capital was transferred back to the village of Niamey.
The brother of Sultan Ahmadou mai Roumji had earlier sided with the French, and was placed on the throne in 1899 as Sultan Ahamadou dan Bassa. Following French intelligence that a rising by Hausa in the area were preparing a revolt with the aid of the Sultan, a puppet Sultan was placed in power in 1906, though the royal line was restored in 1923. The Sultanate continues to operate in a ceremonial function into the 21st century.
The city is presently divided into 5 urban municipalities: Zinder I, Zinder II, Zinder III, Zinder IV and Zinder V.
THE SULTANS OF DAMAGARAM IN HISTORY:
1731 Damagaram state (later capital Zinder) founded.
30 Jul 1899 French protectorates.
Rulers (Sultans of Damagaram) :
1731 - 1746 Malam Yunus Ibram (b. c.1688 - d. 1746)
1746 - 1757 Baba Malam
1757 - 1775 Tanimun Babami
1775 - 1782 Asafa Tanimun (d. 1782)
1782 - 1787 Abaza Tanimun
1787 - 1790 Mahaman Tanimun "Babu Tsaba"
1790 - 1799 Da'udu Tanimun
1799 - 1812 Amadu Tanimun "na Cihanza"
1812 - 1822 Saleman Tintuma (d. 1831)
1822 - 1841 Ibram Saleman (1st time) (d. 1851)
1841 - 1843 Tanimun Saleman "Baki Jataw," (b. c.1811 - d. 1885)
"Dari" (1st time)
1843 - 1851 Ibram Saleman (2nd time) (s.a.)
1851 Mahaman Kace Ibram
1851 - 1880 Tanimun Saleman "Baki Jataw," (s.a.)
"Dari" (2nd time)
1880 Kiyari Tanimun
1880 - 1885 Tanimun Saleman "Baki Jataw," (s.a.)
"Dari" (3rd time)
1885 - 1893 Saleman Aysa" Tanimun
"Karami"
1893 - 30 Jul 1899 Amadu Tanimun "May Rumji," (d. 1899)
"Kuren Daga"
30 Jul 1899 - 1906 Amadu Basa" Tanimun
1906 - 1921 Usman Bellama -Regent
1921 - 27 Feb 1923 Vacant
27 Feb 1923 - 3 Sep 1950 Barma Mustafa
1950 - 1978 Sanda `Umaru Amadu (d. 1978)
1978 - 9 Jul 2001 Abubakar `Umaru Sanda (1978-2000)
2000-2011 Mamadou Moustafa 2000-2011
Aboubacar Sanda Oumarou (restored) 2011–present
DAMAGARAM TODAY:
Damagaram is today a home of scholarship,tourism, trading as well as many home to educational and recreational institutions.
One of the five biggest University of Niger republic known as the University of Zinder is located in it.
In 2003, telecommunications company Celtel arrived in Zinder, building a mobile phone tower and selling prepaid phone cards to residents. This arrival of the mobile phone drastically changed the predominant modes of communication in the city, allowing traders to have a faster and more affordable means of communicating with buyers and sellers. This is an example of how cellular towers in the developing world have begun to transform the market.
Due to their Kanuri ancestral history the people here are predominantly muslims.
DAMAGARAM RESOURCES:
As A result of discovery of petroleum in the Damagaram territories, today Damagaram is blessed with a 20,000 barrel-per-day capacity petroleum refinery known as the Soraz refinery. Refining petroleum for both import and export out of Niger republic.
The Agadem Rift Basin which is oil block blessed with millions of barrels of crude oil starts from the territories of Damagaram to the South –East of Niger republic and unto the Lake Chad. In fact, it is located in extreme South East of Niger republic which is another Kanuri dominated territories of Niger republic covering the areas of the state of Diffa bordering Damasak and Kukawa of Borno-State, Nigeria. This oil field covers an area of approximately 30,000 km² in size. In the modern era, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has made 97 discoveries from the last 127 exploration wells with the principal discovered geological play being a relatively shallow Eocene Sokor Alternances tilted fault light oil block play. The basin has been in production since 2011 supplying its oil product to the refinery at Damagaram.
In view of the above the author feels that the Almighty God has blessed the Kanuri people from the beginning and till date, as such that even the Kanuri people themselves never knew how blessed they were and they are! This point proves the reason why all the insurgencies in history till date ranging from ‘Rabeh’ to ‘Boko Harama’ are concentrated in North-Eastern Nigeria, South-Eastern Niger, South –Western Chad and North –Western Cameroon republics and centered around the Lake Chad which is a basin and a water body that keeps sustaining the Kanuri people from their beginning and till date!
For example, have a good look at the Agadem oilfield along that holds approximately 10,000,000,000 cubic meters (3.5×1011 cu ft) to 16,000,000,000 cubic meters (5.7×1011 cu ft) of natural gas reserves in addition to the ancient Kanem-Bornu empire territories of Nigeria, Libya, Chad, Cameroon and Niger holds between 85 to 134 billion barrels of petroleum reserves in total and approximately 120,000,000,000 cubic meters to 160,000,000,000 cubic meters of natural gas reserves. Plus, cumulative production of 114,346 tU of Uranium. Their areas also hold huge reserves of underground which is ranked as one of the biggest water reserves in the world as confirmed by the British Geological Survey and University College London who mapped for the first time the aquifers, or groundwater, across the African continent and the amount of water they hold. This proves the fact why free flow boreholes is still existing in territory.
So with this history of Damagaram there is no dry land in all the Kanuri people ancient territories unless if it is not well observed or well understood (A thought for the wise).
ECONOMY OF DAMAGARAM:
As a result of the fast growing economy of Damagaram today experts and expatriates have since started assembling in this city in order to explore the growing opportunities.
As it is often said petroleum exploration activities in a place fast changes the colors of that place faster than a Chameleon changing its colors at spot of danger’ this is same with the city of Damagaram of today, as a result the Damagaram of today is connected by planes at all times.
Damagaram had a mixed relationship with the other major regional power, the Sokoto Caliphate to the south. While it provided aid to the animist Hausa-led refugee states to its west (in what is now Niger) who were formed from the rump of the state’s conquered by the Sokoto Caliph, Damagaram also maintained good relations with its southern neighbors. Damagaram sat astride the major trade route linking Tripoli to Kano, one of the more powerful Sokoto sultanates, which provided the economic lifeblood of both states. An east-west trade from the Niger River to Bornu also passed through Zinder, making relations with her neighbors like Maradi or the Gobirwa as profitable, and thus important. Damagaram also covered some of the more productive of Bornu's western salt-producing evaporation mines, as well as farms producing Ostrich feathers, highly valued in Europe.
The publication Kanuri Complete (Babagana Abubakar,2017) explained how importance was Ostrich feathers trading from the ancient Kanem-Bornu to European nations of Rome (Italy), Andalusia (Spain), Istanbul *(Turkey) and also Greece from the 14th to the 18th centuries.
In the pre-colonial era Damagaram’s wealth depended on taxes and income from the caravan trade crossing through its territories.
The END
A situação econômica na maioria dos países do Terceiro Mundo desde a independência não mostrou sinais de melhora. O resultado é que aqueles que estão no auge de suas vidas, o que levaria a economia a um crescimento maior, estão saindo em massa da área em busca de pastos mais verdes em outros lugares, especialmente do outro lado do deserto, para a Europa, situação que afetou negativamente seu desenvolvimento através dos anos nesses países do Terceiro-mundo, usando a Nigéria como exemplo. O efeito de impacto, bem como, por que e quando disso é o que este artigo pretende interrogar no que se refere à situação da Nigéria e aos de seus vizinhos, especialmente nos últimos dois séculos, usando os fatos e lições da história. Os dados obtidos de fontes primárias e secundárias (revisão de literatura e análise de conteúdo) foram implantados para a realização do estudo com um método histórico analítico e narrativo
Author: Babagana Abubakar
E-mail: babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com
PERMANENT ADDRESS: ALHAJI BUKAR KUYA HOUSE, FEZZAN WARD,
MAIDUGURI, BORNO STATE, NIGERIA.
Tel: +2348062220179 Skype: babagana.abubakar
Calabash Complete
INTRODUCTION:
Calabash is known with many other different names around the World in different languages such as Kumo in the Kanuri language, Kwarya in Hausa, KURA in Aramaic, LAUKI (लौकी / લૌકી) or DUDHI in Hindu, Horti or Tumbugel in Fulani, KADDU [کدو] in Pakistan, QARA in Arabic, Suraikkaai in Tamil and Evoh in Nupe , Igba in Yoruba language as well as long melon, suzza melon, New Guinea bean and Tasmania bean in some places.
Calabash is a plant vine grown for its fruit, which can either be harvested young and used as a vegetable, or harvested matured, dried, and used as a water bottle , ladle, container, ink pot, utensil, musical instrument, fishing apparatus or pipe. Calabash are still in use in Africa, it is mostly use as containers for carrying water, milk, grains, flours and also use in fishing, winnowing of grains, while the smaller size Calabash are use as bowls for serving food mostly Pap (Kunu/Bulum) /dining, some species use as ladles (spoon) for eating and for decorations.
Historically Calabash was naturally grown plants in the wild, but because of its importance to man it was later domesticated some thousands of years back when it became mostly grown by direct sowing of seeds or through transplanting (15- to 20-day-old seedlings).
Calabash plants prefer well-drained, moist, rich soil, vast lands and requires plenty of moisture in the growing season and a warm sunshine as well as a position sheltered from the wind.
Unlike many other fruits or farm produce that have synonymous, similar or even same names names in many other languages mostly in Africa, such as Tomato, Mango, Guava etc for instance; Mango in English is called Mangoro in Hausa language, Mangarow in Fulani language and Mangulo in the Kanuri language likewise Guava in English is called Gwaiba in Hausa,Gwaba in Nupe and Goyba in Kanuri languages and same pattern applies to Tomato in English which is called Tumatur in Hausa, Tumatir in Fulani or Tumatkum in Kanuri languages, but Calabash has its own native names that doesn’t sounds synonymous even amongst the most closely related languages ;for example Calabash called Kumo in Kanuri doesn’t sounds synonymous with its name Kwarya in Hausa or Tumbugel/ Horti in Fulani, Ifah in TIV, QARA in Arabic and Evho in Nupe languages .
Calabash is mostly cultivated in small places such as in a pot, spread on a trellis or roof of houses. It is common to find many houses in rural areas of Africa especially those with thatched roofs covered with the gourd vines. Bottle gourds grow very rapidly and their stems can reach a length of 9 m in the summer, so they need a solid support to climb by the pole or trellis along the stem. If planted under a tall tree, the vine can grow up to the top of the tree for effective photosynthesis to take place.
To get more fruits, sometimes farmers cut off the tip of the vine when it has grown to 6–8 feet long. This forces the plant to produce side branches that produce fruit much sooner and more flowers that leads to yield more fruits. The plant produces white flowers. The male flowers have long peduncles and the females have short ones with an ovary of the shape of the fruit. Sometimes, the female flowers drop off without growing into a gourd due to the failure of pollination if no bee or cross pollination activities occurring in the garden area. To solve the problem, sometimes artificial or hand pollination can be used.
GEO-ARCHAEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF CALABASH:
Many archaeologist and anthropologists believe that Calabash originated from Africa, but over the years they may have been carried from Africa to the other parts of the World like Asia, Europe, and the Americas in the course of human migration, or by seeds floating across the oceans or Seeds inside the gourd. Calabash has been proven to be in the New World (the Americas) even prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus.
Considering the above definition, history and description of Calabash cultivation, it sounds like Calabash has no any other better place to strive well than the tropical semi desert environments of Africa especially the southern edge of the Sahara –Desert, more specifically the areas referred to as the Southern Borno of today located in the present day “Borno state “of Nigeria, which was an area curved out of the ancient pre-colonial Kanem-Bornu Empire. The Southern Borno area is one of the very few places on Earth where almost all the different types of Calabash species in the World can be found or cultivated. In fact, a research is currently underway which tries to link the origin of Calabash to this part of Africa.
The historical relationship that exists between Calabash and the Kanem-Bornu justifies the reason for the emergence of streets, wards and even names of towns directly linked to Calabash or Calabash activities, so it’s not a surprise to hear names of places in the ancient Bornu Empire such as Kumozomari, Kumo-Kura, Kumo Kime , Damboa,Kumori etc. further explanations on this follows.
“Furthermore, here in Kanem-Bornu almost every aspect of human livelihood or activities including eating, washing, drinking, travelling, decorations, worshiping, medicine, cooking, playing, fishing, gaming mourning, marriage, solemnizing, singing, farming, music, writing, teaching, weaponry, hunting, securing, swimming, food processing and others have their specially dedicated calabash for facilitating those purpose/activities.”
All unprocessed Calabash produce regardless of species are generally referred to as “Kafeto” in the Kanuri language:
KANEM-BORNU AND CALABASH FARMING:
The Kanem-Bornu Empire was once one of the world’s most famous and the most powerful black nation (kingdom) on Earth. The Kanem-Bornu Empire at its peak of expansion under the leadership of His Royal Majesty Mai Idris Alauma (Idris Amsami), Mai Idris was a King of the Kanem-Bornu (1571–1603) and one of the World’s greatest leaders in history as well as a hero remembered for his military skills, administrative reforms, and Islamic piety.
Kanem-Bornu under Mai Alauma , was known to be historically important, politically mighty, economically more viable, culturally respected and militarily ranked as Africa’s most powerful Empire and globally forms part of the five known superpowers on Earth of the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries as they even had ambassadorial representatives at global decision makings involving the Othman and Roman Empires plus the Sultanate of Bagdad and the Kingdom of Egypt. This Empire once owned approximately 1/5 of the entire African land mass including Northern Nigeria, Eastern Niger republic, Northern Cameroon, Chad, Western Sudan and the entire Fezzan areas of the republic of Libya.
This cloth belonging to Mai Idris Alauma, is an indication that Mai Alauma was also an expert on climate mitigation and adaptation; for example, this amour of medieval era was made of cloths instead of metals, this is because you cannot wear metal armor under the dry hot season of the hot Sahara Desert where the Knam-Bornu Empire is located - you'll literally bake. But enough layers of cloth, sewn together, can be quite strong, conducive and micro climatically okay.
The great successes and peace recorded under Alauma and his predecessors made the Empire to witnessed a record breaking traffic of human migrants mostly traders, scholars, students, people displaced by wars in other kingdoms including skilled labour forces and also other people traveling on holy pilgrims passing through the Empire enroute the Red Sea to perform pilgrimages in the Holy cities of Makkah and Madina (Middle-East or the Arabian Peninsula). Economically the Bornu Empire was historically famous for exporting wax, cotton, ivory, perfume, ostrich, ostrich feathers, natron (sodium carbonate), feathers and hides to most parts of the World including Egypt, Rome, Spain (Andalusia), Portugal (city of Fatima), Turkey and Greece (B. Abubakar, Kanuri Complete. 2017). However not many history books reported the roles of the Bornu-Empire in the Calabash farming, trading and carving businesses that had influences in the global supply chain of Calabash, because the Commercial Calabash farming and export in the Empire came much more later and after unforeseen Calabash drought (shortage) in the Empire as a result of the accelerated growth in the human population in the Empire caused by the above earlier mentioned factors.
COMMERCIAL CALABASH FARMING IN THE KANEM-BORNU EMPIRE:
Though historically the Calabash plants for hundreds of years were naturally grown wild plants in most parts of the Kanem-Bornu, but the Empire later rapidly expanded and reaches a stage in both size and population that the wildly grown Calabash could no longer able to meet up with the increasing demands for Calabash in the Bornu Kingdom as a result of this Calabash farming became a necessity as such that the wild grown Calabash had to be domesticated through commercial Calabash farming in the entire Empire thereby making Calabash a new type of cash crop in the Empire.
Major Reasons for the shortages of Calabash in the Empire that pushed for the commercial Calabash farming are as listed below:
1. The victories gained by the Kanem-Bornu Empire at its peak of expansion in terms of gaining newer territories was a factor that lead to a sudden increase in the population of the Empire that pushed the demand for Calabash to go higher than its original average supply.
2. The historical long lasting peace that existed in the Empire was also directly correlated to the increases in growth rate of the Bornu population.
3. The influx of scholar and student migrants and immigrants’ population coming from the bordering Kingdoms to seek for knowledge in Bornu also had additional influences on the growth rate of population in the Empire over this period. Generally, due to the increasing scholarship in the Empire apart from using the normal Calabash by these migrants under this Category they also pushed the demand for the Calabash ink-pot “Aduwaram” to go higher as they depend on this kind of Calabash in writing the Quran and their Arabic wooden slates for teaching and reading.
4. Unlike the present Aluminum, metal, steel or the alloyed dishes that replaces Calabash in our households now which has very long life spans, generally Calabash are very fragile and tends to break so easily before even they complete their average usage life spans, meaning that the more the Calabash breaks the more people keep buying it in the market and the more the population growth rate the higher the demands for these Calabash keeps growing too.
5. The Emergence of Calabash craftsmen (Calabash decorators) in the Empire between the 15th to 17th centuries made the Calabash from the Kanem-Bornu to be admired and traded internationally. This explains the reason why today in many parts of the modern day European, middle Eastern and the Caucasian Museums like the “Stockholm World Cultures Museum”, the London Museum as well as the Museum of Natural History in New York U.S.A. one can still find the Bornu Calabash as part of their Antiquity collections.
Additionally, this international trading of Calabash opened the doors for the made in Kanem-Bornu Calabash to travel far distances and earn international admiration and special demands for it. Literally this high demands for the Bornu Calabash in the international market of the time also contributed to the shortage of Calabash in the Empire, as many of the carved Calabash are exported out instead of using them locally in Bornu.
THE COMMERCIAL CALABASH FARMING IN KANEM-BORNU:
Following the Calabash drought in Bornu and after much trials and failures in trying to domesticate Calabash farming in commercial quantities by the locals of Bornu, they succeeded in discovering that the Calabash plant best strives well under the climatic conditions of between 5.5 to 6.5 months of rainfall with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches, plus a brighter sun shine with occasional partly clouding condition as well as average temperature of between 58°F to 104°F or 14°c to 40°c (though this condition wasn’t scientifically expressed like this then, but this is the exact condition when expressed scientifically today).
So the only place in the Empire that climatically matches this description is none other than the plane lands of the present day Southern Bornu and the lands of Damboa and its surrounding environment to be specific.
This was the reason that lead to the establishment of the main town of Damboa which was known as Bulabulin to the Kanuri people then, Bulabulin (Bulabirin) was a settlement characterized with groups of smaller scattered clustered mostly hamlet settlements in to a new single mega town or city later to be known as Damboa.
Table 1: Despite variations in Climate conditions over centuries, but yet the present climatic condition of Damboa tabulated below still shows resemblance with the historical climatic description given above:
MONTHLY - WEATHER AVERAGES SUMMARY OF DAMBOA:
Average Temperature Years on Record: 112
ANNUAL JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
C 27.4 22.8 25.7 29.5 31.9 31.5 29.4 27.2 26.4 27.2 28 25.6 23.4
Average Precipitation Years on Record: 112
ANNUAL JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
mm 710.4 --- --- 0.7 20 51.1 93.1 176.2 220.5 129.1 19.6 0.1 ---
Average Number of Days With Precipitation Years on Record: 112
ANNUAL JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Days 53.3 --- --- 0.7 2.5 5.6 8.1 11.8 12.9 9.5 2.2 --- ---
Average Relative Humidity Years on Record: 112
ANNUAL JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
% 44.9 26 21.3 22.2 32.8 46.9 58.5 69.7 75.9 71.7 52.3 32.7 28.8
Following this development most wild calabash gatherers and calabash traders from elsewhere within Bornu all turn to Damboa for the sourcing of these Calabash.
However, at this point it is also good to know that even before the farming of Calabash started in commercial quantities in Damboa, Damboa was well blessed and her territories were dominated with naturally grown wild Calabash plants because of her very good climatic condition for Calabash growing. Historically the Damboa locals harvest the wild Calabash when sourcing for Calabash, but with the arrival of the Calabash traders mostly Kanuri people who dominated and govern the Kanem-Bornu Empire the wild Calabash were exhausted and the originally planned Commercial Calabash farming started.
The above-mentioned factor plus the favorable climatic condition for Calabash farming in Damboa together with the welcoming attitude of the Damboan indigents created conducive room for a successful Calabash domestication project in Damboa, which later made Damboa as one of the richest towns of the Kanem-Bornu. As result after a decade Damboa population geometrically multiplied and Kanuri became near majority in Damboa. The Kanuri population grew so much that Kanuri became the official language spoken in Damboa instead of the native Marghi language. This is the reason why till today people still speaks Kanuri in Damboa.
At the start of the Calabash domestication project in Damboa most of the Kanuri Calabash traders coming for the Calabash business in Damboa, were coming on a short time business trip to purchase the Calabash in Damboa, they probably stay for a week or two, but later some of these Calabash traders chooses to establish second matrimonial homes in Damboa. The offspring from these polygamous families of the Kanuris in Damboa formed the foundation of the first Kanuri people of Damboa.
REASONS THAT MADE THE KANURIS TO SETTLE AND MARRY IN DAMBOA:
It was difficult to travel with families then on a long term business trips and yet the average distance of Damboa from most of the Kanuri ancient cities like Kukawa, Ngazargamu, Dikwa, Monguno, Nguru etc was more than100 km (Three days’ journey by foot and one-and-a-half-day journey with Donkeys and Horses) in some instances even above 200 km, so the distance was much.
i) The cultures of the Kanem-Bornu societies more specifically the Kanuri culture shows that the prestige of a man in Bornu society relies on his ability of keeping a family in his society or in a society that one spends more time in. In fact, marriage is so important here that an unmarried person is not allowed to take part in some decision makings of their communities.
ii) Lack of faster and more comforting transportation systems then like cars and railways that can enable traveling with families.
iii) Damboa people were very accommodating.
iv) Some calabash traders bought farmlands in Damboa, this made them to stay longer in Damboa (Staying may be throughout the Calabash farming season) so that they can stay and monitor their farms/investments in Damboa.
As a result of the above development and in the cause of time this scenario resulted in making many Damboa families becoming of mixed-blood descendants of the Kanuris and the Marghis, though there are fewer pure Kanuri descendants than the pure Marghi descendants. But yet it is almost impossible to meet a family from Damboa town of even today that has no any family member that do not speaks the Kanuri language or carries any of Kanuri cultural heritage on them.
The Kanuri language was so assimilated in Damboa since the great Calabash era that the majority of the people of Damboa have the Kanuri tribal marks, have same mode of dressing with the Kanuris, have same religion and even have common names with the Kanuris like Yakaka, Kyallu , Bana, Yana, Abba, Bulama, Maira, Gumsu, Zarami, Butari, Modu, Borr, Ari ,Konto etc.
In terms of the tribal marks, it would take the expertise of an expert to be able to differentiate the differences between the tribal marks of the Marghis from Damboa from with that of the Kanuri people, because they are all the same.
Finally, the name Damboa itself is a name coined out of a Kanuri word:
The name “Damboa” was from the name “Dambuwa “the name Dambuwa was from the name Dumbawa (D3mbua), while the name D3mbua was coined out from the Kanuri word Dumba’a (D3mba’a) which is referring to a big size calabash that can contain at least five (5) kilograms and above of foodstuffs or grains like Millet, Guinea Corn, Beans, Wheat, Rice, Ndallayi (local flour), Dawude (local spaghetti) as well as liquids such as Milk, Water and others.
REASONS FOR CALLING DAMBOA AS DUMBA’A:
During the pre-colonial, colonial and some decades into the post-colonial eras in the Kanem-Bornu history, Dumba’a remains the major dish, container or bucket used for many domestic activities ranging from storing of foodstuffs, to washing of cloth and bathing. Though the Dumba’as were later replaced by stronger and less fragile aluminum, metal and alloyed dishes of same sizes, but they also still carry the name Dumba’a just like the big size Calabash they replaced.
So literally Damboa was referred to as the Damboa because it was dominated by naturally grown Calabash vines that produces the Dumbaas’ from the beginning and before the Calabash farming project came-onboard.
SYSTEM OF CALABASH FARMING IN DAMBOA:
The Marghi people who are regarded as the main indigents of Damboa directly participates in the farming and cultivating of the Calabash, while the Kanuri people were engaged in the trading, distribution as well as in the artistic carving of the Calabash cultivated here. However, years later in to the project the Kanuri people became the owners of the farms, while the Marghi people still keeps providing the labour needed for the farming.
THE POSITION OF CALABASH FARMING IN OTHER TOWNS OF THE ANCIENT KANEM-BORNU:
Though Damboa stands as the King of Calabash farming in the Kanem-Bornu and even in the entire Sub-Saharan African region, but apart from Damboa other towns of the Kanem-Bornu also domestically and naturally grown their Calabash, but not as much as that of Damboa. Amazingly many of the towns of the Empire like Kukawa, Dikwa, Monguno, Old Maiduguri, Ngarganmu, Marte, Mao, Geidam, Nguru, Potiskum, Ngala, Konduga and others have some unique species of Calabash native to their towns that cannot found elsewhere even in Damboa.
PEAK OF CALABASH FARMING IN THE KANEM-BORNU:
When the domesticated Calabash started yielding good result, few years in to the project, Bornu became blessed greater quantities of Calabash and Calabash of all species. This stimulated Calabash trading to peak up beyond imagination resulting in multiplying effect of the numbers of Calabash craftsmen, whose works were that of decorating and carving of the Calabash. This technique of Calabash decorating/carving evolved over time and came up with more attractive artistic innovations on Calabash decorations or carving. This lead to increase in the demand for the made in Bornu Calabash even outside the Bornu Empire. In fact, the Calabash business within few decades became so influential and flourishing as such that even streets, lanes and places in major Bornu towns and cities were named with a name of Calabash or related to Calabash for instance “Kumozomari street or ward” the name Kumozomari in the Kanuri language is referring to the place of the Calabash trading, carving or a place dominated by Calabash activities.
In view of the above it is therefore very common even in the present time to see existing areas named Kumozomari in almost all of Kanuri major cities in Borno and Yobe states of Nigeria including Maiduguri.
In the Farmlands of Damboa came a time that the Calabash were cultivated in mass quantities and in the Kanem-Bornu markets and the international market the values of Calabash were sky rocketing as such that Calabash assumes the form of the present day liquid Gold (Petroleum) or cash crops like Cocoa and Coffee that made farmers in Damboa to replace other crops in their farms with Calabash.
At one time the whole of the Damboa town including the backyard of houses, surrounding farmlands, open fields and the wild open spaces or surrounding bushlands of Damboa became an agricultural island for the Calabash plants/vines.
SOME NATIVE SPECIES OF the KANEM-BORNU CALABASH AND THEIR NAMES:
1. Fofio: the name “FOFIO” originated from the Kanuri language. It is referred to a particular type of calabash cultivated in the Kanem-Bornu used as a Pen Quiver for the holding of local Pens (Alkalam).
2. Zawu: the name “Zawu” is also from the Kanuri language referring to an “Arrow Calabash quiver “used for keeping or holding Arrows.
3. Dulom: the name “Dulom” is another Kanuri language word referring to a special ladles used in serving milk only.
4. Karwe: the name “Karwe” is a Kanuri language word referring to a broken part of a Calabash used in serving food in to plates and dishes.
5. Aduwaram: the name “Aduwaram” is another word originating from the Kanuri language used for a Calabash Ink pot used for holding Inks used in writing on skins, Arabic wooden slates and later papers (Books):
6. Ibrit: the name “Ibrit” (Kanuri word) referring to a Calabash use in holding little water to perform ablution or washing face and parts of the body.
7. Dumba: the name “Dumba” (Kanuri word) referring to a type of a big Calabash that can contain at least 5 kg or more of food substances such as millet, wheat, rice, beans or even water or any other food stuffs or substances use locally.
8. Zunguru: the name “Zunguru” is also from the Kanuri language referring to a particular type of Calabash use in dressing or making of Henan by Kanuri women and even women in the other parts of the World on their palms and feets. Women mostly in Africa, the middle east and even some parts of the ancient India use the Kanem-Bornu Calabash for self-beatification (Making some Impressive expressions of artistic flower like decorations on their palms and feet mostly during ceremonies. The process involves using the Calabash pipes known locally in the Kanuri language as “ZUNGURU”. This act of Henan dressing act is known as “Nalle or Nalle kirta” in the Kanuri language and in English it is known as Henan dressing.
9. Jayen: the name “Jayen” is in Kanuri referring to a normal Calabash ladle use in drinking of pap’s or liquid food.
10. Juyi: the name “Juyi” is also a word in Kanuri referring to a Milk processor used in processing milk. It is used in separating “Cow butter ghee” and cheese from the Milk as well as in the making of a milk type known as “Ngoin” in the Kanuri language. Ngoin is a type of a sour yoghurt.
11. Jentu: the name “Jentu” is in Kanuri language referring to a Calabash musical instrument that makes musical sounds using the palms and the leg while technically creating vacuum & air inside the pipe to blow the musical sound.
USES OF THE KANEM-BORNU CALABASH:
1. History preservation: Some carved marks on Calabash in the ancient Kanem-Bornu are not just carved marks for decoration purposes only, but they are also written histories. Some of the marks on such calabash are easily readable by anyone, but some others needed experts or the owner to decode.
2. Winnowing: During local harvest of Beans, Rice, Millet or Corn in the Kanem-Bornu, Calabash are often use in separating the crushed dried husks from its mixed crushed seeds through pouring of the mixtures from a Calabash positioned up in to a Calabash positioned directly down in a windy position while the wind blows to separates the lighter husks from the grains/seeds midair and the seeds falls directly into the Calabash below, the process is continuously repeated nonstop until the seeds are clearly separated from the husks completely.
3. Calabash are use as Safes for precious items such as Gold, Silver and other precious belongings. Precious items are normally wrapped in cotton wools before keeping them inside the Calabash for safe keeping and for protection from steins and dusts. It is not every calabash that is used for such purposes, but such calabash use under this circumstance includes some special Calabash species under the “Zunguru” and the “Zawu” families of the Calabash. Amazingly items kept inside such Calabash remains fresher for centuries.
4. HENAN: Women mostly in Africa, the middle east and even some parts of the ancient India use the Kanem-Bornu Calabash for self-beatification (Making some Impressive expressions of artistic flower like decorations on their palms and feet mostly during ceremonies. The process involves using the Calabash pipes known locally in the Kanuri language as “ZUNGURU”. This act of Henan dressing act is known as “Nalle or Nalle kirta” in the Kanuri language and in English it is known as Henan dressing.
5. Drinking: People use Calabash for drinking, storage and in preserving of water, milk, pap, medicines and other liquids as desired:
6. Food Server: Broken Calabash are shaped to assume semi-triangular shapes to be use as food servers in the African local kitchens. They are used to serve foods in to dishes, trays and plates from the cooking pots.
7. Storage container: Calabash is often used as container for storing foodstuffs in many African households. Foods such as milk, grains, flours, water, oil and cottons among many others are often stored inside it, sometimes for a very long period.
8. Food processor: In the Kanem-Bornu a specie of Calabash known locally in the Kanuri language as “Juyi” is use in processing milk to extract “Cow butter ghee” and cheese from the Milk as well as in the making of a milk type known as “Ngoin” in the Kanuri language. Ngoin is a type of a sour yoghurt.
9. Fishing: Due to the floaty nature of Calabash it is generally used in the Kanem Borno and elsewhere in Africa for fishing. A fisherman can as well float on it while fishing and also store his catch inside it while fishing.
10. Decorations: Carved Calabash are so beautiful that many people hang them on their walls at home, shops and even in the modern day offices displaying the beauty carved on them.
11. Ink pot: Calabash bottles (smaller calabash bottle pots with rough surface) mostly circular in nature if viewed vertically from above, are used as ink Pots for storing inks use for writing on skins, woods and later papers (Books). Till today copies of most Holy Qurans written in Kanem-Bornu were written using type of Calabash bottle pots.
12. Medicine/Washing/Bathing: Calabash in the Kanem-Bornu are used for medicinal purposes, washing of cloth as well as for bathing.
13. Ceremonies: The Bornu Calabash are used in many ceremonies including wedding ceremonies, fishing festivals, naming ceremonies among others:
14. Calabash & Architecture: Calabash designs are sometimes adopted as an architectural design to build houses and places. For instance, the design of the famous FNB Stadium located at Stadium Avenue, Nasrec, Johannesburg in the republic of South Africa, was from the Calabash and that was the reason why the stadium is also known as the Calabash.
15. Musical Instruments: Calabash pipes of different types are use as musical instruments ranging from trumpets, drums, calabash pianos to the local Kanem-Bornu musical instrument called the “Jentu”. Some Calabash are place on water upside down, beaten like a Drum to make sounds in musical plays often by women.
Generally, almost all modern day musical instruments like pianos, guitars, trumpets, drums and flutes among others they all have their Calabash versions which they originally came from.
THE POWERS OF CALABASH:
1. Culture & History: Calabash has the ability to store, transmit and even help in cultural preservation. Over the years many aspects of culture had been preserved and promoted with the aid of Calabash. For instance, a well carved or decorated Calabash can tell the history and place of its origin in addition to given the thoughts of the people producing it, trading it and even give some insights in to their activities including their culture and history. For example, a well carved calabash from the Fulani culture in Africa can always be clearly be distinguished from a carved Calabash of the same nature but from the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
2. Life Saver: When it comes to preserving life through food & water, raw Calabash can serve as food while the Calabash bowl can serve as plate for the food, squeezed juice out of the raw Calabash can serve as water while the Calabash bottle can contain the water.
Literally FOOD + WATER = LIFE PRESERVING.
3. Calabash blessings: In the Yoruba culture of South –Western Nigeria, Calabash are used to predict marriage blessings. It said here when the bride is given a calabash (igba) and is then asked to break it. When it breaks, the number of pieces it is broken into is believed to be the number of children she will give birth to.
4. Determinants of Power: Before the advent of the British in Nigeria more specifically in the Yoruba land. Some Yoruba Kings faith were determined in their respective kingdoms by Calabash ... for example when presented an empty calabash to Alaafin Aole (King) its signifying his rejection on the throne. Additionally, when some Yoruba Kings becomes brutal (dictator) and their subjects want to get rid of them they open Calabash containing Parrot’s eggs in front of the king and that action automatically ends the brutal era of such king.
Apart from breaking or ending powers of some African Kings and leaders by Calabash, Calabash is also used to empower and or show respect to African Kings and leaders. In Nigerian for example when a leader is welcome by his subjects with a Calabash full of Kola-nuts while on visitation or coming back from journeys marks a kind of warmly welcoming reception and acceptance by his subjects presenting such Calabash.
5. No Calabash no Marriage: In some communities in Nigeria, till today despite modernization all necessary food and beverage local items to be shared by participants in weddings most be presented in Calabash unless where Calabash is not obtainable, for instance in the Igbo culture the bride is expected to give her bridegroom drink in a Calabash bottle in the present of all the wedding participants, while in the Fulani, Hausa and Kanuri cultures the Wedding Kolanuts to be shared comes in a Calabash.
6. Culture Transformarr: Apart from Calabash serving as a medium of cultural expression, it also serves as an element of cultural transformation . For intance in the ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire the original settlers of Damboa town who occupied the pre Damboa historical scattered clustered settlements were the Marghi people speaking the Marghi language as their native official language, but Calabash farming activities attracted the Kanuri people to dominate Damboa and made Kanuri became and still remains the official language in greater part of Damboa, because Calabash made Damboa a melting point to the Kanuri and the Marghi cultures.
POST CALABASH PROJECT ERA IN DAMBOA:
With the arrival of the Colonial administrations in Africa and in most parts of the Kanem-Bornu around the year 1900 when Rabih az-Zubayr ibn Fadl Allah or Rabih Fadlallah usually known as Rabah in French (c. 1842 – April 22, 1900), who was a Sudanese war load that terrorized the Kanem-Bornu Lands for almost 7 years. The colonial societies especially the British and French started introducing industrial metal dishes that later almost completely wiped out the dominance powers of Calabash usage in the Kanem-Bornu Households. The Calabash value also fell so as its cultivations where for the first time Calabash farms were replaced by even common food crops such as millet, corn, beans and others.
This development made Damboa to lose her prestige as one of the richest economy of the Bornu Empire which resulted in triggering massive migrations of Damboa indigents to closer towns with richer economy such as Yerwa (Maiduguri), Konduga and some relocated as far as Kukawa where they believed their ancestors came from.
The disappearance of the mighty Calabash farms in Damboa made Damboa to lose more than half of its population to the richer economy cities mostly owned by the Kanuri people, this explains the fact that one fines many people of the Marghi tribes in Maiduguri since inception in 1907.
Despite their richness later life changed for many of the migrants making them work in White-collar jobs available in Maiduguri, though later many went to school to change the situation. While the cultural heritage inherited from the Kanuri people during the Calabash boom era still remains like speaking the Kanuri language very fluently, sharing the Kanuri tribal Marks, Kanuri Names and many others. In addition, the Kanuri name Dumba’a (Calabash) for Damboa is still in use to refer to the Damboa town, however in the year 1991 when Damboa Local Government Area was created by the government the name Damboa was also later used to refer to the entire Damboa Local Government Area (LGA), while the town of Damboa remains its administrative Headquarters. The town of Chibok was also once part of the Damboa LGA.
CALABASH AND THE FUTURE:
Considering industrialization and the rate of Urbanization in Africa, most parts of underdeveloped Asia and the Latin American regions it is obvious that the future for Calabash looks oblique, as stronger metal and alloyed dishes are fast replacing Calabash as major domestic food containers, water bottles even as instruments (including musical instruments). These made Calabash to have hopes only in the world of antiquity, arts, galleries and museums where Calabash are only use in beautification, transmission of history and or information and for ceremonial usages rather than its original value of serving as food and water containers which gave it more value and respect historically.
CONCLUSION:
This presentation shows how Calabash is wildly/naturally collected and later domestically cultivated in the Kanem-Bornu Empire. It also shows how it was used historically to ease the livelihood of persons using it as bowls, bottles, instruments or using it for economic and social activities such as fishing, musical instruments as well as for spiritual and medicinal purposes. Amazingly the Kanem-Bornu Empire used it to promote its economy through domesticating its cultivation on a larger scale as such that it enabled Calabash produce join the lists of produce made for exports from the Bornu Empire like perfume, wax, cotton, ivory, ostrich, natron (sodium carbonate), feathers and hides.
Over the years Calabash created many job opportunities, helped in founding new settlements and carried civilizations of Kanem-Bornu to beyond the Shores of Africa to as far as Europe and some parts of Asia, modern day evidence proved this through show casing the Bornu Calabash across Europe including Scandinavia and even in the American Museums.
Despite the fact that industrialization has drastically brought down the rate at which Calabash is utilize domestically in many parts of the World including rural parts of Africa, but yet some socio-cultural activities across Africa and even some parts of Asia and Latin Americas would still preserve the usage of Calabash for many more years to come.
Though the visibility of Calabash remains poor in many aspects of our modern lifestyle, but the carvings on them especially those of the Kanem-Bornu origin and the emergence of new artistic works on Calabash as well as the global efforts in creating environmental friendly and more ecological responsible lifestyles, intended for creating viable environments for the future generations entitled "Going green" might likely bring back the visibility of Calabash in to our modern lifestyles as humans in the near future, probably going even beyond today and even yesterday as the global human population is at its highest peak ever in human history (7 Billion people).
The end
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Author-BABAGANA ABUBAKAR
UNCCPP, Masters, BSc, Fellow African Scientific Institute and Alumnus United Nations Institute for Training and Research Geneva-Switzerland
E-mail: babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com
PERMANENT ADDRESS: ALHAJI BUKAR KUYA HOUSE, FEZZAN WARD, MAIDUGURI, BORNO STATE, NIGERIA
Tel: +2348062220179 Skype: babagana.abubakar
Kanuri Complete
INTRODUCTION:
Kanuri /kəˈnuːri/ also known as Barebari, Bornowaji and Kolejo by some other neighbouring African ethnic groups is a dialect continuum spoken by some Eleven (11) million people, but there are approximately additional Seven (7) million Kanuri people that do not speak the language as at the year 2017.The Kanuri people mainly lives in North –Eastern Nigeria , Eastern Niger , South Western & Eastern Chad and Northern Cameroon republics as well as in small minorities in southern Libya and by diaspora in Sudan and the Republic of Gabon ,Congo and Eritrea are also among the list of countries with very small population of the Kanuri people. Others lives in Lafiyan Barebari of Nasarawa state, Zaria in Kaduna state, Hadejia, kerikasamma and Mallam Madori all in Jigawa state of Nigeria, plus some other remaining few ones not mentioned here.
The name Kanuri is written in Arabic as كانوري , it is written in the Hebrew as קאנורי , it is also written in the Chinese language as 金栗 , while in the Hindi language of India it is written as कनूरी and the Ethiopian Amharic language write Kanuri as ካኑሪ ,in the Russian language it is written as Канури while the Greek writes it as Κανούρι.
The Kanuri Kingdom with its remnant cities, provinces and states like Borno and Yobe states in Nigeria , Damagaram (Zinder) in Niger , Mao the capital of Prefecture of Kanem in Chad as well as Kusri and Baghirmi in Cameroon republics were said to have originated from the East. Some experts interpreted this East as the South –Western Arabian Peninsula which equals to the modern day geographical description of the territories of Al Hudaydah (Arabic: الحديدة), also known in English as Hodeida or Hudaiyya in the Kanuri language presently located in the republic of Yemen at 14°48′08″N 42°57′04″E .
Kanuri Complete
INTRODUCTION:
Kanuri /kəˈnuːri/ also known as Barebari, Bornowaji and Kolejo by some other neighbouring African ethnic groups is a dialect continuum spoken by some Eleven (11) million people, but there are approximately additional Seven (7) million Kanuri people that do not speak the language as at the year 2017.The Kanuri people mainly lives in North –Eastern Nigeria , Eastern Niger , South Western & Eastern Chad and Northern Cameroon republics as well as in small minorities in southern Libya and by diaspora in Sudan and the Republic of Gabon ,Congo and Eritrea are also among the list of countries with very small population of the Kanuri people. Others lives in Lafiyan Barebari of Nasarawa state, Zaria in Kaduna state, Hadejia, kerikasamma and Mallam Madori all in Jigawa state of Nigeria, plus some other remaining few ones not mentioned here.
The name Kanuri is written in Arabic as كانوري , it is written in the Hebrew as קאנורי , it is also written in the Chinese language as 金栗 , while in the Hindi language of India it is written as कनूरी and the Ethiopian Amharic language write Kanuri as ካኑሪ ,in the Russian language it is written as Канури while the Greek writes it as Κανούρι.
The Kanuri Kingdom with its remnant cities, provinces and states like Borno and Yobe states in Nigeria , Damagaram (Zinder) in Niger , Mao the capital of Prefecture of Kanem in Chad as well as Kusri and Baghirmi in Cameroon republics were said to have originated from the East. Some experts interpreted this East as the South –Western Arabian Peninsula which equals to the modern day geographical description of the territories of Al Hudaydah (Arabic: الحديدة), also known in English as Hodeida or Hudaiyya in the Kanuri language presently located in the republic of Yemen at 14°48′08″N 42°57′04″E .
INTRODUCTION:
Kanuri /kəˈnuːri/ also known as Barebari, Bornowaji and Kolejo by some other neighbouring African ethnic groups is a dialect continuum spoken by some Eleven (11) million people, but there are approximately additional Seven (7) million Kanuri people that do not speak the language as at the year 2017.The Kanuri people mainly lives in North –Eastern Nigeria , Eastern Niger , South Western & Eastern Chad and Northern Cameroon republics as well as in small minorities in southern Libya and by diaspora in Sudan and the Republic of Gabon ,Congo and Eritrea are also among the list of countries with very small population of the Kanuri people. Others lives in Lafiyan Barebari of Nasarawa state, Zaria in Kaduna state, Hadejia, kerikasamma and Mallam Madori all in Jigawa state of Nigeria, plus some other remaining few ones not mentioned here.
The name Kanuri is written in Arabic as كانوري , it is written in the Hebrew as קאנורי , it is also written in the Chinese language as 金栗 , while in the Hindi language of India it is written as कनूरी and the Ethiopian Amharic language write Kanuri as ካኑሪ ,in the Russian language it is written as Канури while the Greek writes it as Κανούρι.
The name Kanuri is written in Arabic as كانوري , it is written in Hebrew as קאנורי , it is also written in Chinese language as 金栗 , while in the Hindi language of India it is spelled as कनूरी and in the Ethiopian Amharic language it is written as ካኑሪ ,in the Russian language is written as Канури and also in Greek it is written Κανούρι.
The Kanuri Kingdom with its remnant cities, provinces and states like Borno and Yobe states in Nigeria , Damagaram (Zinder) in Niger , Mao the capital of Prefecture of Kanem in Chad as well as Kusri and Baghirmi in Cameroon republics were said to have originated from the East. Some experts interpreted this East as the South –Western Arabian Peninsula which equals to the modern day geographical description of the territories of Al Hudaydah (Arabic: الحديدة), also known in English as Hodeida or Hudaiyya in the Kanuri language presently located in the republic of Yemen at 14°48′08″N 42°57′04″E .
Kanuri Complete
INTRODUCTION:
Kanuri /kəˈnuːri/ also known as Barebari, Bornowaji and Kolejo by some other neighbouring African ethnic groups is a dialect continuum spoken by some Eleven (11) million people, but there are approximately additional Seven (7) million Kanuri people that do not speak the language as at the year 2017.The Kanuri people mainly lives in North –Eastern Nigeria , Eastern Niger , South Western & Eastern Chad and Northern Cameroon republics as well as in small minorities in southern Libya and by diaspora in Sudan and the Republic of Gabon ,Congo and Eritrea are also among the list of countries with very small population of the Kanuri people. Others lives in Lafiyan Barebari of Nasarawa state, Zaria in Kaduna state, Hadejia, kerikasamma and Mallam Madori all in Jigawa state of Nigeria, plus some other remaining few ones not mentioned here.
The name Kanuri is written in Arabic as كانوري , it is written in the Hebrew as קאנורי , it is also written in the Chinese language as 金栗 , while in the Hindi language of India it is written as कनूरी and the Ethiopian Amharic language write Kanuri as ካኑሪ ,in the Russian language it is written as Канури while the Greek writes it as Κανούρι.
The Kanuri Kingdom with its remnant cities, provinces and states like Borno and Yobe states in Nigeria , Damagaram (Zinder) in Niger , Mao the capital of Prefecture of Kanem in Chad as well as Kusri and Baghirmi in Cameroon republics were said to have originated from the East. Some experts interpreted this East as the South –Western Arabian Peninsula which equals to the modern day geographical description of the territories of Al Hudaydah (Arabic: الحديدة), also known in English as Hodeida or Hudaiyya in the Kanuri language presently located in the republic of Yemen at 14°48′08″N 42°57′04″E .
The Kanuri people came all the way from the Arabian Peninsula and settled at about 640 kilometers north of the present day Lake Chad which latter emerged as the great Bornu kingdom and later known as the Kanem-Bornu Empire (One of the two greatest Empires in the history of Africa).”Although this historical findings were based on extractions from available existing historical sources both at home (Borno, Damagaram and Kanem- Mao) and abroad including the British Library London , the American Museum of Natural History New York as well as the Suleymaniye Library in Istanbul- Turkey ☪ , but yet with the advent of modern technological advancements in the field of “DNA” testing and identifications; I believe that further research needed to be carry out with time in the field of Geo-archaeological and Geo-biological investigations to further prove these findings beyond reasonable doubts. However, considering the similarities between the Kanuri language and Arabic in many ways one would be tempted to accept these historical connections of the two. For example counting days of the week in Kanuri is same as counting days of the week in Arabic in both pattern and names; thus the Kanuri week days reads as Litirin, Talau, Larawa, Lamisu, Zuma, Sibdu & Ladu while in Arabic reads as Alaithnayn ,Althulatha, Al'arbiea, Alkhamis, Aljumat , Alsabt & Al’ahad (الاثنين الثلاثاء الاربعاء الخميس الجمعة السبت الاحد ). They also share some similarities in respect of some existing words & nouns such as “Dunya” in Kanuri is referred to as “Duniya” in Arabic (both are referring to the name of the World in their languages), others are “Suwanallah” in Kanuri is referred to as “Subhannallah” in Arabic ,Sadaa in Kanuri is Sadaqqa in Arabic , Nuwur in Kanuri is Nur in Arabic, Lardu in Kanuri is Lard in Arabic, same as others like zannah (Janna), Mairuwu (Magrib) , Riman (Imam), Sami (Samai), Kasuwu (Suk or Suq),Fajar (Fajr ) etc . Additional examples includes the months of the year in the Kanuri language reads as Muaram, Safar,Rabiyul Awwal,Rabiul sani,Jummada Awal, Jumada Gaji, Rajab, Shaaban,Ramalam,Shawwal, Zulkidda and Zulhajj which named in Arabic as Muharram, Safar Rabiul Auwwal ,Rabius Sani ,Jamadial Auwwal, Jamadius Sani ,Rajab, Shaban ,Ramadan ,Shawwal and Zil Qad Zil Hijja (month of Hajj).
In fact, other historical evidences prove that the Kanuri people were using the Arabic Alphabets as well as the Arabic numerals (numerical numbers) in communication for more than a thousand years. So with all these facts put together then one can easily conclude that the Kanuri language is a product of decayed or decaying local Arabic language mixed with some local African indigenous languages. This is one of the main reasons why the Anthropologists classified the Kanuri language under the Afro-Asiatic language family.
Despite the fact that the semi desert Lake chad environment which stands in the heart of the Kanuri settlement ( Kanem-Bornu Empire ) is a dusty environment as such that if a person living in this environment doesn’t washes his exposed (uncovered) parts of the body more often or regularly the dust gets settled on his/her Skin and makes the Skin looks very dusty looking, but despite the dusty characteristics of this environment yet the Kanuri people here are looking more fresher when compared to the other people living in the same environment, this is because the Kanuri people washes parts of their bodies especially their face, hands and feet more frequently and on each day while performing ablution with water to perform the five daily Islamic prayers as they are 100% practicing Muslims. Hence this makes them keep having more fresher looking Skin at all times; especially their faces or foreheads compared to the other ethnic groups sharing same environment that do not perform this acts of washing. It was in view of this fresher looking like Skins and faces of the Kanuri people living in the middle of this dusty environment that made some of the neighboring ethnic groups such as the “Sau” (reputedly a race of giants that once lived around the present day area of Ngala & Gamboru areas in North Eastern Nigeria and Kusri and Garoua in northern Cameroon) referred to them as the “Kanuri” or the “Kanuri” people.
The NAME Kanuri itself is coined from the combination of two Kanuri words; “KA” meaning Stick and “NURI” meaning light (Nuri is a word originally derived from the Arabic language word “NUR” which also means light in Arabic) So KA + NURI= KANURI.
“KA + NURI= KANURI” (Stick & Light)
Reason for calling the Kanuri people as KA + NURI= KANURI in the first place, was that the Kanuri people on arrival were mainly Pastoralists engaged in rearing of cattle and Sheep. They rear these animals on feet or with the support of riding on animals such as Horses and Donkeys. As a normal tradition almost every pastoralist carries a stick along that helps him guide his animals while grazing and chasing them back home on return, so same it was with the Kanuri people. But for the Sau people they know that there were a lot of pastoralists living within this environment with same pattern of rearing animals, but this Kanuri people have more fresher looking Skin in complexion with shiny forehead when compared to their counterparts in the environment; and at the same time always holding sticks like any other Pastoralist in the Area, so in other to differentiate them with the other Pastoralists holding same Sticks and rearing same animals in the same environment made the Sau's and the other local communities within this Lake Chad area refer to them as the Kanuri or the Kanuris; which is literally translated as "Stick and Nur" as indicated above. Hence since then the Kanuri man became known as Kanuri and known with this name by many other tribes and nations including the Saus, Arabs, Kotoko, Berbers, Sudanese and even the Europeans, the Ethiopians and the Turkish as well as the Egyptians. In addition to the Marghi, Babur, Ngezem, Chibok, Gwoza and Bolewa among other locals. Though the Kanuri people are also known by some other ethnic groups in Africa with other names; for example they are called the "Bare Bari" by the present day Hausa people, "Barnowaji" by the Najdi, Baggara and Hejazi tribes living in Chad and Sudan republics, Kolejo by the Fulani people and so on.
The Kanuri language was the major language of the pre-colonial Kanem-Bornu Empire and still remains the major language spoken in Borno and Yobe sates in the modern day Nigeria , Diffa and Damagaram in Niger republic, Mao-Kanem in Chad as well as in Kusri and Kolfata in Cameroon Kirikasamma (K3r3kasama) and Malam Madori of Jigawa state –Nigeria, plus some few others in the Western Sudan.
THE KANURI EMPIRE:
The Kanuri kingdom of the Bornu started with the Dynasty of Sayfawa which was founded by “Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan” also known as Sef Dhu Ifazan ( Sef, son of Dhu Ifazan) who was a man history describes as an Arab from the Arabian Peninsula of Yemen territory. However, before the arrival of Sef (Sayf) himself the Kanuri people were already existing around the Lake Chad area as far back as the 7th century and absorbing both indigenous Nilo-Saharan and Chadic (Afro-Asiatic) speakers or languages resulting in the emergence of the Kanuri culture. But until the 9th century that they united with the people of Kanem under the leadership of Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan to form the Sayfawa dynasty of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Archeologic evidences indicated that even before the emergence of Kanuri as culture, their ancestors and their civilization started in this area as far back as in the 6th century BC. There are many evidences to prove this claim and one of such evidence was the accidental discovery of an ancient canoe in the Kanem-Bornu town of Dufuna located in the present day Yobe state of Nigeria in the year 1987, when a peasant farmer in this semi desert town some few kilometers away from the city of Damaturu the capital of Yobe state - Nigeria discovered an ancient Canoe buried underground while digging a Well to source for water. The Radio-Carbon dating of this Canoe shows that it is over Six thousand years (6000) old, making it the World’s second oldest Canoe ever discovered in human history which directly translated civilization in the Kanem-Bornu to be among the earliest in human history. In fact, with this discovery Bornu now stands to challenge even the history of Egypt which is famous for its ancient pyramids dating back to approximately 5000 years.
The Sayfawa (Yazan’s dynasty) ruled and controlled the Kanem-Bornu Empire for about 800 years with the town of Njimi located to the north-eastern part of the Lake Chad as its first capital.
The Sayfawa Dynasty and their subjects later fled to Birnin Gazargamu when the Bilala or Bulala people attacked them. Birnin Gazargamu remained as capital even after the reclaiming of the city of Njimi in the 16th Century. However, over the year’s towns and cities like Monguno, Kukawa, Dikwa, Old Maiduguri and now Yerwa (Maiduguri) were all capitals of the Kanem Bornu Empire at different times since the last 1000 years.
The Kanem-Bornu Empire expansion peaked during the long and energetic reign of Mai Dunama Dabbalemi (ca. 1221-59). Dabbalemi initiated diplomatic exchanges with sultans in North Africa and apparently arranged for the establishment of a special Hostel and a Collage in Cairo, Egypt (Misra) in order to exchange knowledge with the Egyptians and also to facilitate the people of the Kanem-Bornu Empire travelling to the cities of Makkah (Mecca) & Madina (Medina) in Hijaz present day Saudi Arabia to perform the holy Islamic pilgrimage. This development in Cairo means that the Bornu pilgrims’ travelers to Makkah were passing through Cairo and subsequently through the Sinai Peninsula and finally crossing over the Red Sea via Sharm-el-Sheikh to arrive in Saudi Arabia, though some others also cross through the Palestine and Jordan territories directly to arrive in Saudi Arabia’s cities of Makkah & Madina. Because Mai Dabbalemi, also reign the Fezzan region (in the present-day Libya in an Area of 551,170 km² located at Coordinates: 26.3328°N 13.4253°E) under his authority during his reign as the King of Kanem-Bornu, so this made the journey to Makkah via Cairo much more geographically logical and understandable.
Later the Empire's influence extended southwestward to Kirikasamma, Malummadori, Hadejia down to Kano, eastward to Wadai, and southward to the Adamawa grasslands with many parts in the present day Cameroon republic including the towns/areas of Kousiri, Kolofata, Garoua and Maroua. In fact, many histories included the territories of Rhumsiki and Mora also in Cameroon as part of this ancient Super power.
During the reign of Dunama II (1221-1259), Kanem-Bornu established its embassy in Tunisia around the year 1257 AD as mentioned by the famous Spanish – Andalusian and Tunisian based historian Ibn Khaldun also known as Abū Zayd ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Khaldūn al-Ḥaḍram (d. 1406 C.E.). This Embassy was established in order to facilitate trade and maintain diplomatic relations with the North African Kingdoms as well as the southern European Kingdoms and Empires such as the Romans, Greece and the Spanish /Portugal (Andalausia/ Cordoba/ Granada).
The Size of the Kanem Bornu Empire as at this time under Dunoma Dibalemi II was so big beyond comprehension in the African region as such that even IBN Khaldun himself calls Dunoma II and his empire in plural as the 'King of Kanem and Lord of Bornu”. Remember that IBN Khaldun was one of the founder and father of Sociology and Sciences of History best known for his famous 'Muqaddimah,' (Prolegomena) in (Arabic: مقدّمة ابن خلدون) or Ibn Khaldun's Prolegomena in (Ancient Greek: Προλεγόμενα), which is a book written by Ibn Khaldun recording an early view of universal history. Some modern thinkers view it as the first work dealing with the social sciences of sociology,
Militarily the Empire was super big that during one of the pilgrimages of Mai Dibalemi to Makkah through Cairo , he arrived Cairo with a total sum of 120,000 (One hundred and Twenty thousand) soldiers with One hundred thousand horsemen that he left behind in Cairo in order to cross over to Makkah and Madina to perdform the holy pilgrimage with the intention of taking them back on return. Remember that during the time of his reing the entier World’s population was below 300,000,000 (Three hundred million) people. In fact, the size of his armies made the Egyptian thought that it was an invation of Egypt, when it was only an escort on a transit situation enroute to Makkah.
By the middle of the 13th century, Kanem established diplomatic relations with the Tuat (in the Algerian Sahara) and with the Hafsid of North Africa at embassy level. Even as ta that time the Kanem-Bornu scholars and poets could write classical Arabic of a very high standard. This evidence is illustrated in the letter written by the Chief Scribe of the Kanem-Bornu court dating from 1391 to 1392.
Towards the end of the 13th century, Kanem-Bornu became a center of Islamic knowledge as a result famous teachers came from many parts of the World including Mali (another ancient African Kingdom) to teach in the Kanem-Bornu.
The reign of Mai Idris Alauma (Idris Alooma) was another famous reign that followed after Mai Dibalemi’s reign. In fact, history had it that the great Mai Idris Alauma, was one of the World’s greatest leaders in World history and a Kanuri hero remembered for his military skills, administrative reforms and Islamic piety. His main adversaries were the Hausa to the west, the Tuareg and Toubou to the north, and the Bulala to the east. One epic poem extols his victories in 330 wars and more than 1,000 battles. His innovations include the employment of fixed military camps (with walls); Introduction and use of Camels, the Kotoko’s boatmen, and iron-helmeted musketeers trained by Turkish military advisers in his wars and battles. During his reign he had good diplomatic ties with almost all the surrounding Worlds great historical Kingdoms and Empires including the Ottoman Empire, the Roman empire, Andalusia, Songhai and Hijaz.
Geographically, territorially, historically, politically, economically and socio-culturally as well as militarily his reign was the maximum peak ever of the empire.
In fact, under his reign the Kanem-Bornu Empire became the fifth biggest Empire in the World.
At this time the Ottoman Empire maintained a very good military, cultural and trade relations with the Kanem-Bornu Empire. History also had it that the Turkey (Ottoman) Empire always assists Kanem-Bornu militarily as such that in one occasion it sent a 200-member ambassadorial party across the desert to Alauma's court at Ngazargamu. Alauma was a record holder when it comes to treaty in Africa, because he signed the first known written treaty or cease-fire agreement in the history of Africa, which later translated in to the present day United Nations Geneva Convention.
Alauma sponsored the construction of numerous mosques and schools across the Empire during his reign and made a pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah) himself with thousands of his subjects. Just like Mai Dibalemi he also arranged for the establishment of Hostels for the Kanem-Bornu pilgrims visiting Makkah, but only this time around the Hostels are located directly in the holy city of Makkah instead of Cairo. With this development the Hostels in Cairo became a transit Hostel on the way to Pilgrimage to Makkah. Alauma set up Qadhis courts to introduce Islamic laws in place of the traditional system of customary laws. He built a large number of brick structures to replace the existing ones, built with reeds the remnant of this Bricks are still found in the lands of Ngazargamu and Njimi.
During the reign of Alauma many products or goods originating from the Kanem Bornu were sent northward for trading to North African nations/kingdoms of Algeria, Tunisa, Morroco as well as Egypt in addition to the Mediterranean European nations including Rome, Spain, Portugal (city of Fatima) and Greece. The goods traded include perfume, wax, cotton, ivory, ostrich, natron (sodium carbonate), feathers and hides. Imports included salt, horses, camels, silk, glass, muskets, and copper among others.
The Kanuri Kingdom at the time of Alauma became the biggest and undisputed champion of Africa. Phillip Koslow, a modern historian, declared that: “His contemporary, Elizabeth I of England, a shrewd and strong-willed monarch who gave her name to an age and has been repeatedly celebrated in books and films, could hardly have claimed greater achievements in war, administration or diplomacy like Alauma.”.
The Ottoman Empire of Turkey remains the biggest non-African ally of the Kanem- Bornu Empire in History. The Ottoman Empire at the time of Mai Alauma, was ruling the greater part of the World including the Eurasia, parts of North-Africa, the Middle East and the Caucasus (south-western Russian Federation , oblasts, Armenia , Azerbaijan , Georgia ,Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Hijaz, Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus plus others) with the city of Istanbul in Turkey as its capital. The Europeans called Turkey with the name “Constantinople”.
If not because of the amalgamation of Africa by the colonial societies in the 19th/20th century the Kanem-Bornu Empire, by now would have been ranked alongside great nations like Italy, Spain, England, France and Turkey in terms of achievements and developments. Because Bornu empire in the last 400 years were of the same size and prestige. This explains the reason why when the great “King Juan Carlos” the King of Spain while delivering a statement in Maiduguri at the Ramat Square on the 16th December 1986 during a visit to Nigeria, stated in his speech that his Kingdom has many historical connections to the Kanuri people and that Spain still holds in its archives vital historical artifacts including letters of correspondences that are hundreds of years old between his Kingdom and the Kanem-Bornu Empire. In fact, this statement coming from the great King Carlos himself made the modern African scholars and historians to now understand better how powerful this great Empire of Kanem-Bornu was in the medieval period.
Following an unexpected war launched by the Sokoto Caliphate on Borno caused by growing lapses from the rulers of the post Mai Idris Alauma era in the Bornu Empire who grew weaker by the day and for failing to protect the territorial integrity of the Empire the Bornu authorities under the reign of Mai Dunama IX Lefiami (1808-1810) invited Shehu al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî (Arabic: محمد الأمين بن محمد الكانمي) (1776–1837) to defend Bornu.
Table 1: List of some popular Mais (Sayfawa Dynasty) of the
Kanem-Bornu Empire:
Names of some popular Kanuri kings (Mais) Period of Reign
(1) Mai Hume 1086–1097
(2) Mai Dunama Dibbalemi 1221–1259
(3) Mai Ali Gajideni 1472–1504
(4) Mai Idris Katakarmabe 1504–1526
(5) Mai Idris Alauma 1571–1603
(6) Muhammad Bukalmarami 1603-1617
(7) Muhammad VII Erghamma 1737-1752
(8) Ali IV ibn Haj Hamdun 1755-1793
(9) Dunama Lafiami 1808-1810
(10) Mai Ibrahim 1817-1846
Elkanemi was a Kanuri man and a Islamic scholar born to a Kanembu father and an Arab mother in Murzuk which is a town now located in the Fezzan region of Southern Libya, but was part of the Kanem-Bornu Empire for 600 years.
El Kanemi waged his war against Sokoto not only with weapons but also with letters as he desired to thwart Dan Fodio’s jihad with the same ideological weapons. He carried on a series of theological, legal and political debates by letter with the Sultan of Sokoto Usman Dan Fodio, and later with his son, Muhammed Bello. As the expansion of Sokoto was predicated upon a struggle against paganism, apostasy, and misrule, El-Kanemi challenged the right of his neighbours to strike at a state which had been Muslim for modern 800 years. Elkanemi was able to expelled the enemies through jis strategies of planning, inspiration, and prayer, and he attracted a following, especially from Shuwa Arab networks and Kanembu communities extending far outside Borno's borders. The Mai Lefiami rewarded his victory with control over a Bornu province on the Western march. Taking only the title "Shehu" ("Sheikh"), and eschewing the traditional offices, El-Kanemi gathered a powerful following, becoming both the voice of Bornu in negotiations with Sokoto, as well as a semi-independent ruler of a trade rich area with a powerful military. Dunama was deposed by his uncle in 1809, but the support of al-Kanemi brought him back to power in 1813.
It was Elkanemi that relocated the capital of Kanem-Bornu from Ngazargamu to the ancient city of Kukawa (in Present day Nigeria) in the year 1814.
Though after the victory Elkanemi became the voice of Bornu in the negotiations with the Sokoto caliphate, but his dynasty did not get absolute power over Borno until in 1846 because the Sayfawa Mais remained titular monarchs until the 1846 when Umar the Son of El-Amin Elkanemi, became Shehu, thus ending one of the longest dynastic reigns in international history. By then, Hausaland in the west, was lost to the Sokoto Caliphate, while the east and north were lost to the Wadai Empire.
Many of the descendants of the Mais from the Saifawa dynasty are still living in the present day Maiduguri city with many of them living in the Lawan Bukar Kacha, Fezzan, Shehuri North of Maiduguri as well as in the Alau village near the Alau Dam in Maiduguri/Konduga territory
Table 2: List of some popular Shehus of the Bornu Empire:
1. Shehu al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî 1814- 1835
2. Shehu Umar Ibn Muhammad El-kanemi 1835- 1853
3. Shehu Darman el-kanemi 1853- 1880
4. Shehu Hashim Ibn Muhammad El-kanemi 1885- 1893
5. Shehu Abubakar Garbai El-kanemi 1902- 1922
6. Shehu Sanda Kura 1922- 1937
7. Shehu Sanda Kyari Ibn Muhammad El-Amin El-kanemi 1937- 1967
8. Shehu Umar Garbai Ibn Bukar 1968 1974
9. Shehu Mustapha Umar Ibn Umar El-kanemi 1974- 2009
10. Shehu Abubakar Garbai Umari El-kanemi 2009 to date.
MIGHT & WEALTH OF KANEM-BORNU BETWEEN 11TH TO THE 13TH CENTURY:
Economically the Kanem-Bornu empire never lacked since inception as the empire never experience defeat and yet history keeps revealing the extraordinary might of this Empire. The Empire or the ancient Kanuri people have some historical similarities with the ancient Egyptian empires; for instance, these two group of people are one of the very few people that had the might of abandoning an entire built cities in history for no reason other than building another one that matches or suits the tastes of a particular time. The people of Kanem-Bornu were good in rotating capitals from time to time, unlike other African Ancient Empires that have their capitals standing for over 500 years, in Kanem-Bornu one cannot find Kanem-Bornu capital that remained a capital for over 400 years. Remember Ngazargamu. Kukawa, Njimi, Monguno, Yerwa etc were or are all capitals of the Empire at different times.
The abandoned beautiful city of Djado (Zara-Aura or Zara-Awura)) , which is geographically located at Coordinates: 20.983°N 12.333°E and presently located in the Niger republic was built by the ancient Kanuri people of Kanem-Bornu around 1000 (One thousand) years back, but was completely abandoned since the past 800 years for no reason other than economic wealth and might. Though modern researchers tried to connect the reason to droughts, closeness to the central Authorities, water availability and supply as well as expansion and contraction of the territories but archeologists prove otherwise as the ancient paintings of the Djado caves recently discovered shows richness of the city and the surrounding environment rather than hardships and water scarcities.
Fig.14: Showing map indicating the location of the ancient Kanuri city of Djado:
Whatever the reason is for abandoning the Djado city, but the historical and archaeological evidences still prove that Djado was abandoned as human settlement sine the 13th century, probably under the reign of Dunama Dibalemi of Kanem-Bornu.
The ruined city of Zara is still standing on the Djado Plateau in the heart of the Sahara Desert and its abandoned uninhabited forts are still visible till today, because the Sahara Desert is a place characterized by very little rainy seasons mostly less than 15 cm per year in most places, so this was what made the city and its ancient paintings to keep standing, preserved and almost intact in some parts till today.
Zara-Aura lies on the southern end of the Djado plateau in Niger republic at elevation 450 meters above sea level within an oasis of brackish water.
Zara-Aura (Djado plateu) site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on May 26, 2006 in the Cultural category due to its universal cultural significance too mankind.
KANURI & RELIGION:
The Kanuri people are 100 % Muslims. Islam stands as a reference point for the Kanuri lifestyle and the entire Kanuri culture. The actions of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) stands as a reference point at all times and in making every decision ranging from jurisprudence, to marriages, issues of inheritance, types and nature of foods to be eaten and even dress codes and dress ethics among many others.
Kanuri towns and villages are characterized by having many Mosques, with an average of 4 Mosques per street in their cosmopolitan cities like Maiduguri, Mao-Kanem, Damagaram, Damaturu, Bama etc.
Maiduguri is ranked as the city with the highest concentration of Mosques in the Sub-Saharan African region. It has well over 14, 000 Mosques.
KANURI & EDUCATION:
If the definition of literacy is the ability to read and write, then the Kanuri people are over 90 % literate, because the majority of the Kanuri people can read and write either in Arabic or in the Western education system or even both. This is because it is embedded in the Kanuri tradition for every Kanuri person attends the Quranic / Islamic education system and with the coming of western education now most people attend both before marriage.
KANURI DRESS CLOTH:
The Kanuri adults mostly wear Gowns which are locally known as the Kuluwu in the Kanuri language “Babban riga” or “Malum-Malum” in the Hausa language, in addition to traditionally made local Caps such as the Zanna, Dara, Ajyi and Damanga among some few others not mentioned here. While the younger once and some other adults too also wear other dresses like the Caftan, modern cloths like Jackets or even Suits and some other ones depending on the occasion. But the Kanuri women always cover all parts of their bodies excluding the face, palms and feet’s especially when they are going out to public areas. Though there is a slight difference in the dress modes of a married woman and those that are not married, but the overall objectives here is to cover the whole of the body with the exception of the above mentioned parts.
KANURI AND KANURI DIALECTS:
The Kanuri language has the largest number of speakers of the Central Saharan Language Family. Today there are many different types of Kanuri dialects within the Kanuri language some of which includes the Kanuri Wuje, Gumati, Manga, Bodoi, Kanembu, Kwayam, Kuburi ,Suwurti, Bodoi, Manga and others. In the olden days almost all the Kanuri people speaks in one common dialect where everything remains same in terms of the oral aspect of speaking the Kanuri language. However, the diversification in the mode of livelihoods or professions of the different Kanuri groups was then used as a determinant of a dialect. For example, the Kanuri people engaged more in trading business are likely to be Kanuri Wuje or Kanuri Gumati, those Kanuris that are more in to nomadism lifestyle or economy are likely to be Kwayam and those in to fishing are likely to be the Buduma and so on.
The professions of the olden days Kanuri people were generally rearing of animals (pastoralism), trading, farming, fishing, mining (potassium mining in the open waters of the Lake Chad) , teaching, Mat making, ginning, scholarly professions ,hunting, dying of cloths and cloth making, Horse saddles making, blacksmithing and others.
However, in the modern era these dialects became more distinctive from each other by the way the oral language is spoken in terms of its tone, oral contents and sometimes even the contents in nouns of some Kanuri dialects. This is because place, distance and time are factors having effects in shaping the oral nature of language. For instance the differences that exists between the British English spoken in the Great Britain and the American English spoken in America (USA) or Australia Others includes the differences that exists amongst the various Arabic types or dialects spoken in various Arab nations, for instant the Arabic spoken in Egypt is Different from the one spoken in the United Arab Emirates same applies to the Arabic spoken in Iraq which differs with that of Morocco, though they may understand each other to a some extents.
Today there is no single Kanuri dialect that are 100% in to a particular profession as in the ancient times, although some tends to be more professional in a particular profession than others, due to the effects of the principle of comparative advantage* hence this makes the Kanuri Kwayams to be more professional in practicing pastoral farming than the other Kanuri types, the Budumas to be more profession in fishing than the other Kanuri dialects etc. Yet this also means that there are Kanuris who originally not pastoralists or fishermen but they later in life chooses to be one. This situation plus the effect of language distance decay and language time decay resulted in the emergence of the various Kanuri distinctive dialects of today.
The colonial societies such as the English, German, Italy and France also had some influences on the nature of the present day Kanuri language spoken in their various territories. The colonial rules in the Kanem-Bornu Empire by these four mighty European colonial societies namely British, French, Germans and the Italians that splatted this Empire in to 5 or 6 different countries (Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Libya and parts of Sudan) have had some of their words included in to the Kanuri language during the colonial and even in this post-colonial periods.
The extent of this dilution of the Kanuri language has resulted in making the Kanuri language spoken in the English territory of Nigeria differs with the Kanuri language spoken in French countries like Niger and Cameroon.
In the Kanuri spoken in the English territory one can spot some English words in them for instant Kashiwu in Knuri is Cashew in English, Mangulo in Kanuri is Mango in English, Lemun in Kanuri is Lemon in English others are Karass (Carrot) , Telehon (Telephone), Kafenta (Carpenta) , Mota (Motor-Car) , Tumatkum (Tomato) , Kwalta (Coal tar ) , Raadio (Radio) , Talbijin (Television) ,Toji (Torchlight) and so on. Same applies with the Bornu-Kanuri French territories of Damagaram and Kousri in Niger, Kanem in Chad republics as well as the Bornu-Kanuri German territories of Kousri and Kolofata in the republic of Cameroon.
In view of the above we now have more than ten different Kanuri dialects spread across Africa and some of the most popular ones as earlier mentioned are the Kanuri Wuje, Gumati, Manga, Bodoi, Kanembu, Morr, Kwayam, Suwurti, Buduma and others. In addition, we also have the Kanuri people that doesn’t belongs to any of these or any other dialects simply because they do not speak the Kanuri oral language, but rather they hold to some of Kanuri cultural heritage after a very long time of language and cultural decays observed in a far distance environment away from the Kanuri mainland. Kanuri people under this category includes the Kanuri people of Lafiyan Barebari in Nasarawa state of Nigeria, who were able to only keep the tribal marks and some few Kanuri names and traditional titles and titles names as their heritage without speaking the oral Kanuri language, plus other Kanuris living in Diaspora in distant places like Khartoum Sudan, Fezzan Libya, Oyem Gabon and Abeche in Chad among others.
TYPES OF KANURI DIALECTS:
Kanuri Manga: This is a type of Kanuri dialect mostly spoken in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria and South-Western Niger republic in towns and cities like Nguru, Geidam, Yusufari, Yunusari in Nigeria and Damagaram in Niger republic. Kanuri Islamic scholars often use this dialect in translating and learning of Arabic scripts as well as the Holy Quran in Kanuri. Scholars mostly recommend this dialect for the learning purpose because it is more complex in contents in terms of differentiating things or elements. For example, in Manga one can construct an understandable sentences referring to a man or woman without necessarily mentioning the name of the gender referred to in the beginning, middle or end of the sentence and a listener can easily understand that it is referring to a man or woman, but this is difficult in the many other remaining dialects. The Manga Kanuri speakers are referred to as Manga. Manga people are mostly engaged in Agriculture, trading as well as pastoral activities. They are also one of the Kanuri community that specializes in camel rearing and production of Kanuri local dry cheese referred to as the Chukkwu in Kanuri.
Manga people are mostly tall and stately people.
Kanuri Kanembu: The Kanembu speakers are mostly living primarily in Chad republic around the areas of the Chad's Lac Prefecture but also in Chari-Baguirmi and Kanem prefectures with some few others in Northern Cameroun republic. 75 to 80% of the Kanembus are all merchants in Chad, making them, in a relative way, one of the Chad's wealthiest groups. They are a sedentary group who also engage in agriculture, Islamic education and raising livestock some are also in to fishing. They cultivate Wheat, millet and corn near the lake.
The Kanembu people are also known to be producing special local coffee referred to as the “Gaha”in Kanuri. And they are known to be good drinkers of this Gaha and Tea.
Kanuri Gumati:
This is the Kanuri dialect Spoken in Monguno ,Marte,parts of Kukawa and Mintor areas. This dialect is much similar in context and nature to the Kanuri Wuje spoken in Yerwa because of the historical cosmopolitant nature of the Monguno,Marte and Kukawa areas. In fact the towns of Monguno and Kukawa were once the capitals of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
The Gumatis are also engaged in Pastoral activities,but they are more into trading. Many people use to claim that they are the real Kanuri people..
Many believed that the Kanuri Gumati are the most cosmopolitan of the Kanuri amongst various diverse dialects.
Kanuri Kwayam:
The Kwayam mostly lives in North-Eastern Nigeria especially in Magumeri, Gajiram and Gajiganna areas of Borno state. They are nomadic lifestyle is very similar to that of the Fulani ethnic group also living in Nigeria and Niger republics. They have some similarities with the Fulanis in terms of their nomadic or pastoral lifestyle as such that some people often mistakes them for the Mbororo Fulanis. While the Fulanis roam around with their cattle, the Kwayams seek land for farming activities alongside rearing. They hold vast traditional knowledge on rearing animals or the pastoral profession, as such that by just mere looking at an animal (cattle, sheep, chicken, goats etc.) among thousands, they can easily identify the ones that can multiply rapidly, produce healthier offspring without necessarily looking at the prevailing existing health status of the animal under as at the moment. They also know the animals that can endure surviving under harsh climate (climate change).
In addition, the Kwayams also holds vast knowledge of traditional Astronomy; they hold the knowledge about the movement of Stars in the Sky that enables them knows faiths of future natural phenomena such as droughts and raining seasons. Amazingly this knowledge even enables them find their locations at night when they are lost anywhere during the day time.
The Kwayams have similar tribal marks like all other Kanuri dialects, but theirs are thicker and shorter.
Kanuri Bodoi: The Kanuri Bodoi are very similar to the Kanuri Kwayam, but the differences are in their lifestyles with the Kwayam more into pastoralism and the Bodoi supplements his Pastoral practices with trading, teaching and other professions. Both of them are very many in Magumeri, Gajiganna and Gajiram but the Bodois also extent into Gubio, Benisheikh and some parts of Guzamala-Kukawa all in North-Eastern parts of Nigeria.
Kanuri Wuje or Kanuri central (Some call it Kanuri Yerwa or Kanuri Lare):
The Kanuri Wuje or the Kanuri central is more of a new phenomenon because it is a newly emerging Kanuri dialect spoken mostly in Maiduguri, Konduga and their surrounding settlements. Maiduguri is the present day capital of the Kanuri people which is a cosmopolitan city in nature just like the Monguno of the olden days. This dialect is just approximately 100 years old, because it began with the coming of the colonial societies in to the area and with the establishment of Maiduguri city in 1907 as the new capital of the British Kanuri territory in Nigeria.
The coming of these colonial societies resulted in restricting free regular movements of the Kanuri people within their ancestral territories (the Lands of the Kanem-Bornu Empire). However, before the arrival of these Europeans in to their Lands, the Kanuri people had the opportunity of meeting and exchanging ideas, goods and have conversations with their entire members within the Empire, but with the creation of the artificial boundaries within their Lands by the British, French, Germans and the Italians resulted in splitting them across 6 different countries as mentioned earlier instead of allowing them to live in a single country e.g. completely Nigeria.
The colonial societies did this deliberately, so that the Kanuri people do not form majority in any country they found themselves in the colonial and post-colonial eras because it would be very difficult if not next to impossible to rule over civilized group like this.
This development lead to the change in the livelihood of the entire Kanuri people by limiting their movements within their territories hence dynamically and over time many of them end up settling in the new towns empowered by these colonies such as Maiduguri in Nigeria, Damagaram-Zundur in Niger, Mao-Kanem in Chad, Kousri in Cameroon, Aljawf and Al Qatrun in Libya as well as Nyala in Sudan.
This made the Maiduguri cosmopolitan became a melting point to almost all the Kanuri dialects spoken in Nigeria. Most of the Kanuri dialects that later end up settling in Maiduguri under the above mention influence later got melted in Maiduguri to produce the Kanuri central or the Kanuri Wuje.
The Kanuri central dialect composed of combination of words from the various other dialects; it also has in it the elements of words borrowed from some other non-Kanuri languages including the colonial languages as indicated earlier.
This new Kanuri central or Kanuri Yerwa dialect is intelligible, it is more simplified version of the Kanuri and it has in it the ability of accepting and formatting new words at any time. Under this scenario we can take example with the world of the electronics which keeps on bringing new products that never existed in any language or dictionaries before, for example computer is referred to as KEREEN NASARA (K3R3N NASARA), Telephone is called TALEHON, calculator is known as ISAUROM NASARA among others.
Additional advantages that the Kanuri central has over the other Kanuri dialects ARE:
1. It is mostly spoken by the Kanuri elders including the Shehu (Kanuri leader).
2. School teachers also use it for some explanation in schools for beginners that do not speak any other language other than the Kanuri.
3. Kanuri writers use it in writing their books.
4. modern day popular Kanuri Islamic Scholars like Sheikh Abba Aji, Sheikh Elmiskin and sometimes Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh often use it for their preaching or Simons.
5. The Kanuri speaking Medias such as the BRTV (Borno Radio and Television Corporation), the NTA (Nigerian Television Authority), the Radio Dandal-kura and others all use it in airing their news.
The recent unrest that affected the entire North Eastern region of Nigeria between the years 2009 to 2016 has resulted in pushing almost all the Kanuri people living in the rural areas of Borno and Yobe states of Nigeria in to the city of Maiduguri where many are now living with their relations or in the refugee Camps pending when the situation would improve. This situation has further contributed in melting of many other rural Kanuri dialects in to the Kanuri Wuje (Kanuri central).
At present the Kanuri central has rapidly expanded in size over the last 5 years making it becoming the more dominant Kanuri dialect in recent history. So far over 5 million Kanuri people speak in this dialect as at the year 2017.
Kanuri Buduma/ Yedina:
The Budumas are also considered as Kanuris by the anthropologist although some other people still see them as Kanuri because they are close relatives to the Kanuri Kanembu dialect (have similar culture with the Kanembu), but only separated from the Kanembus by the waters of Lake Chad. They are predominantly fishers and cattle-herders. The Budumas are mostly living around the Lake Chad and on the Lake Chad’s Islands of Chad, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Their most popular base is the town of Doron Baga in Kukawa local government area of Nigeria. They are popularly known by the other Kanuris as Buduma, meaning "people of the grass” (or reeds), but they prefer to be called Yedina.
Note*
Other important Kanuri dialects not discussed here includes the Morr spoken around Damasak, Kuburi spoken in Kukawa and parts of Guzamala all in Nigeria, Suwurti spoken around Doron Baga and Sadi (Sad3) areas of Kukawa, others are the Kane and the Tubu.
In the Kaour escarpment oasis of eastern Niger, the Kanuri are further divided into the Bla Bla subgroup, numbering some 53,000 and are the dominant ethnic group in the salt evaporation and trade industry of Bilma located in present day Niger republic.
It is also important to note that all Kanuri dialects regardless of the type they were all at one time Pastoral farmers.
THE GEOGRAPHY OF KANURI:
Many people believe that the Kanuri people mainly lives in the Sahel, Sudan Savannah and the Sahara Desert region of Africa, because this is geo-historically what was reflected as their environment in the history Books. But when one looks at the Kanuri Kingdom of Lafia presently located within the Guinea Savanah region of Nigeria led by His Majesty Mai Mustafa Agwai who is a Kanuri man himself by descendant and the entire Kanuri community of Lafiya or Lafia town generally referred to as the Kanuris of the Lafiyan Barebari in the present day Nasarawa state - Nigeria, then one would be tempted to ask the question “how did the Kanuri people of the far North became part of the communities inhabiting part of the Jos plateau / Guinea Savannah region (Lafiya town and its surrounding Kanuri settlements)?
Answering this question in a logical way would certainly change the position of some researchers and writers on the geography of the Kanuri people.
KANURIS OF THE GUINEA SAVANNAH /PLATEAU (KANURIS OF THE MOUNTAINS):
Contrary to the opinions of some modern writers that the Kanuris in the Lafia kingdom actually arrived lafiya in the 1890s when Rabih Fadlallah also known in French as Rabah (1842 – April 22, 1900) launched attacks on the Borno Empire in the late 1890s made some Kanuri people fled for safety and landed in the Lafia area and its surrounding territories. But when one observes the present day Kanuri people of Lafia one would notice that they do not speak the oral Kanuri language, though they still kept intact some Kanurri cultural heritages such as the Kanuri tribal marks, artifacts, nature of the traditional political strata of the kingdom of Lafia as well as bearing some Kanuri names & titles like Kaigama,Shetima,Boukar and Talba among others. And yet they have strong ties to the present day Bornu and Yobe states where the majority of the Kanuris live today.
Tracing back to history the coming of Rabih to fight the Borno Empire was just roughly 120 years back and Rabih himself was defeated (killed) in the year 1900. Anthropologically speaking it is not possible for a community of modern 1000 (One thousand) people speaking same language to completely lose their oral language within the space of just one century (100 years) which is equivalent to just 4 human generations or in some occasions even less than that depending on the early marriages and early conceptions capabilities of a given community. In fact, 120 years can only succeed in changing the oral tonation or pattern of speaking the oral language such as differences in pronunciations of some words in a language.
In view of the above coupled with some of my cultural and geo-archaeological findings revealed that it is not actually the people of the Kanem-Bornu Empire that fled for safety that founded Lafia and its related territories in the first place, but rather Lafia territory was the Southern edge or Borders of the Kanem-Bornu Empire during its peak of expansion under the great Mai Idris Alauma in the 16th Century, meaning that the Kanem-Bornu Empire once included within it the entire Jos plateau ( average altitude 1,280 meters ) as well as parts of the TIV Lands in Benue state of Nigeria alongside the River Benue.
So Abba Mamman Agwai, the great grandfather of the present day Emir of Lafia Alh. Isa Mustapha Agwai , who was a Kanuri prince from the Kanem-Bornu Empir that came to Lafiya in the 19th Century and founded the Lafia Emirates, did not actually discovered Lafia by accident, but he followed the foot-path of his ancestor’s written history about the southern edge or borders of the ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire .
In addition, the South-Western ancient frontiers or borders of the Kanem-Bornu also extended into the present day Niger state where it terminates at a town called “Kuta” near the city of Minna the present Niger state’s capital. Kuta is a name originally derived from the name Kukawa (the ancient capital of the Kanem- Borno Empire). Late Alhaji Ahmadu Bahago the first Emir of Minna who was earlier on the Emir of Kuta town until he was later moved to become the Emir of Minna , after the state creation in 1976 under the then General Murtala Muhammad administration was a Kanuri man from the Kanem-Bornu Empire by descendent. This proves that the ancient borders of Kanem Bornu Empire terminate in the Kuta town of Niger state,
This explains the reseon why the two Emirates of Minna and Lafia are still holding to some tradional titles similar to the Kanuri speaking emirates like Borno,Yobe,Damagaram,Kanem and Kousri, example of such titles includes the title of Talba,Shettima and Zanna. The present Talba of Minna is Alhaji Babangida Aliyu who was was a civilian Governors of Niger state. Apart from Kuta the people of Kutigi living in the town of Kutigi also esterblished lineage to the Kanuri people.
These findings established the existence of the Kanuri people in the Guinea Savannah (Middle belt region of -Nigeria) since in the ancient times.
Furthermore, because of the historical influences of the Kanem –Bornu Empire in the Guinea Savannah also made the TV people in Benue state borrowed some cultural elements from the Kanuri culture, for instant the TIV traditional musical trumpet instrument referred to as the Kakaaki or Algaita is very similar in appearance and in melody to the Kanuri’s trumpet known as “Alitta” or “Arrita”. The TIV black and white traditional cloth wears (pieces of wrappers) referred to as the “Ange” in TIV language is just another version of the Kanuri locally woven cloths called the “Dawun Ngasho” in terms of colour combination, processing and texture.
As a result of these historical connections between the ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire ancient and the TIV people more welcoming to the Kanuri people coming to their lands to conduct their activities despite the differences in religion. In fact, this was one of the reasons that made the popular Maiduguri based Kanuri politician Alhaji Ibrahim Imam, followed this trend of history and arrived in TIV land, contested and won election in the TIV land in the 1960s to represent the people TIV people (people of present day Benue State-Nigeria) at the National parliament of Nigeria. This development made Benue to have a Kanuri man representing them in the parliament.
THE KANURI PEOPLE OF ZARIA / THE KANURIS OF THE HILL:
Zaria is a city of mixed ethnic groups including Katsinawa who are the Fulanis, Mallawa (Migrants from Mali), the Dakarkaris and the Kanuris referred here to as the bareberi.
Though history has shown that the Gwari tribe were the first settlers of the Zaria environment, but the Gwaris lived in a scattered settlement pattern around the area. But the single clustered city of Zaria was founded by the Kanuri people who later came to the area.
The Zaria city was a city surrounded and enclosed by a man made walls with its original Palace located at Kaura (Kauran Sarki), before it was later moved to the present day location of the Zaria’s Emirs Palace which is still standing in the old Zaria city. History revealled that Zaria was founded some 400 to 500 years before the coming of Shehu Usman bn Fodio of blessed memories (The founder of the Sokoto caliphate).
Before the emergence of the Sokoto caliphate most of the Kings (leaders) of Zaria were Kanuris and some of the most popular Zaria Kanuri kings/Sarki/Emirs that ruled Zaria were Sarki Brehma, Sarki Yamusa, Sarki Musa, Sarki Kwasau, Sarki Hamada Dan Sani, Sarki Ibrahim and Sarki Jafar Dan Isiaka among others.
The Graves of Sarki Yamusa and Sarki Musa are still located at the Kauran Sarki area in the old Zaria city.
Apart from the Sarkis/Emirs or Kings of Zaria the Chief Imams and most of the judges of Zaria up till today are from the Kanuri lineage.
Even though Zaria is in the Sokoto caliphate, but when the great Shehu Usman Danfodio discovered Zaria the Kanuris have already brought Islam to Zaria and its Kanuri King as at that time called Sarki Yamusa was a practicing Muslim. This was what made Danfodio, to negotiate with him instead of invading Zaria. After the negotiation Danfodio gave Sarki Yamusa a flag to join his movement and also allowed him to continue to rule the city of Zaria. Sarki Yamusa was a warrior and fought in many battles alongside Danfodio. Ever since then the Kanuri people continue the tradition of ruling Zaria and they still remain one of the ruling houses of Zaria.
We refer to the Kanuris of Zaria as the Kanuris of the Hill, because Zaria is surrounded by Hills, instead of the usual plane lands charactering most parts of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Additionally, the nearby Nga people in Bauchi State of Nigeria also trace their origins to a Kanuri diaspora.
KANURIS OF THE TROPICAL RAIN FOREST (GABON):
Many would wonder hearing about the Kanuris of the tropical rain forest as the Kanem-Bornu Empire southern borders never reached the Equator lines or even below latitude 7°30′N in history. But the emergence of the Kanuri people in the neighborhood of the pygmies of central African region was as a result of migration. History shows that the Kanuri people were mainly spread within the Sahel, Semi Sahel and the Sahara Desert environments apart from the few ones in some parts of the Sudan and Guinea Savannah region. This Kanuri ancient territories were characterized by fluctuating climate change, seasons of droughts and desertification since the past 300 to 350 years. It was in view of this fluctuating natural phenomena that made some Kanuri people traveled southward in to the Congo basin looking for pasture for their animals until they reached the central African forest and created their settlements some centuries back.
This group of Kanuri nomads pushed by the fluctuating climate change mostly from northern North Eastern Nigeria, northern Cameroon and southern Chad republics founded the town of Oyem in the present day Gabon republic during the precolonial era of Africa. However, with the arrival of the colonial societies in Africa in the 19th century Kanem-Bornu Empire was splitted or divided in to 6 different nations making the Kanuri people here fall under Gabon. These Kanuri people in Oyem found themselves cut off from the rest of the Kanuri people living in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Libya and Sudan. This made them automatically the citizens of Gabon under the French rule.
The Kanuri people of Gabon maintain most of the Kanuri cultures and tradition including the tangible and some intangible ones. However apart from the language which is spoken by some very few amongst them and yet mixed with some French language elements they preserved most of the other Kanuri cultures including dress, festivals and tribal marks.
Following the conversion of President Oumar Bongo the late president of the Republic of Gabon to Islam in 1967, the issues of national Islamic affairs of Gabon was handed over to be managed or coordinated by the Kanuri people of Gabon (Oyem people), by the late president Bongo himself. During this time the Kanuri people of Gabon were the only few indigenous Muslims in Gabon and they make up 94% of the total Muslim population in Gabon and yet Gabon was a country in the late 1960s with just 10 % Muslim population among its total population. Hence this situation created a favorable opportunity for the Kanuri people of Gabon becoming much closer to the Gabonese president, government as well as the international community too especially rich Islamic nations. Because following the conversion of the president to Islam made many Muslim rich nations to come in to Gabon and built many multi-million dollar Mosques complexes (which contains libraries and schools) in Gabon, especially in the Gabonese capital the city of Libreville. For example, nations like Morocco, Libya, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iran, Syria all built these complexes in Gabon. In fact, building Mosque complexes in Gabon amongst among nations became like a competition among them. However initially most of these Islamic nations that built these Mosques thought that there were no Muslims in Gabon earlier on and this was what made to keep bringing in teachers and Imams to pray and teach in these Mosques /complexes in the late 1960s to early 1970s, until they discovered that Gabon also has its own indigenous Muslim community who were the Kanuri people. So that was when the Kanuri people became involved in handling the affairs of these new Mosques and Islam in Gabon.
Despite the minority nature of the Kanuri people in Gabon this new role of handling the affairs of Islam in Gabon has created enabling environment that made many becomes mams, librarians, teachers and administrators in Gabon. Over the years these Islamic nations helped them with scholarships to acquire trainings in various fields across the World. A situation that made many Kanuris in Gabon become literate and experts of their religion. The same situation gave them the advantage to serve in their nation at various capacities. The Kanuri town of Oyem itself witnessed a very rapid development as a result including having a new Olympic Stadium complex that hosted some Matches of the just concluded African Nations Cup that was held in Gabon in the year 2017 (GAB 2017).
After the death of President Oumar Bongo in the year 2008 his son Ali Oumar Bongo, succeeded him as the president of Gabon and just like his father he also recognizes the contributions of the Kanuri people in the development of Gabon.
The level of literacy amongs the Gabonese Kanuris is very high as such that the Kanuri people here are over 90% educated,gainfully employed in both the public and private sectors as well as in some regional and international agencies. The Kanuris here are also considered as one of the economically viable community not only in Gabon but in the entire African continent , as they have a per capita income of $2.2 USD per person per day.
The Gabonese Kanuri people are now working towards revival of the decayed oral Kanuri language in Gabon, as many of them including both old and the young are proud of their identity and are expressing intrests in learning back the language and even proposing having some Kanuri teachers in the future to teach their children.
As earlier stated the Gabonese Kanuris are not only working in the Islamic related areas only, but in almost all other sectors in Gabon. As at today there are Kanuri Directors, head of agencies/parastatal, advisers, and even ministers in the Gabonese cabinet.
KANURIS OF THE ARAB WORLD:
Due to the existing cultural and longtime diplomatic as well as religious relationship between the Arab nations like Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan and Algeria with the Kanem-Bornu, made the Kanuris to have a well-established ties and presence within the Arabs. But surprisingly it would be difficult to classify those Kanuris living in the Arab nations as another type of Kanuri, simply because if a Kanuri man lives in Arab the Arab nation for a period of 50 years on the average he metamorphoses in to an Arab, because here the Arabic language replaces the Kanuri language in the tongue and also end up adopting the Arab culture 100%. Likewise, same applies with the Arabs if they live in the Kanuri lands they equally metamorphose in to Kanuri and they become known as the “Kanuri Wasilis” (Kanuri Arabs). The issue here is that both cultures look alike like twin’s babies. These similarities are visible in terms of culture, religion and the nature of the Afro Asiatic language contents of the Kanuri language. Though the Kanuri people remains blacks among the Arabs and the Arabs remains with fairly lighter skin complexion but after long time of intermarriages both metamorphoses.
In view of the above it is therefore difficult to classify the Kanuris in the Arab world as Kanuris, but rather is better to classify them as the Arab-Kanuris or Kanuri Arabs. In this case there are approximately over 4 million Kanuri-Arabs living in the republic of Sudan, over 2 million shared among Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Libya and thousands shared between the holy cities of Makkah and Madina as well as Jeddah and Riyad in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Some Kanuri-Arabs speaks better Arabic than even some Arabs of the same age.
Popular Kanuri-Arabs in Diospora includes; Goni Maliki of the holy city of Makkah and Goni Yusuf (A worker with the holy Kaaba) and Sheikh Awad. Though people like Goni Muhammad Ali Gabchiya is a Kanuri man, but he mastered the two cultures both Arabic and Kanuri that makes you hardly classify him in to a single one.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE KANURI AND ARAB:
Both the Seyfawa (Sefuwa) Dynasty and the El-kanemi Dynasty were founded by Arab men. An Arab man with the name of Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan founded the Sayfuwa Dynasty and another half Arab and half Kanuri with the name of Al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî (Arabic: محمد لرشيد ابن محمد الكامانی) (1776–1837) founded the El-Kanemi Dynasty.
History shows that the Arabs are constant visitors to the Bornu Empire. Arabs are mostly coming to Borno for trading, scholarship, diplomacy and some on transit to other existing kingdoms in the Western, Northern and central African regions with some migrating to settle in the Empire. As a result of these relationships that existed with these two communities there were many intermarriages and offspring, the offspring from these marriages carries both genes of the Arab and the Kanuri and are generally referred to as the “Wasilis” in the Kanuri language. The Wasilis or the Kanuri-Arabs descendants in Bornu are connected to Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Yemen, Tunisians and few Moroccans.
In Maiduguri of today the Fezzan ward area located south of the Shehu’s Palace is a ward of an entire block reserved, dedicated and allocated for the Arabs since Maiduguri was founded. In Fezzan they were given the rights to govern themselves and generate taxes/revenue for the Bornu Empire within this territoryas a result the Wasilis are given the traditional title position of Lawan since inception. The majority of the Bornu Arabs are of Libyan descents as a result the position of the Lawan is always with them. This title has been rotating amongst the Wasilis for years. The last Lawan from the Wasilis was Alhaji Yusuf Wasili who retired on his own from this position in the late 1960s and hand over the baton for the first time to a non Wasili decedent in Fezzan.
It should be noted that in addition to the Kanuri-Arabs the Empire also has its own version of native Arabs known anthropologically as the “Bornu indigenous Arabs” generally referred to as the “Shuwa” in Kanuri language. This indigenous Arabs were anthropologically said to have emerge in Bornu-Empire because the Bornu-Empire is located on the biogeographic racial transition zone between the lighter skin (mostly Arabs) and the darker skin (mostly blacks Africans) people of Africa. The Shuwa people have same culture with the Kanuris in terms of their tribal marks, wears, culture, ceremonies, foods, farms, festivals and many other ways of livelihood. The differences between the two is so small that it only takes a Kanuri man or a Shuwa man to identify these little differences correctly, however the majority of the Shuwa people are lighter in skin complexion even though there are some few Kanuris too that are equality lighter, but the majority of the Kanuris are darker in terms of skin complexion when compared to the Shuwas.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TURKY/OTHMAN EMPIRE AND THE KANURIS:
Unlike the Arabs the Turkish coming to Bornu were not traders, scholars nor people on transit, but they were instead Ambassadors and military personnel representing the interest of the great Othman Empire (World Super Power for over 500 years) in the Bornu Empire. The Turkish people normally returns back to their nations after the completion of their missions or assignments in the Empire, this made them not a permanent settler in the Empire. As a result, existing available history has not shown intermarriages with the Kanuris, but it is still possible that this Kanuri Empire has some Kanuri-Turkish or Turkish-Kanuris. Despite the position of the Turkish in the ancient Bornu Empire, but yet the Turkish had some influences over the Kanuri culture; for example, the Kanuri Trumpet generally referred to as the “Arrita” was borrowed or adopted from the Turkish culture some 400 years back. This explains why in Istanbul of Today we still have the Arrita blowers blowing their Arritas just like in central Yerwa (Maiduguri).
Turkey and Istanbul in particular holds verst history about the Kanuri people and the Kanuri culture in their museams,libraries and related archieves.
The above letter reads as follows:
“We have promulgated and dispatched it (the letter)……a unique salutation the fragrance of which spreads over the lands….greetings…to the most noble, the most illustrious, the most magnificent, the rightly guided, the one aided by God, the helper of the warriors among the believers, the supporter of the great men among the adherents of the unity of God…..the possessor of the sovereignty and sanctity, the ruler of the state of Borno at present King Idris may God prolong his prosperity and make his aims successful.”
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE KANURI AND THE HAUSA PEOPLE:
The Hausa people are longtime neighbours of the Kanuri people for probably a thousand year. Some scholars still believes that Bayajidda (Bàyā̀jiddà ) the founder of the Hausa lands (Kingdom) and who history described as an Arab man that arrived and settled in the town of Daura in the present day Katsina state and later married queen Magajiya Daurama (The Queen of Daura) is actually from the Kanem-Bornu Empire .Even though the history indicated that he was from the East (The Arabian Peninsula) , but some scholars argued that the geographical East referred to in this history was actually the town of ancient Kukawa in the present day Borno state of Nigeria. It is also possible that he is from the Arabian Peninsula, but he must have also first settled in one of the settlements of Kanem-Bornu Empire before reaching the Hausa land. Logically it is not possible for someone coming from the Arabian Peninsula to the Hausa land then (period without Aircrafts and modern transport system) reach the Hausa land without geographically passing through the ancient territory of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Furthermore, in whatever way we look at it both the Kanem-Bornu Empire and the Arabian Peninsula are both located to the East of the Hausa Land. But the fact still remains that it is not possible for him to have come from the Arabian Peninsula and reach the Hausa land without crossing through the ancient Kanem-Bornu-Empire, just like it is not possible for people during the era when people from the Hausa land and or the Sokoto caliphate were travelling to pilgrimage on foot to Saudi Arabia to be able to reach Saudi Arabia without passing through Bornu.
Some scholars even go further to give meaning to the name of Bayajidda as “BAYA JI DA” (literally translated in the Hausa language as “He doesn’t hear before “or “He doesn’t understand the Hausa language before”) meaning that when Bàyā̀jiddà first came to the Hausa Land he doesn’t understand their language, so he was probably speaking in Arabic or Kanuri or both.
The relationship of Hausa and the Kanuri people still stands in Africa as one of the best among ancient African kingdoms. These two group of people respect each other and they always support each other at the time of needs and distress. These two have a very strong historical trading relationship. In fact, it is very common to see a Kanuri man been addressed as a Hausa man in southern Nigeria or elsewhere and he accept it despite the fact that he is not a Hausa man, for example apart from the Kanuri ancestral origin of the former late Nigerian leader General Sani Abacha, Abacha remained a Hausa man from Kano throughout his lifetime.
The Hausa language has some borrowed words from the Kanuri and also some Hausa proverbs that are directly relating to the Kanuri. For example, Manda means salt in Kanuri and Gishiri means salt in Hausa, but one often hears a Hausa man making proverb with it as “Chinikin Bani Manda in Baka Gishiri” (Give me Salt (Gishiri) and I give you Salt (Manda) or sometime a Hausa man is fond of directly using Kanuri word such as “Garu” referring to a wall or “Bulaguro” referring to travelling. Same applies with the Kanuri language too for example in Kanuri Zink sheets roofing cover is called “Kwana” which was originally borrowed from the Hausa language referring to the roof cover sheets as “Kwano” or Kwanon Gida.
Most parts of the Hausaland were once ruled by the Kanem-Bornu before the Sokoto caliphate took it over from Borno around early 1800s.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FULANI AND THE KANURI PEOPLE:
When the Fulanis established the Sokoto caliphate under the leadership of Shehu Usman Danfodio they brought or revived Islam in many parts of the present day Northern and parts of South western Nigeria, along the line of this course the Fulanis ruled many of the ethnic groups in these areas or regions mentioned above including the Hausas, Nupes, Gwaris, Yorubas, Jukuns and many others. But when the Fulanis reached the shores of the ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire they discovered that Islam was already in Bornu for almost a thousand year. However, Fodio caliphate proclaimed the holy war on the allegedly irreligious Muslims living in some parts of the former Bornu Empire territorial areas.
This irreligious sets of people to Danfodio was as a result of the style of leadership of the Kanem-Bornu people who normally Islamized new territories captured but at the end installs the indigents of the new territory/town captured to directly rule or govern their people and be reporting to the central authority instead of installing a Kanuri man to lead or rule them directly. This style of ruling new territories by the Kanem-Bornu Empire is contrary to the style adopted by Danfodio himself. Danfodio often installs his sons, brothers, relations, kinsmen or someone he trusted so well to rule new captured territories in order to have total and absolute control over the new subjects in one hand and make these subjects devoted and durable practicing Muslims in the other hand. This style of leadership under Danfodio resulted in the emergence Fulani traditional rulers in almost all the Hausa Kingdoms for instant the Emires of Kano, Katsina, Yola, Gwandu, Ilorin, Bauchi, Gombe etc are all Fulanis.
So the style of ruling by the Kanem-Bornu made the Bornu Empire to be weak over time at its new acquired territories mostly border territories, hence dynamically and overtime kept losing total and absolute control of these territories especially in the areas of some subjects becoming devoted and durable practicing Muslims without closer supervision from the above. These actions made some of them go back to their traditional religions (idol worshiping or paganism) as there was no Christianity in this part of Africa then. This was the main reason why Danfodio fought or launched a campaign against some towns of the Kanem-Bornu that looks irreligious to him, this actions of Danfodio eventually politically affected the Kanem-Bornu and inspired a trend toward Islamic orthodoxy, with no one stopping this caliphate apart from the Arab man and a scholar-turned-statesman, Al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi who was an Islamic cleric (Scholar), that contested and won against the Fulani advance.
The two kingdoms (Danfodio caliphate & the Kanem-Bornu Empire) later became friends because of their common cause (spreading of Islam and wiping illiteracy). These new relationships between these two have had very strong diplomatic influences on them. During the precolonial era of Africa, the two Kingdoms keeps exchanging greetings through letters between the two kings (The Sultan of Sokoto and the Shehu of Borno) on every two weeks’ intervals.
The actions of Shehu al-Amîn El-Kânemî and Shaikh Usman Ibn Fodio, later transformed the Borno empire as center for Quranic education and the Sokoto caliphate as center of Islamic jurisprudence. They also introduced that funny happy plays that is still happening between a Fulani man and the Kanuri man in such a way that whenever a Kanuri man meets with a Fulani man then the 'Joke starts'.
Today the Fulani man has a very strong respect and admiration for the Kanuri man as such that the Fulani man sees the Kanuri man as his only historical friend across this African environment as he sees the other tribes as his subjects that he already governed, so he always feels that he is the master of the tribes he ruled. The Kanuri man and a Fulani man are fond of cracking jokes whenever they meet. Surprisingly the Fulani man never cracks such jokes with any other person in the environment other than the Kanuri man. These jokes are always around who the master and who is who the slave is “Is it me or you” the argument then starts and the joke theen continues making each other happier and livelier.
This two Kingdoms still exchange education/scholarships with People coming from the Sokoto (Danfodio) caliphate to Bornu to master the Holy Quran while those from Borno travel to the Sokoto Caliphate to master the Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh).
KANURI FARMS & FOODS:
The Kanuri people mainly produce millets, beans, groundnuts, edible cassavas (Garissa), wheat, guinea corn, rice and cucumber (Ngurli) in their farmlands.
The Kanuri diet consists of mostly millet, wheat, rice and maize served either as porridge (Guda) or as dumplings (Burabusko) served with a vegetable soup like Kwalkwa (Baobab leaves), Gwalto (Okra) or Karasu also containing meat, groundnut oil, salt, and sometimes beans, cow fat (Kendawu Feye) and Spices.
During ceremonies they also cook special ceremonial delicacies like Denderu which is prepared from long time cooking of meat under a low temperature resulting in producing very soft edible meat, they also make white glassy like porridge from washed-bleached millet called the “Ndelleyi” and the Kanuri people are also masters in Pizza making, the local Kanuri Pizza is called “Sinassin” unlike the American or the Italian Pizza the Kanuri Pizza is eating with soup or vegetable.
Records show that the Kanuris are the World largest producers of Millet, Groundnuts and Beans and they are also the World’s largest consumers of Millet and Groundnuts.
KANURI AND NIGERIA:
Long before the discovery of petroleum in Nigeria in the early 1960s Nigeria’s economy depended on Groundnut production (farming) and Nigeria was ranked World Number 1 in Groundnuts production between the 1930s to early 1960s. Surprisingly due to the sandy nature of most of the Kanuri predominant states of Bornu (Borno and Yobe states) made the Kanuri people be producing almost half of the total Groundnuts produced annually in the Nigeria, the town of Nguru in the present day Yobe state of Nigeria serves as the Hub of this trading and gathering in the Kanuri lands.
Currently with the discovery of petroleum in Nigeria since the 1960s made agriculture generally declined in Nigeria which also affected the main cash crop of Borno and Yobe states which the Groundnut is. However, these two states still stand statically as states producing 40% of the entire cattle’s consumed in Nigeria on daily, though advent of the unrest in 2009 is affecting this portion too.
The Kanuris in Borno state produced the best Beans in Nigeria called the “Krenuwa” Beans. In addition, the Kanuri settlements of Monguno and Marte local governments are among the few tropical areas in the World that producing Wheat through the Chad Basin irrigation systems or in the Oasis during the Hammatan period (winter) between the months of November to March of every year.
Considering the above contributions of the Kanuri people in Nigeria one would be pushed to say that the Kanuri people are very hard working and economically viable people.
Despite the fact that the Kanem-Bornu was splatted and ruled by four major colonial societies including British, French, German and the Italians, but it looks like the Kanuri people always preferred being under the British rule. This is evidence with the defection of Bama and Dikwa from Cameroon which was originally under the German colony to join Nigeria during the colonial period.
Over the years the Kanuri people produced many National heroes and important personalities in the in Nigeria ; these includes the likes of Late Sir Kashim Ibrahim (Governor Northern Region of Nigeria),Late General Sani Abacha (President/Head of state of Nigeria), Ambassador Babagana Kingibe (Secretary Federal Government of Nigeria) ,Alhaji Zanna Dipcharima (Minister of Industries and one time acting Prime Minister of Nigeria), Brigadier General Abba Kyari (Governor North Central),Alhaji Shettima Ali Minguno (Minister Mines Power and Steal and former OPEC president) and Sir Waziri Ibrahim amongst others.
Additionally in the private sectors ,Academics, traditional offices and international businesses they also produced very many unforgettable personalities in the history of Nigeria and these includes Alhaji Mai Deribe, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe,Sheikh Abubakar Elmiskin, Alhaji Umar Na Alhaji Lawan, Alhaji Kuli Deribe,Professor Umaru Shehu, Shehu Mustafa Elkanemi, Usman Karagama, Alhaji Bukar Bolori, Kashim Ibrahim, Kaka Hajja Aisa Aliram, Hamra Imam, Bintu Farlomu, Alhaji Zanna Mustafa Ahmed Deribe,Baba Bukar Arimma Monguno ,Mallam I. Geidam, Professor M.M. Daura (Former VC ),Alhaji Muhammad Aburos ,Ibrahim Imam,Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim,Shehu Abubakar Garbai,Zanna Laisu ,Alhaji Zannah Dipcharima,Alhaji Kamselem (Former IG of Police),Alhaji Shetima Ali Monguno, Alhaji Muhammad Monguno and Sheikh Muhammad Gibrima among many many other Kanuri greats.
KANURI INTANGIBLE AND TANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGES:
Just like many other tribes the Kanuri people also have their tribal marks. The Kanuris make nine tribal marks on the faces with one of them drawn from under the forehead down to near the nose tip. Although over 70% of the Kanuris of today are no longer making these tribal marks,but the secret for these tribal Marks are mazing.
During the precolonial era of African, especially between the 14th to the 18th century when businesses of Slavery and Slave trades involving capturing and transporting Africans to the Americas dominated Africa as such that modern African historians believes that over 50 million Africans were taken to Jamaica, Surinam, Mexico, Bahamas, USA, Brazil, Barbados, Guyana, Colombia, Coat Rica, Bermuda etc. The process of these international Slave trade at that time involves buying of Slaves legally or capturing of Africans through invading easy to defeat or weaker Kingdoms. However even at the peak of these Slavery the Slave traders were afraid of capturing Africans as Slaves from the powerful and mighty Empires like the Kanem-Bornu and the Songhai/Meli Empires because of the fear of retaliation by these empires for kidnapping or enslaving their citizens by anybody coming from anywhere including the Europeans. Even though the tribal Marks stands as a beauty and identity of a culture, but here it also serves as an identity of the Kanuri people very similar to today’s International Passport. It helps identify who belongs to what Kingdom, tribe or Empire even if the person with the marks lives outside his ancestral territory. So this explains the reason why a Kanuri Man was never traded as a Slave by the mighty Europeans in the first place during the Slavery. And among all the slaves taken from Africa none have the record of Kanuri tribal marks on his or her face.
So the Kanuri tribal Marks serves as an identity, beauty, protection and International passport to go anywhere with confidence, easy identity and with no fear of been captured by slave hunters or powers. Infact it is because of the powers of the Kanuri tribal Marks that made even other ethnic groups adopt or borrowed this aspect of Kanuri culture. So this explains why tribes like Marghi,Babur and others even outside the Empire later adopted this aspect of Kanuri culture.
In terms of intangible cultural heritage the Kanuri people have a lot of intangible musics,poems ,dances and plays , but with many dissapearing due to modernisation,change in lifestyles and lack of awarenesss and documentation. The few remaining ones includes the “Lami-Lami” play as written below:
“”
Lami lami yencheri..yancheri...
kulo d3mbarambe.. D3mbarambe do Makka ye. ... . Makka ye .... .. Madina ye ....... G3d3Kaus3lemyin... k3mbala..... K3mballa do maduwana..
Maduwana k3mbom3..... Wawami ….-waaji...... wa karaan...
. . gubkano kara S3l3mbin...... ...gubkano.... ....
Fulata Furlan ... shuwa karimolan talangar langar .... .....
YA JURRUSS”
”
KANURI NAMES:
Surprisingly half of Kanuri names range between Muhammad and his companion Abubakar.
The Kanuri people also bears other names of the holy Books such as Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael), Musa (Moses), Yusuf (Joseph), Isa (Jesus), Maryam (Merry), Hauwa (Eve), Adam, Amina, Isiaka (Isaac), Aisha, Abdullahi, Suleiman (Solomon), Kaltum, Halima, Khadija as well as Umar, Usman, Ali and Fatima among others.
However, as a matter of respect to the holy names in the holy Books (God’s prophets and pious personalities names mentioned in the Quran, Injila (Bible) and the Torah) most of these names are coined from their original form in to other form by adding some respect titles to these names in a Kanuri way. This is in order to distinct the original name of the Books with that of individual barring such names:
Example of some Kanuri coined Book names of that nature are as indicated below:
Muhammad: Mamman,Modu,Massa,Modunga,Mutar,Mammmadu ,Laminu ,Mammanur , Tujjayima ,Tar etc.
Abubakar: Bor,Bukar,Garba,Bormi,Bouar ,Aborr ,Borom etc.
Umar: Bunu
Musa/Moses: Kallah
Adam: Konto
Idris/Enoch: Mele
Yusuf/Joseph: Yusuwu
Bilyaminu/Benjamin: Bunami
Ali Ibn Abu Talib: Butari, Ari etc.
Ibrahim/Abraham: Yuram,Burah,Burem etc.
Suleiman: Suleymana
Abdullahi: Dala,Dallah
Amina: Amyina, Yamina,Sato
Aisha: Ayssa,Ashe,Maida etc.
Usman: Ngari
Zainab: Yaburra
Hafsat: Shetu,Amsa,Mara etc
Hauwa/Eve: Madari
Hadiza: Fojji,Mangu,Kuura,kuwura etc
Maryam/Merry: Budu
Bilkis/Queen Sheba:Balu
Rukaiya: Ruwaiya
Halima: Kodo
Fatima: Falmata, Fanta, Falta, Fatime, Fanne, Zara, Fanna ,Tukula,Karu,Fandau etc.
Kanuri person’s highest appreciation or gift to an individual is naming his child after the individual.
Apart from the names of the Books the Kanuri people are also fond of using traditional names in order to show respect for the persons they named after especially the parents, grandparents and teachers or great scholars.
Examples of common Kanuri traditional coined names are:
Babagana pronounced as “Ba’ana” which Means Junior (Someone named after his grandfather by his parents).
Yagana pronounced as “Ya’ana” which means a girl named after her grandmother by her parents.
Like the English people, the Kanuri people also answers profession names like the ones below:
Kaajima (Fragrance seller), Yerima (prince),Kaudima (perfume seller), Arrimma (Dyer),Aritama (Trumpeter) ,Kulloma (Bronz maker), Bulama (traditional title name),Fatkema (General merchandizer) , Furma (owner of horses),Malum (scholar) etc
Other common Kanuri names includes: Awuza (Abacha), Yakori,Kolo,Ma’a,Zarami, Gajimi, Ya Kingi, ,Maira,Gangaram,Maidu,Blau,Ngwarimi,Lefami,Bako, Fandi ,Ya Mangu, ,Gamboram, Kyallu, Yecha, Maya, Morom ,Kolomi, Bakura,Kaka ,Zainawa etc.
KANURI AND PROFESSION:
The primary occupations of the Kanuri people at the beginning and as earlier discussed were pastoralism, farming, trading, general mechanizing (Fatke), Mat Making (weaving), Goldsmith, Blacksmithing, Teaching (Islamic Scholarly works), dynein, hunting, Calabash carving, Tanning and some fishing among others. As a result of the importance of these hereditary and historic professions in the Kanuri lands made most of these professions have streets, alleyways, wards and sometimes even entire settlements named after such professions. For example in Maiduguri city we have the Arrinmari (Street dedicated to cloth dyers), Kalumari (street dedicated to the blacksmiths), Furemari (street dedicated to flower sellers),Furmari (street dedicated for people dealing with horse decorative wares ), Sirtemari (street dedicated to mat weavers),Aritamari (street dedicated to trumpet players), Gangamari (street dedicated to drummers) ,Kumozamari (Street dedicated to Calabash cavers/decorators) ,Abbari (Street dedicated to Prince and Princess)etc.
Contrary to the past professions today the Kanuris are found in almost all professions including the military, journalism, international businesses, banking, piloting, bureau de change, carpentry, plumbing, engineering, the medical profession, and many more:
THE ROLE OF GOLD IN THE KANURI CULTURE:
Historical, Anthropological and archaeological facts prove that the Kanuri people are among the world’s top leading communities that uses the precious Gold metals more often. The Kanuris are equaled to the Arabs and Indians in this regard. In fact, till today despite civilization and introduction of paper monies in to circulation globally, but yet the Kanuri people still pays bride dowries in Golds. Brides are decorated in Golds of various natures and shapes ranging from gold coins, necklaces, golden bangles, golden chains and a lot of other native ornaments such as “Bugaye, Rakka, Wororo, Kulum Mukaye, Kulum K3nzaye” and many others.
Before the amalgamation of the Kanuri Lands by the colonial societies in the past 120 years back, noble kings and Kanuri big merchants were known to have possessed or owned golden Swords, golden plates, golden cups, golden Spears and even golden chains and ropes used on the necks of their animals (donkeys & horses) and yet even the horses were used to be decorated with golden saddles, golden masks, ornaments and other horse decorative golden wears.
Even though historically Gold was never mined in the whole of the Kanem-Bornu territory, but between the 13th to the 17th century the Kanem-Bornu Empire had one of the World’s largest collections of Gold.
This made the author believes that the past Kanem-Bornu capitals are potential treasures waiting for future treasure hunters, as they contained in them many buried treasure.
Despite the value of Gold in the Kanuri lands, surprisingly the Kanuri men never decorate themselves with Gold but instead decorate their wives, daughters and even slaves with it.
The Kanuri men uses silver.
Some Kanuri nobles use Gold in even written Quran verses or God’s names on plates with it.
Nobody can precisely explain to you even among the Kanuris as to why the Kanuris still treasures and use Golds, but the fact still remains that Gold is one of the very limited resources or metals in the World that does not depreciate and stands the taste of time history.
KANURI MARRIAGES:
The Kanuri wedding is one event that is colorful and exciting. It is an occasion that brings the people’s culture to life through music, dance and other colorful cultural activities. The Kanuri culture just as in the other ethnic groups throughout the world it has some norms and values. The Kanuri culture finds its origin from the Islamic religion, but in addition the Kanuri cultures have a couple of marriage traditions that are peculiar to the tribe.
KANURI & HORSES:
The Kanuri Horses and their horsemen are among the most beutiful in the World.
History has shown that the Kanuri people are masters of Horses,Horse Decorations and Horse Durbur festivals , in fact due to the prestige of Kanuri Durburs and Horse ornaments made many important world dignotories come to see the Kanuri Decorated Horses and witness the cultural Durbur festivals. In the modern era Great personalities like the Queen Elizabeth of England,King Juan Carlos of Spain,President George Bush of the United States,late Lady Diana and Prince Chales of England , President Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry (Nyimeri Kwarangwaso) of Sudan , late Sir Ahmadu Bello of Nigeria,Load Frederick Lugard (first Governor General of Nigeria and India ) as well as other greats like Louis Farakhan of the United states,General Yakubu Gowon,General Babangida, and General Sani Abacha have all travvelled down to the Kanuri Lands just to enjoy witnessing the Kanuri Durbur festivals in once or even more occations.
When the great King Juan Carlos of Spain visited Maiduguri on 16the December,1986 he said that he has never in his life beautifully decoarted horses like the ones he saw in Maiduguri city as a result the late Shehu of Borno Dr. Muatafa Umar ibn Elkanemi gave him a beutifully well decoarted Kanuri horse which he took back to Spain as souvenir.
NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE ANCIENT KANEM-BORNU EMPIRE:
Potassium and Sodium Carbonate were historically the major minerals extracted or obtainable under the Kanem-Bornu, but however the former lands of the Kanem-Bornu it’s now indicating that it is richer than how history expected it to be. Today it is no longer news that the former territory of the ancient Kanem-Bornu is richly blessed with petroleum and Uranium natural mineral resources.
Kanuri and Petroleum: The Agadem oilfield with an area of 27,516.2 square kilometres (10,624.1 sq mi), the Bilma oil block, Manga oilfields, Aborak oilfield, the Tenere oil block as well as the Tintouma oilfield near Madama all in Niger republic located within the former Kanem-Bornu historical territory are collectively estimated to be holding a total petroleum reserves of about 11.7 billion barrels as at 2017. In addition, the Agadem oilfield along also holds approximately 10,000,000,000 cubic meters (3.5×1011 cu ft) to 16,000,000,000 cubic meters (5.7×1011 cu ft) of natural gas reserves.
Additionally, all the oilfields in the republic of Chad especially those of the “ERHC “are all located within the former Kanem-Bornu historical territory and around the Lake Chad basin area of Chad mainly in the Kanem-Prefecture, as at today the oil reserve estimate in this part of Chad is around 19 billion barrels as at 2017 plus approximately 21,000,000,000 cubic meters of natural gas reserve.
Furthermore, oil prospectors are still prospecting for oil in the ancient Kanem – Bornu territories of Libya (Fezzan), north western Cameroon and North Eastern Nigeria Nigeria. Some scientists suggested that the petroleum and gas reserves in the Chad Basin area of Nigeria currently going on in the areas of Kukawa, Gajiganna, Monguno, Gubio, Magumeri, Marte and Gajiram among others is expected to supersede or even multiply the total petroleum and gas reserves of both Niger and Chad put together, because of the strata nature of the Borno geological. It was in view of this expected outcome that made some experts in the field recently keep associating the currently ongoing social unrests affecting Borno and Yobe states of Nigeria as a tactical tactic by an enemy in the shadow to prevent Borno and Nigeria in particular from discovering and utilizing this huge God’s gift natural resources in this part of Nigeria.
So in view of the above the ancient Kanem-Bornu empire territories of Nigeria, Libya, Chad, Cameroon and Niger is believed to be holding between 85 to 134 billion barrels of petroleum reserves and approximately 120,000,000,000 cubic meters to 160,000,000,000 cubic meters of natural gas reserves.
Uranium in the Kanem-Bornu: The ancient territory of the Kanem-Bornu is today supplying 11 % of the world’s total annual mining output of highest-grade uranium ores. This is because almost all the areas where Uranium is discovered in the republic of Niger which is the fourth leading Uranium producing nation in the World ranging from that of Azelik in 1957 by the French Bureau de Recherches Geologiques while prospecting for copper and those discovered at Abokurum in 1959, Madaouela in 1963, Arlette, Ariege, Artois & Tassa/Taza in 1965, Imouraren in 1966 and Akouta in 1967 all falls within the ancient Kanem-Bornu territories.
The cumulative production of this mineral as at the year 2011 was 114,346 tU part of which about 62,000 tU was from underground, and 52,000 t from the open pit mining.
Water Reserves in the Kanem-Bornu: Despite the arid nature of the ancient territories of the Kanem-Bornu surprisingly the territory holds huge reserves of underground which is ranked as one of the biggest water reserves of the world. This was confirmed by Researchers from the British Geological Survey and University College London who mapped for the first time the aquifers, or groundwater, across the African continent and the amount of water they hold. This proves the fact why free flow boreholes is still existing in places like Monguno, Marte, Guzamala, Baga as well as Diffa, Kanem and some parts of north western Cameroon.
KANURI AND CHALLENGES: YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW YESTERDAY:
Every civilization ranging from Mighty Empires to the Caliphates all have periods of Ups and Downs (prosperity & challenging periods), for instance the coming of Pharaoh (Fir’auna) as a King of Egypt during the era of Prophet Musa (Moses) –(AS) has destabilized the existing peace in Egypt of that Era , the Challenges that came up towards the end of the era of the Islamic Caliph Usman bn Affan (579–17 June 656) –(RA) had costs the city of Medina to even lose its status as the capital of the Caliphate for sometimes, likewise the emergence of Napoléon Bonaparte in Europe caused some serious economic hardship and destructions of Europe within a short while . Furthermore, both the First and the Second World Wars combined equally had costs Europe to lose modern half of its entire wealth plus millions of lives. So same it is with the Kanuri’s Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Shortly after the end of the Era of Mai Idris Alauma in the 16th century came seasons of droughts that seriously affected the agricultural outputs of the Bornu Empire, a century later the Mais (Kings) of Bornu became weaker that they could not effectively protect the borders of the Empire from the invading Enemies until after the intervention by Al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al- El-Kanemi who replaced the Mai himself, furthermore close to a century later came the brutal Rabih Fadlallah generally known as Rabi in Kanuri (1842 – 1900) who destabilized the existing peace in the Bornu Empire for close to ten years until the arrival of the French in the German territory of Bornu that killed him in 1900.
Today:
A century after the death of Rabih today still Bornu found itself in another difficult Era where most of its trading routes, towns, villages as well as its agricultural outputs are affected. Though as usual this Era too would also come to pass, but the most amazing aspect here is the Kanuri people never give up their Faith in whatever situation they found themselves in. The Faith that made the city of Madina regain her lost status, The Faith that brought an End to the Era of Pharaoh of Egypt, The Faith that made Europe bounced back to her super rich economy as well as the Faith that brought the French to end the brutal era of Rabih Fadlallah. So this same Faith of the Kanuris would remain with them in resolving all issues affecting them now or at any time in the future. This makes the Kanuris to always bounce back to their usual peace, viability in economy and keep holding the status as masters of knowledge, experts of history and a reference point to many at all times.
Tomorrow:
The challenges of the Kanuri’s tomorrow are determining by the fast decay of the Kanuri language today.
Apart from areas like Fezzan, Shehuri South, the Shehuri North, Mafoni, Abbari, Lawan Bukar Kaccha, Old Maiduguri, Kalari and Lamisula almost all the remaining wards or parts of Maiduguri city which is the heart of the Kanuri speaking population are replacing the Kanuri language with other non-native Kanem-Bornu languages in their communications. This days is common in Maiduguri to see a Kanuri growing child of 10 years of age in some areas like the Bulunkutu, Gwange, Bolori ,G.R.A. , Mairi, Sulemanti, Umarari,Zajeri, Baga Road ,Bulabulin and others that cannot express himself in Kanuri , but the same boy can be expert in other languages that are not even from the Kanem-Bornu. So this is an indication that the Kanuri language is not only decaying but it’s also expiring in its mainland. However, if parents, Kanuri teachers, Kanuri authors and other interested parties in the Kanuri language do not double up their efforts the Kanuri language might varnish sooner than forecasted by some language experts.
At this point would like to point out that influential Kanuri stakeholders especially in the education system /sector should use their influences and capacities to mainstream the Kanuri language in to the school curriculum of both the Primary and the secondary Education systems in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Gabon and even Libya as such that the Kanuri language would be included in our WAECS,COMMON ENTRANCE,NECO and SSCE Examinations in order to help preserve this fast decaying language as the future of speaking the Kanuri language tomorrow lies with the stakeholders and those in power today otherwise nothing can stop the Kanuri language from the threats of replacement by other neighboring languages, decaying and expiring tomorrow.
KANURI LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND INFLUENCE:
An average Kanuri man is a person that loves his culture and tribe so much as such that he feels God has choosen for him the best of culture and the best of languge. He often expreses his happiness for being a Kanuri man. In facts an average Kanuri man feels that apart from the people of the book also known in Arabic as “Ahl al-Kitāb”( أهل الكتاب ′) his culture and language remains the next best.
The Kanuri generally have had a strong influence on people or inhabitants of their surrounding environments and neighbours, including the Mandaras and Kotokos or Mogoris who live southeast of the Kanuri lands, others are the Marghis of the Damboa district, the Babur in the hills south of the Kanuri, the Bolewa located southwest of the Kanuri, and the Bede people of Gashua among many others not mentioned here. All of these groups have acquired various aspects of the Kanuri culture, mainly Islam and ability of reading and writing from the Kanuris. Many, including the Hausa, were at one time subjects of the Kanuri.
SOME HABITS AND HOBBIES IN KANURI CULTURE:
1. Greetings are exchange in Kanuri culture with a handshake.
2. Men are not allowed to shake hands with women.
3. Children are not supposed to Shake hands with their father, step fathers, uncles even father’s friends and other associates of their father of equal age with their father, instead they are supposed to bend their heads a little and looking ground ward.
4. Younger persons are first to greet elder persons whenever they meet.
5. Kanuri do not Shake hands with their traditional rulers such as the Shehu and alike unless on the request by such leaders when they extended their hands towards person for a handshake.
6. Women are not allowed to fix marriages for their children without a man.
7. Women cover their entire body with the exception of the face, palms and Feet when going out to a public place.
8. Men are the head of the family.
9. Children must greet their parent every morning if they live together in the same compound or nearby compounds.
10. Kanuri people do not shake hands with their Islamic scholars and Islamic teachers rather as a sign of respect to them they extend the position of their heads towards such scholars when the scholar forwards his hand so that the palms or palm of the scholar would rub on their head to receive blessings from him.
11. Kanuri people especially adults do not eat in an open public place where everyone can see them eating instead they always look for a covered place from the public eyes before eating or even drinking.
12. A humble Kanuri man graduates to become a Kanuri Rashidi (entrusted person). However, before any Kanuri becomes a Rashidi he must be married, gentle, religious, attending functions, involved in communal works, assist people to his best and must be also somebody who keeps to his promises and be a man of his words for instant a Kanuri man can never give out his daughter for marriage and later alter his promises, in the event such happens then that man can never attain the position of a Rashidi in his lifetime neither would his community respect him but instead he remains to be seen as an arrogant and a person not to be trusted or included in the list of decision makers in his community. It is generally common to hear a Kanuri man saying Rashidi Kaamil or Rashidi K3lanz3 kam (meaning a complete gentle and trusted person).
13. Eating Pork is forbidden in Kanuri culture.
14. Drinking of alcohol and all other intoxicants including the use of drugs, cocaine etc are forbidden in the Kanuri culture and people do not associates with known drunkards.
15. Kanuri children are always at home at Maghreb period (at Sunset) regardless of the activity.
16. A Kanuri family is bigger than more than just an immediate family consisting of just wife, husband and children only, but it includes parents, brothers and cousins provided they all stay in the same compound.
17. Kanuri women always speak with soft voice.
18. New babies are named on the eight day after born (arrival).
19. Kanuri children are more comfortable playing with their grandparents than their parents.
20. Whenever Kanuri people form a population of at least three (3) persons in a foreign environment they always choose a leader amongst them and in most cases the eldest, the most educated or the healthiest person is chosen to lead.
21. Kanuri people are peace loving, hospitable and more welcoming people. Though some of them strangers and migrants coming from other parts of the World living with them often mistake their hospitality as weakness and resulting in bringing some non-native attitudes/troubles in to their lands for example the name “Rabih Fadaala” is not a Kanuri name neither a name originating or associated with the Kanem-Bornu meaning that Rabih is not a native of Kanem-Bornu or a Kanuri man but yet took the advantage of the Kanuri’s hospitality while he was a student studying in the Empire and end up desterilizing the peace of the entire Empire for almost a decade.
22. Every Kanuri man is born with the dream of performing pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah and later visits the holy prophet in Madinah in his lifetime.
23. A kanuri man never addresses a person of his father’s age with his name without adding the word “BA’A” (Father) and if the person is older than him and not up to his father’s age he adds “YA’A” (Brother or Sister), so this made it common to hear addressing people of father’s age as Ba’a Yuram, Ba’a Yusuf, Ba’a Umar, Ba’a Adam or in case of persons of older brother’s or older sister’s age as Ya’a Usman, Ya’a Zanna, Ya’a Shettima, Ya’a Adam or Ya’a Mairam, Ya’a Kori, Ya’a
Kingi, Ya’a Kaltum.
24. An average Kanuri man always maintains the five daily prayers as instructed by Islam.
25. Kanuri man is always careful with what he wears and where he is going to. For example, if he is visiting friends, he might be wearing his casual or normal dress, but if he is visiting parents, elders or other important personalities and occasions he prefers wearing his Kanuri native dress with its cap.
26. The man standing always greets the man sitting.
CONCLUSION:
Though the Kanuri populace settlement started with the establishment of settlement located north of the present day Lake Chad in the 7th century but their ancestors have been in the Lake Chad area for a period much longer than that, however centuries later this settlement grew to become a kingdom, the kingdom later became an Empire and in 600 years the Empire grew to become an undisputed champion of Africa and the 5th greatest empire in both power and size in the global history at its peak. Though the Kanem-Bornu is a Kanuri kingdom, but it is multicultural in characteristic since inception as both founders of the two main dynasties were either Arabs or half Arab and yet the Kanuri coexisted with many local tribes for hundreds of years in its empire such tribes includes Mandara, Kotoko, Shuwa,Sau ,Babur,Ngezem, Karekare, Bolewa,Marghi, Barbers, Arabs,Chibok and many more
The Othman Empire was once the strongest ally of Kanem-Bornu and the Bornu Empire also had multi diplomatic ties with almost all the ancient major empires and kingdoms of North Africa, Southern Europe and the Arabia.
As it is very natural for every kingdom, empire, nations, communities and clans to have periods of ups and downs or weakness and strengths so it is with the Kanuri people and their empires. The Kanuri people are always peaceful and accommodating people, but some people keep mistaking these their unique attitudes for weakness as a result strangers like Rabih , had the opportunity in distorting the peace in the empire in the 19th century for almost a decade and 100 years after Rabih similar situation is repeating itself. But this would never make the Kanuri man change from this very unique caring and attitudes towards everyone as the Empire itself started on the foundation of peace, hospitality and sharing.
As for the disappearing Kanuri language, the author believes that after long contributions of these Kanuri people in the development of many nations of Africa in diverse regions including Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Niger and Gabon by now, they have many personalities that are experts in their fields and masters of their professions that can use their skills, powers and advantage to help promote , preserve and revive this fast disappearing, decaying and decayed language especially through mainstreaming the Kanuri language in to our elementary-Primary and secondary education system (school’s curriculum) after reading this little article.
Finally considering all of the above statements; the Kanuri people shall always have brighter futures as they stand masters of hospitality, promoters of humanity, facilitators of scholarships and people who trust in God.
Thank you for reading this piece:
*The theory of comparative advantage is an economic theory about the work gains from trade for individuals, firms, or nations that arise from differences in their factor endowments or technological progress. In an economic model, agents have a comparative advantage over others in producing a particular good if they can produce that good at a lower relative opportunity cost or autarky price, i.e. at a lower relative marginal cost prior to trade.
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Author-BABAGANA ABUBAKAR
UNCCPP, Masters, BSc, Fellow African Scientific Institute, Alumnus United Nations Institute for Training and Research Geneva, Switzerland.
Auth
THE-END
KANURI COMPLETE
Introduction:
Kanuri /kəˈnuːri/ also known as Barebari, Bornowaji and Kolejo by some other neighbouring African ethnic groups is a dialect continuum spoken by some Eleven (11) million people, but there are approximately additional Seven (7) million Kanuri people that do not speak the language as at the year 2017.The Kanuri people mainly lives in North –Eastern Nigeria , Eastern Niger , South Western & Eastern Chad and Northern Cameroon republics as well as in small minorities in southern Libya and by diaspora in Sudan and the Republic of Gabon ,Congo and Eritrea are also among the list of countries with very small population of the Kanuri people. Others lives in Lafiyan Barebari of Nasarawa state, Zaria in Kaduna state, Hadejia, kerikasamma and Mallam Madori all in Jigawa state of Nigeria, plus some other remaining few ones not mentioned here.
The name Kanuri is written in Arabic as كانوري , it is written in the Hebrew as קאנורי , it is also written in the Chinese language as 金栗 , while in the Hindi language of India it is written as कनूरी and the Ethiopian Amharic language write Kanuri as ካኑሪ ,in the Russian language it is written as Канури while the Greek writes it as Κανούρι.
The name Kanuri is written in Arabic as كانوري , it is written in the Hebrew as קאנורי , it is also written in the Chinese language as 金栗 , while in the Hindi language of India it is written as कनूरी and the Ethiopian Amharic language write Kanuri as ካኑሪ ,in the Russian language it is written as Канури while the Greek writes it as Κανούρι.
The Kanuri Kingdom with its remnant cities, provinces and states like Borno and Yobe states in Nigeria , Damagaram (Zinder) in Niger , Mao the capital of Prefecture of Kanem in Chad as well as Kusri and Baghirmi in Cameroon republics were said to have originated from the East. Some experts interpreted this East as the South –Western Arabian Peninsula which equals to the modern day geographical description of the territories of Al Hudaydah (Arabic: الحديدة), also known in English as Hodeida or Hudaiyya in the Kanuri language presently located in the republic of Yemen at 14°48′08″N 42°57′04″E .
The Kanuri people came all the way from the Arabian Peninsula and settled at about 640 kilometers north of the present day Lake Chad which latter emerged as the great Bornu kingdom and later known as the Kanem-Bornu Empire (One of the two greatest Empires in the history of Africa).”Although this historical findings were based on extractions from available existing historical sources both at home (Borno, Damagaram and Kanem- Mao) and abroad including the British Library London , the American Museum of Natural History New York as well as the Suleymaniye Library in Istanbul- Turkey ☪ , but yet with the advent of modern technological advancements in the field of “DNA” testing and identifications; I believe that further research needed to be carry out with time in the field of Geo-archaeological and Geo-biological investigations to further prove these findings beyond reasonable doubts. However, considering the similarities between the Kanuri language and Arabic in many ways one would be tempted to accept these historical connections of the two. For example counting days of the week in Kanuri is same as counting days of the week in Arabic in both pattern and names; thus the Kanuri week days reads as Litirin, Talau, Larawa, Lamisu, Zuma, Sibdu & Ladu while in Arabic reads as Alaithnayn ,Althulatha, Al'arbiea, Alkhamis, Aljumat , Alsabt & Al’ahad (الاثنين الثلاثاء الاربعاء الخميس الجمعة السبت الاحد ). They also share some similarities in respect of some existing words & nouns such as “Dunya” in Kanuri is referred to as “Duniya” in Arabic (both are referring to the name of the World in their languages), others are “Suwanallah” in Kanuri is referred to as “Subhannallah” in Arabic ,Sadaa in Kanuri is Sadaqqa in Arabic , Nuwur in Kanuri is Nur in Arabic, Lardu in Kanuri is Lard in Arabic, same as others like zannah (Janna), Mairuwu (Magrib) , Riman (Imam), Sami (Samai), Kasuwu (Suk or Suq),Fajar (Fajr ) etc . Additional examples includes the months of the year in the Kanuri language reads as Muaram, Safar,Rabiyul Awwal,Rabiul sani,Jummada Awal, Jumada Gaji, Rajab, Shaaban,Ramalam,Shawwal, Zulkidda and Zulhajj which named in Arabic as Muharram, Safar Rabiul Auwwal ,Rabius Sani ,Jamadial Auwwal, Jamadius Sani ,Rajab, Shaban ,Ramadan ,Shawwal and Zil Qad Zil Hijja (month of Hajj).
In fact, other historical evidences prove that the Kanuri people were using the Arabic Alphabets as well as the Arabic numerals (numerical numbers) in communication for more than a thousand years. So with all these facts put together then one can easily conclude that the Kanuri language is a product of decayed or decaying local Arabic language mixed with some local African indigenous languages. This is one of the main reasons why the Anthropologists classified the Kanuri language under the Afro-Asiatic language family.
Despite the fact that the semi desert Lake chad environment which stands in the heart of the Kanuri settlement ( Kanem-Bornu Empire ) is a dusty environment as such that if a person living in this environment doesn’t washes his exposed (uncovered) parts of the body more often or regularly the dust gets settled on his/her Skin and makes the Skin looks very dusty looking, but despite the dusty characteristics of this environment yet the Kanuri people here are looking more fresher when compared to the other people living in the same environment, this is because the Kanuri people washes parts of their bodies especially their face, hands and feet more frequently and on each day while performing ablution with water to perform the five daily Islamic prayers as they are 100% practicing Muslims. Hence this makes them keep having more fresher looking Skin at all times; especially their faces or foreheads compared to the other ethnic groups sharing same environment that do not perform this acts of washing. It was in view of this fresher looking like Skins and faces of the Kanuri people living in the middle of this dusty environment that made some of the neighboring ethnic groups such as the “Sau” (reputedly a race of giants that once lived around the present day area of Ngala & Gamboru areas in North Eastern Nigeria and Kusri and Garoua in northern Cameroon) referred to them as the “Kanuri” or the “Kanuri” people.
The NAME Kanuri itself is coined from the combination of two Kanuri words; “KA” meaning Stick and “NURI” meaning light (Nuri is a word originally derived from the Arabic language word “NUR” which also means light in Arabic) So KA + NURI= KANURI.
“KA + NURI= KANURI” (Stick & Light)
Reason for calling the Kanuri people as KA + NURI= KANURI in the first place, was that the Kanuri people on arrival were mainly Pastoralists engaged in rearing of cattle and Sheep. They rear these animals on feet or with the support of riding on animals such as Horses and Donkeys. As a normal tradition almost every pastoralist carries a stick along that helps him guide his animals while grazing and chasing them back home on return, so same it was with the Kanuri people. But for the Sau people they know that there were a lot of pastoralists living within this environment with same pattern of rearing animals, but this Kanuri people have more fresher looking Skin in complexion with shiny forehead when compared to their counterparts in the environment; and at the same time always holding sticks like any other Pastoralist in the Area, so in other to differentiate them with the other Pastoralists holding same Sticks and rearing same animals in the same environment made the Sau's and the other local communities within this Lake Chad area refer to them as the Kanuri or the Kanuris; which is literally translated as "Stick and Nur" as indicated above. Hence since then the Kanuri man became known as Kanuri and known with this name by many other tribes and nations including the Saus, Arabs, Kotoko, Berbers, Sudanese and even the Europeans, the Ethiopians and the Turkish as well as the Egyptians. In addition to the Marghi, Babur, Ngezem, Chibok, Gwoza and Bolewa among other locals. Though the Kanuri people are also known by some other ethnic groups in Africa with other names; for example they are called the "Bare Bari" by the present day Hausa people, "Barnowaji" by the Najdi, Baggara and Hejazi tribes living in Chad and Sudan republics, Kolejo by the Fulani people and so on.
The Kanuri language was the major language of the pre-colonial Kanem-Bornu Empire and still remains the major language spoken in Borno and Yobe sates in the modern day Nigeria , Diffa and Damagaram in Niger republic, Mao-Kanem in Chad as well as in Kusri and Kolfata in Cameroon Kirikasamma (K3r3kasama) and Malam Madori of Jigawa state –Nigeria, plus some few others in the Western Sudan.
THE KANURI EMPIRE:
The Kanuri kingdom of the Bornu started with the Dynasty of Sayfawa which was founded by “Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan” also known as Sef Dhu Ifazan ( Sef, son of Dhu Ifazan) who was a man history describes as an Arab from the Arabian Peninsula of Yemen territory. However, before the arrival of Sef (Sayf) himself the Kanuri people were already existing around the Lake Chad area as far back as the 7th century and absorbing both indigenous Nilo-Saharan and Chadic (Afro-Asiatic) speakers or languages resulting in the emergence of the Kanuri culture. But until the 9th century that they united with the people of Kanem under the leadership of Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan to form the Sayfawa dynasty of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Archeologic evidences indicated that even before the emergence of Kanuri as culture, their ancestors and their civilization started in this area as far back as in the 6th century BC. There are many evidences to prove this claim and one of such evidence was the accidental discovery of an ancient canoe in the Kanem-Bornu town of Dufuna located in the present day Yobe state of Nigeria in the year 1987, when a peasant farmer in this semi desert town some few kilometers away from the city of Damaturu the capital of Yobe state - Nigeria discovered an ancient Canoe buried underground while digging a Well to source for water. The Radio-Carbon dating of this Canoe shows that it is over Six thousand years (6000) old, making it the World’s second oldest Canoe ever discovered in human history which directly translated civilization in the Kanem-Bornu to be among the earliest in human history. In fact, with this discovery Bornu now stands to challenge even the history of Egypt which is famous for its ancient pyramids dating back to approximately 5000 years.
The Sayfawa (Yazan’s dynasty) ruled and controlled the Kanem-Bornu Empire for about 800 years with the town of Njimi located to the north-eastern part of the Lake Chad as its first capital.
The Sayfawa Dynasty and their subjects later fled to Birnin Gazargamu when the Bilala or Bulala people attacked them. Birnin Gazargamu remained as capital even after the reclaiming of the city of Njimi in the 16th Century. However, over the year’s towns and cities like Monguno, Kukawa, Dikwa, Old Maiduguri and now Yerwa (Maiduguri) were all capitals of the Kanem Bornu Empire at different times since the last 1000 years.
The Kanem-Bornu Empire expansion peaked during the long and energetic reign of Mai Dunama Dabbalemi (ca. 1221-59). Dabbalemi initiated diplomatic exchanges with sultans in North Africa and apparently arranged for the establishment of a special Hostel and a Collage in Cairo, Egypt (Misra) in order to exchange knowledge with the Egyptians and also to facilitate the people of the Kanem-Bornu Empire travelling to the cities of Makkah (Mecca) & Madina (Medina) in Hijaz present day Saudi Arabia to perform the holy Islamic pilgrimage. This development in Cairo means that the Bornu pilgrims’ travelers to Makkah were passing through Cairo and subsequently through the Sinai Peninsula and finally crossing over the Red Sea via Sharm-el-Sheikh to arrive in Saudi Arabia, though some others also cross through the Palestine and Jordan territories directly to arrive in Saudi Arabia’s cities of Makkah & Madina. Because Mai Dabbalemi, also reign the Fezzan region (in the present-day Libya in an Area of 551,170 km² located at Coordinates: 26.3328°N 13.4253°E) under his authority during his reign as the King of Kanem-Bornu, so this made the journey to Makkah via Cairo much more geographically logical and understandable.
Later the Empire's influence extended southwestward to Kirikasamma, Malummadori, Hadejia down to Kano, eastward to Wadai, and southward to the Adamawa grasslands with many parts in the present day Cameroon republic including the towns/areas of Kousiri, Kolofata, Garoua and Maroua. In fact, many histories included the territories of Rhumsiki and Mora also in Cameroon as part of this ancient Super power.
During the reign of Dunama II (1221-1259), Kanem-Bornu established its embassy in Tunisia around the year 1257 AD as mentioned by the famous Spanish – Andalusian and Tunisian based historian Ibn Khaldun also known as Abū Zayd ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Khaldūn al-Ḥaḍram (d. 1406 C.E.). This Embassy was established in order to facilitate trade and maintain diplomatic relations with the North African Kingdoms as well as the southern European Kingdoms and Empires such as the Romans, Greece and the Spanish /Portugal (Andalausia/ Cordoba/ Granada).
The Size of the Kanem Bornu Empire as at this time under Dunoma Dibalemi II was so big beyond comprehension in the African region as such that even IBN Khaldun himself calls Dunoma II and his empire in plural as the 'King of Kanem and Lord of Bornu”. Remember that IBN Khaldun was one of the founder and father of Sociology and Sciences of History best known for his famous 'Muqaddimah,' (Prolegomena) in (Arabic: مقدّمة ابن خلدون) or Ibn Khaldun's Prolegomena in (Ancient Greek: Προλεγόμενα), which is a book written by Ibn Khaldun recording an early view of universal history. Some modern thinkers view it as the first work dealing with the social sciences of sociology,
Militarily the Empire was super big that during one of the pilgrimages of Mai Dibalemi to Makkah through Cairo , he arrived Cairo with a total sum of 120,000 (One hundred and Twenty thousand) soldiers with One hundred thousand horsemen that he left behind in Cairo in order to cross over to Makkah and Madina to perdform the holy pilgrimage with the intention of taking them back on return. Remember that during the time of his reing the entier World’s population was below 300,000,000 (Three hundred million) people. In fact, the size of his armies made the Egyptian thought that it was an invation of Egypt, when it was only an escort on a transit situation enroute to Makkah.
By the middle of the 13th century, Kanem established diplomatic relations with the Tuat (in the Algerian Sahara) and with the Hafsid of North Africa at embassy level. Even as ta that time the Kanem-Bornu scholars and poets could write classical Arabic of a very high standard. This evidence is illustrated in the letter written by the Chief Scribe of the Kanem-Bornu court dating from 1391 to 1392.
Towards the end of the 13th century, Kanem-Bornu became a center of Islamic knowledge as a result famous teachers came from many parts of the World including Mali (another ancient African Kingdom) to teach in the Kanem-Bornu.
The reign of Mai Idris Alauma (Idris Alooma) was another famous reign that followed after Mai Dibalemi’s reign. In fact, history had it that the great Mai Idris Alauma, was one of the World’s greatest leaders in World history and a Kanuri hero remembered for his military skills, administrative reforms and Islamic piety. His main adversaries were the Hausa to the west, the Tuareg and Toubou to the north, and the Bulala to the east. One epic poem extols his victories in 330 wars and more than 1,000 battles. His innovations include the employment of fixed military camps (with walls); Introduction and use of Camels, the Kotoko’s boatmen, and iron-helmeted musketeers trained by Turkish military advisers in his wars and battles. During his reign he had good diplomatic ties with almost all the surrounding Worlds great historical Kingdoms and Empires including the Ottoman Empire, the Roman empire, Andalusia, Songhai and Hijaz.
Geographically, territorially, historically, politically, economically and socio-culturally as well as militarily his reign was the maximum peak ever of the empire.
In fact, under his reign the Kanem-Bornu Empire became the fifth biggest Empire in the World.
At this time the Ottoman Empire maintained a very good military, cultural and trade relations with the Kanem-Bornu Empire. History also had it that the Turkey (Ottoman) Empire always assists Kanem-Bornu militarily as such that in one occasion it sent a 200-member ambassadorial party across the desert to Alauma's court at Ngazargamu. Alauma was a record holder when it comes to treaty in Africa, because he signed the first known written treaty or cease-fire agreement in the history of Africa, which later translated in to the present day United Nations Geneva Convention.
Alauma sponsored the construction of numerous mosques and schools across the Empire during his reign and made a pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah) himself with thousands of his subjects. Just like Mai Dibalemi he also arranged for the establishment of Hostels for the Kanem-Bornu pilgrims visiting Makkah, but only this time around the Hostels are located directly in the holy city of Makkah instead of Cairo. With this development the Hostels in Cairo became a transit Hostel on the way to Pilgrimage to Makkah. Alauma set up Qadhis courts to introduce Islamic laws in place of the traditional system of customary laws. He built a large number of brick structures to replace the existing ones, built with reeds the remnant of this Bricks are still found in the lands of Ngazargamu and Njimi.
During the reign of Alauma many products or goods originating from the Kanem Bornu were sent northward for trading to North African nations/kingdoms of Algeria, Tunisa, Morroco as well as Egypt in addition to the Mediterranean European nations including Rome, Spain, Portugal (city of Fatima) and Greece. The goods traded include perfume, wax, cotton, ivory, ostrich, natron (sodium carbonate), feathers and hides. Imports included salt, horses, camels, silk, glass, muskets, and copper among others.
The Kanuri Kingdom at the time of Alauma became the biggest and undisputed champion of Africa. Phillip Koslow, a modern historian, declared that: “His contemporary, Elizabeth I of England, a shrewd and strong-willed monarch who gave her name to an age and has been repeatedly celebrated in books and films, could hardly have claimed greater achievements in war, administration or diplomacy like Alauma.”.
The Ottoman Empire of Turkey remains the biggest non-African ally of the Kanem- Bornu Empire in History. The Ottoman Empire at the time of Mai Alauma, was ruling the greater part of the World including the Eurasia, parts of North-Africa, the Middle East and the Caucasus (south-western Russian Federation , oblasts, Armenia , Azerbaijan , Georgia ,Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Hijaz, Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus plus others) with the city of Istanbul in Turkey as its capital. The Europeans called Turkey with the name “Constantinople”.
If not because of the amalgamation of Africa by the colonial societies in the 19th/20th century the Kanem-Bornu Empire, by now would have been ranked alongside great nations like Italy, Spain, England, France and Turkey in terms of achievements and developments. Because Bornu empire in the last 400 years were of the same size and prestige. This explains the reason why when the great “King Juan Carlos” the King of Spain while delivering a statement in Maiduguri at the Ramat Square on the 16th December 1986 during a visit to Nigeria, stated in his speech that his Kingdom has many historical connections to the Kanuri people and that Spain still holds in its archives vital historical artifacts including letters of correspondences that are hundreds of years old between his Kingdom and the Kanem-Bornu Empire. In fact, this statement coming from the great King Carlos himself made the modern African scholars and historians to now understand better how powerful this great Empire of Kanem-Bornu was in the medieval period.
Following an unexpected war launched by the Sokoto Caliphate on Borno caused by growing lapses from the rulers of the post Mai Idris Alauma era in the Bornu Empire who grew weaker by the day and for failing to protect the territorial integrity of the Empire the Bornu authorities under the reign of Mai Dunama IX Lefiami (1808-1810) invited Shehu al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî (Arabic: محمد الأمين بن محمد الكانمي) (1776–1837) to defend Bornu.
Table 1: List of some popular Mais (Sayfawa Dynasty) of the
Kanem-Bornu Empire:
Names of some popular Kanuri kings (Mais) Period of Reign
(1) Mai Hume 1086–1097
(2) Mai Dunama Dibbalemi 1221–1259
(3) Mai Ali Gajideni 1472–1504
(4) Mai Idris Katakarmabe 1504–1526
(5) Mai Idris Alauma 1571–1603
(6) Muhammad Bukalmarami 1603-1617
(7) Muhammad VII Erghamma 1737-1752
(8) Ali IV ibn Haj Hamdun 1755-1793
(9) Dunama Lafiami 1808-1810
(10) Mai Ibrahim 1817-1846
Elkanemi was a Kanuri man and a Islamic scholar born to a Kanembu father and an Arab mother in Murzuk which is a town now located in the Fezzan region of Southern Libya, but was part of the Kanem-Bornu Empire for 600 years.
El Kanemi waged his war against Sokoto not only with weapons but also with letters as he desired to thwart Dan Fodio’s jihad with the same ideological weapons. He carried on a series of theological, legal and political debates by letter with the Sultan of Sokoto Usman Dan Fodio, and later with his son, Muhammed Bello. As the expansion of Sokoto was predicated upon a struggle against paganism, apostasy, and misrule, El-Kanemi challenged the right of his neighbours to strike at a state which had been Muslim for modern 800 years. Elkanemi was able to expelled the enemies through jis strategies of planning, inspiration, and prayer, and he attracted a following, especially from Shuwa Arab networks and Kanembu communities extending far outside Borno's borders. The Mai Lefiami rewarded his victory with control over a Bornu province on the Western march. Taking only the title "Shehu" ("Sheikh"), and eschewing the traditional offices, El-Kanemi gathered a powerful following, becoming both the voice of Bornu in negotiations with Sokoto, as well as a semi-independent ruler of a trade rich area with a powerful military. Dunama was deposed by his uncle in 1809, but the support of al-Kanemi brought him back to power in 1813.
It was Elkanemi that relocated the capital of Kanem-Bornu from Ngazargamu to the ancient city of Kukawa (in Present day Nigeria) in the year 1814.
Though after the victory Elkanemi became the voice of Bornu in the negotiations with the Sokoto caliphate, but his dynasty did not get absolute power over Borno until in 1846 because the Sayfawa Mais remained titular monarchs until the 1846 when Umar the Son of El-Amin Elkanemi, became Shehu, thus ending one of the longest dynastic reigns in international history. By then, Hausaland in the west, was lost to the Sokoto Caliphate, while the east and north were lost to the Wadai Empire.
Many of the descendants of the Mais from the Saifawa dynasty are still living in the present day Maiduguri city with many of them living in the Lawan Bukar Kacha, Fezzan, Shehuri North of Maiduguri as well as in the Alau village near the Alau Dam in Maiduguri/Konduga territory
Table 2: List of some popular Shehus of the Bornu Empire:
1. Shehu al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî 1814- 1835
2. Shehu Umar Ibn Muhammad El-kanemi 1835- 1853
3. Shehu Darman el-kanemi 1853- 1880
4. Shehu Hashim Ibn Muhammad El-kanemi 1885- 1893
5. Shehu Abubakar Garbai El-kanemi 1902- 1922
6. Shehu Sanda Kura 1922- 1937
7. Shehu Sanda Kyari Ibn Muhammad El-Amin El-kanemi 1937- 1967
8. Shehu Umar Garbai Ibn Bukar 1968 1974
9. Shehu Mustapha Umar Ibn Umar El-kanemi 1974- 2009
10. Shehu Abubakar Garbai Umari El-kanemi 2009 to date.
MIGHT & WEALTH OF KANEM-BORNU BETWEEN 11TH TO THE 13TH CENTURY:
Economically the Kanem-Bornu empire never lacked since inception as the empire never experience defeat and yet history keeps revealing the extraordinary might of this Empire. The Empire or the ancient Kanuri people have some historical similarities with the ancient Egyptian empires; for instance, these two group of people are one of the very few people that had the might of abandoning an entire built cities in history for no reason other than building another one that matches or suits the tastes of a particular time. The people of Kanem-Bornu were good in rotating capitals from time to time, unlike other African Ancient Empires that have their capitals standing for over 500 years, in Kanem-Bornu one cannot find Kanem-Bornu capital that remained a capital for over 400 years. Remember Ngazargamu. Kukawa, Njimi, Monguno, Yerwa etc were or are all capitals of the Empire at different times.
The abandoned beautiful city of Djado (Zara-Aura or Zara-Awura)) , which is geographically located at Coordinates: 20.983°N 12.333°E and presently located in the Niger republic was built by the ancient Kanuri people of Kanem-Bornu around 1000 (One thousand) years back, but was completely abandoned since the past 800 years for no reason other than economic wealth and might. Though modern researchers tried to connect the reason to droughts, closeness to the central Authorities, water availability and supply as well as expansion and contraction of the territories but archeologists prove otherwise as the ancient paintings of the Djado caves recently discovered shows richness of the city and the surrounding environment rather than hardships and water scarcities.
Fig.14: Showing map indicating the location of the ancient Kanuri city of Djado:
Whatever the reason is for abandoning the Djado city, but the historical and archaeological evidences still prove that Djado was abandoned as human settlement sine the 13th century, probably under the reign of Dunama Dibalemi of Kanem-Bornu.
The ruined city of Zara is still standing on the Djado Plateau in the heart of the Sahara Desert and its abandoned uninhabited forts are still visible till today, because the Sahara Desert is a place characterized by very little rainy seasons mostly less than 15 cm per year in most places, so this was what made the city and its ancient paintings to keep standing, preserved and almost intact in some parts till today.
Zara-Aura lies on the southern end of the Djado plateau in Niger republic at elevation 450 meters above sea level within an oasis of brackish water.
Zara-Aura (Djado plateu) site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on May 26, 2006 in the Cultural category due to its universal cultural significance too mankind.
KANURI & RELIGION:
The Kanuri people are 100 % Muslims. Islam stands as a reference point for the Kanuri lifestyle and the entire Kanuri culture. The actions of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) stands as a reference point at all times and in making every decision ranging from jurisprudence, to marriages, issues of inheritance, types and nature of foods to be eaten and even dress codes and dress ethics among many others.
Kanuri towns and villages are characterized by having many Mosques, with an average of 4 Mosques per street in their cosmopolitan cities like Maiduguri, Mao-Kanem, Damagaram, Damaturu, Bama etc.
Maiduguri is ranked as the city with the highest concentration of Mosques in the Sub-Saharan African region. It has well over 14, 000 Mosques.
KANURI & EDUCATION:
If the definition of literacy is the ability to read and write, then the Kanuri people are over 90 % literate, because the majority of the Kanuri people can read and write either in Arabic or in the Western education system or even both. This is because it is embedded in the Kanuri tradition for every Kanuri person attends the Quranic / Islamic education system and with the coming of western education now most people attend both before marriage.
KANURI DRESS CLOTH:
The Kanuri adults mostly wear Gowns which are locally known as the Kuluwu in the Kanuri language “Babban riga” or “Malum-Malum” in the Hausa language, in addition to traditionally made local Caps such as the Zanna, Dara, Ajyi and Damanga among some few others not mentioned here. While the younger once and some other adults too also wear other dresses like the Caftan, modern cloths like Jackets or even Suits and some other ones depending on the occasion. But the Kanuri women always cover all parts of their bodies excluding the face, palms and feet’s especially when they are going out to public areas. Though there is a slight difference in the dress modes of a married woman and those that are not married, but the overall objectives here is to cover the whole of the body with the exception of the above mentioned parts.
KANURI AND KANURI DIALECTS:
The Kanuri language has the largest number of speakers of the Central Saharan Language Family. Today there are many different types of Kanuri dialects within the Kanuri language some of which includes the Kanuri Wuje, Gumati, Manga, Bodoi, Kanembu, Kwayam, Kuburi ,Suwurti, Bodoi, Manga and others. In the olden days almost all the Kanuri people speaks in one common dialect where everything remains same in terms of the oral aspect of speaking the Kanuri language. However, the diversification in the mode of livelihoods or professions of the different Kanuri groups was then used as a determinant of a dialect. For example, the Kanuri people engaged more in trading business are likely to be Kanuri Wuje or Kanuri Gumati, those Kanuris that are more in to nomadism lifestyle or economy are likely to be Kwayam and those in to fishing are likely to be the Buduma and so on.
The professions of the olden days Kanuri people were generally rearing of animals (pastoralism), trading, farming, fishing, mining (potassium mining in the open waters of the Lake Chad) , teaching, Mat making, ginning, scholarly professions ,hunting, dying of cloths and cloth making, Horse saddles making, blacksmithing and others.
However, in the modern era these dialects became more distinctive from each other by the way the oral language is spoken in terms of its tone, oral contents and sometimes even the contents in nouns of some Kanuri dialects. This is because place, distance and time are factors having effects in shaping the oral nature of language. For instance the differences that exists between the British English spoken in the Great Britain and the American English spoken in America (USA) or Australia Others includes the differences that exists amongst the various Arabic types or dialects spoken in various Arab nations, for instant the Arabic spoken in Egypt is Different from the one spoken in the United Arab Emirates same applies to the Arabic spoken in Iraq which differs with that of Morocco, though they may understand each other to a some extents.
Today there is no single Kanuri dialect that are 100% in to a particular profession as in the ancient times, although some tends to be more professional in a particular profession than others, due to the effects of the principle of comparative advantage* hence this makes the Kanuri Kwayams to be more professional in practicing pastoral farming than the other Kanuri types, the Budumas to be more profession in fishing than the other Kanuri dialects etc. Yet this also means that there are Kanuris who originally not pastoralists or fishermen but they later in life chooses to be one. This situation plus the effect of language distance decay and language time decay resulted in the emergence of the various Kanuri distinctive dialects of today.
The colonial societies such as the English, German, Italy and France also had some influences on the nature of the present day Kanuri language spoken in their various territories. The colonial rules in the Kanem-Bornu Empire by these four mighty European colonial societies namely British, French, Germans and the Italians that splatted this Empire in to 5 or 6 different countries (Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Libya and parts of Sudan) have had some of their words included in to the Kanuri language during the colonial and even in this post-colonial periods.
The extent of this dilution of the Kanuri language has resulted in making the Kanuri language spoken in the English territory of Nigeria differs with the Kanuri language spoken in French countries like Niger and Cameroon.
In the Kanuri spoken in the English territory one can spot some English words in them for instant Kashiwu in Knuri is Cashew in English, Mangulo in Kanuri is Mango in English, Lemun in Kanuri is Lemon in English others are Karass (Carrot) , Telehon (Telephone), Kafenta (Carpenta) , Mota (Motor-Car) , Tumatkum (Tomato) , Kwalta (Coal tar ) , Raadio (Radio) , Talbijin (Television) ,Toji (Torchlight) and so on. Same applies with the Bornu-Kanuri French territories of Damagaram and Kousri in Niger, Kanem in Chad republics as well as the Bornu-Kanuri German territories of Kousri and Kolofata in the republic of Cameroon.
In view of the above we now have more than ten different Kanuri dialects spread across Africa and some of the most popular ones as earlier mentioned are the Kanuri Wuje, Gumati, Manga, Bodoi, Kanembu, Morr, Kwayam, Suwurti, Buduma and others. In addition, we also have the Kanuri people that doesn’t belongs to any of these or any other dialects simply because they do not speak the Kanuri oral language, but rather they hold to some of Kanuri cultural heritage after a very long time of language and cultural decays observed in a far distance environment away from the Kanuri mainland. Kanuri people under this category includes the Kanuri people of Lafiyan Barebari in Nasarawa state of Nigeria, who were able to only keep the tribal marks and some few Kanuri names and traditional titles and titles names as their heritage without speaking the oral Kanuri language, plus other Kanuris living in Diaspora in distant places like Khartoum Sudan, Fezzan Libya, Oyem Gabon and Abeche in Chad among others.
TYPES OF KANURI DIALECTS:
Kanuri Manga: This is a type of Kanuri dialect mostly spoken in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria and South-Western Niger republic in towns and cities like Nguru, Geidam, Yusufari, Yunusari in Nigeria and Damagaram in Niger republic. Kanuri Islamic scholars often use this dialect in translating and learning of Arabic scripts as well as the Holy Quran in Kanuri. Scholars mostly recommend this dialect for the learning purpose because it is more complex in contents in terms of differentiating things or elements. For example, in Manga one can construct an understandable sentences referring to a man or woman without necessarily mentioning the name of the gender referred to in the beginning, middle or end of the sentence and a listener can easily understand that it is referring to a man or woman, but this is difficult in the many other remaining dialects. The Manga Kanuri speakers are referred to as Manga. Manga people are mostly engaged in Agriculture, trading as well as pastoral activities. They are also one of the Kanuri community that specializes in camel rearing and production of Kanuri local dry cheese referred to as the Chukkwu in Kanuri.
Manga people are mostly tall and stately people.
Kanuri Kanembu: The Kanembu speakers are mostly living primarily in Chad republic around the areas of the Chad's Lac Prefecture but also in Chari-Baguirmi and Kanem prefectures with some few others in Northern Cameroun republic. 75 to 80% of the Kanembus are all merchants in Chad, making them, in a relative way, one of the Chad's wealthiest groups. They are a sedentary group who also engage in agriculture, Islamic education and raising livestock some are also in to fishing. They cultivate Wheat, millet and corn near the lake.
The Kanembu people are also known to be producing special local coffee referred to as the “Gaha”in Kanuri. And they are known to be good drinkers of this Gaha and Tea.
Kanuri Gumati:
This is the Kanuri dialect Spoken in Monguno ,Marte,parts of Kukawa and Mintor areas. This dialect is much similar in context and nature to the Kanuri Wuje spoken in Yerwa because of the historical cosmopolitant nature of the Monguno,Marte and Kukawa areas. In fact the towns of Monguno and Kukawa were once the capitals of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
The Gumatis are also engaged in Pastoral activities,but they are more into trading. Many people use to claim that they are the real Kanuri people..
Many believed that the Kanuri Gumati are the most cosmopolitan of the Kanuri amongst various diverse dialects.
Kanuri Kwayam:
The Kwayam mostly lives in North-Eastern Nigeria especially in Magumeri, Gajiram and Gajiganna areas of Borno state. They are nomadic lifestyle is very similar to that of the Fulani ethnic group also living in Nigeria and Niger republics. They have some similarities with the Fulanis in terms of their nomadic or pastoral lifestyle as such that some people often mistakes them for the Mbororo Fulanis. While the Fulanis roam around with their cattle, the Kwayams seek land for farming activities alongside rearing. They hold vast traditional knowledge on rearing animals or the pastoral profession, as such that by just mere looking at an animal (cattle, sheep, chicken, goats etc.) among thousands, they can easily identify the ones that can multiply rapidly, produce healthier offspring without necessarily looking at the prevailing existing health status of the animal under as at the moment. They also know the animals that can endure surviving under harsh climate (climate change).
In addition, the Kwayams also holds vast knowledge of traditional Astronomy; they hold the knowledge about the movement of Stars in the Sky that enables them knows faiths of future natural phenomena such as droughts and raining seasons. Amazingly this knowledge even enables them find their locations at night when they are lost anywhere during the day time.
The Kwayams have similar tribal marks like all other Kanuri dialects, but theirs are thicker and shorter.
Kanuri Bodoi: The Kanuri Bodoi are very similar to the Kanuri Kwayam, but the differences are in their lifestyles with the Kwayam more into pastoralism and the Bodoi supplements his Pastoral practices with trading, teaching and other professions. Both of them are very many in Magumeri, Gajiganna and Gajiram but the Bodois also extent into Gubio, Benisheikh and some parts of Guzamala-Kukawa all in North-Eastern parts of Nigeria.
Kanuri Wuje or Kanuri central (Some call it Kanuri Yerwa or Kanuri Lare):
The Kanuri Wuje or the Kanuri central is more of a new phenomenon because it is a newly emerging Kanuri dialect spoken mostly in Maiduguri, Konduga and their surrounding settlements. Maiduguri is the present day capital of the Kanuri people which is a cosmopolitan city in nature just like the Monguno of the olden days. This dialect is just approximately 100 years old, because it began with the coming of the colonial societies in to the area and with the establishment of Maiduguri city in 1907 as the new capital of the British Kanuri territory in Nigeria.
The coming of these colonial societies resulted in restricting free regular movements of the Kanuri people within their ancestral territories (the Lands of the Kanem-Bornu Empire). However, before the arrival of these Europeans in to their Lands, the Kanuri people had the opportunity of meeting and exchanging ideas, goods and have conversations with their entire members within the Empire, but with the creation of the artificial boundaries within their Lands by the British, French, Germans and the Italians resulted in splitting them across 6 different countries as mentioned earlier instead of allowing them to live in a single country e.g. completely Nigeria.
The colonial societies did this deliberately, so that the Kanuri people do not form majority in any country they found themselves in the colonial and post-colonial eras because it would be very difficult if not next to impossible to rule over civilized group like this.
This development lead to the change in the livelihood of the entire Kanuri people by limiting their movements within their territories hence dynamically and over time many of them end up settling in the new towns empowered by these colonies such as Maiduguri in Nigeria, Damagaram-Zundur in Niger, Mao-Kanem in Chad, Kousri in Cameroon, Aljawf and Al Qatrun in Libya as well as Nyala in Sudan.
This made the Maiduguri cosmopolitan became a melting point to almost all the Kanuri dialects spoken in Nigeria. Most of the Kanuri dialects that later end up settling in Maiduguri under the above mention influence later got melted in Maiduguri to produce the Kanuri central or the Kanuri Wuje.
The Kanuri central dialect composed of combination of words from the various other dialects; it also has in it the elements of words borrowed from some other non-Kanuri languages including the colonial languages as indicated earlier.
This new Kanuri central or Kanuri Yerwa dialect is intelligible, it is more simplified version of the Kanuri and it has in it the ability of accepting and formatting new words at any time. Under this scenario we can take example with the world of the electronics which keeps on bringing new products that never existed in any language or dictionaries before, for example computer is referred to as KEREEN NASARA (K3R3N NASARA), Telephone is called TALEHON, calculator is known as ISAUROM NASARA among others.
Additional advantages that the Kanuri central has over the other Kanuri dialects ARE:
1. It is mostly spoken by the Kanuri elders including the Shehu (Kanuri leader).
2. School teachers also use it for some explanation in schools for beginners that do not speak any other language other than the Kanuri.
3. Kanuri writers use it in writing their books.
4. modern day popular Kanuri Islamic Scholars like Sheikh Abba Aji, Sheikh Elmiskin and sometimes Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh often use it for their preaching or Simons.
5. The Kanuri speaking Medias such as the BRTV (Borno Radio and Television Corporation), the NTA (Nigerian Television Authority), the Radio Dandal-kura and others all use it in airing their news.
The recent unrest that affected the entire North Eastern region of Nigeria between the years 2009 to 2016 has resulted in pushing almost all the Kanuri people living in the rural areas of Borno and Yobe states of Nigeria in to the city of Maiduguri where many are now living with their relations or in the refugee Camps pending when the situation would improve. This situation has further contributed in melting of many other rural Kanuri dialects in to the Kanuri Wuje (Kanuri central).
At present the Kanuri central has rapidly expanded in size over the last 5 years making it becoming the more dominant Kanuri dialect in recent history. So far over 5 million Kanuri people speak in this dialect as at the year 2017.
Kanuri Buduma/ Yedina:
The Budumas are also considered as Kanuris by the anthropologist although some other people still see them as Kanuri because they are close relatives to the Kanuri Kanembu dialect (have similar culture with the Kanembu), but only separated from the Kanembus by the waters of Lake Chad. They are predominantly fishers and cattle-herders. The Budumas are mostly living around the Lake Chad and on the Lake Chad’s Islands of Chad, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Their most popular base is the town of Doron Baga in Kukawa local government area of Nigeria. They are popularly known by the other Kanuris as Buduma, meaning "people of the grass” (or reeds), but they prefer to be called Yedina.
Note*
Other important Kanuri dialects not discussed here includes the Morr spoken around Damasak, Kuburi spoken in Kukawa and parts of Guzamala all in Nigeria, Suwurti spoken around Doron Baga and Sadi (Sad3) areas of Kukawa, others are the Kane and the Tubu.
In the Kaour escarpment oasis of eastern Niger, the Kanuri are further divided into the Bla Bla subgroup, numbering some 53,000 and are the dominant ethnic group in the salt evaporation and trade industry of Bilma located in present day Niger republic.
It is also important to note that all Kanuri dialects regardless of the type they were all at one time Pastoral farmers.
THE GEOGRAPHY OF KANURI:
Many people believe that the Kanuri people mainly lives in the Sahel, Sudan Savannah and the Sahara Desert region of Africa, because this is geo-historically what was reflected as their environment in the history Books. But when one looks at the Kanuri Kingdom of Lafia presently located within the Guinea Savanah region of Nigeria led by His Majesty Mai Mustafa Agwai who is a Kanuri man himself by descendant and the entire Kanuri community of Lafiya or Lafia town generally referred to as the Kanuris of the Lafiyan Barebari in the present day Nasarawa state - Nigeria, then one would be tempted to ask the question “how did the Kanuri people of the far North became part of the communities inhabiting part of the Jos plateau / Guinea Savannah region (Lafiya town and its surrounding Kanuri settlements)?
Answering this question in a logical way would certainly change the position of some researchers and writers on the geography of the Kanuri people.
KANURIS OF THE GUINEA SAVANNAH /PLATEAU (KANURIS OF THE MOUNTAINS):
Contrary to the opinions of some modern writers that the Kanuris in the Lafia kingdom actually arrived lafiya in the 1890s when Rabih Fadlallah also known in French as Rabah (1842 – April 22, 1900) launched attacks on the Borno Empire in the late 1890s made some Kanuri people fled for safety and landed in the Lafia area and its surrounding territories. But when one observes the present day Kanuri people of Lafia one would notice that they do not speak the oral Kanuri language, though they still kept intact some Kanurri cultural heritages such as the Kanuri tribal marks, artifacts, nature of the traditional political strata of the kingdom of Lafia as well as bearing some Kanuri names & titles like Kaigama,Shetima,Boukar and Talba among others. And yet they have strong ties to the present day Bornu and Yobe states where the majority of the Kanuris live today.
Tracing back to history the coming of Rabih to fight the Borno Empire was just roughly 120 years back and Rabih himself was defeated (killed) in the year 1900. Anthropologically speaking it is not possible for a community of modern 1000 (One thousand) people speaking same language to completely lose their oral language within the space of just one century (100 years) which is equivalent to just 4 human generations or in some occasions even less than that depending on the early marriages and early conceptions capabilities of a given community. In fact, 120 years can only succeed in changing the oral tonation or pattern of speaking the oral language such as differences in pronunciations of some words in a language.
In view of the above coupled with some of my cultural and geo-archaeological findings revealed that it is not actually the people of the Kanem-Bornu Empire that fled for safety that founded Lafia and its related territories in the first place, but rather Lafia territory was the Southern edge or Borders of the Kanem-Bornu Empire during its peak of expansion under the great Mai Idris Alauma in the 16th Century, meaning that the Kanem-Bornu Empire once included within it the entire Jos plateau ( average altitude 1,280 meters ) as well as parts of the TIV Lands in Benue state of Nigeria alongside the River Benue.
So Abba Mamman Agwai, the great grandfather of the present day Emir of Lafia Alh. Isa Mustapha Agwai , who was a Kanuri prince from the Kanem-Bornu Empir that came to Lafiya in the 19th Century and founded the Lafia Emirates, did not actually discovered Lafia by accident, but he followed the foot-path of his ancestor’s written history about the southern edge or borders of the ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire .
In addition, the South-Western ancient frontiers or borders of the Kanem-Bornu also extended into the present day Niger state where it terminates at a town called “Kuta” near the city of Minna the present Niger state’s capital. Kuta is a name originally derived from the name Kukawa (the ancient capital of the Kanem- Borno Empire). Late Alhaji Ahmadu Bahago the first Emir of Minna who was earlier on the Emir of Kuta town until he was later moved to become the Emir of Minna , after the state creation in 1976 under the then General Murtala Muhammad administration was a Kanuri man from the Kanem-Bornu Empire by descendent. This proves that the ancient borders of Kanem Bornu Empire terminate in the Kuta town of Niger state,
This explains the reseon why the two Emirates of Minna and Lafia are still holding to some tradional titles similar to the Kanuri speaking emirates like Borno,Yobe,Damagaram,Kanem and Kousri, example of such titles includes the title of Talba,Shettima and Zanna. The present Talba of Minna is Alhaji Babangida Aliyu who was was a civilian Governors of Niger state. Apart from Kuta the people of Kutigi living in the town of Kutigi also esterblished lineage to the Kanuri people.
These findings established the existence of the Kanuri people in the Guinea Savannah (Middle belt region of -Nigeria) since in the ancient times.
Furthermore, because of the historical influences of the Kanem –Bornu Empire in the Guinea Savannah also made the TV people in Benue state borrowed some cultural elements from the Kanuri culture, for instant the TIV traditional musical trumpet instrument referred to as the Kakaaki or Algaita is very similar in appearance and in melody to the Kanuri’s trumpet known as “Alitta” or “Arrita”. The TIV black and white traditional cloth wears (pieces of wrappers) referred to as the “Ange” in TIV language is just another version of the Kanuri locally woven cloths called the “Dawun Ngasho” in terms of colour combination, processing and texture.
As a result of these historical connections between the ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire ancient and the TIV people more welcoming to the Kanuri people coming to their lands to conduct their activities despite the differences in religion. In fact, this was one of the reasons that made the popular Maiduguri based Kanuri politician Alhaji Ibrahim Imam, followed this trend of history and arrived in TIV land, contested and won election in the TIV land in the 1960s to represent the people TIV people (people of present day Benue State-Nigeria) at the National parliament of Nigeria. This development made Benue to have a Kanuri man representing them in the parliament.
THE KANURI PEOPLE OF ZARIA / THE KANURIS OF THE HILL:
Zaria is a city of mixed ethnic groups including Katsinawa who are the Fulanis, Mallawa (Migrants from Mali), the Dakarkaris and the Kanuris referred here to as the bareberi.
Though history has shown that the Gwari tribe were the first settlers of the Zaria environment, but the Gwaris lived in a scattered settlement pattern around the area. But the single clustered city of Zaria was founded by the Kanuri people who later came to the area.
The Zaria city was a city surrounded and enclosed by a man made walls with its original Palace located at Kaura (Kauran Sarki), before it was later moved to the present day location of the Zaria’s Emirs Palace which is still standing in the old Zaria city. History revealled that Zaria was founded some 400 to 500 years before the coming of Shehu Usman bn Fodio of blessed memories (The founder of the Sokoto caliphate).
Before the emergence of the Sokoto caliphate most of the Kings (leaders) of Zaria were Kanuris and some of the most popular Zaria Kanuri kings/Sarki/Emirs that ruled Zaria were Sarki Brehma, Sarki Yamusa, Sarki Musa, Sarki Kwasau, Sarki Hamada Dan Sani, Sarki Ibrahim and Sarki Jafar Dan Isiaka among others.
The Graves of Sarki Yamusa and Sarki Musa are still located at the Kauran Sarki area in the old Zaria city.
Apart from the Sarkis/Emirs or Kings of Zaria the Chief Imams and most of the judges of Zaria up till today are from the Kanuri lineage.
Even though Zaria is in the Sokoto caliphate, but when the great Shehu Usman Danfodio discovered Zaria the Kanuris have already brought Islam to Zaria and its Kanuri King as at that time called Sarki Yamusa was a practicing Muslim. This was what made Danfodio, to negotiate with him instead of invading Zaria. After the negotiation Danfodio gave Sarki Yamusa a flag to join his movement and also allowed him to continue to rule the city of Zaria. Sarki Yamusa was a warrior and fought in many battles alongside Danfodio. Ever since then the Kanuri people continue the tradition of ruling Zaria and they still remain one of the ruling houses of Zaria.
We refer to the Kanuris of Zaria as the Kanuris of the Hill, because Zaria is surrounded by Hills, instead of the usual plane lands charactering most parts of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Additionally, the nearby Nga people in Bauchi State of Nigeria also trace their origins to a Kanuri diaspora.
KANURIS OF THE TROPICAL RAIN FOREST (GABON):
Many would wonder hearing about the Kanuris of the tropical rain forest as the Kanem-Bornu Empire southern borders never reached the Equator lines or even below latitude 7°30′N in history. But the emergence of the Kanuri people in the neighborhood of the pygmies of central African region was as a result of migration. History shows that the Kanuri people were mainly spread within the Sahel, Semi Sahel and the Sahara Desert environments apart from the few ones in some parts of the Sudan and Guinea Savannah region. This Kanuri ancient territories were characterized by fluctuating climate change, seasons of droughts and desertification since the past 300 to 350 years. It was in view of this fluctuating natural phenomena that made some Kanuri people traveled southward in to the Congo basin looking for pasture for their animals until they reached the central African forest and created their settlements some centuries back.
This group of Kanuri nomads pushed by the fluctuating climate change mostly from northern North Eastern Nigeria, northern Cameroon and southern Chad republics founded the town of Oyem in the present day Gabon republic during the precolonial era of Africa. However, with the arrival of the colonial societies in Africa in the 19th century Kanem-Bornu Empire was splitted or divided in to 6 different nations making the Kanuri people here fall under Gabon. These Kanuri people in Oyem found themselves cut off from the rest of the Kanuri people living in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Libya and Sudan. This made them automatically the citizens of Gabon under the French rule.
The Kanuri people of Gabon maintain most of the Kanuri cultures and tradition including the tangible and some intangible ones. However apart from the language which is spoken by some very few amongst them and yet mixed with some French language elements they preserved most of the other Kanuri cultures including dress, festivals and tribal marks.
Following the conversion of President Oumar Bongo the late president of the Republic of Gabon to Islam in 1967, the issues of national Islamic affairs of Gabon was handed over to be managed or coordinated by the Kanuri people of Gabon (Oyem people), by the late president Bongo himself. During this time the Kanuri people of Gabon were the only few indigenous Muslims in Gabon and they make up 94% of the total Muslim population in Gabon and yet Gabon was a country in the late 1960s with just 10 % Muslim population among its total population. Hence this situation created a favorable opportunity for the Kanuri people of Gabon becoming much closer to the Gabonese president, government as well as the international community too especially rich Islamic nations. Because following the conversion of the president to Islam made many Muslim rich nations to come in to Gabon and built many multi-million dollar Mosques complexes (which contains libraries and schools) in Gabon, especially in the Gabonese capital the city of Libreville. For example, nations like Morocco, Libya, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iran, Syria all built these complexes in Gabon. In fact, building Mosque complexes in Gabon amongst among nations became like a competition among them. However initially most of these Islamic nations that built these Mosques thought that there were no Muslims in Gabon earlier on and this was what made to keep bringing in teachers and Imams to pray and teach in these Mosques /complexes in the late 1960s to early 1970s, until they discovered that Gabon also has its own indigenous Muslim community who were the Kanuri people. So that was when the Kanuri people became involved in handling the affairs of these new Mosques and Islam in Gabon.
Despite the minority nature of the Kanuri people in Gabon this new role of handling the affairs of Islam in Gabon has created enabling environment that made many becomes mams, librarians, teachers and administrators in Gabon. Over the years these Islamic nations helped them with scholarships to acquire trainings in various fields across the World. A situation that made many Kanuris in Gabon become literate and experts of their religion. The same situation gave them the advantage to serve in their nation at various capacities. The Kanuri town of Oyem itself witnessed a very rapid development as a result including having a new Olympic Stadium complex that hosted some Matches of the just concluded African Nations Cup that was held in Gabon in the year 2017 (GAB 2017).
After the death of President Oumar Bongo in the year 2008 his son Ali Oumar Bongo, succeeded him as the president of Gabon and just like his father he also recognizes the contributions of the Kanuri people in the development of Gabon.
The level of literacy amongs the Gabonese Kanuris is very high as such that the Kanuri people here are over 90% educated,gainfully employed in both the public and private sectors as well as in some regional and international agencies. The Kanuris here are also considered as one of the economically viable community not only in Gabon but in the entire African continent , as they have a per capita income of $2.2 USD per person per day.
The Gabonese Kanuri people are now working towards revival of the decayed oral Kanuri language in Gabon, as many of them including both old and the young are proud of their identity and are expressing intrests in learning back the language and even proposing having some Kanuri teachers in the future to teach their children.
As earlier stated the Gabonese Kanuris are not only working in the Islamic related areas only, but in almost all other sectors in Gabon. As at today there are Kanuri Directors, head of agencies/parastatal, advisers, and even ministers in the Gabonese cabinet.
KANURIS OF THE ARAB WORLD:
Due to the existing cultural and longtime diplomatic as well as religious relationship between the Arab nations like Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan and Algeria with the Kanem-Bornu, made the Kanuris to have a well-established ties and presence within the Arabs. But surprisingly it would be difficult to classify those Kanuris living in the Arab nations as another type of Kanuri, simply because if a Kanuri man lives in Arab the Arab nation for a period of 50 years on the average he metamorphoses in to an Arab, because here the Arabic language replaces the Kanuri language in the tongue and also end up adopting the Arab culture 100%. Likewise, same applies with the Arabs if they live in the Kanuri lands they equally metamorphose in to Kanuri and they become known as the “Kanuri Wasilis” (Kanuri Arabs). The issue here is that both cultures look alike like twin’s babies. These similarities are visible in terms of culture, religion and the nature of the Afro Asiatic language contents of the Kanuri language. Though the Kanuri people remains blacks among the Arabs and the Arabs remains with fairly lighter skin complexion but after long time of intermarriages both metamorphoses.
In view of the above it is therefore difficult to classify the Kanuris in the Arab world as Kanuris, but rather is better to classify them as the Arab-Kanuris or Kanuri Arabs. In this case there are approximately over 4 million Kanuri-Arabs living in the republic of Sudan, over 2 million shared among Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Libya and thousands shared between the holy cities of Makkah and Madina as well as Jeddah and Riyad in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Some Kanuri-Arabs speaks better Arabic than even some Arabs of the same age.
Popular Kanuri-Arabs in Diospora includes; Goni Maliki of the holy city of Makkah and Goni Yusuf (A worker with the holy Kaaba) and Sheikh Awad. Though people like Goni Muhammad Ali Gabchiya is a Kanuri man, but he mastered the two cultures both Arabic and Kanuri that makes you hardly classify him in to a single one.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE KANURI AND ARAB:
Both the Seyfawa (Sefuwa) Dynasty and the El-kanemi Dynasty were founded by Arab men. An Arab man with the name of Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan founded the Sayfuwa Dynasty and another half Arab and half Kanuri with the name of Al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî (Arabic: محمد لرشيد ابن محمد الكامانی) (1776–1837) founded the El-Kanemi Dynasty.
History shows that the Arabs are constant visitors to the Bornu Empire. Arabs are mostly coming to Borno for trading, scholarship, diplomacy and some on transit to other existing kingdoms in the Western, Northern and central African regions with some migrating to settle in the Empire. As a result of these relationships that existed with these two communities there were many intermarriages and offspring, the offspring from these marriages carries both genes of the Arab and the Kanuri and are generally referred to as the “Wasilis” in the Kanuri language. The Wasilis or the Kanuri-Arabs descendants in Bornu are connected to Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Yemen, Tunisians and few Moroccans.
In Maiduguri of today the Fezzan ward area located south of the Shehu’s Palace is a ward of an entire block reserved, dedicated and allocated for the Arabs since Maiduguri was founded. In Fezzan they were given the rights to govern themselves and generate taxes/revenue for the Bornu Empire within this territoryas a result the Wasilis are given the traditional title position of Lawan since inception. The majority of the Bornu Arabs are of Libyan descents as a result the position of the Lawan is always with them. This title has been rotating amongst the Wasilis for years. The last Lawan from the Wasilis was Alhaji Yusuf Wasili who retired on his own from this position in the late 1960s and hand over the baton for the first time to a non Wasili decedent in Fezzan.
It should be noted that in addition to the Kanuri-Arabs the Empire also has its own version of native Arabs known anthropologically as the “Bornu indigenous Arabs” generally referred to as the “Shuwa” in Kanuri language. This indigenous Arabs were anthropologically said to have emerge in Bornu-Empire because the Bornu-Empire is located on the biogeographic racial transition zone between the lighter skin (mostly Arabs) and the darker skin (mostly blacks Africans) people of Africa. The Shuwa people have same culture with the Kanuris in terms of their tribal marks, wears, culture, ceremonies, foods, farms, festivals and many other ways of livelihood. The differences between the two is so small that it only takes a Kanuri man or a Shuwa man to identify these little differences correctly, however the majority of the Shuwa people are lighter in skin complexion even though there are some few Kanuris too that are equality lighter, but the majority of the Kanuris are darker in terms of skin complexion when compared to the Shuwas.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TURKY/OTHMAN EMPIRE AND THE KANURIS:
Unlike the Arabs the Turkish coming to Bornu were not traders, scholars nor people on transit, but they were instead Ambassadors and military personnel representing the interest of the great Othman Empire (World Super Power for over 500 years) in the Bornu Empire. The Turkish people normally returns back to their nations after the completion of their missions or assignments in the Empire, this made them not a permanent settler in the Empire. As a result, existing available history has not shown intermarriages with the Kanuris, but it is still possible that this Kanuri Empire has some Kanuri-Turkish or Turkish-Kanuris. Despite the position of the Turkish in the ancient Bornu Empire, but yet the Turkish had some influences over the Kanuri culture; for example, the Kanuri Trumpet generally referred to as the “Arrita” was borrowed or adopted from the Turkish culture some 400 years back. This explains why in Istanbul of Today we still have the Arrita blowers blowing their Arritas just like in central Yerwa (Maiduguri).
Turkey and Istanbul in particular holds verst history about the Kanuri people and the Kanuri culture in their museams,libraries and related archieves.
The above letter reads as follows:
“We have promulgated and dispatched it (the letter)……a unique salutation the fragrance of which spreads over the lands….greetings…to the most noble, the most illustrious, the most magnificent, the rightly guided, the one aided by God, the helper of the warriors among the believers, the supporter of the great men among the adherents of the unity of God…..the possessor of the sovereignty and sanctity, the ruler of the state of Borno at present King Idris may God prolong his prosperity and make his aims successful.”
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE KANURI AND THE HAUSA PEOPLE:
The Hausa people are longtime neighbours of the Kanuri people for probably a thousand year. Some scholars still believes that Bayajidda (Bàyā̀jiddà ) the founder of the Hausa lands (Kingdom) and who history described as an Arab man that arrived and settled in the town of Daura in the present day Katsina state and later married queen Magajiya Daurama (The Queen of Daura) is actually from the Kanem-Bornu Empire .Even though the history indicated that he was from the East (The Arabian Peninsula) , but some scholars argued that the geographical East referred to in this history was actually the town of ancient Kukawa in the present day Borno state of Nigeria. It is also possible that he is from the Arabian Peninsula, but he must have also first settled in one of the settlements of Kanem-Bornu Empire before reaching the Hausa land. Logically it is not possible for someone coming from the Arabian Peninsula to the Hausa land then (period without Aircrafts and modern transport system) reach the Hausa land without geographically passing through the ancient territory of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Furthermore, in whatever way we look at it both the Kanem-Bornu Empire and the Arabian Peninsula are both located to the East of the Hausa Land. But the fact still remains that it is not possible for him to have come from the Arabian Peninsula and reach the Hausa land without crossing through the ancient Kanem-Bornu-Empire, just like it is not possible for people during the era when people from the Hausa land and or the Sokoto caliphate were travelling to pilgrimage on foot to Saudi Arabia to be able to reach Saudi Arabia without passing through Bornu.
Some scholars even go further to give meaning to the name of Bayajidda as “BAYA JI DA” (literally translated in the Hausa language as “He doesn’t hear before “or “He doesn’t understand the Hausa language before”) meaning that when Bàyā̀jiddà first came to the Hausa Land he doesn’t understand their language, so he was probably speaking in Arabic or Kanuri or both.
The relationship of Hausa and the Kanuri people still stands in Africa as one of the best among ancient African kingdoms. These two group of people respect each other and they always support each other at the time of needs and distress. These two have a very strong historical trading relationship. In fact, it is very common to see a Kanuri man been addressed as a Hausa man in southern Nigeria or elsewhere and he accept it despite the fact that he is not a Hausa man, for example apart from the Kanuri ancestral origin of the former late Nigerian leader General Sani Abacha, Abacha remained a Hausa man from Kano throughout his lifetime.
The Hausa language has some borrowed words from the Kanuri and also some Hausa proverbs that are directly relating to the Kanuri. For example, Manda means salt in Kanuri and Gishiri means salt in Hausa, but one often hears a Hausa man making proverb with it as “Chinikin Bani Manda in Baka Gishiri” (Give me Salt (Gishiri) and I give you Salt (Manda) or sometime a Hausa man is fond of directly using Kanuri word such as “Garu” referring to a wall or “Bulaguro” referring to travelling. Same applies with the Kanuri language too for example in Kanuri Zink sheets roofing cover is called “Kwana” which was originally borrowed from the Hausa language referring to the roof cover sheets as “Kwano” or Kwanon Gida.
Most parts of the Hausaland were once ruled by the Kanem-Bornu before the Sokoto caliphate took it over from Borno around early 1800s.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FULANI AND THE KANURI PEOPLE:
When the Fulanis established the Sokoto caliphate under the leadership of Shehu Usman Danfodio they brought or revived Islam in many parts of the present day Northern and parts of South western Nigeria, along the line of this course the Fulanis ruled many of the ethnic groups in these areas or regions mentioned above including the Hausas, Nupes, Gwaris, Yorubas, Jukuns and many others. But when the Fulanis reached the shores of the ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire they discovered that Islam was already in Bornu for almost a thousand year. However, Fodio caliphate proclaimed the holy war on the allegedly irreligious Muslims living in some parts of the former Bornu Empire territorial areas.
This irreligious sets of people to Danfodio was as a result of the style of leadership of the Kanem-Bornu people who normally Islamized new territories captured but at the end installs the indigents of the new territory/town captured to directly rule or govern their people and be reporting to the central authority instead of installing a Kanuri man to lead or rule them directly. This style of ruling new territories by the Kanem-Bornu Empire is contrary to the style adopted by Danfodio himself. Danfodio often installs his sons, brothers, relations, kinsmen or someone he trusted so well to rule new captured territories in order to have total and absolute control over the new subjects in one hand and make these subjects devoted and durable practicing Muslims in the other hand. This style of leadership under Danfodio resulted in the emergence Fulani traditional rulers in almost all the Hausa Kingdoms for instant the Emires of Kano, Katsina, Yola, Gwandu, Ilorin, Bauchi, Gombe etc are all Fulanis.
So the style of ruling by the Kanem-Bornu made the Bornu Empire to be weak over time at its new acquired territories mostly border territories, hence dynamically and overtime kept losing total and absolute control of these territories especially in the areas of some subjects becoming devoted and durable practicing Muslims without closer supervision from the above. These actions made some of them go back to their traditional religions (idol worshiping or paganism) as there was no Christianity in this part of Africa then. This was the main reason why Danfodio fought or launched a campaign against some towns of the Kanem-Bornu that looks irreligious to him, this actions of Danfodio eventually politically affected the Kanem-Bornu and inspired a trend toward Islamic orthodoxy, with no one stopping this caliphate apart from the Arab man and a scholar-turned-statesman, Al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi who was an Islamic cleric (Scholar), that contested and won against the Fulani advance.
The two kingdoms (Danfodio caliphate & the Kanem-Bornu Empire) later became friends because of their common cause (spreading of Islam and wiping illiteracy). These new relationships between these two have had very strong diplomatic influences on them. During the precolonial era of Africa, the two Kingdoms keeps exchanging greetings through letters between the two kings (The Sultan of Sokoto and the Shehu of Borno) on every two weeks’ intervals.
The actions of Shehu al-Amîn El-Kânemî and Shaikh Usman Ibn Fodio, later transformed the Borno empire as center for Quranic education and the Sokoto caliphate as center of Islamic jurisprudence. They also introduced that funny happy plays that is still happening between a Fulani man and the Kanuri man in such a way that whenever a Kanuri man meets with a Fulani man then the 'Joke starts'.
Today the Fulani man has a very strong respect and admiration for the Kanuri man as such that the Fulani man sees the Kanuri man as his only historical friend across this African environment as he sees the other tribes as his subjects that he already governed, so he always feels that he is the master of the tribes he ruled. The Kanuri man and a Fulani man are fond of cracking jokes whenever they meet. Surprisingly the Fulani man never cracks such jokes with any other person in the environment other than the Kanuri man. These jokes are always around who the master and who is who the slave is “Is it me or you” the argument then starts and the joke theen continues making each other happier and livelier.
This two Kingdoms still exchange education/scholarships with People coming from the Sokoto (Danfodio) caliphate to Bornu to master the Holy Quran while those from Borno travel to the Sokoto Caliphate to master the Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh).
KANURI FARMS & FOODS:
The Kanuri people mainly produce millets, beans, groundnuts, edible cassavas (Garissa), wheat, guinea corn, rice and cucumber (Ngurli) in their farmlands.
The Kanuri diet consists of mostly millet, wheat, rice and maize served either as porridge (Guda) or as dumplings (Burabusko) served with a vegetable soup like Kwalkwa (Baobab leaves), Gwalto (Okra) or Karasu also containing meat, groundnut oil, salt, and sometimes beans, cow fat (Kendawu Feye) and Spices.
During ceremonies they also cook special ceremonial delicacies like Denderu which is prepared from long time cooking of meat under a low temperature resulting in producing very soft edible meat, they also make white glassy like porridge from washed-bleached millet called the “Ndelleyi” and the Kanuri people are also masters in Pizza making, the local Kanuri Pizza is called “Sinassin” unlike the American or the Italian Pizza the Kanuri Pizza is eating with soup or vegetable.
Records show that the Kanuris are the World largest producers of Millet, Groundnuts and Beans and they are also the World’s largest consumers of Millet and Groundnuts.
KANURI AND NIGERIA:
Long before the discovery of petroleum in Nigeria in the early 1960s Nigeria’s economy depended on Groundnut production (farming) and Nigeria was ranked World Number 1 in Groundnuts production between the 1930s to early 1960s. Surprisingly due to the sandy nature of most of the Kanuri predominant states of Bornu (Borno and Yobe states) made the Kanuri people be producing almost half of the total Groundnuts produced annually in the Nigeria, the town of Nguru in the present day Yobe state of Nigeria serves as the Hub of this trading and gathering in the Kanuri lands.
Currently with the discovery of petroleum in Nigeria since the 1960s made agriculture generally declined in Nigeria which also affected the main cash crop of Borno and Yobe states which the Groundnut is. However, these two states still stand statically as states producing 40% of the entire cattle’s consumed in Nigeria on daily, though advent of the unrest in 2009 is affecting this portion too.
The Kanuris in Borno state produced the best Beans in Nigeria called the “Krenuwa” Beans. In addition, the Kanuri settlements of Monguno and Marte local governments are among the few tropical areas in the World that producing Wheat through the Chad Basin irrigation systems or in the Oasis during the Hammatan period (winter) between the months of November to March of every year.
Considering the above contributions of the Kanuri people in Nigeria one would be pushed to say that the Kanuri people are very hard working and economically viable people.
Despite the fact that the Kanem-Bornu was splatted and ruled by four major colonial societies including British, French, German and the Italians, but it looks like the Kanuri people always preferred being under the British rule. This is evidence with the defection of Bama and Dikwa from Cameroon which was originally under the German colony to join Nigeria during the colonial period.
Over the years the Kanuri people produced many National heroes and important personalities in the in Nigeria ; these includes the likes of Late Sir Kashim Ibrahim (Governor Northern Region of Nigeria),Late General Sani Abacha (President/Head of state of Nigeria), Ambassador Babagana Kingibe (Secretary Federal Government of Nigeria) ,Alhaji Zanna Dipcharima (Minister of Industries and one time acting Prime Minister of Nigeria), Brigadier General Abba Kyari (Governor North Central),Alhaji Shettima Ali Minguno (Minister Mines Power and Steal and former OPEC president) and Sir Waziri Ibrahim amongst others.
Additionally in the private sectors ,Academics, traditional offices and international businesses they also produced very many unforgettable personalities in the history of Nigeria and these includes Alhaji Mai Deribe, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe,Sheikh Abubakar Elmiskin, Alhaji Umar Na Alhaji Lawan, Alhaji Kuli Deribe,Professor Umaru Shehu, Shehu Mustafa Elkanemi, Usman Karagama, Alhaji Bukar Bolori, Kashim Ibrahim, Kaka Hajja Aisa Aliram, Hamra Imam, Bintu Farlomu, Alhaji Zanna Mustafa Ahmed Deribe,Baba Bukar Arimma Monguno ,Mallam I. Geidam, Professor M.M. Daura (Former VC ),Alhaji Muhammad Aburos ,Ibrahim Imam,Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim,Shehu Abubakar Garbai,Zanna Laisu ,Alhaji Zannah Dipcharima,Alhaji Kamselem (Former IG of Police),Alhaji Shetima Ali Monguno, Alhaji Muhammad Monguno and Sheikh Muhammad Gibrima among many many other Kanuri greats.
KANURI INTANGIBLE AND TANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGES:
Just like many other tribes the Kanuri people also have their tribal marks. The Kanuris make nine tribal marks on the faces with one of them drawn from under the forehead down to near the nose tip. Although over 70% of the Kanuris of today are no longer making these tribal marks,but the secret for these tribal Marks are mazing.
During the precolonial era of African, especially between the 14th to the 18th century when businesses of Slavery and Slave trades involving capturing and transporting Africans to the Americas dominated Africa as such that modern African historians believes that over 50 million Africans were taken to Jamaica, Surinam, Mexico, Bahamas, USA, Brazil, Barbados, Guyana, Colombia, Coat Rica, Bermuda etc. The process of these international Slave trade at that time involves buying of Slaves legally or capturing of Africans through invading easy to defeat or weaker Kingdoms. However even at the peak of these Slavery the Slave traders were afraid of capturing Africans as Slaves from the powerful and mighty Empires like the Kanem-Bornu and the Songhai/Meli Empires because of the fear of retaliation by these empires for kidnapping or enslaving their citizens by anybody coming from anywhere including the Europeans. Even though the tribal Marks stands as a beauty and identity of a culture, but here it also serves as an identity of the Kanuri people very similar to today’s International Passport. It helps identify who belongs to what Kingdom, tribe or Empire even if the person with the marks lives outside his ancestral territory. So this explains the reason why a Kanuri Man was never traded as a Slave by the mighty Europeans in the first place during the Slavery. And among all the slaves taken from Africa none have the record of Kanuri tribal marks on his or her face.
So the Kanuri tribal Marks serves as an identity, beauty, protection and International passport to go anywhere with confidence, easy identity and with no fear of been captured by slave hunters or powers. Infact it is because of the powers of the Kanuri tribal Marks that made even other ethnic groups adopt or borrowed this aspect of Kanuri culture. So this explains why tribes like Marghi,Babur and others even outside the Empire later adopted this aspect of Kanuri culture.
In terms of intangible cultural heritage the Kanuri people have a lot of intangible musics,poems ,dances and plays , but with many dissapearing due to modernisation,change in lifestyles and lack of awarenesss and documentation. The few remaining ones includes the “Lami-Lami” play as written below:
“”
Lami lami yencheri..yancheri...
kulo d3mbarambe.. D3mbarambe do Makka ye. ... . Makka ye .... .. Madina ye ....... G3d3Kaus3lemyin... k3mbala..... K3mballa do maduwana..
Maduwana k3mbom3..... Wawami ….-waaji...... wa karaan...
. . gubkano kara S3l3mbin...... ...gubkano.... ....
Fulata Furlan ... shuwa karimolan talangar langar .... .....
YA JURRUSS”
”
KANURI NAMES:
Surprisingly half of Kanuri names range between Muhammad and his companion Abubakar.
The Kanuri people also bears other names of the holy Books such as Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael), Musa (Moses), Yusuf (Joseph), Isa (Jesus), Maryam (Merry), Hauwa (Eve), Adam, Amina, Isiaka (Isaac), Aisha, Abdullahi, Suleiman (Solomon), Kaltum, Halima, Khadija as well as Umar, Usman, Ali and Fatima among others.
However, as a matter of respect to the holy names in the holy Books (God’s prophets and pious personalities names mentioned in the Quran, Injila (Bible) and the Torah) most of these names are coined from their original form in to other form by adding some respect titles to these names in a Kanuri way. This is in order to distinct the original name of the Books with that of individual barring such names:
Example of some Kanuri coined Book names of that nature are as indicated below:
Muhammad: Mamman,Modu,Massa,Modunga,Mutar,Mammmadu ,Laminu ,Mammanur , Tujjayima ,Tar etc.
Abubakar: Bor,Bukar,Garba,Bormi,Bouar ,Aborr ,Borom etc.
Umar: Bunu
Musa/Moses: Kallah
Adam: Konto
Idris/Enoch: Mele
Yusuf/Joseph: Yusuwu
Bilyaminu/Benjamin: Bunami
Ali Ibn Abu Talib: Butari, Ari etc.
Ibrahim/Abraham: Yuram,Burah,Burem etc.
Suleiman: Suleymana
Abdullahi: Dala,Dallah
Amina: Amyina, Yamina,Sato
Aisha: Ayssa,Ashe,Maida etc.
Usman: Ngari
Zainab: Yaburra
Hafsat: Shetu,Amsa,Mara etc
Hauwa/Eve: Madari
Hadiza: Fojji,Mangu,Kuura,kuwura etc
Maryam/Merry: Budu
Bilkis/Queen Sheba:Balu
Rukaiya: Ruwaiya
Halima: Kodo
Fatima: Falmata, Fanta, Falta, Fatime, Fanne, Zara, Fanna ,Tukula,Karu,Fandau etc.
Kanuri person’s highest appreciation or gift to an individual is naming his child after the individual.
Apart from the names of the Books the Kanuri people are also fond of using traditional names in order to show respect for the persons they named after especially the parents, grandparents and teachers or great scholars.
Examples of common Kanuri traditional coined names are:
Babagana pronounced as “Ba’ana” which Means Junior (Someone named after his grandfather by his parents).
Yagana pronounced as “Ya’ana” which means a girl named after her grandmother by her parents.
Like the English people, the Kanuri people also answers profession names like the ones below:
Kaajima (Fragrance seller), Yerima (prince),Kaudima (perfume seller), Arrimma (Dyer),Aritama (Trumpeter) ,Kulloma (Bronz maker), Bulama (traditional title name),Fatkema (General merchandizer) , Furma (owner of horses),Malum (scholar) etc
Other common Kanuri names includes: Awuza (Abacha), Yakori,Kolo,Ma’a,Zarami, Gajimi, Ya Kingi, ,Maira,Gangaram,Maidu,Blau,Ngwarimi,Lefami,Bako, Fandi ,Ya Mangu, ,Gamboram, Kyallu, Yecha, Maya, Morom ,Kolomi, Bakura,Kaka ,Zainawa etc.
KANURI AND PROFESSION:
The primary occupations of the Kanuri people at the beginning and as earlier discussed were pastoralism, farming, trading, general mechanizing (Fatke), Mat Making (weaving), Goldsmith, Blacksmithing, Teaching (Islamic Scholarly works), dynein, hunting, Calabash carving, Tanning and some fishing among others. As a result of the importance of these hereditary and historic professions in the Kanuri lands made most of these professions have streets, alleyways, wards and sometimes even entire settlements named after such professions. For example in Maiduguri city we have the Arrinmari (Street dedicated to cloth dyers), Kalumari (street dedicated to the blacksmiths), Furemari (street dedicated to flower sellers),Furmari (street dedicated for people dealing with horse decorative wares ), Sirtemari (street dedicated to mat weavers),Aritamari (street dedicated to trumpet players), Gangamari (street dedicated to drummers) ,Kumozamari (Street dedicated to Calabash cavers/decorators) ,Abbari (Street dedicated to Prince and Princess)etc.
Contrary to the past professions today the Kanuris are found in almost all professions including the military, journalism, international businesses, banking, piloting, bureau de change, carpentry, plumbing, engineering, the medical profession, and many more:
THE ROLE OF GOLD IN THE KANURI CULTURE:
Historical, Anthropological and archaeological facts prove that the Kanuri people are among the world’s top leading communities that uses the precious Gold metals more often. The Kanuris are equaled to the Arabs and Indians in this regard. In fact, till today despite civilization and introduction of paper monies in to circulation globally, but yet the Kanuri people still pays bride dowries in Golds. Brides are decorated in Golds of various natures and shapes ranging from gold coins, necklaces, golden bangles, golden chains and a lot of other native ornaments such as “Bugaye, Rakka, Wororo, Kulum Mukaye, Kulum K3nzaye” and many others.
Before the amalgamation of the Kanuri Lands by the colonial societies in the past 120 years back, noble kings and Kanuri big merchants were known to have possessed or owned golden Swords, golden plates, golden cups, golden Spears and even golden chains and ropes used on the necks of their animals (donkeys & horses) and yet even the horses were used to be decorated with golden saddles, golden masks, ornaments and other horse decorative golden wears.
Even though historically Gold was never mined in the whole of the Kanem-Bornu territory, but between the 13th to the 17th century the Kanem-Bornu Empire had one of the World’s largest collections of Gold.
This made the author believes that the past Kanem-Bornu capitals are potential treasures waiting for future treasure hunters, as they contained in them many buried treasure.
Despite the value of Gold in the Kanuri lands, surprisingly the Kanuri men never decorate themselves with Gold but instead decorate their wives, daughters and even slaves with it.
The Kanuri men uses silver.
Some Kanuri nobles use Gold in even written Quran verses or God’s names on plates with it.
Nobody can precisely explain to you even among the Kanuris as to why the Kanuris still treasures and use Golds, but the fact still remains that Gold is one of the very limited resources or metals in the World that does not depreciate and stands the taste of time history.
KANURI MARRIAGES:
The Kanuri wedding is one event that is colorful and exciting. It is an occasion that brings the people’s culture to life through music, dance and other colorful cultural activities. The Kanuri culture just as in the other ethnic groups throughout the world it has some norms and values. The Kanuri culture finds its origin from the Islamic religion, but in addition the Kanuri cultures have a couple of marriage traditions that are peculiar to the tribe.
KANURI & HORSES:
The Kanuri Horses and their horsemen are among the most beutiful in the World.
History has shown that the Kanuri people are masters of Horses,Horse Decorations and Horse Durbur festivals , in fact due to the prestige of Kanuri Durburs and Horse ornaments made many important world dignotories come to see the Kanuri Decorated Horses and witness the cultural Durbur festivals. In the modern era Great personalities like the Queen Elizabeth of England,King Juan Carlos of Spain,President George Bush of the United States,late Lady Diana and Prince Chales of England , President Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry (Nyimeri Kwarangwaso) of Sudan , late Sir Ahmadu Bello of Nigeria,Load Frederick Lugard (first Governor General of Nigeria and India ) as well as other greats like Louis Farakhan of the United states,General Yakubu Gowon,General Babangida, and General Sani Abacha have all travvelled down to the Kanuri Lands just to enjoy witnessing the Kanuri Durbur festivals in once or even more occations.
When the great King Juan Carlos of Spain visited Maiduguri on 16the December,1986 he said that he has never in his life beautifully decoarted horses like the ones he saw in Maiduguri city as a result the late Shehu of Borno Dr. Muatafa Umar ibn Elkanemi gave him a beutifully well decoarted Kanuri horse which he took back to Spain as souvenir.
NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE ANCIENT KANEM-BORNU EMPIRE:
Potassium and Sodium Carbonate were historically the major minerals extracted or obtainable under the Kanem-Bornu, but however the former lands of the Kanem-Bornu it’s now indicating that it is richer than how history expected it to be. Today it is no longer news that the former territory of the ancient Kanem-Bornu is richly blessed with petroleum and Uranium natural mineral resources.
Kanuri and Petroleum: The Agadem oilfield with an area of 27,516.2 square kilometres (10,624.1 sq mi), the Bilma oil block, Manga oilfields, Aborak oilfield, the Tenere oil block as well as the Tintouma oilfield near Madama all in Niger republic located within the former Kanem-Bornu historical territory are collectively estimated to be holding a total petroleum reserves of about 11.7 billion barrels as at 2017. In addition, the Agadem oilfield along also holds approximately 10,000,000,000 cubic meters (3.5×1011 cu ft) to 16,000,000,000 cubic meters (5.7×1011 cu ft) of natural gas reserves.
Additionally, all the oilfields in the republic of Chad especially those of the “ERHC “are all located within the former Kanem-Bornu historical territory and around the Lake Chad basin area of Chad mainly in the Kanem-Prefecture, as at today the oil reserve estimate in this part of Chad is around 19 billion barrels as at 2017 plus approximately 21,000,000,000 cubic meters of natural gas reserve.
Furthermore, oil prospectors are still prospecting for oil in the ancient Kanem – Bornu territories of Libya (Fezzan), north western Cameroon and North Eastern Nigeria Nigeria. Some scientists suggested that the petroleum and gas reserves in the Chad Basin area of Nigeria currently going on in the areas of Kukawa, Gajiganna, Monguno, Gubio, Magumeri, Marte and Gajiram among others is expected to supersede or even multiply the total petroleum and gas reserves of both Niger and Chad put together, because of the strata nature of the Borno geological. It was in view of this expected outcome that made some experts in the field recently keep associating the currently ongoing social unrests affecting Borno and Yobe states of Nigeria as a tactical tactic by an enemy in the shadow to prevent Borno and Nigeria in particular from discovering and utilizing this huge God’s gift natural resources in this part of Nigeria.
So in view of the above the ancient Kanem-Bornu empire territories of Nigeria, Libya, Chad, Cameroon and Niger is believed to be holding between 85 to 134 billion barrels of petroleum reserves and approximately 120,000,000,000 cubic meters to 160,000,000,000 cubic meters of natural gas reserves.
Uranium in the Kanem-Bornu: The ancient territory of the Kanem-Bornu is today supplying 11 % of the world’s total annual mining output of highest-grade uranium ores. This is because almost all the areas where Uranium is discovered in the republic of Niger which is the fourth leading Uranium producing nation in the World ranging from that of Azelik in 1957 by the French Bureau de Recherches Geologiques while prospecting for copper and those discovered at Abokurum in 1959, Madaouela in 1963, Arlette, Ariege, Artois & Tassa/Taza in 1965, Imouraren in 1966 and Akouta in 1967 all falls within the ancient Kanem-Bornu territories.
The cumulative production of this mineral as at the year 2011 was 114,346 tU part of which about 62,000 tU was from underground, and 52,000 t from the open pit mining.
Water Reserves in the Kanem-Bornu: Despite the arid nature of the ancient territories of the Kanem-Bornu surprisingly the territory holds huge reserves of underground which is ranked as one of the biggest water reserves of the world. This was confirmed by Researchers from the British Geological Survey and University College London who mapped for the first time the aquifers, or groundwater, across the African continent and the amount of water they hold. This proves the fact why free flow boreholes is still existing in places like Monguno, Marte, Guzamala, Baga as well as Diffa, Kanem and some parts of north western Cameroon.
KANURI AND CHALLENGES: YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW YESTERDAY:
Every civilization ranging from Mighty Empires to the Caliphates all have periods of Ups and Downs (prosperity & challenging periods), for instance the coming of Pharaoh (Fir’auna) as a King of Egypt during the era of Prophet Musa (Moses) –(AS) has destabilized the existing peace in Egypt of that Era , the Challenges that came up towards the end of the era of the Islamic Caliph Usman bn Affan (579–17 June 656) –(RA) had costs the city of Medina to even lose its status as the capital of the Caliphate for sometimes, likewise the emergence of Napoléon Bonaparte in Europe caused some serious economic hardship and destructions of Europe within a short while . Furthermore, both the First and the Second World Wars combined equally had costs Europe to lose modern half of its entire wealth plus millions of lives. So same it is with the Kanuri’s Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Shortly after the end of the Era of Mai Idris Alauma in the 16th century came seasons of droughts that seriously affected the agricultural outputs of the Bornu Empire, a century later the Mais (Kings) of Bornu became weaker that they could not effectively protect the borders of the Empire from the invading Enemies until after the intervention by Al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al- El-Kanemi who replaced the Mai himself, furthermore close to a century later came the brutal Rabih Fadlallah generally known as Rabi in Kanuri (1842 – 1900) who destabilized the existing peace in the Bornu Empire for close to ten years until the arrival of the French in the German territory of Bornu that killed him in 1900.
Today:
A century after the death of Rabih today still Bornu found itself in another difficult Era where most of its trading routes, towns, villages as well as its agricultural outputs are affected. Though as usual this Era too would also come to pass, but the most amazing aspect here is the Kanuri people never give up their Faith in whatever situation they found themselves in. The Faith that made the city of Madina regain her lost status, The Faith that brought an End to the Era of Pharaoh of Egypt, The Faith that made Europe bounced back to her super rich economy as well as the Faith that brought the French to end the brutal era of Rabih Fadlallah. So this same Faith of the Kanuris would remain with them in resolving all issues affecting them now or at any time in the future. This makes the Kanuris to always bounce back to their usual peace, viability in economy and keep holding the status as masters of knowledge, experts of history and a reference point to many at all times.
Tomorrow:
The challenges of the Kanuri’s tomorrow are determining by the fast decay of the Kanuri language today.
Apart from areas like Fezzan, Shehuri South, the Shehuri North, Mafoni, Abbari, Lawan Bukar Kaccha, Old Maiduguri, Kalari and Lamisula almost all the remaining wards or parts of Maiduguri city which is the heart of the Kanuri speaking population are replacing the Kanuri language with other non-native Kanem-Bornu languages in their communications. This days is common in Maiduguri to see a Kanuri growing child of 10 years of age in some areas like the Bulunkutu, Gwange, Bolori ,G.R.A. , Mairi, Sulemanti, Umarari,Zajeri, Baga Road ,Bulabulin and others that cannot express himself in Kanuri , but the same boy can be expert in other languages that are not even from the Kanem-Bornu. So this is an indication that the Kanuri language is not only decaying but it’s also expiring in its mainland. However, if parents, Kanuri teachers, Kanuri authors and other interested parties in the Kanuri language do not double up their efforts the Kanuri language might varnish sooner than forecasted by some language experts.
At this point would like to point out that influential Kanuri stakeholders especially in the education system /sector should use their influences and capacities to mainstream the Kanuri language in to the school curriculum of both the Primary and the secondary Education systems in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Gabon and even Libya as such that the Kanuri language would be included in our WAECS,COMMON ENTRANCE,NECO and SSCE Examinations in order to help preserve this fast decaying language as the future of speaking the Kanuri language tomorrow lies with the stakeholders and those in power today otherwise nothing can stop the Kanuri language from the threats of replacement by other neighboring languages, decaying and expiring tomorrow.
KANURI LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND INFLUENCE:
An average Kanuri man is a person that loves his culture and tribe so much as such that he feels God has choosen for him the best of culture and the best of languge. He often expreses his happiness for being a Kanuri man. In facts an average Kanuri man feels that apart from the people of the book also known in Arabic as “Ahl al-Kitāb”( أهل الكتاب ′) his culture and language remains the next best.
The Kanuri generally have had a strong influence on people or inhabitants of their surrounding environments and neighbours, including the Mandaras and Kotokos or Mogoris who live southeast of the Kanuri lands, others are the Marghis of the Damboa district, the Babur in the hills south of the Kanuri, the Bolewa located southwest of the Kanuri, and the Bede people of Gashua among many others not mentioned here. All of these groups have acquired various aspects of the Kanuri culture, mainly Islam and ability of reading and writing from the Kanuris. Many, including the Hausa, were at one time subjects of the Kanuri.
SOME HABITS AND HOBBIES IN KANURI CULTURE:
1. Greetings are exchange in Kanuri culture with a handshake.
2. Men are not allowed to shake hands with women.
3. Children are not supposed to Shake hands with their father, step fathers, uncles even father’s friends and other associates of their father of equal age with their father, instead they are supposed to bend their heads a little and looking ground ward.
4. Younger persons are first to greet elder persons whenever they meet.
5. Kanuri do not Shake hands with their traditional rulers such as the Shehu and alike unless on the request by such leaders when they extended their hands towards person for a handshake.
6. Women are not allowed to fix marriages for their children without a man.
7. Women cover their entire body with the exception of the face, palms and Feet when going out to a public place.
8. Men are the head of the family.
9. Children must greet their parent every morning if they live together in the same compound or nearby compounds.
10. Kanuri people do not shake hands with their Islamic scholars and Islamic teachers rather as a sign of respect to them they extend the position of their heads towards such scholars when the scholar forwards his hand so that the palms or palm of the scholar would rub on their head to receive blessings from him.
11. Kanuri people especially adults do not eat in an open public place where everyone can see them eating instead they always look for a covered place from the public eyes before eating or even drinking.
12. A humble Kanuri man graduates to become a Kanuri Rashidi (entrusted person). However, before any Kanuri becomes a Rashidi he must be married, gentle, religious, attending functions, involved in communal works, assist people to his best and must be also somebody who keeps to his promises and be a man of his words for instant a Kanuri man can never give out his daughter for marriage and later alter his promises, in the event such happens then that man can never attain the position of a Rashidi in his lifetime neither would his community respect him but instead he remains to be seen as an arrogant and a person not to be trusted or included in the list of decision makers in his community. It is generally common to hear a Kanuri man saying Rashidi Kaamil or Rashidi K3lanz3 kam (meaning a complete gentle and trusted person).
13. Eating Pork is forbidden in Kanuri culture.
14. Drinking of alcohol and all other intoxicants including the use of drugs, cocaine etc are forbidden in the Kanuri culture and people do not associates with known drunkards.
15. Kanuri children are always at home at Maghreb period (at Sunset) regardless of the activity.
16. A Kanuri family is bigger than more than just an immediate family consisting of just wife, husband and children only, but it includes parents, brothers and cousins provided they all stay in the same compound.
17. Kanuri women always speak with soft voice.
18. New babies are named on the eight day after born (arrival).
19. Kanuri children are more comfortable playing with their grandparents than their parents.
20. Whenever Kanuri people form a population of at least three (3) persons in a foreign environment they always choose a leader amongst them and in most cases the eldest, the most educated or the healthiest person is chosen to lead.
21. Kanuri people are peace loving, hospitable and more welcoming people. Though some of them strangers and migrants coming from other parts of the World living with them often mistake their hospitality as weakness and resulting in bringing some non-native attitudes/troubles in to their lands for example the name “Rabih Fadaala” is not a Kanuri name neither a name originating or associated with the Kanem-Bornu meaning that Rabih is not a native of Kanem-Bornu or a Kanuri man but yet took the advantage of the Kanuri’s hospitality while he was a student studying in the Empire and end up desterilizing the peace of the entire Empire for almost a decade.
22. Every Kanuri man is born with the dream of performing pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah and later visits the holy prophet in Madinah in his lifetime.
23. A kanuri man never addresses a person of his father’s age with his name without adding the word “BA’A” (Father) and if the person is older than him and not up to his father’s age he adds “YA’A” (Brother or Sister), so this made it common to hear addressing people of father’s age as Ba’a Yuram, Ba’a Yusuf, Ba’a Umar, Ba’a Adam or in case of persons of older brother’s or older sister’s age as Ya’a Usman, Ya’a Zanna, Ya’a Shettima, Ya’a Adam or Ya’a Mairam, Ya’a Kori, Ya’a
Kingi, Ya’a Kaltum.
24. An average Kanuri man always maintains the five daily prayers as instructed by Islam.
25. Kanuri man is always careful with what he wears and where he is going to. For example, if he is visiting friends, he might be wearing his casual or normal dress, but if he is visiting parents, elders or other important personalities and occasions he prefers wearing his Kanuri native dress with its cap.
26. The man standing always greets the man sitting.
CONCLUSION:
Though the Kanuri populace settlement started with the establishment of settlement located north of the present day Lake Chad in the 7th century but their ancestors have been in the Lake Chad area for a period much longer than that, however centuries later this settlement grew to become a kingdom, the kingdom later became an Empire and in 600 years the Empire grew to become an undisputed champion of Africa and the 5th greatest empire in both power and size in the global history at its peak. Though the Kanem-Bornu is a Kanuri kingdom, but it is multicultural in characteristic since inception as both founders of the two main dynasties were either Arabs or half Arab and yet the Kanuri coexisted with many local tribes for hundreds of years in its empire such tribes includes Mandara, Kotoko, Shuwa,Sau ,Babur,Ngezem, Karekare, Bolewa,Marghi, Barbers, Arabs,Chibok and many more
The Othman Empire was once the strongest ally of Kanem-Bornu and the Bornu Empire also had multi diplomatic ties with almost all the ancient major empires and kingdoms of North Africa, Southern Europe and the Arabia.
As it is very natural for every kingdom, empire, nations, communities and clans to have periods of ups and downs or weakness and strengths so it is with the Kanuri people and their empires. The Kanuri people are always peaceful and accommodating people, but some people keep mistaking these their unique attitudes for weakness as a result strangers like Rabih , had the opportunity in distorting the peace in the empire in the 19th century for almost a decade and 100 years after Rabih similar situation is repeating itself. But this would never make the Kanuri man change from this very unique caring and attitudes towards everyone as the Empire itself started on the foundation of peace, hospitality and sharing.
As for the disappearing Kanuri language, the author believes that after long contributions of these Kanuri people in the development of many nations of Africa in diverse regions including Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Niger and Gabon by now, they have many personalities that are experts in their fields and masters of their professions that can use their skills, powers and advantage to help promote , preserve and revive this fast disappearing, decaying and decayed language especially through mainstreaming the Kanuri language in to our elementary-Primary and secondary education system (school’s curriculum) after reading this little article.
Finally considering all of the above statements; the Kanuri people shall always have brighter futures as they stand masters of hospitality, promoters of humanity, facilitators of scholarships and people who trust in God.
Thank you for reading this piece:
*The theory of comparative advantage is an economic theory about the work gains from trade for individuals, firms, or nations that arise from differences in their factor endowments or technological progress. In an economic model, agents have a comparative advantage over others in producing a particular good if they can produce that good at a lower relative opportunity cost or autarky price, i.e. at a lower relative marginal cost prior to trade.
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42. https://www.google.com.ng/search?dcr=0&biw=1024&bih=659&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=GONI+MUHAMMAD+ALI+GABCHIYA+&oq=GONI+MUHAMMAD+ALI+GABCHIYA+&gs_l=psy-ab.3...100053.110847.0.111205.9.9.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..9.0.0.oeGwZEMOi50#imgrc=9I_gvJOlEjyUqM:
43. http://britishbattles.homestead.com/files/africa/Bornu_musketeers_and_drummers_1912.jpg
44. https://jacquesjangoux.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/jngx0764_sultan_1248px_copyright_sharp03.jpg
45. https://kwekudee-tripdownmemorylane.blogspot.com/2012/09/8000-years-ago-africans-invented-dufuna.html
46. https://www.google.com/search?q=ibn+Khaldun&biw=1366&bih=608&sxsrf=ACYBGNT8lwLfYZA0JjOKdVlb0KFteeEVmQ:1578840935395&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=UxAAcvccj5oq5M%253A%252CBOHPkL0aHwloYM%252C%252Fm%252F01c8x8&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kQQqiAQj7mI5O8ir6yPs9Y8fr6euQ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiSrPHoqP7mAhUMKMAKHSw0AaMQ_B0wEnoECAgQAw#imgrc=14cx_cseuNuUvM:&vet=1
47. https://web.facebook.com/ahmedkanurit3lambaraa/photos/pcb.732019153909089/732018947242443/?type=3&theater
48. https://web.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10214651695746856&set=pcb.10214651696026863&type=3&theater
49. https://sahara-overland.com/tag/djado/
Author-BABAGANA ABUBAKAR
UNCCPP, Masters, BSc, Fellow African Scientific Institute, Alumnus United Nations Institute for Training and Research Geneva, Switzerland.
Auth
THE-END
Kanuri Complete
INTRODUCTION:
Kanuri /kəˈnuːri/ also known as Barebari, Bornowaji and Kolejo by some other neighbouring African ethnic groups is a dialect continuum spoken by some Eleven (11) million people, but there are approximately additional Seven (7) million Kanuri people that do not speak the language as at the year 2017.The Kanuri people mainly lives in North –Eastern Nigeria , Eastern Niger , South Western & Eastern Chad and Northern Cameroon republics as well as in small minorities in southern Libya and by diaspora in Sudan and the Republic of Gabon ,Congo and Eritrea are also among the list of countries with very small population of the Kanuri people. Others lives in Lafiyan Barebari of Nasarawa state, Zaria in Kaduna state, Hadejia, kerikasamma and Mallam Madori all in Jigawa state of Nigeria, plus some other remaining few ones not mentioned here.
The name Kanuri is written in Arabic as كانوري , it is written in the Hebrew as קאנורי , it is also written in the Chinese language as 金栗 , while in the Hindi language of India it is written as कनूरी and the Ethiopian Amharic language write Kanuri as ካኑሪ ,in the Russian language it is written as Канури while the Greek writes it as Κανούρι.
The Kanuri Kingdom with its remnant cities, provinces and states like Borno and Yobe states in Nigeria , Damagaram (Zinder) in Niger , Mao the capital of Prefecture of Kanem in Chad as well as Kusri and Baghirmi in Cameroon republics were said to have originated from the East. Some experts interpreted this East as the South –Western Arabian Peninsula which equals to the modern day geographical description of the territories of Al Hudaydah (Arabic: الحديدة), also known in English as Hodeida or Hudaiyya in the Kanuri language presently located in the republic of Yemen at 14°48′08″N 42°57′04″E .
The Kanuri people came all the way from the Arabian Peninsula and settled at about 640 kilometers north of the present day Lake Chad which latter emerged as the great Bornu kingdom and later known as the Kanem-Bornu Empire (One of the two greatest Empires in the history of Africa).”Although this historical findings were based on extractions from available existing historical sources both at home (Borno, Damagaram and Kanem- Mao) and abroad including the British Library London , the American Museum of Natural History New York as well as the Suleymaniye Library in Istanbul- Turkey ☪ , but yet with the advent of modern technological advancements in the field of “DNA” testing and identifications; I believe that further research needed to be carry out with time in the field of Geo-archaeological and Geo-biological investigations to further prove these findings beyond reasonable doubts. However, considering the similarities between the Kanuri language and Arabic in many ways one would be tempted to accept these historical connections of the two. For example counting days of the week in Kanuri is same as counting days of the week in Arabic in both pattern and names; thus the Kanuri week days reads as Litirin, Talau, Larawa, Lamisu, Zuma, Sibdu & Ladu while in Arabic reads as Alaithnayn ,Althulatha, Al'arbiea, Alkhamis, Aljumat , Alsabt & Al’ahad (الاثنين الثلاثاء الاربعاء الخميس الجمعة السبت الاحد ). They also share some similarities in respect of some existing words & nouns such as “Dunya” in Kanuri is referred to as “Duniya” in Arabic (both are referring to the name of the World in their languages), others are “Suwanallah” in Kanuri is referred to as “Subhannallah” in Arabic ,Sadaa in Kanuri is Sadaqqa in Arabic , Nuwur in Kanuri is Nur in Arabic, Lardu in Kanuri is Lard in Arabic, same as others like zannah (Janna), Mairuwu (Magrib) , Riman (Imam), Sami (Samai), Kasuwu (Suk or Suq),Fajar (Fajr ) etc . Additional examples includes the months of the year in the Kanuri language reads as Muaram, Safar,Rabiyul Awwal,Rabiul sani,Jummada Awal, Jumada Gaji, Rajab, Shaaban,Ramalam,Shawwal, Zulkidda and Zulhajj which named in Arabic as Muharram, Safar Rabiul Auwwal ,Rabius Sani ,Jamadial Auwwal, Jamadius Sani ,Rajab, Shaban ,Ramadan ,Shawwal and Zil Qad Zil Hijja (month of Hajj).
In fact, other historical evidences prove that the Kanuri people were using the Arabic Alphabets as well as the Arabic numerals (numerical numbers) in communication for more than a thousand years. So with all these facts put together then one can easily conclude that the Kanuri language is a product of decayed or decaying local Arabic language mixed with some local African indigenous languages. This is one of the main reasons why the Anthropologists classified the Kanuri language under the Afro-Asiatic language family.
Despite the fact that the semi desert Lake chad environment which stands in the heart of the Kanuri settlement ( Kanem-Bornu Empire ) is a dusty environment as such that if a person living in this environment doesn’t washes his exposed (uncovered) parts of the body more often or regularly the dust gets settled on his/her Skin and makes the Skin looks very dusty looking, but despite the dusty characteristics of this environment yet the Kanuri people here are looking more fresher when compared to the other people living in the same environment, this is because the Kanuri people washes parts of their bodies especially their face, hands and feet more frequently and on each day while performing ablution with water to perform the five daily Islamic prayers as they are 100% practicing Muslims. Hence this makes them keep having more fresher looking Skin at all times; especially their faces or foreheads compared to the other ethnic groups sharing same environment that do not perform this acts of washing. It was in view of this fresher looking like Skins and faces of the Kanuri people living in the middle of this dusty environment that made some of the neighboring ethnic groups such as the “Sau” (reputedly a race of giants that once lived around the present day area of Ngala & Gamboru areas in North Eastern Nigeria and Kusri and Garoua in northern Cameroon) referred to them as the “Kanuri” or the “Kanuri” people.
The NAME Kanuri itself is coined from the combination of two Kanuri words; “KA” meaning Stick and “NURI” meaning light (Nuri is a word originally derived from the Arabic language word “NUR” which also means light in Arabic) So KA + NURI= KANURI.
“KA + NURI= KANURI” (Stick & Light)
Reason for calling the Kanuri people as KA + NURI= KANURI in the first place, was that the Kanuri people on arrival were mainly Pastoralists engaged in rearing of cattle and Sheep. They rear these animals on feet or with the support of riding on animals such as Horses and Donkeys. As a normal tradition almost every pastoralist carries a stick along that helps him guide his animals while grazing and chasing them back home on return, so same it was with the Kanuri people. But for the Sau people they know that there were a lot of pastoralists living within this environment with same pattern of rearing animals, but this Kanuri people have more fresher looking Skin in complexion with shiny forehead when compared to their counterparts in the environment; and at the same time always holding sticks like any other Pastoralist in the Area, so in other to differentiate them with the other Pastoralists holding same Sticks and rearing same animals in the same environment made the Sau's and the other local communities within this Lake Chad area refer to them as the Kanuri or the Kanuris; which is literally translated as "Stick and Nur" as indicated above. Hence since then the Kanuri man became known as Kanuri and known with this name by many other tribes and nations including the Saus, Arabs, Kotoko, Berbers, Sudanese and even the Europeans, the Ethiopians and the Turkish as well as the Egyptians. In addition to the Marghi, Babur, Ngezem, Chibok, Gwoza and Bolewa among other locals. Though the Kanuri people are also known by some other ethnic groups in Africa with other names; for example they are called the "Bare Bari" by the present day Hausa people, "Barnowaji" by the Najdi, Baggara and Hejazi tribes living in Chad and Sudan republics, Kolejo by the Fulani people and so on.
The Kanuri language was the major language of the pre-colonial Kanem-Bornu Empire and still remains the major language spoken in Borno and Yobe sates in the modern day Nigeria , Diffa and Damagaram in Niger republic, Mao-Kanem in Chad as well as in Kusri and Kolfata in Cameroon Kirikasamma (K3r3kasama) and Malam Madori of Jigawa state –Nigeria, plus some few others in the Western Sudan.
THE KANURI EMPIRE:
The Kanuri kingdom of the Bornu started with the Dynasty of Sayfawa which was founded by “Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan” also known as Sef Dhu Ifazan ( Sef, son of Dhu Ifazan) who was a man history describes as an Arab from the Arabian Peninsula of Yemen territory. However, before the arrival of Sef (Sayf) himself the Kanuri people were already existing around the Lake Chad area as far back as the 7th century and absorbing both indigenous Nilo-Saharan and Chadic (Afro-Asiatic) speakers or languages resulting in the emergence of the Kanuri culture. But until the 9th century that they united with the people of Kanem under the leadership of Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan to form the Sayfawa dynasty of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Archeologic evidences indicated that even before the emergence of Kanuri as culture, their ancestors and their civilization started in this area as far back as in the 6th century BC. There are many evidences to prove this claim and one of such evidence was the accidental discovery of an ancient canoe in the Kanem-Bornu town of Dufuna located in the present day Yobe state of Nigeria in the year 1987, when a peasant farmer in this semi desert town some few kilometers away from the city of Damaturu the capital of Yobe state - Nigeria discovered an ancient Canoe buried underground while digging a Well to source for water. The Radio-Carbon dating of this Canoe shows that it is over Six thousand years (6000) old, making it the World’s second oldest Canoe ever discovered in human history which directly translated civilization in the Kanem-Bornu to be among the earliest in human history. In fact, with this discovery Bornu now stands to challenge even the history of Egypt which is famous for its ancient pyramids dating back to approximately 5000 years.
The Sayfawa (Yazan’s dynasty) ruled and controlled the Kanem-Bornu Empire for about 800 years with the town of Njimi located to the north-eastern part of the Lake Chad as its first capital.
The Sayfawa Dynasty and their subjects later fled to Birnin Gazargamu when the Bilala or Bulala people attacked them. Birnin Gazargamu remained as capital even after the reclaiming of the city of Njimi in the 16th Century. However, over the year’s towns and cities like Monguno, Kukawa, Dikwa, Old Maiduguri and now Yerwa (Maiduguri) were all capitals of the Kanem Bornu Empire at different times since the last 1000 years.
The Kanem-Bornu Empire expansion peaked during the long and energetic reign of Mai Dunama Dabbalemi (ca. 1221-59). Dabbalemi initiated diplomatic exchanges with sultans in North Africa and apparently arranged for the establishment of a special Hostel and a Collage in Cairo, Egypt (Misra) in order to exchange knowledge with the Egyptians and also to facilitate the people of the Kanem-Bornu Empire travelling to the cities of Makkah (Mecca) & Madina (Medina) in Hijaz present day Saudi Arabia to perform the holy Islamic pilgrimage. This development in Cairo means that the Bornu pilgrims’ travelers to Makkah were passing through Cairo and subsequently through the Sinai Peninsula and finally crossing over the Red Sea via Sharm-el-Sheikh to arrive in Saudi Arabia, though some others also cross through the Palestine and Jordan territories directly to arrive in Saudi Arabia’s cities of Makkah & Madina. Because Mai Dabbalemi, also reign the Fezzan region (in the present-day Libya in an Area of 551,170 km² located at Coordinates: 26.3328°N 13.4253°E) under his authority during his reign as the King of Kanem-Bornu, so this made the journey to Makkah via Cairo much more geographically logical and understandable.
Later the Empire's influence extended southwestward to Kirikasamma, Malummadori, Hadejia down to Kano, eastward to Wadai, and southward to the Adamawa grasslands with many parts in the present day Cameroon republic including the towns/areas of Kousiri, Kolofata, Garoua and Maroua. In fact, many histories included the territories of Rhumsiki and Mora also in Cameroon as part of this ancient Super power.
During the reign of Dunama II (1221-1259), Kanem-Bornu established its embassy in Tunisia around the year 1257 AD as mentioned by the famous Spanish – Andalusian and Tunisian based historian Ibn Khaldun also known as Abū Zayd ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Khaldūn al-Ḥaḍram (d. 1406 C.E.). This Embassy was established in order to facilitate trade and maintain diplomatic relations with the North African Kingdoms as well as the southern European Kingdoms and Empires such as the Romans, Greece and the Spanish /Portugal (Andalausia/ Cordoba/ Granada).
The Size of the Kanem Bornu Empire as at this time under Dunoma Dibalemi II was so big beyond comprehension in the African region as such that even IBN Khaldun himself calls Dunoma II and his empire in plural as the 'King of Kanem and Lord of Bornu”. Remember that IBN Khaldun was one of the founder and father of Sociology and Sciences of History best known for his famous 'Muqaddimah,' (Prolegomena) in (Arabic: مقدّمة ابن خلدون) or Ibn Khaldun's Prolegomena in (Ancient Greek: Προλεγόμενα), which is a book written by Ibn Khaldun recording an early view of universal history. Some modern thinkers view it as the first work dealing with the social sciences of sociology,
Militarily the Empire was super big that during one of the pilgrimages of Mai Dibalemi to Makkah through Cairo , he arrived Cairo with a total sum of 120,000 (One hundred and Twenty thousand) soldiers with One hundred thousand horsemen that he left behind in Cairo in order to cross over to Makkah and Madina to perdform the holy pilgrimage with the intention of taking them back on return. Remember that during the time of his reing the entier World’s population was below 300,000,000 (Three hundred million) people. In fact, the size of his armies made the Egyptian thought that it was an invation of Egypt, when it was only an escort on a transit situation enroute to Makkah.
By the middle of the 13th century, Kanem established diplomatic relations with the Tuat (in the Algerian Sahara) and with the Hafsid of North Africa at embassy level. Even as ta that time the Kanem-Bornu scholars and poets could write classical Arabic of a very high standard. This evidence is illustrated in the letter written by the Chief Scribe of the Kanem-Bornu court dating from 1391 to 1392.
Towards the end of the 13th century, Kanem-Bornu became a center of Islamic knowledge as a result famous teachers came from many parts of the World including Mali (another ancient African Kingdom) to teach in the Kanem-Bornu.
The reign of Mai Idris Alauma (Idris Alooma) was another famous reign that followed after Mai Dibalemi’s reign. In fact, history had it that the great Mai Idris Alauma, was one of the World’s greatest leaders in World history and a Kanuri hero remembered for his military skills, administrative reforms and Islamic piety. His main adversaries were the Hausa to the west, the Tuareg and Toubou to the north, and the Bulala to the east. One epic poem extols his victories in 330 wars and more than 1,000 battles. His innovations include the employment of fixed military camps (with walls); Introduction and use of Camels, the Kotoko’s boatmen, and iron-helmeted musketeers trained by Turkish military advisers in his wars and battles. During his reign he had good diplomatic ties with almost all the surrounding Worlds great historical Kingdoms and Empires including the Ottoman Empire, the Roman empire, Andalusia, Songhai and Hijaz.
Geographically, territorially, historically, politically, economically and socio-culturally as well as militarily his reign was the maximum peak ever of the empire.
In fact, under his reign the Kanem-Bornu Empire became the fifth biggest Empire in the World.
At this time the Ottoman Empire maintained a very good military, cultural and trade relations with the Kanem-Bornu Empire. History also had it that the Turkey (Ottoman) Empire always assists Kanem-Bornu militarily as such that in one occasion it sent a 200-member ambassadorial party across the desert to Alauma's court at Ngazargamu. Alauma was a record holder when it comes to treaty in Africa, because he signed the first known written treaty or cease-fire agreement in the history of Africa, which later translated in to the present day United Nations Geneva Convention.
Alauma sponsored the construction of numerous mosques and schools across the Empire during his reign and made a pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah) himself with thousands of his subjects. Just like Mai Dibalemi he also arranged for the establishment of Hostels for the Kanem-Bornu pilgrims visiting Makkah, but only this time around the Hostels are located directly in the holy city of Makkah instead of Cairo. With this development the Hostels in Cairo became a transit Hostel on the way to Pilgrimage to Makkah. Alauma set up Qadhis courts to introduce Islamic laws in place of the traditional system of customary laws. He built a large number of brick structures to replace the existing ones, built with reeds the remnant of this Bricks are still found in the lands of Ngazargamu and Njimi.
During the reign of Alauma many products or goods originating from the Kanem Bornu were sent northward for trading to North African nations/kingdoms of Algeria, Tunisa, Morroco as well as Egypt in addition to the Mediterranean European nations including Rome, Spain, Portugal (city of Fatima) and Greece. The goods traded include perfume, wax, cotton, ivory, ostrich, natron (sodium carbonate), feathers and hides. Imports included salt, horses, camels, silk, glass, muskets, and copper among others.
The Kanuri Kingdom at the time of Alauma became the biggest and undisputed champion of Africa. Phillip Koslow, a modern historian, declared that: “His contemporary, Elizabeth I of England, a shrewd and strong-willed monarch who gave her name to an age and has been repeatedly celebrated in books and films, could hardly have claimed greater achievements in war, administration or diplomacy like Alauma.”.
The Ottoman Empire of Turkey remains the biggest non-African ally of the Kanem- Bornu Empire in History. The Ottoman Empire at the time of Mai Alauma, was ruling the greater part of the World including the Eurasia, parts of North-Africa, the Middle East and the Caucasus (south-western Russian Federation , oblasts, Armenia , Azerbaijan , Georgia ,Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Hijaz, Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus plus others) with the city of Istanbul in Turkey as its capital. The Europeans called Turkey with the name “Constantinople”.
If not because of the amalgamation of Africa by the colonial societies in the 19th/20th century the Kanem-Bornu Empire, by now would have been ranked alongside great nations like Italy, Spain, England, France and Turkey in terms of achievements and developments. Because Bornu empire in the last 400 years were of the same size and prestige. This explains the reason why when the great “King Juan Carlos” the King of Spain while delivering a statement in Maiduguri at the Ramat Square on the 16th December 1986 during a visit to Nigeria, stated in his speech that his Kingdom has many historical connections to the Kanuri people and that Spain still holds in its archives vital historical artifacts including letters of correspondences that are hundreds of years old between his Kingdom and the Kanem-Bornu Empire. In fact, this statement coming from the great King Carlos himself made the modern African scholars and historians to now understand better how powerful this great Empire of Kanem-Bornu was in the medieval period.
Following an unexpected war launched by the Sokoto Caliphate on Borno caused by growing lapses from the rulers of the post Mai Idris Alauma era in the Bornu Empire who grew weaker by the day and for failing to protect the territorial integrity of the Empire the Bornu authorities under the reign of Mai Dunama IX Lefiami (1808-1810) invited Shehu al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî (Arabic: محمد الأمين بن محمد الكانمي) (1776–1837) to defend Bornu.
Table 1: List of some popular Mais (Sayfawa Dynasty) of the
Kanem-Bornu Empire:
Names of some popular Kanuri kings (Mais) Period of Reign
(1) Mai Hume 1086–1097
(2) Mai Dunama Dibbalemi 1221–1259
(3) Mai Ali Gajideni 1472–1504
(4) Mai Idris Katakarmabe 1504–1526
(5) Mai Idris Alauma 1571–1603
(6) Muhammad Bukalmarami 1603-1617
(7) Muhammad VII Erghamma 1737-1752
(8) Ali IV ibn Haj Hamdun 1755-1793
(9) Dunama Lafiami 1808-1810
(10) Mai Ibrahim 1817-1846
Elkanemi was a Kanuri man and a Islamic scholar born to a Kanembu father and an Arab mother in Murzuk which is a town now located in the Fezzan region of Southern Libya, but was part of the Kanem-Bornu Empire for 600 years.
El Kanemi waged his war against Sokoto not only with weapons but also with letters as he desired to thwart Dan Fodio’s jihad with the same ideological weapons. He carried on a series of theological, legal and political debates by letter with the Sultan of Sokoto Usman Dan Fodio, and later with his son, Muhammed Bello. As the expansion of Sokoto was predicated upon a struggle against paganism, apostasy, and misrule, El-Kanemi challenged the right of his neighbours to strike at a state which had been Muslim for modern 800 years. Elkanemi was able to expelled the enemies through jis strategies of planning, inspiration, and prayer, and he attracted a following, especially from Shuwa Arab networks and Kanembu communities extending far outside Borno's borders. The Mai Lefiami rewarded his victory with control over a Bornu province on the Western march. Taking only the title "Shehu" ("Sheikh"), and eschewing the traditional offices, El-Kanemi gathered a powerful following, becoming both the voice of Bornu in negotiations with Sokoto, as well as a semi-independent ruler of a trade rich area with a powerful military. Dunama was deposed by his uncle in 1809, but the support of al-Kanemi brought him back to power in 1813.
It was Elkanemi that relocated the capital of Kanem-Bornu from Ngazargamu to the ancient city of Kukawa (in Present day Nigeria) in the year 1814.
Though after the victory Elkanemi became the voice of Bornu in the negotiations with the Sokoto caliphate, but his dynasty did not get absolute power over Borno until in 1846 because the Sayfawa Mais remained titular monarchs until the 1846 when Umar the Son of El-Amin Elkanemi, became Shehu, thus ending one of the longest dynastic reigns in international history. By then, Hausaland in the west, was lost to the Sokoto Caliphate, while the east and north were lost to the Wadai Empire.
Many of the descendants of the Mais from the Saifawa dynasty are still living in the present day Maiduguri city with many of them living in the Lawan Bukar Kacha, Fezzan, Shehuri North of Maiduguri as well as in the Alau village near the Alau Dam in Maiduguri/Konduga territory
Table 2: List of some popular Shehus of the Bornu Empire:
1. Shehu al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî 1814- 1835
2. Shehu Umar Ibn Muhammad El-kanemi 1835- 1853
3. Shehu Darman el-kanemi 1853- 1880
4. Shehu Hashim Ibn Muhammad El-kanemi 1885- 1893
5. Shehu Abubakar Garbai El-kanemi 1902- 1922
6. Shehu Sanda Kura 1922- 1937
7. Shehu Sanda Kyari Ibn Muhammad El-Amin El-kanemi 1937- 1967
8. Shehu Umar Garbai Ibn Bukar 1968 1974
9. Shehu Mustapha Umar Ibn Umar El-kanemi 1974- 2009
10. Shehu Abubakar Garbai Umari El-kanemi 2009 to date.
MIGHT & WEALTH OF KANEM-BORNU BETWEEN 11TH TO THE 13TH CENTURY:
Economically the Kanem-Bornu empire never lacked since inception as the empire never experience defeat and yet history keeps revealing the extraordinary might of this Empire. The Empire or the ancient Kanuri people have some historical similarities with the ancient Egyptian empires; for instance, these two group of people are one of the very few people that had the might of abandoning an entire built cities in history for no reason other than building another one that matches or suits the tastes of a particular time. The people of Kanem-Bornu were good in rotating capitals from time to time, unlike other African Ancient Empires that have their capitals standing for over 500 years, in Kanem-Bornu one cannot find Kanem-Bornu capital that remained a capital for over 400 years. Remember Ngazargamu. Kukawa, Njimi, Monguno, Yerwa etc were or are all capitals of the Empire at different times.
The abandoned beautiful city of Djado (Zara-Aura or Zara-Awura)) , which is geographically located at Coordinates: 20.983°N 12.333°E and presently located in the Niger republic was built by the ancient Kanuri people of Kanem-Bornu around 1000 (One thousand) years back, but was completely abandoned since the past 800 years for no reason other than economic wealth and might. Though modern researchers tried to connect the reason to droughts, closeness to the central Authorities, water availability and supply as well as expansion and contraction of the territories but archeologists prove otherwise as the ancient paintings of the Djado caves recently discovered shows richness of the city and the surrounding environment rather than hardships and water scarcities.
Fig.14: Showing map indicating the location of the ancient Kanuri city of Djado:
Whatever the reason is for abandoning the Djado city, but the historical and archaeological evidences still prove that Djado was abandoned as human settlement sine the 13th century, probably under the reign of Dunama Dibalemi of Kanem-Bornu.
The ruined city of Zara is still standing on the Djado Plateau in the heart of the Sahara Desert and its abandoned uninhabited forts are still visible till today, because the Sahara Desert is a place characterized by very little rainy seasons mostly less than 15 cm per year in most places, so this was what made the city and its ancient paintings to keep standing, preserved and almost intact in some parts till today.
Zara-Aura lies on the southern end of the Djado plateau in Niger republic at elevation 450 meters above sea level within an oasis of brackish water.
Zara-Aura (Djado plateu) site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on May 26, 2006 in the Cultural category due to its universal cultural significance too mankind.
KANURI & RELIGION:
The Kanuri people are 100 % Muslims. Islam stands as a reference point for the Kanuri lifestyle and the entire Kanuri culture. The actions of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) stands as a reference point at all times and in making every decision ranging from jurisprudence, to marriages, issues of inheritance, types and nature of foods to be eaten and even dress codes and dress ethics among many others.
Kanuri towns and villages are characterized by having many Mosques, with an average of 4 Mosques per street in their cosmopolitan cities like Maiduguri, Mao-Kanem, Damagaram, Damaturu, Bama etc.
Maiduguri is ranked as the city with the highest concentration of Mosques in the Sub-Saharan African region. It has well over 14, 000 Mosques.
KANURI & EDUCATION:
If the definition of literacy is the ability to read and write, then the Kanuri people are over 90 % literate, because the majority of the Kanuri people can read and write either in Arabic or in the Western education system or even both. This is because it is embedded in the Kanuri tradition for every Kanuri person attends the Quranic / Islamic education system and with the coming of western education now most people attend both before marriage.
KANURI DRESS CLOTH:
The Kanuri adults mostly wear Gowns which are locally known as the Kuluwu in the Kanuri language “Babban riga” or “Malum-Malum” in the Hausa language, in addition to traditionally made local Caps such as the Zanna, Dara, Ajyi and Damanga among some few others not mentioned here. While the younger once and some other adults too also wear other dresses like the Caftan, modern cloths like Jackets or even Suits and some other ones depending on the occasion. But the Kanuri women always cover all parts of their bodies excluding the face, palms and feet’s especially when they are going out to public areas. Though there is a slight difference in the dress modes of a married woman and those that are not married, but the overall objectives here is to cover the whole of the body with the exception of the above mentioned parts.
KANURI AND KANURI DIALECTS:
The Kanuri language has the largest number of speakers of the Central Saharan Language Family. Today there are many different types of Kanuri dialects within the Kanuri language some of which includes the Kanuri Wuje, Gumati, Manga, Bodoi, Kanembu, Kwayam, Kuburi ,Suwurti, Bodoi, Manga and others. In the olden days almost all the Kanuri people speaks in one common dialect where everything remains same in terms of the oral aspect of speaking the Kanuri language. However, the diversification in the mode of livelihoods or professions of the different Kanuri groups was then used as a determinant of a dialect. For example, the Kanuri people engaged more in trading business are likely to be Kanuri Wuje or Kanuri Gumati, those Kanuris that are more in to nomadism lifestyle or economy are likely to be Kwayam and those in to fishing are likely to be the Buduma and so on.
The professions of the olden days Kanuri people were generally rearing of animals (pastoralism), trading, farming, fishing, mining (potassium mining in the open waters of the Lake Chad) , teaching, Mat making, ginning, scholarly professions ,hunting, dying of cloths and cloth making, Horse saddles making, blacksmithing and others.
However, in the modern era these dialects became more distinctive from each other by the way the oral language is spoken in terms of its tone, oral contents and sometimes even the contents in nouns of some Kanuri dialects. This is because place, distance and time are factors having effects in shaping the oral nature of language. For instance the differences that exists between the British English spoken in the Great Britain and the American English spoken in America (USA) or Australia Others includes the differences that exists amongst the various Arabic types or dialects spoken in various Arab nations, for instant the Arabic spoken in Egypt is Different from the one spoken in the United Arab Emirates same applies to the Arabic spoken in Iraq which differs with that of Morocco, though they may understand each other to a some extents.
Today there is no single Kanuri dialect that are 100% in to a particular profession as in the ancient times, although some tends to be more professional in a particular profession than others, due to the effects of the principle of comparative advantage* hence this makes the Kanuri Kwayams to be more professional in practicing pastoral farming than the other Kanuri types, the Budumas to be more profession in fishing than the other Kanuri dialects etc. Yet this also means that there are Kanuris who originally not pastoralists or fishermen but they later in life chooses to be one. This situation plus the effect of language distance decay and language time decay resulted in the emergence of the various Kanuri distinctive dialects of today.
The colonial societies such as the English, German, Italy and France also had some influences on the nature of the present day Kanuri language spoken in their various territories. The colonial rules in the Kanem-Bornu Empire by these four mighty European colonial societies namely British, French, Germans and the Italians that splatted this Empire in to 5 or 6 different countries (Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Libya and parts of Sudan) have had some of their words included in to the Kanuri language during the colonial and even in this post-colonial periods.
The extent of this dilution of the Kanuri language has resulted in making the Kanuri language spoken in the English territory of Nigeria differs with the Kanuri language spoken in French countries like Niger and Cameroon.
In the Kanuri spoken in the English territory one can spot some English words in them for instant Kashiwu in Knuri is Cashew in English, Mangulo in Kanuri is Mango in English, Lemun in Kanuri is Lemon in English others are Karass (Carrot) , Telehon (Telephone), Kafenta (Carpenta) , Mota (Motor-Car) , Tumatkum (Tomato) , Kwalta (Coal tar ) , Raadio (Radio) , Talbijin (Television) ,Toji (Torchlight) and so on. Same applies with the Bornu-Kanuri French territories of Damagaram and Kousri in Niger, Kanem in Chad republics as well as the Bornu-Kanuri German territories of Kousri and Kolofata in the republic of Cameroon.
In view of the above we now have more than ten different Kanuri dialects spread across Africa and some of the most popular ones as earlier mentioned are the Kanuri Wuje, Gumati, Manga, Bodoi, Kanembu, Morr, Kwayam, Suwurti, Buduma and others. In addition, we also have the Kanuri people that doesn’t belongs to any of these or any other dialects simply because they do not speak the Kanuri oral language, but rather they hold to some of Kanuri cultural heritage after a very long time of language and cultural decays observed in a far distance environment away from the Kanuri mainland. Kanuri people under this category includes the Kanuri people of Lafiyan Barebari in Nasarawa state of Nigeria, who were able to only keep the tribal marks and some few Kanuri names and traditional titles and titles names as their heritage without speaking the oral Kanuri language, plus other Kanuris living in Diaspora in distant places like Khartoum Sudan, Fezzan Libya, Oyem Gabon and Abeche in Chad among others.
TYPES OF KANURI DIALECTS:
Kanuri Manga: This is a type of Kanuri dialect mostly spoken in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria and South-Western Niger republic in towns and cities like Nguru, Geidam, Yusufari, Yunusari in Nigeria and Damagaram in Niger republic. Kanuri Islamic scholars often use this dialect in translating and learning of Arabic scripts as well as the Holy Quran in Kanuri. Scholars mostly recommend this dialect for the learning purpose because it is more complex in contents in terms of differentiating things or elements. For example, in Manga one can construct an understandable sentences referring to a man or woman without necessarily mentioning the name of the gender referred to in the beginning, middle or end of the sentence and a listener can easily understand that it is referring to a man or woman, but this is difficult in the many other remaining dialects. The Manga Kanuri speakers are referred to as Manga. Manga people are mostly engaged in Agriculture, trading as well as pastoral activities. They are also one of the Kanuri community that specializes in camel rearing and production of Kanuri local dry cheese referred to as the Chukkwu in Kanuri.
Manga people are mostly tall and stately people.
Kanuri Kanembu: The Kanembu speakers are mostly living primarily in Chad republic around the areas of the Chad's Lac Prefecture but also in Chari-Baguirmi and Kanem prefectures with some few others in Northern Cameroun republic. 75 to 80% of the Kanembus are all merchants in Chad, making them, in a relative way, one of the Chad's wealthiest groups. They are a sedentary group who also engage in agriculture, Islamic education and raising livestock some are also in to fishing. They cultivate Wheat, millet and corn near the lake.
The Kanembu people are also known to be producing special local coffee referred to as the “Gaha”in Kanuri. And they are known to be good drinkers of this Gaha and Tea.
Kanuri Gumati:
This is the Kanuri dialect Spoken in Monguno ,Marte,parts of Kukawa and Mintor areas. This dialect is much similar in context and nature to the Kanuri Wuje spoken in Yerwa because of the historical cosmopolitant nature of the Monguno,Marte and Kukawa areas. In fact the towns of Monguno and Kukawa were once the capitals of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
The Gumatis are also engaged in Pastoral activities,but they are more into trading. Many people use to claim that they are the real Kanuri people..
Many believed that the Kanuri Gumati are the most cosmopolitan of the Kanuri amongst various diverse dialects.
Kanuri Kwayam:
The Kwayam mostly lives in North-Eastern Nigeria especially in Magumeri, Gajiram and Gajiganna areas of Borno state. They are nomadic lifestyle is very similar to that of the Fulani ethnic group also living in Nigeria and Niger republics. They have some similarities with the Fulanis in terms of their nomadic or pastoral lifestyle as such that some people often mistakes them for the Mbororo Fulanis. While the Fulanis roam around with their cattle, the Kwayams seek land for farming activities alongside rearing. They hold vast traditional knowledge on rearing animals or the pastoral profession, as such that by just mere looking at an animal (cattle, sheep, chicken, goats etc.) among thousands, they can easily identify the ones that can multiply rapidly, produce healthier offspring without necessarily looking at the prevailing existing health status of the animal under as at the moment. They also know the animals that can endure surviving under harsh climate (climate change).
In addition, the Kwayams also holds vast knowledge of traditional Astronomy; they hold the knowledge about the movement of Stars in the Sky that enables them knows faiths of future natural phenomena such as droughts and raining seasons. Amazingly this knowledge even enables them find their locations at night when they are lost anywhere during the day time.
The Kwayams have similar tribal marks like all other Kanuri dialects, but theirs are thicker and shorter.
Kanuri Bodoi: The Kanuri Bodoi are very similar to the Kanuri Kwayam, but the differences are in their lifestyles with the Kwayam more into pastoralism and the Bodoi supplements his Pastoral practices with trading, teaching and other professions. Both of them are very many in Magumeri, Gajiganna and Gajiram but the Bodois also extent into Gubio, Benisheikh and some parts of Guzamala-Kukawa all in North-Eastern parts of Nigeria.
Kanuri Wuje or Kanuri central (Some call it Kanuri Yerwa or Kanuri Lare):
The Kanuri Wuje or the Kanuri central is more of a new phenomenon because it is a newly emerging Kanuri dialect spoken mostly in Maiduguri, Konduga and their surrounding settlements. Maiduguri is the present day capital of the Kanuri people which is a cosmopolitan city in nature just like the Monguno of the olden days. This dialect is just approximately 100 years old, because it began with the coming of the colonial societies in to the area and with the establishment of Maiduguri city in 1907 as the new capital of the British Kanuri territory in Nigeria.
The coming of these colonial societies resulted in restricting free regular movements of the Kanuri people within their ancestral territories (the Lands of the Kanem-Bornu Empire). However, before the arrival of these Europeans in to their Lands, the Kanuri people had the opportunity of meeting and exchanging ideas, goods and have conversations with their entire members within the Empire, but with the creation of the artificial boundaries within their Lands by the British, French, Germans and the Italians resulted in splitting them across 6 different countries as mentioned earlier instead of allowing them to live in a single country e.g. completely Nigeria.
The colonial societies did this deliberately, so that the Kanuri people do not form majority in any country they found themselves in the colonial and post-colonial eras because it would be very difficult if not next to impossible to rule over civilized group like this.
This development lead to the change in the livelihood of the entire Kanuri people by limiting their movements within their territories hence dynamically and over time many of them end up settling in the new towns empowered by these colonies such as Maiduguri in Nigeria, Damagaram-Zundur in Niger, Mao-Kanem in Chad, Kousri in Cameroon, Aljawf and Al Qatrun in Libya as well as Nyala in Sudan.
This made the Maiduguri cosmopolitan became a melting point to almost all the Kanuri dialects spoken in Nigeria. Most of the Kanuri dialects that later end up settling in Maiduguri under the above mention influence later got melted in Maiduguri to produce the Kanuri central or the Kanuri Wuje.
The Kanuri central dialect composed of combination of words from the various other dialects; it also has in it the elements of words borrowed from some other non-Kanuri languages including the colonial languages as indicated earlier.
This new Kanuri central or Kanuri Yerwa dialect is intelligible, it is more simplified version of the Kanuri and it has in it the ability of accepting and formatting new words at any time. Under this scenario we can take example with the world of the electronics which keeps on bringing new products that never existed in any language or dictionaries before, for example computer is referred to as KEREEN NASARA (K3R3N NASARA), Telephone is called TALEHON, calculator is known as ISAUROM NASARA among others.
Additional advantages that the Kanuri central has over the other Kanuri dialects ARE:
1. It is mostly spoken by the Kanuri elders including the Shehu (Kanuri leader).
2. School teachers also use it for some explanation in schools for beginners that do not speak any other language other than the Kanuri.
3. Kanuri writers use it in writing their books.
4. modern day popular Kanuri Islamic Scholars like Sheikh Abba Aji, Sheikh Elmiskin and sometimes Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh often use it for their preaching or Simons.
5. The Kanuri speaking Medias such as the BRTV (Borno Radio and Television Corporation), the NTA (Nigerian Television Authority), the Radio Dandal-kura and others all use it in airing their news.
The recent unrest that affected the entire North Eastern region of Nigeria between the years 2009 to 2016 has resulted in pushing almost all the Kanuri people living in the rural areas of Borno and Yobe states of Nigeria in to the city of Maiduguri where many are now living with their relations or in the refugee Camps pending when the situation would improve. This situation has further contributed in melting of many other rural Kanuri dialects in to the Kanuri Wuje (Kanuri central).
At present the Kanuri central has rapidly expanded in size over the last 5 years making it becoming the more dominant Kanuri dialect in recent history. So far over 5 million Kanuri people speak in this dialect as at the year 2017.
Kanuri Buduma/ Yedina:
The Budumas are also considered as Kanuris by the anthropologist although some other people still see them as Kanuri because they are close relatives to the Kanuri Kanembu dialect (have similar culture with the Kanembu), but only separated from the Kanembus by the waters of Lake Chad. They are predominantly fishers and cattle-herders. The Budumas are mostly living around the Lake Chad and on the Lake Chad’s Islands of Chad, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Their most popular base is the town of Doron Baga in Kukawa local government area of Nigeria. They are popularly known by the other Kanuris as Buduma, meaning "people of the grass” (or reeds), but they prefer to be called Yedina.
Note*
Other important Kanuri dialects not discussed here includes the Morr spoken around Damasak, Kuburi spoken in Kukawa and parts of Guzamala all in Nigeria, Suwurti spoken around Doron Baga and Sadi (Sad3) areas of Kukawa, others are the Kane and the Tubu.
In the Kaour escarpment oasis of eastern Niger, the Kanuri are further divided into the Bla Bla subgroup, numbering some 53,000 and are the dominant ethnic group in the salt evaporation and trade industry of Bilma located in present day Niger republic.
It is also important to note that all Kanuri dialects regardless of the type they were all at one time Pastoral farmers.
THE GEOGRAPHY OF KANURI:
Many people believe that the Kanuri people mainly lives in the Sahel, Sudan Savannah and the Sahara Desert region of Africa, because this is geo-historically what was reflected as their environment in the history Books. But when one looks at the Kanuri Kingdom of Lafia presently located within the Guinea Savanah region of Nigeria led by His Majesty Mai Mustafa Agwai who is a Kanuri man himself by descendant and the entire Kanuri community of Lafiya or Lafia town generally referred to as the Kanuris of the Lafiyan Barebari in the present day Nasarawa state - Nigeria, then one would be tempted to ask the question “how did the Kanuri people of the far North became part of the communities inhabiting part of the Jos plateau / Guinea Savannah region (Lafiya town and its surrounding Kanuri settlements)?
Answering this question in a logical way would certainly change the position of some researchers and writers on the geography of the Kanuri people.
KANURIS OF THE GUINEA SAVANNAH /PLATEAU (KANURIS OF THE MOUNTAINS):
Contrary to the opinions of some modern writers that the Kanuris in the Lafia kingdom actually arrived lafiya in the 1890s when Rabih Fadlallah also known in French as Rabah (1842 – April 22, 1900) launched attacks on the Borno Empire in the late 1890s made some Kanuri people fled for safety and landed in the Lafia area and its surrounding territories. But when one observes the present day Kanuri people of Lafia one would notice that they do not speak the oral Kanuri language, though they still kept intact some Kanurri cultural heritages such as the Kanuri tribal marks, artifacts, nature of the traditional political strata of the kingdom of Lafia as well as bearing some Kanuri names & titles like Kaigama,Shetima,Boukar and Talba among others. And yet they have strong ties to the present day Bornu and Yobe states where the majority of the Kanuris live today.
Tracing back to history the coming of Rabih to fight the Borno Empire was just roughly 120 years back and Rabih himself was defeated (killed) in the year 1900. Anthropologically speaking it is not possible for a community of modern 1000 (One thousand) people speaking same language to completely lose their oral language within the space of just one century (100 years) which is equivalent to just 4 human generations or in some occasions even less than that depending on the early marriages and early conceptions capabilities of a given community. In fact, 120 years can only succeed in changing the oral tonation or pattern of speaking the oral language such as differences in pronunciations of some words in a language.
In view of the above coupled with some of my cultural and geo-archaeological findings revealed that it is not actually the people of the Kanem-Bornu Empire that fled for safety that founded Lafia and its related territories in the first place, but rather Lafia territory was the Southern edge or Borders of the Kanem-Bornu Empire during its peak of expansion under the great Mai Idris Alauma in the 16th Century, meaning that the Kanem-Bornu Empire once included within it the entire Jos plateau ( average altitude 1,280 meters ) as well as parts of the TIV Lands in Benue state of Nigeria alongside the River Benue.
So Abba Mamman Agwai, the great grandfather of the present day Emir of Lafia Alh. Isa Mustapha Agwai , who was a Kanuri prince from the Kanem-Bornu Empir that came to Lafiya in the 19th Century and founded the Lafia Emirates, did not actually discovered Lafia by accident, but he followed the foot-path of his ancestor’s written history about the southern edge or borders of the ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire .
In addition, the South-Western ancient frontiers or borders of the Kanem-Bornu also extended into the present day Niger state where it terminates at a town called “Kuta” near the city of Minna the present Niger state’s capital. Kuta is a name originally derived from the name Kukawa (the ancient capital of the Kanem- Borno Empire). Late Alhaji Ahmadu Bahago the first Emir of Minna who was earlier on the Emir of Kuta town until he was later moved to become the Emir of Minna , after the state creation in 1976 under the then General Murtala Muhammad administration was a Kanuri man from the Kanem-Bornu Empire by descendent. This proves that the ancient borders of Kanem Bornu Empire terminate in the Kuta town of Niger state,
This explains the reseon why the two Emirates of Minna and Lafia are still holding to some tradional titles similar to the Kanuri speaking emirates like Borno,Yobe,Damagaram,Kanem and Kousri, example of such titles includes the title of Talba,Shettima and Zanna. The present Talba of Minna is Alhaji Babangida Aliyu who was was a civilian Governors of Niger state. Apart from Kuta the people of Kutigi living in the town of Kutigi also esterblished lineage to the Kanuri people.
These findings established the existence of the Kanuri people in the Guinea Savannah (Middle belt region of -Nigeria) since in the ancient times.
Furthermore, because of the historical influences of the Kanem –Bornu Empire in the Guinea Savannah also made the TV people in Benue state borrowed some cultural elements from the Kanuri culture, for instant the TIV traditional musical trumpet instrument referred to as the Kakaaki or Algaita is very similar in appearance and in melody to the Kanuri’s trumpet known as “Alitta” or “Arrita”. The TIV black and white traditional cloth wears (pieces of wrappers) referred to as the “Ange” in TIV language is just another version of the Kanuri locally woven cloths called the “Dawun Ngasho” in terms of colour combination, processing and texture.
As a result of these historical connections between the ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire ancient and the TIV people more welcoming to the Kanuri people coming to their lands to conduct their activities despite the differences in religion. In fact, this was one of the reasons that made the popular Maiduguri based Kanuri politician Alhaji Ibrahim Imam, followed this trend of history and arrived in TIV land, contested and won election in the TIV land in the 1960s to represent the people TIV people (people of present day Benue State-Nigeria) at the National parliament of Nigeria. This development made Benue to have a Kanuri man representing them in the parliament.
THE KANURI PEOPLE OF ZARIA / THE KANURIS OF THE HILL:
Zaria is a city of mixed ethnic groups including Katsinawa who are the Fulanis, Mallawa (Migrants from Mali), the Dakarkaris and the Kanuris referred here to as the bareberi.
Though history has shown that the Gwari tribe were the first settlers of the Zaria environment, but the Gwaris lived in a scattered settlement pattern around the area. But the single clustered city of Zaria was founded by the Kanuri people who later came to the area.
The Zaria city was a city surrounded and enclosed by a man made walls with its original Palace located at Kaura (Kauran Sarki), before it was later moved to the present day location of the Zaria’s Emirs Palace which is still standing in the old Zaria city. History revealled that Zaria was founded some 400 to 500 years before the coming of Shehu Usman bn Fodio of blessed memories (The founder of the Sokoto caliphate).
Before the emergence of the Sokoto caliphate most of the Kings (leaders) of Zaria were Kanuris and some of the most popular Zaria Kanuri kings/Sarki/Emirs that ruled Zaria were Sarki Brehma, Sarki Yamusa, Sarki Musa, Sarki Kwasau, Sarki Hamada Dan Sani, Sarki Ibrahim and Sarki Jafar Dan Isiaka among others.
The Graves of Sarki Yamusa and Sarki Musa are still located at the Kauran Sarki area in the old Zaria city.
Apart from the Sarkis/Emirs or Kings of Zaria the Chief Imams and most of the judges of Zaria up till today are from the Kanuri lineage.
Even though Zaria is in the Sokoto caliphate, but when the great Shehu Usman Danfodio discovered Zaria the Kanuris have already brought Islam to Zaria and its Kanuri King as at that time called Sarki Yamusa was a practicing Muslim. This was what made Danfodio, to negotiate with him instead of invading Zaria. After the negotiation Danfodio gave Sarki Yamusa a flag to join his movement and also allowed him to continue to rule the city of Zaria. Sarki Yamusa was a warrior and fought in many battles alongside Danfodio. Ever since then the Kanuri people continue the tradition of ruling Zaria and they still remain one of the ruling houses of Zaria.
We refer to the Kanuris of Zaria as the Kanuris of the Hill, because Zaria is surrounded by Hills, instead of the usual plane lands charactering most parts of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Additionally, the nearby Nga people in Bauchi State of Nigeria also trace their origins to a Kanuri diaspora.
KANURIS OF THE TROPICAL RAIN FOREST (GABON):
Many would wonder hearing about the Kanuris of the tropical rain forest as the Kanem-Bornu Empire southern borders never reached the Equator lines or even below latitude 7°30′N in history. But the emergence of the Kanuri people in the neighborhood of the pygmies of central African region was as a result of migration. History shows that the Kanuri people were mainly spread within the Sahel, Semi Sahel and the Sahara Desert environments apart from the few ones in some parts of the Sudan and Guinea Savannah region. This Kanuri ancient territories were characterized by fluctuating climate change, seasons of droughts and desertification since the past 300 to 350 years. It was in view of this fluctuating natural phenomena that made some Kanuri people traveled southward in to the Congo basin looking for pasture for their animals until they reached the central African forest and created their settlements some centuries back.
This group of Kanuri nomads pushed by the fluctuating climate change mostly from northern North Eastern Nigeria, northern Cameroon and southern Chad republics founded the town of Oyem in the present day Gabon republic during the precolonial era of Africa. However, with the arrival of the colonial societies in Africa in the 19th century Kanem-Bornu Empire was splitted or divided in to 6 different nations making the Kanuri people here fall under Gabon. These Kanuri people in Oyem found themselves cut off from the rest of the Kanuri people living in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Libya and Sudan. This made them automatically the citizens of Gabon under the French rule.
The Kanuri people of Gabon maintain most of the Kanuri cultures and tradition including the tangible and some intangible ones. However apart from the language which is spoken by some very few amongst them and yet mixed with some French language elements they preserved most of the other Kanuri cultures including dress, festivals and tribal marks.
Following the conversion of President Oumar Bongo the late president of the Republic of Gabon to Islam in 1967, the issues of national Islamic affairs of Gabon was handed over to be managed or coordinated by the Kanuri people of Gabon (Oyem people), by the late president Bongo himself. During this time the Kanuri people of Gabon were the only few indigenous Muslims in Gabon and they make up 94% of the total Muslim population in Gabon and yet Gabon was a country in the late 1960s with just 10 % Muslim population among its total population. Hence this situation created a favorable opportunity for the Kanuri people of Gabon becoming much closer to the Gabonese president, government as well as the international community too especially rich Islamic nations. Because following the conversion of the president to Islam made many Muslim rich nations to come in to Gabon and built many multi-million dollar Mosques complexes (which contains libraries and schools) in Gabon, especially in the Gabonese capital the city of Libreville. For example, nations like Morocco, Libya, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iran, Syria all built these complexes in Gabon. In fact, building Mosque complexes in Gabon amongst among nations became like a competition among them. However initially most of these Islamic nations that built these Mosques thought that there were no Muslims in Gabon earlier on and this was what made to keep bringing in teachers and Imams to pray and teach in these Mosques /complexes in the late 1960s to early 1970s, until they discovered that Gabon also has its own indigenous Muslim community who were the Kanuri people. So that was when the Kanuri people became involved in handling the affairs of these new Mosques and Islam in Gabon.
Despite the minority nature of the Kanuri people in Gabon this new role of handling the affairs of Islam in Gabon has created enabling environment that made many becomes mams, librarians, teachers and administrators in Gabon. Over the years these Islamic nations helped them with scholarships to acquire trainings in various fields across the World. A situation that made many Kanuris in Gabon become literate and experts of their religion. The same situation gave them the advantage to serve in their nation at various capacities. The Kanuri town of Oyem itself witnessed a very rapid development as a result including having a new Olympic Stadium complex that hosted some Matches of the just concluded African Nations Cup that was held in Gabon in the year 2017 (GAB 2017).
After the death of President Oumar Bongo in the year 2008 his son Ali Oumar Bongo, succeeded him as the president of Gabon and just like his father he also recognizes the contributions of the Kanuri people in the development of Gabon.
The level of literacy amongs the Gabonese Kanuris is very high as such that the Kanuri people here are over 90% educated,gainfully employed in both the public and private sectors as well as in some regional and international agencies. The Kanuris here are also considered as one of the economically viable community not only in Gabon but in the entire African continent , as they have a per capita income of $2.2 USD per person per day.
The Gabonese Kanuri people are now working towards revival of the decayed oral Kanuri language in Gabon, as many of them including both old and the young are proud of their identity and are expressing intrests in learning back the language and even proposing having some Kanuri teachers in the future to teach their children.
As earlier stated the Gabonese Kanuris are not only working in the Islamic related areas only, but in almost all other sectors in Gabon. As at today there are Kanuri Directors, head of agencies/parastatal, advisers, and even ministers in the Gabonese cabinet.
KANURIS OF THE ARAB WORLD:
Due to the existing cultural and longtime diplomatic as well as religious relationship between the Arab nations like Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan and Algeria with the Kanem-Bornu, made the Kanuris to have a well-established ties and presence within the Arabs. But surprisingly it would be difficult to classify those Kanuris living in the Arab nations as another type of Kanuri, simply because if a Kanuri man lives in Arab the Arab nation for a period of 50 years on the average he metamorphoses in to an Arab, because here the Arabic language replaces the Kanuri language in the tongue and also end up adopting the Arab culture 100%. Likewise, same applies with the Arabs if they live in the Kanuri lands they equally metamorphose in to Kanuri and they become known as the “Kanuri Wasilis” (Kanuri Arabs). The issue here is that both cultures look alike like twin’s babies. These similarities are visible in terms of culture, religion and the nature of the Afro Asiatic language contents of the Kanuri language. Though the Kanuri people remains blacks among the Arabs and the Arabs remains with fairly lighter skin complexion but after long time of intermarriages both metamorphoses.
In view of the above it is therefore difficult to classify the Kanuris in the Arab world as Kanuris, but rather is better to classify them as the Arab-Kanuris or Kanuri Arabs. In this case there are approximately over 4 million Kanuri-Arabs living in the republic of Sudan, over 2 million shared among Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Libya and thousands shared between the holy cities of Makkah and Madina as well as Jeddah and Riyad in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Some Kanuri-Arabs speaks better Arabic than even some Arabs of the same age.
Popular Kanuri-Arabs in Diospora includes; Goni Maliki of the holy city of Makkah and Goni Yusuf (A worker with the holy Kaaba) and Sheikh Awad. Though people like Goni Muhammad Ali Gabchiya is a Kanuri man, but he mastered the two cultures both Arabic and Kanuri that makes you hardly classify him in to a single one.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE KANURI AND ARAB:
Both the Seyfawa (Sefuwa) Dynasty and the El-kanemi Dynasty were founded by Arab men. An Arab man with the name of Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan founded the Sayfuwa Dynasty and another half Arab and half Kanuri with the name of Al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî (Arabic: محمد لرشيد ابن محمد الكامانی) (1776–1837) founded the El-Kanemi Dynasty.
History shows that the Arabs are constant visitors to the Bornu Empire. Arabs are mostly coming to Borno for trading, scholarship, diplomacy and some on transit to other existing kingdoms in the Western, Northern and central African regions with some migrating to settle in the Empire. As a result of these relationships that existed with these two communities there were many intermarriages and offspring, the offspring from these marriages carries both genes of the Arab and the Kanuri and are generally referred to as the “Wasilis” in the Kanuri language. The Wasilis or the Kanuri-Arabs descendants in Bornu are connected to Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Yemen, Tunisians and few Moroccans.
In Maiduguri of today the Fezzan ward area located south of the Shehu’s Palace is a ward of an entire block reserved, dedicated and allocated for the Arabs since Maiduguri was founded. In Fezzan they were given the rights to govern themselves and generate taxes/revenue for the Bornu Empire within this territoryas a result the Wasilis are given the traditional title position of Lawan since inception. The majority of the Bornu Arabs are of Libyan descents as a result the position of the Lawan is always with them. This title has been rotating amongst the Wasilis for years. The last Lawan from the Wasilis was Alhaji Yusuf Wasili who retired on his own from this position in the late 1960s and hand over the baton for the first time to a non Wasili decedent in Fezzan.
It should be noted that in addition to the Kanuri-Arabs the Empire also has its own version of native Arabs known anthropologically as the “Bornu indigenous Arabs” generally referred to as the “Shuwa” in Kanuri language. This indigenous Arabs were anthropologically said to have emerge in Bornu-Empire because the Bornu-Empire is located on the biogeographic racial transition zone between the lighter skin (mostly Arabs) and the darker skin (mostly blacks Africans) people of Africa. The Shuwa people have same culture with the Kanuris in terms of their tribal marks, wears, culture, ceremonies, foods, farms, festivals and many other ways of livelihood. The differences between the two is so small that it only takes a Kanuri man or a Shuwa man to identify these little differences correctly, however the majority of the Shuwa people are lighter in skin complexion even though there are some few Kanuris too that are equality lighter, but the majority of the Kanuris are darker in terms of skin complexion when compared to the Shuwas.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TURKY/OTHMAN EMPIRE AND THE KANURIS:
Unlike the Arabs the Turkish coming to Bornu were not traders, scholars nor people on transit, but they were instead Ambassadors and military personnel representing the interest of the great Othman Empire (World Super Power for over 500 years) in the Bornu Empire. The Turkish people normally returns back to their nations after the completion of their missions or assignments in the Empire, this made them not a permanent settler in the Empire. As a result, existing available history has not shown intermarriages with the Kanuris, but it is still possible that this Kanuri Empire has some Kanuri-Turkish or Turkish-Kanuris. Despite the position of the Turkish in the ancient Bornu Empire, but yet the Turkish had some influences over the Kanuri culture; for example, the Kanuri Trumpet generally referred to as the “Arrita” was borrowed or adopted from the Turkish culture some 400 years back. This explains why in Istanbul of Today we still have the Arrita blowers blowing their Arritas just like in central Yerwa (Maiduguri).
Turkey and Istanbul in particular holds verst history about the Kanuri people and the Kanuri culture in their museams,libraries and related archieves.
The above letter reads as follows:
“We have promulgated and dispatched it (the letter)……a unique salutation the fragrance of which spreads over the lands….greetings…to the most noble, the most illustrious, the most magnificent, the rightly guided, the one aided by God, the helper of the warriors among the believers, the supporter of the great men among the adherents of the unity of God…..the possessor of the sovereignty and sanctity, the ruler of the state of Borno at present King Idris may God prolong his prosperity and make his aims successful.”
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE KANURI AND THE HAUSA PEOPLE:
The Hausa people are longtime neighbours of the Kanuri people for probably a thousand year. Some scholars still believes that Bayajidda (Bàyā̀jiddà ) the founder of the Hausa lands (Kingdom) and who history described as an Arab man that arrived and settled in the town of Daura in the present day Katsina state and later married queen Magajiya Daurama (The Queen of Daura) is actually from the Kanem-Bornu Empire .Even though the history indicated that he was from the East (The Arabian Peninsula) , but some scholars argued that the geographical East referred to in this history was actually the town of ancient Kukawa in the present day Borno state of Nigeria. It is also possible that he is from the Arabian Peninsula, but he must have also first settled in one of the settlements of Kanem-Bornu Empire before reaching the Hausa land. Logically it is not possible for someone coming from the Arabian Peninsula to the Hausa land then (period without Aircrafts and modern transport system) reach the Hausa land without geographically passing through the ancient territory of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Furthermore, in whatever way we look at it both the Kanem-Bornu Empire and the Arabian Peninsula are both located to the East of the Hausa Land. But the fact still remains that it is not possible for him to have come from the Arabian Peninsula and reach the Hausa land without crossing through the ancient Kanem-Bornu-Empire, just like it is not possible for people during the era when people from the Hausa land and or the Sokoto caliphate were travelling to pilgrimage on foot to Saudi Arabia to be able to reach Saudi Arabia without passing through Bornu.
Some scholars even go further to give meaning to the name of Bayajidda as “BAYA JI DA” (literally translated in the Hausa language as “He doesn’t hear before “or “He doesn’t understand the Hausa language before”) meaning that when Bàyā̀jiddà first came to the Hausa Land he doesn’t understand their language, so he was probably speaking in Arabic or Kanuri or both.
The relationship of Hausa and the Kanuri people still stands in Africa as one of the best among ancient African kingdoms. These two group of people respect each other and they always support each other at the time of needs and distress. These two have a very strong historical trading relationship. In fact, it is very common to see a Kanuri man been addressed as a Hausa man in southern Nigeria or elsewhere and he accept it despite the fact that he is not a Hausa man, for example apart from the Kanuri ancestral origin of the former late Nigerian leader General Sani Abacha, Abacha remained a Hausa man from Kano throughout his lifetime.
The Hausa language has some borrowed words from the Kanuri and also some Hausa proverbs that are directly relating to the Kanuri. For example, Manda means salt in Kanuri and Gishiri means salt in Hausa, but one often hears a Hausa man making proverb with it as “Chinikin Bani Manda in Baka Gishiri” (Give me Salt (Gishiri) and I give you Salt (Manda) or sometime a Hausa man is fond of directly using Kanuri word such as “Garu” referring to a wall or “Bulaguro” referring to travelling. Same applies with the Kanuri language too for example in Kanuri Zink sheets roofing cover is called “Kwana” which was originally borrowed from the Hausa language referring to the roof cover sheets as “Kwano” or Kwanon Gida.
Most parts of the Hausaland were once ruled by the Kanem-Bornu before the Sokoto caliphate took it over from Borno around early 1800s.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FULANI AND THE KANURI PEOPLE:
When the Fulanis established the Sokoto caliphate under the leadership of Shehu Usman Danfodio they brought or revived Islam in many parts of the present day Northern and parts of South western Nigeria, along the line of this course the Fulanis ruled many of the ethnic groups in these areas or regions mentioned above including the Hausas, Nupes, Gwaris, Yorubas, Jukuns and many others. But when the Fulanis reached the shores of the ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire they discovered that Islam was already in Bornu for almost a thousand year. However, Fodio caliphate proclaimed the holy war on the allegedly irreligious Muslims living in some parts of the former Bornu Empire territorial areas.
This irreligious sets of people to Danfodio was as a result of the style of leadership of the Kanem-Bornu people who normally Islamized new territories captured but at the end installs the indigents of the new territory/town captured to directly rule or govern their people and be reporting to the central authority instead of installing a Kanuri man to lead or rule them directly. This style of ruling new territories by the Kanem-Bornu Empire is contrary to the style adopted by Danfodio himself. Danfodio often installs his sons, brothers, relations, kinsmen or someone he trusted so well to rule new captured territories in order to have total and absolute control over the new subjects in one hand and make these subjects devoted and durable practicing Muslims in the other hand. This style of leadership under Danfodio resulted in the emergence Fulani traditional rulers in almost all the Hausa Kingdoms for instant the Emires of Kano, Katsina, Yola, Gwandu, Ilorin, Bauchi, Gombe etc are all Fulanis.
So the style of ruling by the Kanem-Bornu made the Bornu Empire to be weak over time at its new acquired territories mostly border territories, hence dynamically and overtime kept losing total and absolute control of these territories especially in the areas of some subjects becoming devoted and durable practicing Muslims without closer supervision from the above. These actions made some of them go back to their traditional religions (idol worshiping or paganism) as there was no Christianity in this part of Africa then. This was the main reason why Danfodio fought or launched a campaign against some towns of the Kanem-Bornu that looks irreligious to him, this actions of Danfodio eventually politically affected the Kanem-Bornu and inspired a trend toward Islamic orthodoxy, with no one stopping this caliphate apart from the Arab man and a scholar-turned-statesman, Al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi who was an Islamic cleric (Scholar), that contested and won against the Fulani advance.
The two kingdoms (Danfodio caliphate & the Kanem-Bornu Empire) later became friends because of their common cause (spreading of Islam and wiping illiteracy). These new relationships between these two have had very strong diplomatic influences on them. During the precolonial era of Africa, the two Kingdoms keeps exchanging greetings through letters between the two kings (The Sultan of Sokoto and the Shehu of Borno) on every two weeks’ intervals.
The actions of Shehu al-Amîn El-Kânemî and Shaikh Usman Ibn Fodio, later transformed the Borno empire as center for Quranic education and the Sokoto caliphate as center of Islamic jurisprudence. They also introduced that funny happy plays that is still happening between a Fulani man and the Kanuri man in such a way that whenever a Kanuri man meets with a Fulani man then the 'Joke starts'.
Today the Fulani man has a very strong respect and admiration for the Kanuri man as such that the Fulani man sees the Kanuri man as his only historical friend across this African environment as he sees the other tribes as his subjects that he already governed, so he always feels that he is the master of the tribes he ruled. The Kanuri man and a Fulani man are fond of cracking jokes whenever they meet. Surprisingly the Fulani man never cracks such jokes with any other person in the environment other than the Kanuri man. These jokes are always around who the master and who is who the slave is “Is it me or you” the argument then starts and the joke theen continues making each other happier and livelier.
This two Kingdoms still exchange education/scholarships with People coming from the Sokoto (Danfodio) caliphate to Bornu to master the Holy Quran while those from Borno travel to the Sokoto Caliphate to master the Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh).
KANURI FARMS & FOODS:
The Kanuri people mainly produce millets, beans, groundnuts, edible cassavas (Garissa), wheat, guinea corn, rice and cucumber (Ngurli) in their farmlands.
The Kanuri diet consists of mostly millet, wheat, rice and maize served either as porridge (Guda) or as dumplings (Burabusko) served with a vegetable soup like Kwalkwa (Baobab leaves), Gwalto (Okra) or Karasu also containing meat, groundnut oil, salt, and sometimes beans, cow fat (Kendawu Feye) and Spices.
During ceremonies they also cook special ceremonial delicacies like Denderu which is prepared from long time cooking of meat under a low temperature resulting in producing very soft edible meat, they also make white glassy like porridge from washed-bleached millet called the “Ndelleyi” and the Kanuri people are also masters in Pizza making, the local Kanuri Pizza is called “Sinassin” unlike the American or the Italian Pizza the Kanuri Pizza is eating with soup or vegetable.
Records show that the Kanuris are the World largest producers of Millet, Groundnuts and Beans and they are also the World’s largest consumers of Millet and Groundnuts.
KANURI AND NIGERIA:
Long before the discovery of petroleum in Nigeria in the early 1960s Nigeria’s economy depended on Groundnut production (farming) and Nigeria was ranked World Number 1 in Groundnuts production between the 1930s to early 1960s. Surprisingly due to the sandy nature of most of the Kanuri predominant states of Bornu (Borno and Yobe states) made the Kanuri people be producing almost half of the total Groundnuts produced annually in the Nigeria, the town of Nguru in the present day Yobe state of Nigeria serves as the Hub of this trading and gathering in the Kanuri lands.
Currently with the discovery of petroleum in Nigeria since the 1960s made agriculture generally declined in Nigeria which also affected the main cash crop of Borno and Yobe states which the Groundnut is. However, these two states still stand statically as states producing 40% of the entire cattle’s consumed in Nigeria on daily, though advent of the unrest in 2009 is affecting this portion too.
The Kanuris in Borno state produced the best Beans in Nigeria called the “Krenuwa” Beans. In addition, the Kanuri settlements of Monguno and Marte local governments are among the few tropical areas in the World that producing Wheat through the Chad Basin irrigation systems or in the Oasis during the Hammatan period (winter) between the months of November to March of every year.
Considering the above contributions of the Kanuri people in Nigeria one would be pushed to say that the Kanuri people are very hard working and economically viable people.
Despite the fact that the Kanem-Bornu was splatted and ruled by four major colonial societies including British, French, German and the Italians, but it looks like the Kanuri people always preferred being under the British rule. This is evidence with the defection of Bama and Dikwa from Cameroon which was originally under the German colony to join Nigeria during the colonial period.
Over the years the Kanuri people produced many National heroes and important personalities in the in Nigeria ; these includes the likes of Late Sir Kashim Ibrahim (Governor Northern Region of Nigeria),Late General Sani Abacha (President/Head of state of Nigeria), Ambassador Babagana Kingibe (Secretary Federal Government of Nigeria) ,Alhaji Zanna Dipcharima (Minister of Industries and one time acting Prime Minister of Nigeria), Brigadier General Abba Kyari (Governor North Central),Alhaji Shettima Ali Minguno (Minister Mines Power and Steal and former OPEC president) and Sir Waziri Ibrahim amongst others.
Additionally in the private sectors ,Academics, traditional offices and international businesses they also produced very many unforgettable personalities in the history of Nigeria and these includes Alhaji Mai Deribe, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe,Sheikh Abubakar Elmiskin, Alhaji Umar Na Alhaji Lawan, Alhaji Kuli Deribe,Professor Umaru Shehu, Shehu Mustafa Elkanemi, Usman Karagama, Alhaji Bukar Bolori, Kashim Ibrahim, Kaka Hajja Aisa Aliram, Hamra Imam, Bintu Farlomu, Alhaji Zanna Mustafa Ahmed Deribe,Baba Bukar Arimma Monguno ,Mallam I. Geidam, Professor M.M. Daura (Former VC ),Alhaji Muhammad Aburos ,Ibrahim Imam,Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim,Shehu Abubakar Garbai,Zanna Laisu ,Alhaji Zannah Dipcharima,Alhaji Kamselem (Former IG of Police),Alhaji Shetima Ali Monguno, Alhaji Muhammad Monguno and Sheikh Muhammad Gibrima among many many other Kanuri greats.
KANURI INTANGIBLE AND TANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGES:
Just like many other tribes the Kanuri people also have their tribal marks. The Kanuris make nine tribal marks on the faces with one of them drawn from under the forehead down to near the nose tip. Although over 70% of the Kanuris of today are no longer making these tribal marks,but the secret for these tribal Marks are mazing.
During the precolonial era of African, especially between the 14th to the 18th century when businesses of Slavery and Slave trades involving capturing and transporting Africans to the Americas dominated Africa as such that modern African historians believes that over 50 million Africans were taken to Jamaica, Surinam, Mexico, Bahamas, USA, Brazil, Barbados, Guyana, Colombia, Coat Rica, Bermuda etc. The process of these international Slave trade at that time involves buying of Slaves legally or capturing of Africans through invading easy to defeat or weaker Kingdoms. However even at the peak of these Slavery the Slave traders were afraid of capturing Africans as Slaves from the powerful and mighty Empires like the Kanem-Bornu and the Songhai/Meli Empires because of the fear of retaliation by these empires for kidnapping or enslaving their citizens by anybody coming from anywhere including the Europeans. Even though the tribal Marks stands as a beauty and identity of a culture, but here it also serves as an identity of the Kanuri people very similar to today’s International Passport. It helps identify who belongs to what Kingdom, tribe or Empire even if the person with the marks lives outside his ancestral territory. So this explains the reason why a Kanuri Man was never traded as a Slave by the mighty Europeans in the first place during the Slavery. And among all the slaves taken from Africa none have the record of Kanuri tribal marks on his or her face.
So the Kanuri tribal Marks serves as an identity, beauty, protection and International passport to go anywhere with confidence, easy identity and with no fear of been captured by slave hunters or powers. Infact it is because of the powers of the Kanuri tribal Marks that made even other ethnic groups adopt or borrowed this aspect of Kanuri culture. So this explains why tribes like Marghi,Babur and others even outside the Empire later adopted this aspect of Kanuri culture.
In terms of intangible cultural heritage the Kanuri people have a lot of intangible musics,poems ,dances and plays , but with many dissapearing due to modernisation,change in lifestyles and lack of awarenesss and documentation. The few remaining ones includes the “Lami-Lami” play as written below:
“”
Lami lami yencheri..yancheri...
kulo d3mbarambe.. D3mbarambe do Makka ye. ... . Makka ye .... .. Madina ye ....... G3d3Kaus3lemyin... k3mbala..... K3mballa do maduwana..
Maduwana k3mbom3..... Wawami ….-waaji...... wa karaan...
. . gubkano kara S3l3mbin...... ...gubkano.... ....
Fulata Furlan ... shuwa karimolan talangar langar .... .....
YA JURRUSS”
”
KANURI NAMES:
Surprisingly half of Kanuri names range between Muhammad and his companion Abubakar.
The Kanuri people also bears other names of the holy Books such as Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael), Musa (Moses), Yusuf (Joseph), Isa (Jesus), Maryam (Merry), Hauwa (Eve), Adam, Amina, Isiaka (Isaac), Aisha, Abdullahi, Suleiman (Solomon), Kaltum, Halima, Khadija as well as Umar, Usman, Ali and Fatima among others.
However, as a matter of respect to the holy names in the holy Books (God’s prophets and pious personalities names mentioned in the Quran, Injila (Bible) and the Torah) most of these names are coined from their original form in to other form by adding some respect titles to these names in a Kanuri way. This is in order to distinct the original name of the Books with that of individual barring such names:
Example of some Kanuri coined Book names of that nature are as indicated below:
Muhammad: Mamman,Modu,Massa,Modunga,Mutar,Mammmadu ,Laminu ,Mammanur , Tujjayima ,Tar etc.
Abubakar: Bor,Bukar,Garba,Bormi,Bouar ,Aborr ,Borom etc.
Umar: Bunu
Musa/Moses: Kallah
Adam: Konto
Idris/Enoch: Mele
Yusuf/Joseph: Yusuwu
Bilyaminu/Benjamin: Bunami
Ali Ibn Abu Talib: Butari, Ari etc.
Ibrahim/Abraham: Yuram,Burah,Burem etc.
Suleiman: Suleymana
Abdullahi: Dala,Dallah
Amina: Amyina, Yamina,Sato
Aisha: Ayssa,Ashe,Maida etc.
Usman: Ngari
Zainab: Yaburra
Hafsat: Shetu,Amsa,Mara etc
Hauwa/Eve: Madari
Hadiza: Fojji,Mangu,Kuura,kuwura etc
Maryam/Merry: Budu
Bilkis/Queen Sheba:Balu
Rukaiya: Ruwaiya
Halima: Kodo
Fatima: Falmata, Fanta, Falta, Fatime, Fanne, Zara, Fanna ,Tukula,Karu,Fandau etc.
Kanuri person’s highest appreciation or gift to an individual is naming his child after the individual.
Apart from the names of the Books the Kanuri people are also fond of using traditional names in order to show respect for the persons they named after especially the parents, grandparents and teachers or great scholars.
Examples of common Kanuri traditional coined names are:
Babagana pronounced as “Ba’ana” which Means Junior (Someone named after his grandfather by his parents).
Yagana pronounced as “Ya’ana” which means a girl named after her grandmother by her parents.
Like the English people, the Kanuri people also answers profession names like the ones below:
Kaajima (Fragrance seller), Yerima (prince),Kaudima (perfume seller), Arrimma (Dyer),Aritama (Trumpeter) ,Kulloma (Bronz maker), Bulama (traditional title name),Fatkema (General merchandizer) , Furma (owner of horses),Malum (scholar) etc
Other common Kanuri names includes: Awuza (Abacha), Yakori,Kolo,Ma’a,Zarami, Gajimi, Ya Kingi, ,Maira,Gangaram,Maidu,Blau,Ngwarimi,Lefami,Bako, Fandi ,Ya Mangu, ,Gamboram, Kyallu, Yecha, Maya, Morom ,Kolomi, Bakura,Kaka ,Zainawa etc.
KANURI AND PROFESSION:
The primary occupations of the Kanuri people at the beginning and as earlier discussed were pastoralism, farming, trading, general mechanizing (Fatke), Mat Making (weaving), Goldsmith, Blacksmithing, Teaching (Islamic Scholarly works), dynein, hunting, Calabash carving, Tanning and some fishing among others. As a result of the importance of these hereditary and historic professions in the Kanuri lands made most of these professions have streets, alleyways, wards and sometimes even entire settlements named after such professions. For example in Maiduguri city we have the Arrinmari (Street dedicated to cloth dyers), Kalumari (street dedicated to the blacksmiths), Furemari (street dedicated to flower sellers),Furmari (street dedicated for people dealing with horse decorative wares ), Sirtemari (street dedicated to mat weavers),Aritamari (street dedicated to trumpet players), Gangamari (street dedicated to drummers) ,Kumozamari (Street dedicated to Calabash cavers/decorators) ,Abbari (Street dedicated to Prince and Princess)etc.
Contrary to the past professions today the Kanuris are found in almost all professions including the military, journalism, international businesses, banking, piloting, bureau de change, carpentry, plumbing, engineering, the medical profession, and many more:
THE ROLE OF GOLD IN THE KANURI CULTURE:
Historical, Anthropological and archaeological facts prove that the Kanuri people are among the world’s top leading communities that uses the precious Gold metals more often. The Kanuris are equaled to the Arabs and Indians in this regard. In fact, till today despite civilization and introduction of paper monies in to circulation globally, but yet the Kanuri people still pays bride dowries in Golds. Brides are decorated in Golds of various natures and shapes ranging from gold coins, necklaces, golden bangles, golden chains and a lot of other native ornaments such as “Bugaye, Rakka, Wororo, Kulum Mukaye, Kulum K3nzaye” and many others.
Before the amalgamation of the Kanuri Lands by the colonial societies in the past 120 years back, noble kings and Kanuri big merchants were known to have possessed or owned golden Swords, golden plates, golden cups, golden Spears and even golden chains and ropes used on the necks of their animals (donkeys & horses) and yet even the horses were used to be decorated with golden saddles, golden masks, ornaments and other horse decorative golden wears.
Even though historically Gold was never mined in the whole of the Kanem-Bornu territory, but between the 13th to the 17th century the Kanem-Bornu Empire had one of the World’s largest collections of Gold.
This made the author believes that the past Kanem-Bornu capitals are potential treasures waiting for future treasure hunters, as they contained in them many buried treasure.
Despite the value of Gold in the Kanuri lands, surprisingly the Kanuri men never decorate themselves with Gold but instead decorate their wives, daughters and even slaves with it.
The Kanuri men uses silver.
Some Kanuri nobles use Gold in even written Quran verses or God’s names on plates with it.
Nobody can precisely explain to you even among the Kanuris as to why the Kanuris still treasures and use Golds, but the fact still remains that Gold is one of the very limited resources or metals in the World that does not depreciate and stands the taste of time history.
KANURI MARRIAGES:
The Kanuri wedding is one event that is colorful and exciting. It is an occasion that brings the people’s culture to life through music, dance and other colorful cultural activities. The Kanuri culture just as in the other ethnic groups throughout the world it has some norms and values. The Kanuri culture finds its origin from the Islamic religion, but in addition the Kanuri cultures have a couple of marriage traditions that are peculiar to the tribe.
KANURI & HORSES:
The Kanuri Horses and their horsemen are among the most beutiful in the World.
History has shown that the Kanuri people are masters of Horses,Horse Decorations and Horse Durbur festivals , in fact due to the prestige of Kanuri Durburs and Horse ornaments made many important world dignotories come to see the Kanuri Decorated Horses and witness the cultural Durbur festivals. In the modern era Great personalities like the Queen Elizabeth of England,King Juan Carlos of Spain,President George Bush of the United States,late Lady Diana and Prince Chales of England , President Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry (Nyimeri Kwarangwaso) of Sudan , late Sir Ahmadu Bello of Nigeria,Load Frederick Lugard (first Governor General of Nigeria and India ) as well as other greats like Louis Farakhan of the United states,General Yakubu Gowon,General Babangida, and General Sani Abacha have all travvelled down to the Kanuri Lands just to enjoy witnessing the Kanuri Durbur festivals in once or even more occations.
When the great King Juan Carlos of Spain visited Maiduguri on 16the December,1986 he said that he has never in his life beautifully decoarted horses like the ones he saw in Maiduguri city as a result the late Shehu of Borno Dr. Muatafa Umar ibn Elkanemi gave him a beutifully well decoarted Kanuri horse which he took back to Spain as souvenir.
NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE ANCIENT KANEM-BORNU EMPIRE:
Potassium and Sodium Carbonate were historically the major minerals extracted or obtainable under the Kanem-Bornu, but however the former lands of the Kanem-Bornu it’s now indicating that it is richer than how history expected it to be. Today it is no longer news that the former territory of the ancient Kanem-Bornu is richly blessed with petroleum and Uranium natural mineral resources.
Kanuri and Petroleum: The Agadem oilfield with an area of 27,516.2 square kilometres (10,624.1 sq mi), the Bilma oil block, Manga oilfields, Aborak oilfield, the Tenere oil block as well as the Tintouma oilfield near Madama all in Niger republic located within the former Kanem-Bornu historical territory are collectively estimated to be holding a total petroleum reserves of about 11.7 billion barrels as at 2017. In addition, the Agadem oilfield along also holds approximately 10,000,000,000 cubic meters (3.5×1011 cu ft) to 16,000,000,000 cubic meters (5.7×1011 cu ft) of natural gas reserves.
Additionally, all the oilfields in the republic of Chad especially those of the “ERHC “are all located within the former Kanem-Bornu historical territory and around the Lake Chad basin area of Chad mainly in the Kanem-Prefecture, as at today the oil reserve estimate in this part of Chad is around 19 billion barrels as at 2017 plus approximately 21,000,000,000 cubic meters of natural gas reserve.
Furthermore, oil prospectors are still prospecting for oil in the ancient Kanem – Bornu territories of Libya (Fezzan), north western Cameroon and North Eastern Nigeria Nigeria. Some scientists suggested that the petroleum and gas reserves in the Chad Basin area of Nigeria currently going on in the areas of Kukawa, Gajiganna, Monguno, Gubio, Magumeri, Marte and Gajiram among others is expected to supersede or even multiply the total petroleum and gas reserves of both Niger and Chad put together, because of the strata nature of the Borno geological. It was in view of this expected outcome that made some experts in the field recently keep associating the currently ongoing social unrests affecting Borno and Yobe states of Nigeria as a tactical tactic by an enemy in the shadow to prevent Borno and Nigeria in particular from discovering and utilizing this huge God’s gift natural resources in this part of Nigeria.
So in view of the above the ancient Kanem-Bornu empire territories of Nigeria, Libya, Chad, Cameroon and Niger is believed to be holding between 85 to 134 billion barrels of petroleum reserves and approximately 120,000,000,000 cubic meters to 160,000,000,000 cubic meters of natural gas reserves.
Uranium in the Kanem-Bornu: The ancient territory of the Kanem-Bornu is today supplying 11 % of the world’s total annual mining output of highest-grade uranium ores. This is because almost all the areas where Uranium is discovered in the republic of Niger which is the fourth leading Uranium producing nation in the World ranging from that of Azelik in 1957 by the French Bureau de Recherches Geologiques while prospecting for copper and those discovered at Abokurum in 1959, Madaouela in 1963, Arlette, Ariege, Artois & Tassa/Taza in 1965, Imouraren in 1966 and Akouta in 1967 all falls within the ancient Kanem-Bornu territories.
The cumulative production of this mineral as at the year 2011 was 114,346 tU part of which about 62,000 tU was from underground, and 52,000 t from the open pit mining.
Water Reserves in the Kanem-Bornu: Despite the arid nature of the ancient territories of the Kanem-Bornu surprisingly the territory holds huge reserves of underground which is ranked as one of the biggest water reserves of the world. This was confirmed by Researchers from the British Geological Survey and University College London who mapped for the first time the aquifers, or groundwater, across the African continent and the amount of water they hold. This proves the fact why free flow boreholes is still existing in places like Monguno, Marte, Guzamala, Baga as well as Diffa, Kanem and some parts of north western Cameroon.
KANURI AND CHALLENGES: YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW YESTERDAY:
Every civilization ranging from Mighty Empires to the Caliphates all have periods of Ups and Downs (prosperity & challenging periods), for instance the coming of Pharaoh (Fir’auna) as a King of Egypt during the era of Prophet Musa (Moses) –(AS) has destabilized the existing peace in Egypt of that Era , the Challenges that came up towards the end of the era of the Islamic Caliph Usman bn Affan (579–17 June 656) –(RA) had costs the city of Medina to even lose its status as the capital of the Caliphate for sometimes, likewise the emergence of Napoléon Bonaparte in Europe caused some serious economic hardship and destructions of Europe within a short while . Furthermore, both the First and the Second World Wars combined equally had costs Europe to lose modern half of its entire wealth plus millions of lives. So same it is with the Kanuri’s Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Shortly after the end of the Era of Mai Idris Alauma in the 16th century came seasons of droughts that seriously affected the agricultural outputs of the Bornu Empire, a century later the Mais (Kings) of Bornu became weaker that they could not effectively protect the borders of the Empire from the invading Enemies until after the intervention by Al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al- El-Kanemi who replaced the Mai himself, furthermore close to a century later came the brutal Rabih Fadlallah generally known as Rabi in Kanuri (1842 – 1900) who destabilized the existing peace in the Bornu Empire for close to ten years until the arrival of the French in the German territory of Bornu that killed him in 1900.
Today:
A century after the death of Rabih today still Bornu found itself in another difficult Era where most of its trading routes, towns, villages as well as its agricultural outputs are affected. Though as usual this Era too would also come to pass, but the most amazing aspect here is the Kanuri people never give up their Faith in whatever situation they found themselves in. The Faith that made the city of Madina regain her lost status, The Faith that brought an End to the Era of Pharaoh of Egypt, The Faith that made Europe bounced back to her super rich economy as well as the Faith that brought the French to end the brutal era of Rabih Fadlallah. So this same Faith of the Kanuris would remain with them in resolving all issues affecting them now or at any time in the future. This makes the Kanuris to always bounce back to their usual peace, viability in economy and keep holding the status as masters of knowledge, experts of history and a reference point to many at all times.
Tomorrow:
The challenges of the Kanuri’s tomorrow are determining by the fast decay of the Kanuri language today.
Apart from areas like Fezzan, Shehuri South, the Shehuri North, Mafoni, Abbari, Lawan Bukar Kaccha, Old Maiduguri, Kalari and Lamisula almost all the remaining wards or parts of Maiduguri city which is the heart of the Kanuri speaking population are replacing the Kanuri language with other non-native Kanem-Bornu languages in their communications. This days is common in Maiduguri to see a Kanuri growing child of 10 years of age in some areas like the Bulunkutu, Gwange, Bolori ,G.R.A. , Mairi, Sulemanti, Umarari,Zajeri, Baga Road ,Bulabulin and others that cannot express himself in Kanuri , but the same boy can be expert in other languages that are not even from the Kanem-Bornu. So this is an indication that the Kanuri language is not only decaying but it’s also expiring in its mainland. However, if parents, Kanuri teachers, Kanuri authors and other interested parties in the Kanuri language do not double up their efforts the Kanuri language might varnish sooner than forecasted by some language experts.
At this point would like to point out that influential Kanuri stakeholders especially in the education system /sector should use their influences and capacities to mainstream the Kanuri language in to the school curriculum of both the Primary and the secondary Education systems in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Gabon and even Libya as such that the Kanuri language would be included in our WAECS,COMMON ENTRANCE,NECO and SSCE Examinations in order to help preserve this fast decaying language as the future of speaking the Kanuri language tomorrow lies with the stakeholders and those in power today otherwise nothing can stop the Kanuri language from the threats of replacement by other neighboring languages, decaying and expiring tomorrow.
KANURI LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND INFLUENCE:
An average Kanuri man is a person that loves his culture and tribe so much as such that he feels God has choosen for him the best of culture and the best of languge. He often expreses his happiness for being a Kanuri man. In facts an average Kanuri man feels that apart from the people of the book also known in Arabic as “Ahl al-Kitāb”( أهل الكتاب ′) his culture and language remains the next best.
The Kanuri generally have had a strong influence on people or inhabitants of their surrounding environments and neighbours, including the Mandaras and Kotokos or Mogoris who live southeast of the Kanuri lands, others are the Marghis of the Damboa district, the Babur in the hills south of the Kanuri, the Bolewa located southwest of the Kanuri, and the Bede people of Gashua among many others not mentioned here. All of these groups have acquired various aspects of the Kanuri culture, mainly Islam and ability of reading and writing from the Kanuris. Many, including the Hausa, were at one time subjects of the Kanuri.
SOME HABITS AND HOBBIES IN KANURI CULTURE:
1. Greetings are exchange in Kanuri culture with a handshake.
2. Men are not allowed to shake hands with women.
3. Children are not supposed to Shake hands with their father, step fathers, uncles even father’s friends and other associates of their father of equal age with their father, instead they are supposed to bend their heads a little and looking ground ward.
4. Younger persons are first to greet elder persons whenever they meet.
5. Kanuri do not Shake hands with their traditional rulers such as the Shehu and alike unless on the request by such leaders when they extended their hands towards person for a handshake.
6. Women are not allowed to fix marriages for their children without a man.
7. Women cover their entire body with the exception of the face, palms and Feet when going out to a public place.
8. Men are the head of the family.
9. Children must greet their parent every morning if they live together in the same compound or nearby compounds.
10. Kanuri people do not shake hands with their Islamic scholars and Islamic teachers rather as a sign of respect to them they extend the position of their heads towards such scholars when the scholar forwards his hand so that the palms or palm of the scholar would rub on their head to receive blessings from him.
11. Kanuri people especially adults do not eat in an open public place where everyone can see them eating instead they always look for a covered place from the public eyes before eating or even drinking.
12. A humble Kanuri man graduates to become a Kanuri Rashidi (entrusted person). However, before any Kanuri becomes a Rashidi he must be married, gentle, religious, attending functions, involved in communal works, assist people to his best and must be also somebody who keeps to his promises and be a man of his words for instant a Kanuri man can never give out his daughter for marriage and later alter his promises, in the event such happens then that man can never attain the position of a Rashidi in his lifetime neither would his community respect him but instead he remains to be seen as an arrogant and a person not to be trusted or included in the list of decision makers in his community. It is generally common to hear a Kanuri man saying Rashidi Kaamil or Rashidi K3lanz3 kam (meaning a complete gentle and trusted person).
13. Eating Pork is forbidden in Kanuri culture.
14. Drinking of alcohol and all other intoxicants including the use of drugs, cocaine etc are forbidden in the Kanuri culture and people do not associates with known drunkards.
15. Kanuri children are always at home at Maghreb period (at Sunset) regardless of the activity.
16. A Kanuri family is bigger than more than just an immediate family consisting of just wife, husband and children only, but it includes parents, brothers and cousins provided they all stay in the same compound.
17. Kanuri women always speak with soft voice.
18. New babies are named on the eight day after born (arrival).
19. Kanuri children are more comfortable playing with their grandparents than their parents.
20. Whenever Kanuri people form a population of at least three (3) persons in a foreign environment they always choose a leader amongst them and in most cases the eldest, the most educated or the healthiest person is chosen to lead.
21. Kanuri people are peace loving, hospitable and more welcoming people. Though some of them strangers and migrants coming from other parts of the World living with them often mistake their hospitality as weakness and resulting in bringing some non-native attitudes/troubles in to their lands for example the name “Rabih Fadaala” is not a Kanuri name neither a name originating or associated with the Kanem-Bornu meaning that Rabih is not a native of Kanem-Bornu or a Kanuri man but yet took the advantage of the Kanuri’s hospitality while he was a student studying in the Empire and end up desterilizing the peace of the entire Empire for almost a decade.
22. Every Kanuri man is born with the dream of performing pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah and later visits the holy prophet in Madinah in his lifetime.
23. A kanuri man never addresses a person of his father’s age with his name without adding the word “BA’A” (Father) and if the person is older than him and not up to his father’s age he adds “YA’A” (Brother or Sister), so this made it common to hear addressing people of father’s age as Ba’a Yuram, Ba’a Yusuf, Ba’a Umar, Ba’a Adam or in case of persons of older brother’s or older sister’s age as Ya’a Usman, Ya’a Zanna, Ya’a Shettima, Ya’a Adam or Ya’a Mairam, Ya’a Kori, Ya’a
Kingi, Ya’a Kaltum.
24. An average Kanuri man always maintains the five daily prayers as instructed by Islam.
25. Kanuri man is always careful with what he wears and where he is going to. For example, if he is visiting friends, he might be wearing his casual or normal dress, but if he is visiting parents, elders or other important personalities and occasions he prefers wearing his Kanuri native dress with its cap.
26. The man standing always greets the man sitting.
CONCLUSION:
Though the Kanuri populace settlement started with the establishment of settlement located north of the present day Lake Chad in the 7th century but their ancestors have been in the Lake Chad area for a period much longer than that, however centuries later this settlement grew to become a kingdom, the kingdom later became an Empire and in 600 years the Empire grew to become an undisputed champion of Africa and the 5th greatest empire in both power and size in the global history at its peak. Though the Kanem-Bornu is a Kanuri kingdom, but it is multicultural in characteristic since inception as both founders of the two main dynasties were either Arabs or half Arab and yet the Kanuri coexisted with many local tribes for hundreds of years in its empire such tribes includes Mandara, Kotoko, Shuwa,Sau ,Babur,Ngezem, Karekare, Bolewa,Marghi, Barbers, Arabs,Chibok and many more
The Othman Empire was once the strongest ally of Kanem-Bornu and the Bornu Empire also had multi diplomatic ties with almost all the ancient major empires and kingdoms of North Africa, Southern Europe and the Arabia.
As it is very natural for every kingdom, empire, nations, communities and clans to have periods of ups and downs or weakness and strengths so it is with the Kanuri people and their empires. The Kanuri people are always peaceful and accommodating people, but some people keep mistaking these their unique attitudes for weakness as a result strangers like Rabih , had the opportunity in distorting the peace in the empire in the 19th century for almost a decade and 100 years after Rabih similar situation is repeating itself. But this would never make the Kanuri man change from this very unique caring and attitudes towards everyone as the Empire itself started on the foundation of peace, hospitality and sharing.
As for the disappearing Kanuri language, the author believes that after long contributions of these Kanuri people in the development of many nations of Africa in diverse regions including Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Niger and Gabon by now, they have many personalities that are experts in their fields and masters of their professions that can use their skills, powers and advantage to help promote , preserve and revive this fast disappearing, decaying and decayed language especially through mainstreaming the Kanuri language in to our elementary-Primary and secondary education system (school’s curriculum) after reading this little article.
Finally considering all of the above statements; the Kanuri people shall always have brighter futures as they stand masters of hospitality, promoters of humanity, facilitators of scholarships and people who trust in God.
Thank you for reading this piece:
*The theory of comparative advantage is an economic theory about the work gains from trade for individuals, firms, or nations that arise from differences in their factor endowments or technological progress. In an economic model, agents have a comparative advantage over others in producing a particular good if they can produce that good at a lower relative opportunity cost or autarky price, i.e. at a lower relative marginal cost prior to trade.
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Author-BABAGANA ABUBAKAR
UNCCPP, Masters, BSc, Fellow African Scientific Institute, Alumnus United Nations Institute for Training and Research Geneva, Switzerland.
Auth
THE-END
Kanuri Complete
Kanuri /kəˈnuːri/ also known as Barebari, Bornowaji and Kolejo by some other neighbouring African ethnic groups is a dialect continuum spoken by some Eleven (11) million people, but there are approximately additional Seven (7) million Kanuri people that do not speak the language as at the year 2017.The Kanuri people mainly lives in North –Eastern Nigeria , Eastern Niger , South Western & Eastern Chad and Northern Cameroon republics as well as in small minorities in southern Libya and by diaspora in Sudan and the Republic of Gabon ,Congo and Eritrea are also among the list of countries with very small population of the Kanuri people. Others lives in Lafiyan Barebari of Nasarawa state, Zaria in Kaduna state, Hadejia, kerikasamma and Mallam Madori all in Jigawa state of Nigeria, plus some other remaining few ones not mentioned here.
The name Kanuri is written in Arabic as كانوري , it is written in the Hebrew as קאנורי , it is also written in the Chinese language as 金栗 , while in the Hindi language of India it is written as कनूरी and the Ethiopian Amharic language write Kanuri as ካኑሪ ,in the Russian language it is written as Канури while the Greek writes it as Κανούρι.
The Kanuri Kingdom with its remnant cities, provinces and states like Borno and Yobe states in in Nigeria , Damagaram (Zinder) in Niger , Mao the capital of Prefecture of Kanem in Chad as well as Kusri and Baghirmi in Cameroon republics were said to have originated from the East. Some experts interpreted this East as the South –Western Arabian Peninsula which equals to the modern day geographical description of the territories of Al Hudaydah (Arabic: الحديدة), also known in English as Hodeida or Hudaiyya in the Kanuri language located in the republic of Yemen at 14°48′08″N 42°57′04″E .
The Kanuri people came all the way from the Arabian Peninsula and settled at about 640 kilometers north of the present day Lake Chad which latter emerged as the great Bornu kingdom and later known as the Kanem-Bornu Empire (One of the two greatest Empires in the history of Africa).”Although this historical findings were based on extractions from available existing historical sources both at home (Borno, Damagaram and Kanem- Mao) and abroad including the British Library London , the American Museum of Natural History New York as well as the Suleymaniye Library in Istanbul- Turkey ☪ , but yet with the advent of modern technological advancements in the field of “DNA” testing and identifications; I believe that further research needed to be carry out with time in the field of Geo-archaeological and Geo-biological investigations to further prove these findings beyond reasonable doubts. However, considering the similarities between the Kanuri language and Arabic in many ways one would be tempted to accept these historical connections of the two. For example counting days of the week in Kanuri is same as counting days of the week in Arabic in both pattern and names; thus the Kanuri week days reads as Litirin, Talau, Larawa, Lamisu, Zuma, Sibdu & Ladu while in Arabic reads as Alaithnayn ,Althulatha, Al'arbiea, Alkhamis, Aljumat , Alsabt & Al’ahad (الاثنين الثلاثاء الاربعاء الخميس الجمعة السبت الاحد ). They also share some similarities in respect of some existing words & nouns such as “Dunya” in Kanuri is referred to as “Duniya” in Arabic (both are referring to the name World in their languages), others are “Suwanallah” in Kanuri is referred to as “Subhannallah” in Arabic ,Sadaa in Kanuri is Sadaqqa in Arabic , Nuwur in Kanuri is Nur in Arabic, Lardu in Kanuri is Lard in Arabic, same as others like Jzannah (Janna), Mairuwu (Magrib) , Riman (Imam), Sami (Samai), Kasuwu (Suk or Suq),Fajar (Fajr )etc . Additional examples includes the months of the year in the Kanuri language reads as Muaram, Safar,Rabiyul Awwal,Rabiul sani,Jummada Awal, Jumada Gaji, Rajab, Shaaban,Ramalam,Shawwal, Zulkidda and Zulhajj which named in Arabic as Muharram, Safar Rabiul Auwwal ,Rabius Sani ,Jamadial Auwwal, Jamadius Sani ,Rajab, Shaban ,Ramadan ,Shawwal and Zil Qad Zil Hijja (month of Hajj).
In fact, other historical evidences prove that the Kanuri people were using the Arabic Alphabets as well as the Arabic numerals (numerical numbers) in communication for more than a thousand years. So with all these facts put together then one can easily conclude that the Kanuri language is a product of decayed or decaying local Arabic language mixed with some local African indigenous languages. This is one of the main reasons why the Anthropologists classified the Kanuri language under the Afro-Asiatic language family.
Despite the fact that the semi desert Lake chad environment which stands in the heart of the Kanuri settlement ( Kanem-Bornu Empire ) is a dusty environment as such that if a person living in this environment doesn’t washes his exposed (uncovered) parts of the body more often or regularly the dust gets settled on his/her Skin and makes the Skin looks very dusty looking, but despite the dusty characteristics of this environment but yet the Kanuri people here are looking more fresher when compared to the other people living in the same environment, this is because the Kanuri people washes parts of their bodies especially their face, hands and feet more frequently and on each day while performing ablution with water to perform the five daily Islamic prayers as they are 100% practicing Muslims. Hence this makes them keep having more fresher looking Skin at all times; especially their faces or foreheads when compared to the other ethnic groups sharing same environment that do not perform this acts of washing. It was in view of this fresher looking like Skins and faces of the Kanuri people living in the middle of this dusty environment that made some of the neighboring ethnic groups such as the “Sau” (reputedly a race of giants that once lived around the present day area of Ngala & Gamboru a in North Eastern Nigeria and Kusri and Garoua in northern Cameroon referred to them as the “Kanuri” or the “Kanuri” people.
The NAME Kanuri itself is coined from the combination of two Kanuri words; “KA” meaning Stick and “NURI” meaning light (Nuri is a word originally derived from the Arabic language word “NUR” which also means light in Arabic) So KA + NURI= KANURI.
“KA + NURI= KANURI” (Stick & Light)
Reason for calling the Kanuri people as KA + NURI= KANURI in the first place, was that the Kanuri people on arrival were mainly Pastoralists engaged in rearing of cattle and Sheep. They rear these animals on feet or with the support of riding on animals such as Horses and Donkeys. As a normal tradition almost every pastoralist carries a stick along that helps him guide his animals while grazing and chasing them back home on return, so same it was with the Kanuri people. But for the Sau people they know that there were a lot of pastoralists living within this environment with same pattern of rearing animals, but this Kanuri people have more fresher looking Skin in complexion with shiny forehead when compared to their counterparts in the environment; and at the same time always holding sticks like any other Pastoralist in the Area, so in other to differentiate them with the other Pastoralists holding same Sticks and rearing same animals in the same environment made the Sau's and the other local communities within this Lake Chad area refer to them as the Kanuri or the Kanuris; which is literally translated as "Stick and Nur" as indicated above. Hence since then the Kanuri man became known as Kanuri and known with this name by many other tribes and nations including the Saus, Arabs, Kotoko, Berbers, Sudanese and even the Europeans as well as the Ethiopians and the Turkish as well. In addition to the Marghi, Babur, Ngezem, Chibok, Gwoza and Bolewa among other locals. Though the Kanuri people are also known by some other ethnic groups in Africa by other names; for example they are called the "Bare Bari" by the present day Hausa people, "Barnowaji" by the Najdi, Baggara and Hejazi tribes living in Chad and Sudan republics, Kolejo by the Fulani people and so on.
The Kanuri language was the major language of the pre-colonial Kanem Bornu Empire and still remains the major language spoken in Borno and Yobe sates in the modern day Nigeria , Diffa and Damagaram in Niger republic, Mao-Kanem in Chad as well as in Kusri and Kolfata in Cameroon Kirikasamma (K3r3kasama) and Malam Madori of Jigawa state –Nigeria plus some few ones in the Western Sudan.
The Kanuri Empire:
The Kanuri kingdom of the Bornu started with the Dynasty of Sayfawa which was founded by “Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan” also known as Sef Dhu Ifazan ( Sef, son of Dhu Ifazan) who was a man history describes as an Arab man from the Arabian Peninsula of Yemen territory. However, before the arrival of Sef (Sayf) himself the Kanuri people were already existing around the Lake Chad area as far back as the 7th century and absorbing both indigenous Nilo-Saharan and Chadic (Afro-Asiatic) speakers or languages resulting in the emergence of the Kanuri culture. But until the 9th century that they united with the people of Kanem under the leadership of Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan to form the Sayfawa dynasty of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Archeologic evidences indicated that even before the emergence of Kanuri as culture, their ancestors and their civilization started in this area as far back as in the 6th century BC. There are many evidences to prove this claim and one of such evidence was the accidental discovery of an ancient canoe in the Kanem-Bornu town of Dufuna in the year 1987, when a peasant farmer in the semi desert environment of the town of Dafuna some few kilometers away from the city of Damaturu the present capital of Yobe state in Nigeria discovered an ancient Canoe buried underground while digging a Well to source for water. The Radio-Carbon dating of this Canoe shows that it is over Six thousand years (6000) old, making it the World’s second oldest Canoe ever discovered in human history which directly translated civilization in the Kanem-Bornu to be among the earliest in human history. In fact, with this discovery Bornu now stands to challenge even the history of Egypt which is famous for its ancient pyramids.
The Sayfawa (Yazan’s dynasty) ruled and controlled the Kanem Empire for about 800 years with the town of Njimi located to the north-eastern part of the Lake Chad as its first capital.
The Sayfawa Dynasty and their subjects later fled to Birnin Gazargamu when the Bilala or Bulala people attacked them. Birnin Gazargamu remained as capital even after the reclaiming of the city of Njimi in the 16th Century. However, over the year’s towns and cities like Monguno, Kukawa, Dikwa, Old Maiduguri and now Yerwa (Maiduguri) were all capitals of the Kanem Bornu Empire at different times since the last 1000 years back.
The Kanem-Bornu Empire expansion peaked during the long and energetic reign of Mai Dunama Dabbalemi (ca. 1221-59). Dabbalemi initiated diplomatic exchanges with sultans in North Africa and apparently arranged for the establishment of a special Hostel and a Collage in Cairo, Egypt (Misra) in order to exchange knowledge with the Egyptians and also to facilitate the people of the Kanem-Bornu Empire travelling to the cities of Makkah (Mecca) & Madina (Medina) in Hijaz present day Saudi Arabia to perform the holy Islamic pilgrimage. This development in Cairo means that the Bornu pilgrims’ travelers to Makkah were passing through Cairo and subsequently through the Sinai Peninsula and finally crossing over the Red Sea via Sharm-el-Sheikh to arrive in Saudi Arabia, though some others also cross through the Palestine and Jordan territories directly to arrive in Saudi Arabia Makkah. Because Mai Dibalemi, also reign the Fezzan region (in the present-day Libya an Area of 551,170 km² at Coordinates: 26.3328°N 13.4253°E) during his reign made the journey to Makkah via Cairo much easier geographically, and making this history more logical and geo-historically more understandable. Later the Empire's influence extended southwestward to Kirikasamma, Malummadori, Hadejia down to Kano, eastward to Wadai, and southward to the Adamawa grasslands with many parts in the present day Cameroon republic including the towns/areas of Kousiri,Kolofata, Garoua and Maroua. In fact, many histories included the territories of Rhumsiki and Mora also in Cameroon as part of the ancient Kanem-Bornu.
During the reign of Dunama II (1221-1259), Kanem-Bornu established its embassy in Tunisia around the year 1257 AD as mentioned by the famous Spanish – Andalusian, Tunisian based and one of the fathers of modern historiography and sociology known as Ibn Khaldun also known as Abū Zayd ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Khaldūn al-Ḥaḍram (d. 1406 C.E.). This Embassy was established in order to facilitate trade and maintain diplomatic relations with the North African Kingdoms as well as the southern European Kingdoms and Empires such as the Romans, Greece and the Spanish /Portugal (Andalausia/ Cordoba/ Granada).
The Size of the Kanem Bornu Empire as at this time under Dunoma Dibalemi II was so big beyond comprehension in the African region as such that even IBN Khaldun himself calls Dunoma II and his empire in plural as the 'King of Kanem and Lord of Bornu.
Also one of the fathers of modern geography reffered to as Ibn Batuta also known as Shams al-Dīn ʾAbū ʿAbd al-Lāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Lāh l-Lawātī ṭ-Ṭanǧī ibn Baṭūṭah who was a Moroccan scholar, confirmed about the existence of the great Empire located to the South of the Sahara while on his way to his great exploration which took him 30 years to widely travelled the medieval world.
Militarily the Empire was super big that during one of the pilgrimages of Mai Dibalemi to Mkkah through Cairo , he arrived Cairo with a total sum of 120,000 (One hundred and Twenty thousand) soldiers with One hundred thousand horsemen that he left behind in Cairo in order to cross over to Makkah and Madina to perdform the holy pilgrimage with the intention of taking them back on return. Remember that during the time of his reing the entier World population was below 300,000,000 (Three hundred million people. In fact, the size of his armies made the Egyptian thought that it was an invation of Egypt, when it was only an escort on a transit situation enroute to Makkah.
By the middle of the 13th century, Kanem established diplomatic relations with the Tuat (in the Algerian Sahara) and with the Hafsid of North Africa at embassy level. Even as ta that time the Kanem-Bornu scholars and poets could write classical Arabic of a very high standard. This evidence is illustrated in the letter written by the Chief Scribe of the Kanem court dating from 1391 to 1392.
Towards the end of the 13th century, Kanem became a center of Islamic knowledge as a result famous teachers came from many parts of the World including Mali (another ancient African Kingdom) to teach in the Kanem-Bornu.
Mai Idris Alauma (Idris Alooma) who was one of the World’s greatest leaders in history and a Kanuri hero is remembered for his military skills, administrative reforms, and Islamic piety. His main adversaries were the Hausa to the west, the Tuareg and Toubou to the north, and the Bulala to the east. One epic poem extols his victories in 330 wars and more than 1,000 battles. His innovations include the employment of fixed military camps (with walls); Introduction and use of Camels, the Kotoko’s boatmen, and iron-helmeted musketeers trained by Turkish military advisers in his wars and battles. During his reign he had good diplomatic ties with almost all the surrounding ancient historical Kingdoms and Empires including the Ottoman Empire and Hijaz.
It was under the reign of Mai Idris Alauma that the Kanem-Bornu empire reached its maximum peak ever geographically, historically, politically, economically and socio-culturally.
In fact, under his reign the Kanem-Bornu Empire was the fifth biggest Empire in the World.
At this time the Ottoman Empire maintained good military and trade relations with Bornu. History had it that the Turkey (Ottoman) Empire always assists Bornu militarily as such that in one occasion it sent a 200-member ambassadorial party across the desert to Alauma's court at Ngazargamu. Alauma was a record holder when it comes to treaty in Africa, because he signed the first known written treaty or cease-fire agreement in the history of Africa, which later translated in to the present day United Nations Geneva Convention.
Alauma sponsored the construction of numerous mosques and made a pilgrimage to Mecca with thousands of his subjects. Just like Mai Dibalemi he also arranged for the establishment of Hostels for the Bornu pilgrims visiting Makkah, but only this time around the Hostels are located in the holy city of Makkah instead of Cairo. With this development the Hostels in Cairo became a transit Hostel on the way to Pilgrimage to Makkah. Alauma set up Qadhis courts to introduce Islamic laws in place of the traditional system of customary law. He built a large number of brick mosques to replace the existing ones, built with reeds the remnant of this Bricks are still found in the lands of Ngazargamu and Njimi.
During the reign of Alauma many products or goods originating from Bornu were sent northward for trading to North African nations/kingdoms of Algeria, Tunisa, Morroco as well as Egypt in addition to the Mediterranean European nations including Rome, Spain, Portugal (city of Fatima) and Greece. The goods traded include perfume, wax, cotton, ivory, ostrich, natron (sodium carbonate), feathers and hides. Imports included salt, horses, camels, silk, glass, muskets, and copper among others.
The Kanuri Kingdom at the time of Alauma became the biggest and undisputed champion of Africa. Phillip Koslow, a modern historian, declared that: “His contemporary, Elizabeth I of England, a shrewd and strong-willed monarch who gave her name to an age and has been repeatedly celebrated in books and films, could hardly have claimed greater achievements in war, administration or diplomacy like Alauma.”
The Ottoman Empire of Turkey remains the biggest non-African ally of the Kanem- Bornu in History. The Ottoman Empire as at that time ruled the greater part of the World including the Eurasia, parts of North-Africa, the Middle East and the Caucasus (south-western Russian Federation , oblasts, Armenia , Azerbaijan , Georgia ,Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Hijaz, Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus plus others) with the city of Istanbul in Turkey as its capital some Europeans called it as “Constantinople”.
If not because of the amalgamation of Africa by the colonial societies in the 19th/20th century the Kanem-Bornu would have been ranked in this age alongside great nations /empires like Italy, Spain, England, France and Turkey in terms of achievements and developments. Because Bornu empire in the last 400 years were of the same size or even bigger. This explains the reason why when the great “King Juan Carlos” the King of Spain while delivering a statement in Maiduguri at the Ramat Square on the 16th December 1986 during a visit to Nigeria, stated in his speech that his Kingdom has many historical connections to the Kanuri people and that Spain still holds in its archives vital historical artifacts including letters of correspondences that are hundreds of years old between his Kingdom and the Kanem-Bornu Empire. In fact, this statement coming from the great King Carlos himself made the modern African scholars and historians to now understand better how powerful this great Empire of Kanem-Bornu was in the ancient times.
The rulers of the El-Kanemi family were later brought in to rule the kingdom after some lapses from the rulers of the post Mai Idris Alauma era in Bornu Empire who grew weaker and for failing to protect the territorial integrity of the Empire. This mistake was an administrative lapse that even costs the office of the ruling Mai in the year 1809.
Al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî (Arabic: محمد لرشيد ابن محمد الكامانی) (1776–1837), who was an Arab Islamic scholar was brought in as a ruler to replace the Sayfawa dynasty and checkmate attacks as well as return the kingdom to a required status.
Kanuri & Religion:
The Kanuri people are 100 % Muslims. Islam stands as a reference point for the Kanuri lifestyle and the entire Kanuri culture. The actions of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) stands as a reference point at all times and in making every decision ranging from jurisprudence, to marriages, issues of inheritance, types and nature of foods to be eaten and even dress codes and dress ethics among many others.
Kanuri towns and villages are characterized by having many Mosques, with an average of 4 Mosques per street in their cosmopolitan cities like Maiduguri, Mao-Kanem, Damagaram, Damaturu, Bama etc.
Maiduguri is ranked as the city with the highest concentration of Mosques in the Sub-Saharan African region. It has well over 14, 000 Mosques.
Kanuri & Education:
If the definition of literacy is the ability to read and write, then the Kanuri people are over 90 % literate, because the majority of the Kanuri people can read and write either in Arabic or in the Western education system or even both. This is because it is embedded in the Kanuri tradition for every Kanuri person attends the Quranic / Islamic education system and with the coming of western education now most people attend both before marriage.
Kanuri Dress Cloth:
The Kanuri adults mostly wear Gowns which are locally known as the Kuluwu in the Kanuri language “Babban riga” or “Malum-Malum” in the Hausa language, in addition to traditionally made local Caps such as the Zanna, Dara, Ajyi and Damanga among some few others not mentioned here. While the younger once and some other adults too also wear other dresses like the Caftan, modern cloths like Jackets or even Suits and some other ones depending on the occasion. But the Kanuri women always cover all parts of their bodies excluding the face, palms and feet’s especially when they are going out to public areas. Though there is a slight difference in the dress modes of a married woman and those that are not married, but the overall objectives here is to cover the whole of the body with the exception of the above mentioned parts.
Kanuri and Kanuri Dialects:
The Kanuri language has the largest number of speakers of the Central Saharan Language Family. Today there are many different types of Kanuri dialects within the Kanuri language some of which includes the Kanuri Wuje, Gumati, Manga, Bodoi, Kanembu, Kwayam, Kuburi ,Suwurti, Bodoi, Manga and others. In the olden days almost all the Kanuri people speaks in one common dialect where everything remains same in terms of the oral aspect of speaking the Kanuri language. However, the diversification in the mode of livelihoods or professions of the different Kanuri groups was then used as a determinant of a dialect. For example, the Kanuri people engaged more in trading business are likely to be Kanuri Wuje or Kanuri Gumati, those Kanuris that are more in to nomadism lifestyle or economy are likely to be Kwayam and those in to fishing are likely to be the Buduma and so on.
The professions of the olden days Kanuri people were generally rearing of animals (pastoralism) , trading, farming, fishing, mining (potassium mining in the open waters of the Lake Chad) , teaching, Mat making, ginning, scholarly professions ,hunting, dying of cloths and cloth making, Horse saddles making, blacksmithing and others.
However, in the modern era these dialects became more distinctive from each other by the way the oral language is spoken in terms of its tone, oral contents and sometimes even the contents in nouns of some Kanuri dialects. This is because place, distance and time are factors having effects in shaping the oral nature of language. For instance the differences that exists between the British English spoken in the Great Britain and the American English spoken in America (USA) or Australia.Others includes the differences that exists amongst the various Arabic types or dialects spoken in various Arab nations, for instant the Arabic spoken in Egypt is Different from the one spoken in the United Arab Emirates same applies to the Arabic spoken in Iraq which differs with that of Morocco, though they may understand each other to a some extents.
Today there is no single Kanuri dialect that are 100% in to a particular profession as in the ancient times, although some tends to be more professional in a particular profession than others, due to the effects of the principle of comparative advantage* hence this makes the Kanuri Kwayams to be more professional in practicing pastoral farming than the other Kanuri types, the Budumas to be more profession in fishing than the other Kanuri dialects etc. Yet this also means that there are Kanuris who originally not pastoralists or fishermen but they later in life chooses to be one. This situation plus the effect of language distance decay and language time decay resulted in the emergence of the various Kanuri distinctive dialects of today.
The colonial societies such as the English, German, Italy and France also had some influences on the nature of the present day Kanuri language spoken in their various territories. The colonial rules in the Kanem-Bornu Empire by these four mighty European colonial societies namely British, French, Germans and the Italians that splatted this Empire in to 5 or 6 different countries (Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Libya and parts of Sudan) have had some of their words included in to the Kanuri language during the colonial and even in this post-colonial periods.
The extent of this dilution of the Kanuri language has resulted in making the Kanuri language spoken in the English territory of Nigeria differs with the Kanuri language spoken in French countries like Niger and Cameroon.
In the Kanuri spoken in the English territory one can spot some English words in them for instant Kashiwu in Knuri is Cashew in English, Mangulo in Kanuri is Mango in English, Lemun in Kanuri is Lemon in English others are Karass (Carrot) , Telehon (Telephone), Kafenta (Carpenta) , Mota (Motor-Car) , Tumatkum (Tomato) , Kwalta (Coal tar ) , Raadio (Radio) , Talbijin (Television) ,Toji (Torchlight) and so on. Same applies with the Bornu-Kanuri French territories of Damagaram and Kousri in Niger, Kanem in Chad republics as well as the Bornu-Kanuri German territories of Kousri and Kolofata in the republic of Cameroon.
In view of the above we now have more than ten different Kanuri dialects spread across Africa and some of the most popular ones as earlier mentioned are the Kanuri Wuje, Gumati, Manga, Bodoi, Kanembu, Morr, Kwayam, Suwurti, Buduma and others. In addition, we also have the Kanuri people that doesn’t belongs to any of these or any other dialects simply because they do not speak the Kanuri oral language, but rather they hold to some of Kanuri cultural heritage after a very long time of language and cultural decays observed in a far distance environment away from the Kanuri mainland. Kanuri people under this category includes the Kanuri people of Lafiyan Barebari in Nasarawa state of Nigeria, who were able to only keep the tribal marks and some few Kanuri names and traditional titles and titles names as their heritage without speaking the oral Kanuri language, plus other Kanuris living in Diaspora in distant places like Khartoum Sudan, Fezzan Libya, Oyem Gabon and Abeche in Chad among others.
Types of Kanuri Dialects:
Manga: This is a type of Kanuri dialect mostly spoken in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria and South-Western Niger republic in towns and cities like Nguru, Geidam, Yusufari, Yunusari in Nigeria and Damagaram in Niger republic. Kanuri Islamic scholars often use this dialect in translating and learning of Arabic scripts as well as the Holy Quran in Kanuri. Scholars mostly recommend this dialect for the learning purpose because it is more complex in contents in terms of differentiating things or elements. For example, in Manga one can construct an understandable sentences referring to a man or woman without necessarily mentioning the name of the gender referred to in the beginning, middle or end of the sentence and a listener can easily understand that it is referring to a man or woman, but this is difficult in the many other remaining dialects. The Manga Kanuri speakers are referred to as Manga. Manga people are mostly engaged in Agriculture, trading as well as pastoral activities. They are also one of the Kanuri community that specializes in camel rearing and production of Kanuri local dry cheese referred to as the Chukkwu in Kanuri.
Manga people are mostly tall and stately people.
Kanembu: The Kanembu speakers are mostly living primarily in Chad republic around the areas of the Chad's Lac Prefecture but also in Chari-Baguirmi and Kanem prefectures with some few others in Northern Cameroun republic. 75 to 80% of the Kanembus are all merchants in Chad, making them, in a relative way, one of the Chad's wealthiest groups. They are a sedentary group who also engage in agriculture, Islamic education and raising livestock some are also in to fishing. They cultivate Wheat, millet and corn near the lake.
The Kanembu people are also known to be producing special local coffee referred to as the “Gaha”in Kanuri. And they are known to be good drinkers of this Gaha and Tea.
Kanuri Gumati:
This is the Kanuri dialect Spoken in Monguno ,Marte,parts of Kukawa and Mintor areas. This dialect is much similar in context and nature to the Kanuri Wuje spoken in Yerwa because of the historical cosmopolitant nature of the Monguno,Marte and Kukawa areas. In fact the towns of Monguno and Kukawa were once the capitals of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
The Gumatis are also engaged in Pastoral activities,but they are more into trading. Many people use to claim that they are the real Kanuri people.
Kwayam:
The Kwayam mostly lives in North-Eastern Nigeria especially in Magumeri, Gajiram and Gajiganna areas of Borno state. They are nomadic lifestyle is very similar to that of the Fulani ethnic group also living in Nigeria and Niger republics. They have some similarities with the Fulanis in terms of their nomadic or pastoral lifestyle as such that some people often mistakes them for the Mbororo Fulanis. While the Fulanis roam around with their cattle, the Kwayams seek land for farming activities alongside rearing. They hold vast traditional knowledge on rearing animals or the pastoral profession, as such that by just mere looking at an animal (cattle, sheep, chicken, goats etc.) among thousands, they can easily identify the ones that can multiply rapidly, produce healthier offspring without necessarily looking at the prevailing existing health status of the animal under as at the moment. They also know the animals that can endure surviving under harsh climate (climate change).
In addition, the Kwayams also holds vast knowledge of traditional Astronomy; they hold the knowledge about the movement of Stars in the Sky that enables them knows faiths of future natural phenomena such as droughts and raining seasons. Amazingly this knowledge even enables them find their locations at night when they are lost anywhere during the day time.
The Kwayams have similar tribal marks like all other Kanuri dialects, but theirs are thicker and shorter.
Bodoi: The Kanuri Bodoi are very similar to the Kanuri Kwayam, but the differences is in their lifestyles with the Kwayam more into pastoralism and the Bodoi supplements his Pastoral practices with trading, teaching and other professions. Both of them are very many in Magumeri, Gajiganna and Gajiram but the Bodois also extent into Gubio, Benisheikh and some parts of Guzamala-Kukawa all in North-Eastern parts of Nigeria.
Kanuri Wuje or Kanuri central (Some call it Kanuri Yerwa or Kanuri Lare): The Kanuri Wuje or the Kanuri central is more of a new phenomenon because it is a newly emerging Kanuri dialect spoken mostly in Maiduguri, Konduga and their surrounding settlements. Maiduguri is the present day capital of the Kanuri people which is a cosmopolitan city in nature just like the Monguno of the olden days. This dialect is just approximately 100 years old, because it began with the coming of the colonial societies in to the area and with the establishment of Maiduguri city in 1907 as the new capital of the British Kanuri territory in Nigeria. The coming of these colonial societies resulted in restricting free regular movements of the Kanuri people within their ancestral territories (the Lands of the Kanem-Bornu Empire). However, before the arrival of these Europeans in to their Lands, the Kanuri people had the opportunity of meeting and exchanging ideas, goods and have conversations with their entire members within the Empire, but with the creation of the artificial boundaries within their Lands by the British, French, Germans and the Italians resulted in splitting them across 6 different countries as mentioned earlier instead of allowing them to live in a single country e.g. completely Nigeria.
The colonial societies did this deliberately, so that the Kanuri people do not form majority in any country they found themselves in the colonial and post-colonial eras because it would be very difficult if not next to impossible to rule over civilized group like this.
This development lead to the change in the livelihood of the entire Kanuri people by limiting their movements within their territories hence dynamically and over time many of them end up settling in the new towns empowered by these colonies such as Maiduguri in Nigeria, Damagaram-Zundur in Niger, Mao-Kanem in Chad, Kousri in Cameroon, Aljawf and Al Qatrun in Libya as well as Nyala in Sudan.
This made the Maiduguri cosmopolitan became a melting point to almost all the Kanuri dialects spoken in Nigeria. Most of the Kanuri dialects that later end up settling in Maiduguri under the above mention influence later got melted in Maiduguri to produce the Kanuri central or the Kanuri Wuje.
The Kanuri central dialect composed of combination of words from the various other dialects; it also has in it the elements of words borrowed from some other non-Kanuri languages including the colonial languages as indicated earlier.
This new Kanuri central or Kanuri Yerwa dialect is intelligible, it is more simplified version of the Kanuri and it has in it the ability of accepting and formatting new words at any time. Under this scenario we can take example with the world of the electronics which keeps on bringing new products that never existed in any language or dictionaries before, for example computer is referred to as KEREEN NASARAYE (K3R3N NASARAYE), Telephone is called TALEHON, calculator is known as ISAUROM NASARA among others.
Additional advantages that the Kanuri central has over the other Kanuri dialects ARE:
1. It is spoken by the Kanuri elders including the Shehu (Kanuri leader).
2. School teachers also use it for some explanation in schools for beginners that do not speak any other language other than the Kanuri.
3. Kanuri writers use it in writing their books.
4. modern day popular Kanuri Islamic Scholars like Sheikh Abba Aji, Sheikh Elmiskin and sometimes Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh often use it for their preaching or Simons.
5. The Kanuri speaking Medias such as the BRTV (Borno Radio and Television Corporation), the NTA (Nigerian Television Authority), the Radio Dandal-kura and others all use it in airing their news.
The recent unrest that affected the entire North Eastern region of Nigeria between the years 2009 to 2016 has resulted in pushing almost all the Kanuri people living in the rural areas of Borno and Yobe states of Nigeria in to the city of Maiduguri where many are now living with their relations or in the refugee Camps pending when the situation would improve. This situation has further contributed in melting of many other rural Kanuri dialects in to the Kanuri Wuje (Kanuri central).
At present the Kanuri central has rapidly expanded in size over the last 5 years making it becoming the more dominant Kanuri dialect in recent history. So far over 5 million Kanuri people speak in this dialect as at the year 2017.
Buduma/ Yedina:
The Budumas are also considered as Kanuris by the anthropologist although some other people still see them as Kanuri because they are close relatives to the Kanuri Kanembu dialect (have similar culture with the Kanembu) , but only separated from the Kanembus by the waters of Lake Chad . They are predominantly fishers and cattle-herders. The Budumas are mostly living around the Lake Chad and on the Lake Chad’s Islands of Chad, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Their most popular base is the town of Doron Baga in Kukawa local government area of Nigeria. They are popularly known by the other Kanuris as Buduma, meaning "people of the grass” (or reeds), but they prefer to be called Yedina.
Note*
Other important Kanuri dialects not discussed here includes the Morr spoken around Damasak,Kuburi spoken in Kukawa and parts of Guzamala all in Nigeria , Suwurti spoken around Doron Baga and Sadi (Sade ) areas of Kukawa, others are the Kane and the Tubu.
In the Kaour escarpment oasis of eastern Niger, the Kanuri are further divided into the Bla Bla subgroup, numbering some 53,000 and are the dominant ethnic group in the salt evaporation and trade industry of Bilma.
It is also important to note that all Kanuri dialects regardless of the type they were all at one time Pastoral farmers.
The Geography of Kanuri:
Many people believe that the Kanuri people mainly lives in the Sahel, Sudan Savannah and the Sahara Desert region of Africa, because this is geo-historically what was reflected as their environment in the history Books. But when one looks at the Kanuri Kingdom of Lafia presently located within the Guinea Savanah region of Nigeria led by His Majesty Mai Mustafa Agwai who is a Kanuri man himself by descendant and the entire Kanuri community of Lafiya or Lafia town generally referred to as the Kanuris of the Lafiyan Barebari in the present day Nasarawa state - Nigeria, then one would be tempted to ask the question “how did the Kanuri people of the far North became part of the communities inhabiting part of the Jos plateau / Guinea Savannah region (Lafiya town and its surrounding Kanuri settlements)?
Answering this question in a logical way would certainly change the position of some researchers and writers on the geography of the Kanuri people.
The Kanuris of the Guinea Savannah/Jos Plateau (Kanuris of the Mountains):
Contrary to the opinions of some modern writers that the Kanuris in the Lafia kingdom actually arrived lafiya in the 1890s when Rabih Fadlallah also known in French as Rabah (1842 – April 22, 1900) launched attacks on the Borno Empire in the late 1890s made some Kanuri people fled for safety and landed in the Lafia area and its surrounding territories. But when one observes the present day Kanuri people of Lafia one would notice that they do not speak the oral Kanuri language, though they still kept intact some Kanurri cultural heritages such as the Kanuri tribal marks, artifacts, nature of the traditional political strata of the kingdom of Lafia as well as bearing some Kanuri names & titles like Kaigama,Shetima,Boukar and Talba among others. And yet they have strong ties to the present day Bornu and Yobe states where the majority of the Kanuris live today.
Tracing back to history the coming of Rabih to fight the Borno Empire was just roughly 120 years back and Rabih himself was defeated (killed) in the year 1900. Anthropologically speaking it is not possible for a community of modern 1000 (One thousand) people speaking same language to completely lose their oral language within the space of just one century (100 years) which is equivalent to just 4 human generations or in some occasions even less than that depending on the early marriages and early conceptions capabilities of a given community. In fact, 120 years can only succeed in changing the oral tonation or pattern of speaking the oral language such as differences in pronunciations of some words in a language.
In view of the above coupled with some of my cultural and geo-archaeological findings revealed that it is not actually the people of the Kanem-Bornu Empire that fled for safety that founded Lafia and its related territories in the first place, but rather Lafia territory was the Southern edge or Borders of the Kanem-Bornu Empire during its peak of expansion under the great Mai Idris Alauma in the 16th Century, meaning that the Kanem-Bornu Empire once included within it the entire Jos plateau ( average altitude 1,280 meters ) as well as parts of the TIV Lands in Benue state of Nigeria alongside the River Benue.
So Abba Mamman Agwai, the great grandfather of the present day Emir of Lafia Alh. Isa Mustapha Agwai , who was a Kanuri prince from the Kanem-Bornu Empir that came to Lafiya in the 19th Century and founded the Lafia Emirates, did not actually discovered Lafia by accident, but he followed the foot-path of his ancestor’s written history about the southern edge or borders of the ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire .
In addition, the South-Western ancient frontiers or borders of the Kanem-Bornu also extended into the present day Niger state where it terminates at a town called “Kuta” near the city of Minna the present Niger state’s capital. Kuta is a name originally derived from the name Kukawa (the ancient capital of the Kanem- Borno Empire). Late Alhaji Ahmadu Bahago the first Emir of Minna who was earlier on the Emir of Kuta town until he was later moved to become the Emir of Minna , after the state creation in 1976 under the then General Murtala Muhammad administration was a Kanuri man from the Kanem-Bornu Empire by descendent. This proves that the ancient borders of Kanem Bornu Empire terminate in the Kuta town of Niger state,
This explains the reseon why the two Emirates of Minna and Lafia are still holding to some tradional titles similar to the Kanuri speaking emirates like Borno,Yobe,Damagaram,Kanem and Kousri, example of such titles includes the title of Talba,Shettima and Zanna. The present Talba of Minna is Alhaji Babangida Aliyu who was was a civilian Governors of Niger state. Apart from Kuta the people of Kutigi living in the town of Kutigi also esterblished lineage to the Kanuri people.
These findings established the existence of the Kanuri people in the Guinea Savannah (Middle belt region of -Nigeria) since in the ancient times.
Furthermore, because of the historical influences of the Kanem –Bornu Empire in the Guinea Savannah also made the TV people in Benue state borrowed some cultural elements from the Kanuri culture, for instant the TIV traditional musical trumpet instrument referred to as the Kakaaki or Algaita is very similar in appearance and in melody to the Kanuri’s trumpet known as “Alitta” or “Arrita”. The TIV black and white traditional cloth wears (pieces of wrappers) referred to as the “Ange” in TIV language is just another version of the Kanuri locally woven cloths called the “Dawun Ngasho” in terms of colour combination, processing and texture.
As a result of these historical connections between the ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire ancient and the TIV people more welcoming to the Kanuri people coming to their lands to conduct their activities despite the differences in religion. In fact, this was one of the reasons that made the popular Maiduguri based Kanuri politician Alhaji Ibrahim Imam, followed this trend of history and arrived in TIV land, contested and won election in the TIV land in the 1960s to represent the people TIV people (people of present day Benue State-Nigeria) at the National parliament of Nigeria. This development made Benue to have a Kanuri man representing them in the parliament.
The Kanuri people of Zaria (Zauzau) or the Kanuris of the Hill:
Zaria is a city of mixed ethnic groups including Katsinawa who are the Fulanis, Mallawa (Migrants from Mali), the Dakarkaris and the Kanuris referred here to as the bareberi.
Though history has shown that the Gwari tribe were the first settlers of the Zaria environment, but the Gwaris lived in a scattered settlement pattern around the area. But the single clustered city of Zaria was founded by the Kanuri people who later came to the area.
The Zaria city was a city surrounded and enclosed by a man made walls with its original Palace located at Kaura (Kauran Sarki), before it was later moved to the present day location of the Zaria’s Emirs Palace which is still standing in the old Zaria city. History revealled that Zaria was founded some 400 to 500 years before the coming of Shehu Usman bn Fodio of blessed memories (The founder of the Sokoto caliphate).
Before the emergence of the Sokoto caliphate most of the Kings (leaders) of Zaria were Kanuris and some of the most popular Zaria Kanuri kings/Sarki/Emirs that ruled Zaria were Sarki Brehma, Sarki Yamusa, Sarki Musa, Sarki Kwasau, Sarki Hamada Dan Sani, Sarki Ibrahim and Sarki Jafar Dan Isiaka among others.
The Graves of Sarki Yamusa and Sarki Musa are still located at the Kauran Sarki area in the old Zaria city.
Apart from the Sarkis/Emirs or Kings of Zaria the Chief Imams and most of the judges of Zaria up till today are from the Kanuri lineage.
Even though Zaria is in the Sokoto caliphate, but when the great Shehu Usman Danfodio discovered Zaria the Kanuris have already brought Islam to Zaria and its Kanuri King as at that time called Sarki Yamusa was a practicing Muslim. This was what made Danfodio, to negotiate with him instead of invading Zaria. After the negotiation Danfodio gave Sarki Yamusa a flag to join his movement and also allowed him to continue to rule the city of Zaria. Sarki Yamusa was a warrior and fought in many battles alongside Danfodio. Ever since then the Kanuri people continue the tradition of ruling Zaria and they still remain one of the ruling houses of Zaria.
We refer to the Kanuris of Zaria as the Kanuris of the Hill, because Zaria is surrounded by Hills, instead of the usual plane lands charactering most parts of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Additionally, the nearby Nga people in Bauchi State of Nigeria also trace their origins to a Kanuri diaspora.
Kanuris of the Tropical Rain Forest (Gabon):
Many would wonder hearing about the Kanuris of the tropical rain forest as the Kanem-Bornu Empire southern borders never reached the Equator lines or even below latitude 7°30′N in history. But the emergence of the Kanuri people in the neighborhood of the pygmies of central African region was as a result of migration. History shows that the Kanuri people were mainly spread within the Sahel, Semi Sahel and the Sahara Desert environments apart from the few ones in some parts of the Sudan and Guinea Savannah region. This Kanuri ancient territories were characterized by fluctuating climate change, seasons of droughts and desertification since the past 300 to 350 years. It was in view of this fluctuating natural phenomena that made some Kanuri people traveled southward in to the Congo basin looking for pasture for their animals until they reached the central African forest and created their settlements some centuries back.
This group of Kanuri nomads pushed by the fluctuating climate change mostly from northern North Eastern Nigeria, northern Cameroon and southern Chad republics founded the town of Oyem in the present day Gabon republic during the precolonial era of Africa. However, with the arrival of the colonial societies in Africa in the 19th century Kanem-Bornu Empire was splitted or divided in to 6 different nations making the Kanuri people here fall under Gabon. These Kanuri people in Oyem found themselves cut off from the rest of the Kanuri people living in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Libya and Sudan. This made them automatically the citizens of Gabon under the French rule.
The Kanuri people of Gabon maintain most of the Kanuri cultures and tradition including the tangible and some intangible ones. However apart from the language which is spoken by some very few amongst them and yet mixed with some French language elements they preserved most of the other Kanuri cultures including dress, festivals and tribal marks.
Following the conversion of President Oumar Bongo the late president of the Republic of Gabon to Islam in 1967, the issues of national Islamic affairs of Gabon was handed over to be managed or coordinated by the Kanuri people of Gabon (Oyem people), by the late president Bongo himself. During this time the Kanuri people of Gabon were the only few indigenous Muslims in Gabon and they make up 94% of the total Muslim population in Gabon and yet Gabon was a country in the late 1960s with just 10 % Muslim population among its total population. Hence this situation created a favorable opportunity for the Kanuri people of Gabon becoming much closer to the Gabonese president, government as well as the international community too especially rich Islamic nations. Because following the conversion of the president to Islam made many Muslim rich nations to come in to Gabon and built many multi-million dollar Mosques complexes (which contains libraries and schools) in Gabon, especially in the Gabonese capital the city of Libreville. For example, nations like Morocco, Libya, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iran, Syria all built these complexes in Gabon. In fact, building Mosque complexes in Gabon amongst among nations became like a competition among them. However initially most of these Islamic nations that built these Mosques thought that there were no Muslims in Gabon earlier on and this was what made to keep bringing in teachers and Imams to pray and teach in these Mosques /complexes in the late 1960s to early 1970s, until they discovered that Gabon also has its own indigenous Muslim community who were the Kanuri people. So that was when the Kanuri people became involved in handling the affairs of these new Mosques and Islam in Gabon.
Despite the minority nature of the Kanuri people in Gabon this new role of handling the affairs of Islam in Gabon has created enabling environment that made many becomes mams, librarians, teachers and administrators in Gabon. Over the years these Islamic nations helped them with scholarships to acquire trainings in various fields across the World. A situation that made many Kanuris in Gabon become literate and experts of their religion. The same situation gave them the advantage to serve in their nation at various capacities. The Kanuri town of Oyem itself witnessed a very rapid development as a result including having a new Olympic Stadium complex that hosted some Matches of the just concluded African Nations Cup that was held in Gabon in the year 2017 (GAB 2017).
After the death of President Oumar Bongo in the year 2008 his son Ali Oumar Bongo, succeeded him as the president of Gabon and just like his father he also recognizes the contributions of the Kanuri people in the development of Gabon.
The level of literacy amongs the Gabonese Kanuris is very high as such that the Kanuri people here are over 90% educated,gainfully employed in both the public and private sectors as well as in some regional and international agencies. The Kanuris here are also considered as one of the economically viable community not only in Gabon but in the entire African continent , as they have a per capita income of $2.2 USD per person per day.
The Gabonese Kanuri people are now working towards revival of the decayed oral Kanuri language in Gabon, as many of them including both old and the young are proud of their identity and are expressing intrests in learning back the language and even proposing having some Kanuri teachers in the future to teach their children.
As earlier stated the Gabonese Kanuris are not only working in the Islamic related areas only, but in almost all other sectors in Gabon. As at today there are Kanuri Directors, head of agencies/parastatal, advisers, and even ministers in the Gabonese cabinet.
Kanuris of the Arab World:
Due to the existing cultural and longtime diplomatic as well as religious relationship between the Arab nations like Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan and Algeria with the Kanem-Bornu, made the Kanuris to have a well-established ties and presence within the Arabs. But surprisingly it would be difficult to classify those Kanuris living in the Arab nations as another type of Kanuri, simply because if a Kanuri man lives in Arab the Arab nation for a period of 50 years on the average he metamorphoses in to an Arab, because here the Arabic language replaces the Kanuri language in the tongue and also end up adopting the Arab culture 100%. Likewise, same applies with the Arabs if they live in the Kanuri lands they equally metamorphose in to Kanuri and they become known as the “Kanuri Wasilis” (Kanuri Arabs). The issue here is that both cultures look alike like twin’s babies. These similarities are visible in terms of culture, religion and the nature of the Afro Asiatic language contents of the Kanuri language. Though the Kanuri people remains blacks among the Arabs and the Arabs remains with fairly lighter skin complexion but after long time of intermarriages both metamorphoses.
In view of the above it is therefore difficult to classify the Kanuris in the Arab world as Kanuris, but rather is better to classify them as the Arab-Kanuris or Kanuri Arabs. In this case there are approximately over 4 million Kanuri-Arabs living in the republic of Sudan, over 2 million shared among Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Libya and thousands shared between the holy cities of Makkah and Madina as well as Jeddah and Riyad in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Some Kanuri-Arabs speaks better Arabic than even some Arabs of the same age.
Popular Kanuri-Arabs in Diospora includes; Goni Maliki of the holy city of Makkah and Goni Yusuf (A worker with the holy Kaaba) and Sheikh Awad. Though people like Goni Muhammad Ali Gabchiya is a Kanuri man, but he mastered the two cultures both Arabic and Kanuri that makes you hardly classify him in to a single one.
Relationship between the Kanuri and Arab:
The Arabs have more than one-thousand-year history in the and with the Empire. Both the Seyfawa (Sefuwa) Dynasty and the El-kanemi Dynasty were founded by Arab men. An Arab man with the name of Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan founded the Sayfuwa Dynasty and another Arab with the name of Al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî (Arabic: محمد لرشيد ابن محمد الكامانی) (1776–1837) founded the El-Kanemi Dynasty.
History shows that the Arabs are constant visitors to the Bornu Empire. Arabs are mostly coming to Borno for trading, scholarship, diplomacy and some on transit to other existing kingdoms in the Western, Northern and central African regions with some migrating to settle in the Empire. As a result of these relationships that existed with these two communities there were many intermarriages and offspring, the offspring from these marriages carries both genes of the Arab and the Kanuri and are generally referred to as the “Wasilis” in the Kanuri language. The Wasilis or the Kanuri-Arabs descendants in Bornu are connected to Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Yemen, Tunisians and few Moroccans.
In Maiduguri of today the Fezzan ward area located south of the Shehu’s Palace is a ward of an entire block reserved, dedicated and allocated for the Arabs since Maiduguri was founded. In Fezzan they were given the rights to govern themselves and generate taxes/revenue for the Bornu Empire within this territoryas a result the Wasilis are given the traditional title position of Lawan since inception. The majority of the Bornu Arabs are of Libyan descents as a result the position of the Lawan is always with them. This title has been rotating amongst the Wasilis for years. The last Lawan from the Wasilis was Alhaji Yusuf Wasili who retired on his own from this position in the late 1960s and hand over the baton for the first time to a non Wasili decedent in Fezzan.
It should be noted that in addition to the Kanuri-Arabs the Empire also has its own version of native Arabs known anthropologically as the “Bornu indigenous Arabs” generally referred to as the “Shuwa” in Kanuri language. This indigenous Arabs were anthropologically said to have emerge in Bornu-Empire because the Bornu-Empire is located on the biogeographic racial transition zone between the lighter skin (mostly Arabs) and the darker skin (mostly blacks Africans) people of Africa. The Shuwa people have same culture with the Kanuris in terms of their tribal marks, wears, culture, ceremonies, foods, farms, festivals and many other ways of livelihood. The differences between the two is so small that it only takes a Kanuri man or a Shuwa man to identify these little differences correctly, however the majority of the Shuwa people are lighter in skin complexion even though there are some few Kanuris too that are equality lighter, but the majority of the Kanuris are darker in terms of skin complexion.when compared to the Shuwas.
Relations and Influences of Turkish on the Kanuri people and the Kanuri culture:
Unlike the Arabs the Turkish coming to Bornu were not traders, scholars nor people on transit, but they were instead Ambassadors and military personnel representing the interest of the great Othman Empire (World Super Power for over 500 years) in the Bornu Empire. The Turkish people normally returns back to their nations after the completion of their missions or assignments in the Empire, this made them not a permanent settler in the Empire. As a result, existing available history has not shown intermarriages with the Kanuris, but it is still possible that this Kanuri Empire has some Kanuri-Turkish or Turkish-Kanuris. Despite the position of the Turkish in the ancient Bornu Empire, but yet the Turkish had some influences over the Kanuri culture; for example, the Kanuri Trumpet generally referred to as the “Arrita” was borrowed or adopted from the Turkish culture some 400 years back. This explains why in Istanbul of Today we still have the Arrita blowers blowing their Arritas just like in central Yerwa (Maiduguri).
Turkey and Istanbul in particular holds verst history about the Kanuri people and the Kanuri culture in their museams,libraries and related archieves.
Relationship between the Kanuri and the Hausa people:
The Hausa people are longtime neighbours of the Kanuri people for probably a thousand year. Some scholars still believes that Bayajidda (Bàyā̀jiddà ) the founder of the Hausa lands (Kingdom) and who history described as an Arab man that arrived and settled in the town of Daura in the present day Katsina state and later married queen Magajiya Daurama (The Queen of Daura) is actually from the Kanem-Bornu Empire .Even though the history indicated that he was from the East (The Arabian Peninsula) , but some scholars argued that the geographical East referred to in this history was actually the town of ancient Kukawa in the present day Borno state of Nigeria. It is also possible that he is from the Arabian Peninsula, but he must have also first settled in one of the settlements of Kanem-Bornu Empire before reaching the Hausa land. Logically it is not possible for someone coming from the Arabian Peninsula to the Hausa land then (period without Aircrafts and modern transport system) reach the Hausa land without geographically passing through the ancient territory of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Furthermore, in whatever way we look at it both the Kanem-Bornu Empire and the Arabian Peninsula are both located to the East of the Hausa Land. But the fact still remains that it is not possible for him to have come from the Arabian Peninsula and reach the Hausa land without crossing through the ancient Kanem-Bornu-Empire, just like it is not possible for people during the era when people from the Hausa land and or the Sokoto caliphate were travelling to pilgrimage on foot to Saudi Arabia to be able to reach Saudi Arabia without passing through Bornu.
Some scholars even go further to give meaning to the name of Bayajidda as “BAYA JI DA” (literally translated in the Hausa language as “He doesn’t hear before “or “He doesn’t understand the Hausa language before”) meaning that when Bàyā̀jiddà first came to the Hausa Land he doesn’t understand their language, so he was probably speaking in Arabic or Kanuri or both.
The relationship of Hausa and the Kanuri people still stands in Africa as one of the best among ancient African kingdoms. These two group of people respect each other and they always support each other at the time of needs and distress. These two have a very strong historical trading relationship. In fact, it is very common to see a Kanuri man been addressed as a Hausa man in southern Nigeria or elsewhere and he accept it despite the fact that he is not a Hausa man, for example apart from the Kanuri ancestral origin of the former late Nigerian leader General Sani Abacha, Abacha remained a Hausa man from Kano throughout his lifetime.
The Hausa language has some borrowed words from the Kanuri and also some Hausa proverbs that are directly relating to the Kanuri. For example, Manda means salt in Kanuri and Gishiri means salt in Hausa, but one often hears a Hausa man making proverb with it as “Chinikin Bani Manda in Baka Gishiri” (Give me Salt (Gishiri) and I give you Salt (Manda) or sometime a Hausa man is fond of directly using Kanuri word such as “Garu” referring to a wall or “Bulaguro” referring to travelling. Same applies with the Kanuri language too for example in Kanuri Zink sheets roofing cover is called “Kwana” which was originally borrowed from the Hausa language referring to the roof cover sheets as “Kwano” or Kwanon Gida.
Relationship between the Fulani and the Kanuri People:
When the Fulanis established the Sokoto caliphate under the leadership of Shehu Usman Danfodio they brought or revived Islam in many parts of the present day Northern and parts of South western Nigeria, along the line of this course the Fulanis ruled many of the ethnic groups in these areas or regions mentioned above including the Hausas, Nupes, Gwaris, Yorubas, Jukuns and many others. But when the Fulanis reached the shores of the ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire they discovered that Islam was already in Bornu for almost a thousand year. However, Fodio caliphate proclaimed the holy war on the allegedly irreligious Muslims living in some parts of the former Bornu Empire territorial areas.
This irreligious sets of people to Danfodio was as a result of the style of leadership of the Kanem-Bornu people who normally Islamized new territories captured but at the end installs the indigents of the new territory/town captured to directly rule or govern their people and be reporting to the central authority instead of installing a Kanuri man to lead or rule them directly. This style of ruling new territories by the Kanem-Bornu Empire is contrary to the style adopted by Danfodio himself. Danfodio often installs his sons, brothers, relations, kinsmen or someone he trusted so well to rule new captured territories in order to have total and absolute control over the new subjects in one hand and make these subjects devoted and durable practicing Muslims in the other hand. This style of leadership under Danfodio resulted in the emergence Fulani traditional rulers in almost all the Hausa Kingdoms for instant the Emires of Kano, Katsina, Yola, Gwandu, Ilorin, Bauchi, Gombe etc are all Fulanis.
So the style of ruling by the Kanem-Bornu made the Bornu Empire to be weak over time at its new acquired territories mostly border territories, hence dynamically and overtime kept losing total and absolute control of these territories especially in the areas of some subjects becoming devoted and durable practicing Muslims without closer supervision from the above. These actions made some of them go back to their traditional religions (idol worshiping or paganism) as there was no Christianity in this part of Africa then. This was the main reason why Danfodio fought or launched a campaign against some towns of the Kanem-Bornu that looks irreligious to him, this actions of Danfodio eventually politically affected the Kanem-Bornu and inspired a trend toward Islamic orthodoxy, with no one stopping this caliphate apart from the Arab man and a scholar-turned-statesman, Al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi who was an Islamic cleric (Scholar), that contested and won against the Fulani advance.
The two kingdoms (Danfodio caliphate & the Kanem-Bornu Empire) later became friends because of their common cause (spreading of Islam and wiping illiteracy). These new relationships between these two have had very strong diplomatic influences on them. During the precolonial era of Africa, the two Kingdoms keeps exchanging greetings through letters between the two kings (The Sultan of Sokoto and the Shehu of Borno) on every two weeks’ intervals.
Today the Fulani man has a very strong respect and admiration for the Kanuri man as such that the Fulani man sees the Kanuri man as his only historical friend across this African environment as he sees the other tribes as his subjects that he already governed, so he always feels that he is the master of the tribes he ruled. The Kanuri man and a Fulani man are fond of cracking jokes whenever they meet. Surprisingly the Fulani man never cracks such jokes with any other person in the environment other than the Kanuri man. These jokes are always around who the master and who is who the slave is “Is it me or you” the argument then starts and the joke theen continues making each other happier and livelier.
This two Kingdoms still exchange education/scholarships with People coming from the Sokoto (Danfodio) caliphate to Bornu to master the Holy Quran while those from Borno travel to the Sokoto Caliphate to master the Hadith and Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh).
Kanuri Farms & Foods:
The Kanuri people mainly produce millets, beans, groundnuts, edible cassavas (Garissa), wheat, guinea corn, rice and cucumber (Ngurli) in their farmlands.
The Kanuri diet consists of mostly millet, wheat, rice and maize served either as porridge (Guda) or as dumplings (Burabusko) served with a vegetable soup like Kwalkwa (Baobab leaves), Gwalto (Okra) or Karasu also containing meat, groundnut oil, salt, and sometimes beans, cow fat (Kendawu Feye) and Spices.
During ceremonies they also cook special ceremonial delicacies like Denderu which is prepared from long time cooking of meat under a low temperature resulting in producing very soft edible meat, they also make white glassy like porridge from washed-bleached millet called the “Ndelleyi” and the Kanuri people are also masters in Pizza making, the local Kanuri Pizza is called “Sinassin” unlike the American or the Italian Pizza the Kanuri Pizza is eating with soup or vegetable.
Records show that the Kanuris are the World largest producers of Millet, Groundnuts and Beans and they are also the World’s largest consumers of Millet and Groundnuts.
Kanuri and Nigeria:
Long before the discovery of petroleum in Nigeria in the early 1960s Nigeria’s economy depended on Groundnut production (farming) and Nigeria was ranked World Number 1 in Groundnuts production between the 1930s to early 1960s. Surprisingly due to the sandy nature of most of the Kanuri predominant states of Bornu (Borno and Yobe states) made the Kanuri people be producing almost half of the total Groundnuts produced annually in the Nigeria, the town of Nguru in the present day Yobe state of Nigeria serves as the Hub of this trading and gathering in the Kanuri lands.
Currently with the discovery of petroleum in Nigeria since the 1960s made agriculture generally declined in Nigeria which also affected the main cash crop of Borno and Yobe states which the Groundnut is. However, these two states still stand statically as states producing 40% of the entire cattle’s consumed in Nigeria on daily, though advent of the unrest in 2009 is affecting this portion too.
The Kanuris in Borno state produced the best Beans in Nigeria called the “Krenuwa” Beans. In addition, the Kanuri settlements of Monguno and Marte local governments are among the few tropical areas in the World that producing Wheat through the Chad Basin irrigation systems or in the Oasis during the Hammatan period (winter) between the months of November to March of every year.
Considering the above contributions of the Kanuri people in Nigeria one would be pushed to say that the Kanuri people are very hard working and economically viable people.
Despite the fact that the Kanem-Bornu was splatted and ruled by four major colonial societies including British, French, German and the Italians, but it looks like the Kanuri people always preferred being under the British rule. This is evidence with the defection of Bama and Dikwa from Cameroon which was originally under the German colony to join Nigeria during the colonial period.
Over the years the Kanuri people produced many National heroes and important personalities in the in Nigeria ; these includes the likes of Late Sir Kashim Ibrahim (Governor Northern Region of Nigeria),Late General Sani Abacha (President/Head of state of Nigeria), Ambassador Babagana Kingibe (Secretary Federal Government of Nigeria) ,Alhaji Zanna Dipcharima (Minister of Industries and one time acting Prime Minister of Nigeria), Brigadier General Abba Kyari (Governor North Central),Alhaji Shettima Ali Minguno (Minister Mines Power and Steal and former OPEC president) and Sir Waziri Ibrahim amongst others.
Additionally in the private sectors ,Academics, traditional offices and international businesses they also produced very many unforgettable personalities in the history of Nigeria and these includes Alhaji Mai Deribe, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe,Sheikh Abubakar Elmiskin, Alhaji Umar Na Alhaji Lawan, Alhaji Kuli Deribe,Professor Umaru Shehu, Shehu Mustafa Elkanemi, Usman Karagama, Alhaji Bukar Bolori, Kashim Ibrahim, Kaka Hajja Aisa Aliram, Hamra Imam, Bintu Farlomu, Alhaji Zanna Mustafa Ahmed Deribe,Baba Bukar Arimma Monguno ,Mallam I. Geidam, Professor M.M. Daura (Former VC ),Alhaji Muhammad Aburos ,Ibrahim Imam,Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim,Shehu Abubakar Garbai,Zanna Laisu ,Alhaji Zannah Dipcharima,Alhaji Kamselem (Former IG of Police),Alhaji Shetima Ali Monguno, Alhaji Muhammad Monguno and Sheikh Muhammad Gibrima among many many other Kanuri greats.
Kanuri Intangible and Tangible Cultural Heritages:
Just like many other tribes the Kanuri people also have their tribal marks. The Kanuris make nine tribal marks on the faces with one of them drawn from under the forehead down to near the nose tip. Although over 70% of the Kanuris of today are no longer making these tribal marks,but the secret for these tribal Marks are mazing.
During the precolonial era of African, especially between the 14th to the 18th century when businesses of Slavery and Slave trades involving capturing and transporting Africans to the Americas dominated Africa as such that modern African historians believes that over over 50 million Africans were taken to Jamaica, Surinam, Mexico, Bahamas, USA, Brazil, Barbados, Guyana, Colombia, Coat Rica, Bermuda etc. The process of these international Slave trade at that time involves buying of Slaves legally or capturing of Africans through invading easy to defeat or weaker Kingdoms. However even at the peak of these Slavery the Slave traders were afraid of capturing Africans as Slaves from the powerful and mighty Empires like the Kanem-Bornu and the Songhai/Meli Empires because of the fear of retaliation by these empires for kidnapping or enslaving their citizens by anybody coming from anywhere including the Europeans. Even though the tribal Marks stands as a beauty and identity of a culture, but here it also serves as an identity of the Kanuri people very similar to today’s International Passport. It helps identify who belongs to what Kingdom, tribe or Empire even if the person with the marks lives outside his ancestral territory. So this explains the reason why a Kanuri Man was never traded as a Slave by the mighty Europeans in the first place during the Slavery. And among all the slaves taken from Africa none have the record of Kanuri tribal marks on his or her face.
So the Kanuri tribal Marks serves as an identity, beauty, protection and International passport to go anywhere with confidence, easy identity and with no fear of been captured by slave hunters or powers. Infact it is because of the powers of the Kanuri tribal Marks that made even other ethnic groups adopt or borrowed this aspect of Kanuri culture. So this explains why tribes like Marghi,Babur and others even outside the Empire later adopted this aspect of Kanuri culture.
In terms of intangible cultural heritage the Kanuri people have a lot of intangible musics,poems ,dances and plays , but with many dissapearing due to modernisation,change in lifestyles and lack of awarenesss and documentation. The few remaining ones includes the “Lami-Lami” play as written below:
“”
Lami lami yencheri..yancheri...
kulo d3mbarambe.. D3mbarambe do Makka ye. ... . Makka ye .... .. Madina ye ....... G3d3Kaus3lemyin... k3mbala..... K3mballa do maduwana..
Maduwana k3mbom3..... Wawami ….-waaji...... wa karaan...
. . gubkano kara S3l3mbin...... ...gubkano.... ....
Fulata Furlan ... shuwa karimolan talangar langar .... .....
YA JURRUSS”
”
Kanuri Names:
Surprisingly half of Kanuri names range between Muhammad and his companion Abubakar.
The Kanuri people also bears other names of the holy Books such as Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael), Musa (Moses), Yusuf (Joseph), Isa (Jesus), Maryam (Merry), Hauwa (Eve), Adam, Amina, Isiaka (Isaac), Aisha, Abdullahi, Suleiman (Solomon), Kaltum, Halima, Khadija as well as Umar, Usman, Ali and Fatima among others.
However, as a matter of respect to the holy names in the holy Books (God’s prophets and pious personalities names mentioned in the Quran, Injila (Bible) and the Torah) most of these names are coined from their original form in to other form by adding some respect titles to these names in a Kanuri way. This is in order to distinct the original name of the Books with that of individual barring such names:
Example of some Kanuri coined Book names of that nature are as indicated below:
Muhammad: Mamman,Modu,Massa,Modunga,Mutar,Mammmadu ,Laminu ,Mammanur , Tujjayima ,Tar etc.
Abubakar: Bor,Bukar,Garba,Bormi,Bouar ,Aborr ,Borom etc.
Umar: Bunu
Musa/Moses: Kallah
Adam: Konto
Idris/Enoch: Mele
Yusuf/Joseph: Yusuwu
Bilyaminu/Benjamin: Bunami
Ali Ibn Abu Talib: Butari, Ari etc.
Ibrahim/Abraham: Yuram,Burah,Burem etc.
Suleiman: Suleymana
Abdullahi: Dala,Dallah
Amina: Amyina, Yamina,Sato
Aisha: Ayssa,Ashe,Maida etc.
Usman: Ngari
Zainab: Yaburra
Hafsat: Shetu,Amsa,Mara etc
Hauwa/Eve: Madari
Hadiza: Fojji,Mangu,Kuura,kuwura etc
Maryam/Merry: Budu
Bilkis/Queen Sheba:Balu
Rukaiya: Ruwaiya
Halima: Kodo
Fatima: Falmata, Fanta, Falta, Fatime, Fanne, Zara, Fanna ,Tukula,Karu,Fandau etc.
Kanuri person’s highest appreciation or gift to an individual is naming his child after the individual.
Apart from the names of the Books the Kanuri people are also fond of using traditional names in order to show respect for the persons they named after especially the parents, grandparents and teachers or great scholars.
Examples of common Kanuri traditional coined names are:
Babagana pronounced as “Ba’ana” which Means Junior (Someone named after his grandfather by his parents).
Yagana pronounced as “Ya’ana” which means a girl named after her grandmother by her parents.
Like the English the Kanuri people also answers profession names like the ones indicated below:
Kaajima (Fragrance seller), Yerima (prince),Kaudima (perfume seller), Arrimma (Dyer),Aritama (Trumpeter) ,Kulloma (Bronz maker), Bulama (traditional title name),Fatkema (General merchandizer) , Furma (owner of horses),Malum (scholar) etc
Other common Kanuri names includes: Awuza (Abacha), Yakori,Kolo,Ma’a,Zarami, Gajimi, Ya Kingi, ,Maira,Gangaram,Maidu,Blau,Ngwarimi,Lefami,Bako, Fandi ,Ya Mangu, ,Gamboram, Kyallu, Yecha, Maya, Morom ,Kolomi, Bakura,Kaka ,Zainawa etc.
Kanuri and Profession:
The primary occupations of the Kanuri people at the beginning and as earlier discussed were pastoralism, farming, trading, general mechanizing (Fatke) , Mat Making (weaving), Goldsmith, Blacksmithing, Teaching (Islamic Scholarly works), dynein, hunting, Calabash carving, Tanning and some fishing among others. As a result of the importance of these hereditary and historic professions in the Kanuri lands made most of these professions have streets, alleyways, wards and sometimes even entire settlements named after such professions. For example in Maiduguri city we have the Arrinmari (Street dedicated to cloth dyers), Kalumari (street dedicated to the blacksmiths), Furemari (street dedicated to flower sellers),Furmari (street dedicated for people dealing with horse decorative wares ), Sirtemari (street dedicated to mat weavers),Aritamari (street dedicated to trumpet players), Gangamari (street dedicated to drummers) ,Kumozamari (Street dedicated to Calabash cavers/decorators) ,Abbari (Street dedicated to Prince and Princess)etc.
Contrary to the past professions today the Kanuris are found in almost all professions including the military, journalism, international businesses, banking, piloting, bureau de change, carpentry, plumbing, engineering, the medical profession, and many more:
The role of Gold in the Kanuri culture:
Historical, Anthropological and archaeological facts prove that the Kanuri people are among the world’s top leading communities that uses the precious Gold metals more often. The Kanuris are equaled to the Arabs and Indians in this regard. In fact, till today despite civilization and introduction of paper monies in to circulation globally, but yet the Kanuri people still pays bride dowries in Golds. Brides are decorated in Golds of various natures and shapes ranging from gold coins, necklaces, golden bangles, golden chains and a lot of other native ornaments such as “Bugaye, Rakka, Wororo, Kulum Mukaye, Kulum K3nzaye” and many others.
Before the amalgamation of the Kanuri Lands by the colonial societies in the past 120 years back, noble kings and Kanuri big merchants were known to have possessed or owned golden Swords, golden plates, golden cups, golden Spears and even golden chains and ropes used on the necks of their animals (donkeys & horses) and yet even the horses were used to be decorated with golden saddles, golden masks, ornaments and other horse decorative golden wears.
Even though historically Gold was never mined in the whole of the Kanem-Bornu territory, but between the 13th to the 17th century the Kanem-Bornu Empire had one of the World’s largest collections of Gold.
This made the author believes that the past Kanem-Bornu capitals are potential treasures waiting for future treasure hunters, as they contained in them many buried treasure.
Despite the value of Gold in the Kanuri lands, surprisingly the Kanuri men never decorate themselves with Gold but instead decorate their wives, daughters and even slaves with it.
The Kanuri men uses silver.
Some Kanuri nobles use Gold in even written Quran verses or God’s names on plates with it.
Fig.:41: Photo of a typical native gold known as “B3KAYE” or “Bugaye “in Kanuri use by Kanuri women (A) Photo of a typical golden necklace for a Kanuri bride (B) Quranic verses written in gold owned by a Kanuri Noble (C):
Nobody can precisely explain to you even among the Kanuris as to why the Kanuris still treasures and use Golds, but the fact still remains that Gold is one of the very limited resources or metals in the World that does not depreciate and stands the taste of time history.
Kanuri Marriages:
The Kanuri wedding is one event that is colorful and exciting. It is an occasion that brings the people’s culture to life through music, dance and other colorful cultural activities. The Kanuri culture just as in the other ethnic groups throughout the world it has some norms and values. The Kanuri culture finds its origin from the Islamic religion, but in addition the Kanuri cultures have a couple of marriage traditions that are peculiar to the tribe.
Kanuri & Horses:
The Kanuri Horses and their horsemen are the most beutiful in the World.
History has shown that the Kanuri people are masters of Horses,Horse Decorations and Horse Durbur festivals , in fact due to the prestige of Kanuri Durburs and Horse ornaments made many important world dignotories come to see the Kanuri Decorated Horses and witness the cultural Durbur festivals. In the modern era Great personalities like the Queen Elizabeth of England,King Juan Carlos of Spain,President George Bush of the United States,late Lady Diana and Prince Chales of England , President Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry (Nyimeri Kwarangwaso) of Sudan , late Sir Ahmadu Bello of Nigeria,Load Frederick Lugard (first Governor General of Nigeria and India ) as well as other greats like Louis Farakhan of the United states,General Yakubu Gowon,General Babangida, and General Sani Abacha have all travvelled down to the Kanuri Lands just to enjoy witnessing the Kanuri Durbur festivals in once or even more occations.
When the great King Juan Carlos of Spain visited Maiduguri on 16the December,1986 he said that he has never in his life beautifully decoarted horses like the ones he saw in Maiduguri city as a result the late Shehu of Borno Dr. Muatafa Umar ibn Elkanemi gave him a beutifully well decoarted Kanuri horse which he took back to Spain as souvenir.
Natural Resources in the ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire:
Potassium and Sodium Carbonate were historically the major minerals extracted or obtainable under the Kanem-Bornu, but however the former lands of the Kanem-Bornu it’s now indicating that it is richer than how history expected it to be. Today it is no longer news that the former territory of the ancient Kanem-Bornu is richly blessed with petroleum and Uranium natural mineral resources.
Petroleum in the Kanem-Bornu: The Agadem oilfield with an area of 27,516.2 square kilometres (10,624.1 sq mi), the Bilma oil block, Manga oilfields, Aborak oilfield, the Tenere oil block as well as the Tintouma oilfield near Madama all in Niger republic located within the former Kanem-Bornu historical territory are collectively estimated to be holding a total petroleum reserves of about 11.7 billion barrels as at 2017. In addition, the Agadem oilfield along also holds approximately 10,000,000,000 cubic meters (3.5×1011 cu ft) to 16,000,000,000 cubic meters (5.7×1011 cu ft) of natural gas reserves.
Additionally, all the oilfields in the republic of Chad especially those of the “ERHC “are all located within the former Kanem-Bornu historical territory and around the Lake Chad basin area of Chad mainly in the Kanem-Prefecture, as at today the oil reserve estimate in this part of Chad is around 19 billion barrels as at 2017 plus approximately 21,000,000,000 cubic meters of natural gas reserve.
Furthermore, oil prospectors are still prospecting for oil in the ancient Kanem – Bornu territories of Libya (Fezzan), north western Cameroon and North Eastern Nigeria Nigeria. Some scientists suggested that the petroleum and gas reserves in the Chad Basin area of Nigeria currently going on in the areas of Kukawa, Gajiganna, Monguno, Gubio, Magumeri, Marte and Gajiram among others is expected to supersede or even multiply the total petroleum and gas reserves of both Niger and Chad put together, because of the strata nature of the Borno geological. It was in view of this expected outcome that made some experts in the field recently keep associating the currently ongoing social unrests affecting Borno and Yobe states of Nigeria as a tactical tactic by an enemy in the shadow to prevent Borno and Nigeria in particular from discovering and utilizing this huge God’s gift natural resources in this part of Nigeria.
So in view of the above the ancient Kanem-Bornu empire territories of Nigeria, Libya, Chad, Cameroon and Niger is believed to be holding between 85 to 134 billion barrels of petroleum reserves and approximately 120,000,000,000 cubic meters to 160,000,000,000 cubic meters of natural gas reserves.
Uranium in the Kanem-Bornu: The ancient territory of the Kanem-Bornu is today supplying 11 % of the world’s total annual mining output of highest-grade uranium ores. This is because almost all the areas where Uranium is discovered in the republic of Niger which is the fourth leading Uranium producing nation in the World ranging from that of Azelik in 1957 by the French Bureau de Recherches Geologiques while prospecting for copper and those discovered at Abokurum in 1959, Madaouela in 1963, Arlette, Ariege, Artois & Tassa/Taza in 1965, Imouraren in 1966 and Akouta in 1967 all falls within the ancient Kanem-Bornu territories.
The cumulative production of this mineral as at the year 2011 was 114,346 tU part of which about 62,000 tU was from underground, and 52,000 t from the open pit mining.
Water Reserves in the Kanem-Bornu: Despite the arid nature of the ancient territories of the Kanem-Bornu surprisingly the territory holds huge reserves of underground which is ranked as one of the biggest water reserves of the world. This was confirmed by Researchers from the British Geological Survey and University College London who mapped for the first time the aquifers, or groundwater, across the African continent and the amount of water they hold. This proves the fact why free flow boreholes is still existing in places like Monguno, Marte, Guzamala, Baga as well as Diffa, Kanem and some parts of north western Cameroon.
Kanuri and Challenges: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow:
Yesterday:
Every civilization ranging from Mighty Empires to the Caliphates all have periods of Ups and Downs (prosperity & challenging periods), for instance the coming of Pharaoh (Fir’auna) as a King of Egypt during the era of Prophet Musa (Moses) –(AS) has destabilized the existing peace in Egypt of that Era , the Challenges that came up towards the end of the era of the Islamic Caliph Usman bn Affan (579–17 June 656) –(RA) had costs the city of Medina to even lose its status as the capital of the Caliphate for sometimes, likewise the emergence of Napoléon Bonaparte in Europe caused some serious economic hardship and destructions of Europe within a short while . Furthermore, both the First and the Second World Wars combined equally had costs Europe to lose modern half of its entire wealth plus millions of lives. So same it is with the Kanuri’s Kanem-Bornu Empire.
Shortly after the end of the Era of Mai Idris Alauma in the 16th century came seasons of droughts that seriously affected the agricultural outputs of the Bornu Empire, a century later the Mais (Kings) of Bornu became weaker that they could not effectively protect the borders of the Empire from the invading Enemies until after the intervention by Al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al- El-Kanemi who replaced the Mai himself, furthermore close to a century later came the brutal Rabih Fadlallah generally known as Rabi in Kanuri (1842 – 1900) who destabilized the existing peace in the Bornu Empire for close to ten years until the arrival of the French in the German territory of Bornu that killed him in 1900.
Today:
A century after the death of Rabih today still Bornu found itself in another difficult Era where most of its trading routes, towns, villages as well as its agricultural outputs are affected. Though as usual this Era too would also come to pass, but the most amazing aspect here is the Kanuri people never give up their Faith in whatever situation they found themselves in. The Faith that made the city of Madina regain her lost status, The Faith that brought an End to the Era of Pharaoh of Egypt, The Faith that made Europe bounced back to her super rich economy as well as the Faith that brought the French to end the brutal era of Rabih Fadlallah. So this same Faith of the Kanuris would remain with them in resolving all issues affecting them now or at any time in the future. This makes the Kanuris to always bounce back to their usual peace, viability in economy and keep holding the status as masters of knowledge, experts of history and a reference point to many at all times.
Tomorrow:
The challenges of the Kanuri’s tomorrow are determining by the fast decay of the Kanuri language today.
Apart from areas like Fezzan, Shehuri South, the Shehuri North, Mafoni, Abbari, Lawan Bukar Kaccha, Old Maiduguri, Kalari and Lamisula almost all the remaining wards or parts of Maiduguri city which is the heart of the Kanuri speaking population are replacing the Kanuri language with other non-native Kanem-Bornu languages in their communications. This days is common in Maiduguri to see a Kanuri growing child of 10 years of age in some areas like the Bulunkutu, Gwange, Bolori ,G.R.A. , Mairi, Sulemanti, Umarari,Zajeri, Baga Road ,Bulabulin and others that cannot express himself in Kanuri , but the same boy can be expert in other languages that are not even from the Kanem-Bornu. So this is an indication that the Kanuri language is not only decaying but it’s also expiring in its mainland. However, if parents, Kanuri teachers, Kanuri authors and other interested parties in the Kanuri language do not double up their efforts the Kanuri language might varnish sooner than forecasted by some language experts.
At this point would like to point out that influential Kanuri stakeholders especially in the education system /sector should use their influences and capacities to mainstream the Kanuri language in to the school curriculum of both the Primary and the secondary Education systems in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Gabon and even Libya as such that the Kanuri language would be included in our WAECS,COMMON ENTRANCE,NECO and SSCE Examinations in order to help preserve this fast decaying language as the future of speaking the Kanuri language tomorrow lies with the stakeholders and those in power today otherwise nothing can stop the Kanuri language from the threats of replacement by other neighboring languages, decaying and expiring tomorrow.
Kanuri Language, Culture and Influence:
An average Kanuri man is a person that loves his culture and tribe so much as such that he feels God has choosen for him the best of culture and the best of languge. He often expreses his happiness for being a Kanuri man. In facts an average Kanuri man feels that apart from the people of the book also known in Arabic as “Ahl al-Kitāb”( أهل الكتاب ′) his culture and language remains the next best.
The Kanuri generally have had a strong influence on people or inhabitants of their surrounding environments and neighbours, including the Mandaras and Kotokos or Mogoris who live southeast of the Kanuri lands, others are the Marghis of the Damboa district, the Babur in the hills south of the Kanuri, the Bolewa located southwest of the Kanuri, and the Bede people of Gashua among many others not mentioned here. All of these groups have acquired various aspects of the Kanuri culture, mainly Islam and ability of reading and writing from the Kanuris. Many, including the Hausa, were at one time subjects of the Kanuri.
Some Habits and Hobbies in Kanuri culture:
1. Greetings are exchange in Kanuri culture with a handshake.
2. Men are not allowed to shake hands with women.
3. Children are not supposed to Shake hands with their father, step fathers, uncles even father’s
friends and other associates of their father of equal age with their father, instead they are
supposed to bend their heads a little and looking ground ward.
4. Younger persons are first to greet elder persons whenever they meet.
5. Kanuri do not Shake hands with their traditional rulers such as the Shehu and alike unless on the
request by such leaders when they extended their hands towards person for a handshake.
6. Women are not allowed to fix marriages for their children without a man.
7. Women cover their entire body with the exception of the face, palms and Feet when going out
to a public place.
8. Men are the head of the family.
9. Children must greet their parent every morning if they live together in the same compound or
nearby compounds.
10. Kanuri people do not shake hands with their Islamic scholars and Islamic teachers rather as a
sign of respect to them they extend the position of their heads towards such scholars when the
scholar forwards his hand so that the palms or palm of the scholar would rub on their head to
receive blessings from him.
11. Kanuri people especially adults do not eat in an open public place where everyone can see them
eating instead they always look for a covered place from the public eyes before eating or even
drinking.
12. A humble Kanuri man graduates to become a Kanuri Rashidi (entrusted
person). However, before any Kanuri becomes a Rashidi he must be married, gentle, religious,
attending functions, involved in communal works, assist people to his best and must be also
somebody who keeps to his promises and be a man of his words for instant a Kanuri man can
never give out his daughter for marriage and later alter his promises, in the event such happens
then that man can never attain the position of a Rashidi in his lifetime neither would his
community respect him but instead he remains to be seen as an arrogant and a person not to be
trusted or included in the list of decision makers in his community. It is generally common to
hear a Kanuri man saying Rashidi Kaamil or Rashidi K3lanz3 kam (meaning a complete gentle
and trusted person).
13. Eating Pork is forbidden in Kanuri culture.
14. Drinking alcohol and all other intoxicants is forbidden.
15. Kanuri children are always at home at Maghreb period (at Sunset) regardless of the activity.
16. A Kanuri family is bigger than more than just an immediate family consisting of just wife,
husband and children only, but it includes parents, brothers and cousins provided they all stay in
the same compound.
17. Kanuri women always speak with soft voice.
18. New babies are named on the eight day after born (arrival).
19. Kanuri children are more comfortable playing with their grandparents than their parents.
20. Whenever Kanuri people form a population of at least three (3) persons in a foreign
environment they always choose a leader among them and in most cases the eldest, the most
educated or the healthiest person is chosen to lead.
21. Kanuri people are peace loving, hospitable and more welcoming people. Though some of them
strangers and migrants coming from other parts of the World living with them often mistake
their hospitality as weakness and resulting in bringing some non-native attitudes/troubles in to
ther lands for example the name “Rabih Fadaala” is not a Kanuri name neither a name originating
or associated with the Kanem-Bornu meaning that Rabih is not a native of Kanem-Bornu or a
Kanuri man but yet took the advantage of the Kanuri’s hospitality while he was a student studying
in the Empire and end up desterilizing the peace of the entire Empire for almost a decade.
22. Every Kanuri man is born with the dream of performing pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah
and later visits the holy prophet in Madinah in his lifetime.
23. A kanuri man never addresses a person of his father’s age with his name without adding the
word “BA’A”(Father) and if the person is older than him and not up to his father’s age he adds
“YA’A”(Brother or Sister), so this made it common to hear addressing people of father’s age as
Ba’a Yuram, Ba’a Yusuf, Ba’a Umar, Ba’a Adam or in case of persons of older brother’s or older
sister’s age as Ya’a Usman, Ya’a Zanna, Ya’a Shettima, Ya’a Adam or Ya’a Mairam, Ya’a Kori, Ya’a
Kingi, Ya’a Kaltum.
24. An average Kanuri man always maintains the five daily prayers as instructed by Islam.
25. Kanuri man is always careful with what he wears and where he is going to. For example, if he is
visiting friends, he might be wearing his casual or normal dress, but if he is visiting parents, elders
or other important personalities and occasions he prefers wearing his Kanuri native dress with
its cap.
26. The man standing always greets the man sitting.
Conclusion:
The Kanuri started with the establishment of a settlement located north of the present day Lake Chad in the 7th century, years later this settlement grew to become a kingdom, the kingdom later became an Empire and in 600 years the Empire grew to become an undisputed champion of Africa and the 5th greatest empire in both power and size in the global history at its peak. Though the Kanem-Bornu is a Kanuri kingdom, but it is multicultural in characteristic since inception as both founders of two major dynasties were both Arabs and yet the Kanuri coexisted with many local tribes for hundreds of years in its empire. Othman was one of its strongest allies and had diplomatic ties with almost all the ancient empires and kingdoms of North Africa, Southern Europe and the Arabia.
As it is very natural for every kingdom, empire, nations, communities and clans to have periods of ups and downs or weakness and strengths so it is with the Kanuri people and their empires. The Kanuri people are always peaceful and accommodating people, but some people keep mistaking these their unique attitudes for weakness as a result strangers like Rabih , had the opportunity in distorting the peace in the empire in the 19th century for almost a decade and 100 years after Rabih similar situation is repeating itself. But this would never make the Kanuri man change from this very unique caring and attitudes towards everyone as the Empire itself started on the foundation of peace, hospitality and sharing.
As for the disappearing Kanuri language, the author believes that after long contributions of these Kanuri people in the development of many nations of Africa in diverse regions including Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Niger and Gabon by now, they have many personalities that are experts in their fields and masters of their professions that can use their skills, powers and advantage to help promote , preserve and revive this fast disappearing, decaying and decayed language especially through mainstreaming the Kanuri language in to our elementary-Primary and secondary education system (school’s curriculum) after reading this little article.
Finally considering all of the above statements; the Kanuri people shall always have brighter futures as they stand masters of hospitality, promoters of humanity, facilitators of scholarships and believers in God.
Thank you for reading this piece:
*The theory of comparative advantage is an economic theory about the work gains from trade for individuals, firms, or nations that arise from differences in their factor endowments or technological progress. In an economic model, agents have a comparative advantage over others in producing a particular good if they can produce that good at a lower relative opportunity cost or autarky price, i.e. at a lower relative marginal cost prior to trade.
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Babagana Abubakar
Babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com
+2348062222=0179
Origin and Meaning of Maiduguri
Introduction:
Geographically Maiduguri is location @ Coordinates: 11°50′N 13°09′E. It occupies an area of 50,778 square kilometers. It remains center of trade, learning, culture, Durbar and home of tourism and history.
The name Maiduguri is from the name Maiduwuri, the name Maiduwuri is referring to the present day Old Maiduguri in Jere local government Area of Borno state. The name Maiduguri is a combination of two Kanuri language words namely “Mai” and “Duwuri”. Mai is a word in Kanuri referring to a King or a leader and Duwuri is from the word Duwu which means a thousand; hence Duwuri is referring to the plural of a thousand which is thousands, ordinarily it’s like saying something is in the category of thousands (a thousand in ancient time is the peak of counting because counting in millions was not known then). So literally Maiduguri (Mai+Duwuri) means “Thousand Kings” thus Maiduguri is a land of a “Thousand-Kings”.
Why Maiduguri is called the Land of the Thousand Kings; During the colonial and pre-colonial eras the African societies and even the global community is not as rich as it is today due to the effects of industrial revolution, development in transportation, agriculture, improvement in food preservation as well as accelerated level in development of science and technology and stability in global governance/politics. In those days ordinary citizens apart from the King /ruler and his children or siblings all other people in a kingdom hardly owns more than One Gown cloth (a set of complete ceremonial clothing) in the sub-Saharan African region including the Hausa lands/Danfodio caliphate and the great Songhai empires . This Gown is known locally as Babban riga/Kuluwu or Malum-Malum in the Hausa language and “Kuluwu” in the Kanuri Language because they are expensive; thus they are not used as regular wears but rather ceremonial one by the members of the public outside the royal families who were then the richest families in almost all the kingdoms in the ancient precolonial African Kingdoms.
However contrary to this practices in the neighboring kingdoms to Kanem-Borno of wearing Gowns only on special occasions here in Borno (Old Maiduguri) which was a town with booming economy and having Islamic scholars as its leaders (the Shehu’s/Sheikh) who pays less attentions on their subjects on issues of who wears what made almost all the indigenes of Maiduguri then to be wearing the traditional Gowns for their daily activities.
So for visitors visiting Maiduguri for the first time as at that time normally gets surprise seeing everybody in the city dressed like a King. Therefor they feel that they are in a Land of a thousand Kings, Simply because there are thousands of people with everybody looking like a King. So this is the reason why old Maiduguri is called Maiduguri. To prove this claim just have a look at the Maiduguri society and city of today where people are still wearing one of the most expensive traditional clothing /dressings in the country when compared to their neighboring counterparts or states. Just imagine how an ordinary man who is not a big time business man, a governor, a minister ,an ambassador or even known to the society next to him wearing a Zanna cap along costing N 50,000 (fifty thousand naira) equivalent to $ 350 Dollars USD or even above plus expensive Swiss Filtex materials.
It is also important to note that the present day Maiduguri is also called Yerwa because that was its original name before the name Maiduguri.
Why Maiduguri is called Yerwa? That was because Yerwa is a name derived from the Kanuri word “HERWA” or "Herrah "which means a promising or a blessed Land. Experts said it is called Herwa in the first place because of its close proximity to the seasonal Ngadda River that still passes through it while considering the blessings coming with a river flowing through a desert or semi-desert environment where water is considered to be a highly prestige resource. Remember most of the Kanem Borno capitals like the cities of Ngazargamu, Kukawa, Monguno and others were either desert or semi desert cities , so water has a prestige in the kingdom in fact it is even a determining factor in creating new settlements (towns & villages).
Maiduguri, is still called Yerwa by its locals. It is the present day capital and the largest city of Borno State in the north-eastern Nigeria and the Fourth largest city in Nigeria. The city as stated above seats along the seasonal Ngadda River which annually disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad. Maiduguri was founded in 1907 as a military outpost by the British and has since grown rapidly in to millions in terms of its population.
A brief history:
The city was actually home to the Kanem-Bornu Empire for centuries. Maiduguri consists of two cities: Yerwa to the West and Old Maiduwuri to the east. Old Maiduguri was selected by the British as their military headquarters while Yerwa was selected at approximately the same time by Shehu Abubakar Garbai of Borno to replace Kukawa as the new traditional capital of the Kanuri people.
Maiduguri is estimated to have a population of 2,607,497 as at 2014 and presently 3.7 Million due to the recent past unrest that pushed the rural population to Maiduguri. Its residents are mostly Muslims and the main tribes in Maiaduguri includes the Kanuri, Shuwa Arabs, Hausa Bura, Marghi, and Fulani ethnic groups.
It serves as the capital of Borno states and it once served as the capital of the entire Northeastern Nigeria region including the present day states like Bauchi, Yobe,Adamawa, Taraba and Gombe states.
Climate:
The average temperature in Maiduguri is 25.8 °C. The highest record temperature was 47 °C (117 °F) on 28 May 1983, while the lowest record temperature was 5 °C (41 °F) on 26 December 1979.
The average annual rainfall is 613 mm.
Socio Cultural Nature of Maiduguri:
The indigents of Maiduguri are 100% Muslims though as a cosmopolitan city Maiduguri also has in it followers of many other faiths.
Maiduguri is the Sub-Saharan city of Africa with the largest number of Mosques. As at 2017 it has well over 11,000 Mosques in it with an average of 4 Mosques per street in Maiduguri central.
Maiduguri has many social facilities for both the indigents and tourists some of which are as listed below:
1. Maiduguri Ramat square: This is a large space of area within the CBD of Maiduguri city developed to host Durbar, Horse racings, Eid Prayers and other unforeseen future events needing large space area. On normal days it also serves as a Football ground for many Footballing clubs in Maiduguri.
2. The Open Air Theater: This is a Theater constructed to hold cultural events both public and private events. In 1988 this theater hosted the international renowned Federlos Circus from Switzerland.
3. Stadium and Sport Complexes: Maiduguri has an Olympic size stadium under construction and it also has the El-Kanemi Warriors Sport center for playing Football, Handball, Basketball etc.
4. Hotels and accommodations: Maiduguri has many hotels ranging from 5 stars down to 2 stars and other unrated hostels for visitors and sometimes for pilgrims departing through Maiduguri international airport for hajj coming from other parts of the country.
5. Sanda Kyarimi Park: Maiduguri Zoo is known as the Sanda Kyarimi Park. It has collections of many different animals including the Big-Five apart from Giraffe and it also has a museum containing some historical artifacts of the Kanem-bornu Empire.
6. The Ngadda River: The Ngadda River bisected Maiduguri into two equal parts. The locals call it “Kumodu Gwangeye” it serves as an attraction to Maiduguri youths and children .Many swimming beginners starts here. Most people in Maiduguri take their first Canoe ride or Canoe paddling in this seasonal flowing river.
The Shehu palace:
The Shehu Palace was built in 1907 by the British. The original settlers who were relocated to build the Shehu’s Palace were the descendants of the former Mais (Kings) of the Borno Empire before the coming of the Elkanemi dynasty in the year 1809 including the great -great grandchildren of Mai Idris Alauma (1580–1617) (Internationally the most historic and most popular Kanuri Empire King), some of them were initially moved to the Shehuri North (Located at the Northern part of the present day Shehu palace) to enable the British create space to build the Shehu Palace which still stands at the place today. Construction work of the Palace began in the early 1900’s immediately after the defeat of Rabih az-Zubayr in the year 1900 and completed in 1907.
Though the palace was built by the British and has resemblance to a British super house with its Chimneys, but yet it also has more Kanuri style elements in it in terms of its central location and neighborhood arrangement patterns around it; with traditionally bounded by the courtier's residences including the; Waziriri, Shettimari, Abbari, Limanti, Kalari,Talbari, Yerimari, Kaigamari Moramti and Galtimari among others with Shehuri (the Shehu Palace) standing at the center .
Economy:
Maiduguri has an ultra-modern market known as the “Monday market" that has a spectacular satellite or Umbrella like image view 4rom the above. It has an ancient museum and is served by the Maiduguri International Airport. The city has one of the best layouts in Nigeria. It is connected by road to the republics of Cameroon , Chad and Niger and from Maiduguri goods and services are transported to as far as Sudan , Bangui in the Central African Republic and Gabon . There were existing historical records of trade with the North African nations of Libya, Morrocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia,Yemen and Lebanon. A survey of property markets in Nigeria (2009) positioned Maiduguri as the third most expensive for buying and renting in the country next to Abuja and Lagos. Maiduguri is the principal trading hub for the northeastern Nigeria. Its economy is largely based on services and trade with a small share of manufacturing.
Maiduguri manufactures locally and traditionally the best Horse Saddles known as “S3RD3” or “SIRTTI” to that end there is a street in Maiduguri named after the making of the Horses Saddles referred to as S3RD3MARI or SIRTIMARI (within Fezzan ward of Maiduguri) meaning where the local Horse Saddles are made. Horse Saddles and horse dresses /decoration from Maiduguri are considered to be one of the best in the in the World.
The city lies at the end of a railway line in Nigeria connecting the cities of Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kafanchan, Kuru, Bauchi, and finally Maiduguri. This rail lines were originally intended by the British to convey Groundnuts (Peanuts) as well as Hides and Skin to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in Southern Nigeria for upward transportation to Europe. Even though the Borno state town of Nguru in the present day Yobe state had its rail system functioning as far back as in the 1930s, but Maiduguri got its own rail lines or railway system in the 1960s due to the fact that the elders of ancient Maiduguri prevented the rail lines from reaching Maiduguri deliberately through prayers . Because people here are good in determining the faith of future events through the Islamic religious practices known as the “ISTIHARA” (prayers). This is a type of prayer usually helps to give inside or serve as a guide regarding blessings or displeasing situations associated with future events. The religion of Islam also encourages this prayers, but with guidance. After this ISTIHARA on the coming of the rail lines (which is something never known here before) to Maiduguri it was said that the elders of Maiduguri then saw associated problems /troubles coming with this intended rail lines coming to the city ;meaning that it might bring with it associated troubles/problems/evils to the City . So their efforts in praying against the coming of this rail line to the city actually prevented the rail lines from reaching the city of Maiduguri in the 1930s, 1940s and the 1950s until the 1960s when the original elders where mostly no more or stopped this prayer. So in this modern era of today we can now say with confidence that their guess is true or is now proved to be true, because the unrest in Maiduguri that started on the 14th July 2009 that seriously affected the city actually started from the “Railway compound” behind the State-Low-cost Housing-Estate of Maiduguri “. At this point I would like to point out that I am not an anti-rail line person, but I was amazed with the level of this Sophisticated forecast in to the future without using science and or technology by our Grandfathers as far back as some 70 years ago; that manifested now and is directly correlating to their guess. Even with our present day sophisticated modern science gadgets/equipment which has the ability to forecast in to future weather patterns, coming storms and droughts ahead of time using sophisticated gadgets like the satellite navigation systems , but yet this science and technology could not see the faith of events decades away. So this is actually amazing.
Maiduguri is blessed with various communities which offers differing expertise and professions helping in economically, educationally and socially building in developing the city since inception ; that’s why some places (wards, streets or boulevards ) are still named and called after the original profession that exist or the most popular profession still existing within them for example Arinmari – dyers , Mundulmarai (Hyde and Skin business), Mundulmari – tanners, Kaalmari – blacksmiths,S3rtemari (Sirrtimari)-Horse saddle makers , Kumozomari -calabash decorators and Aritamari-Trumpeters .
Education:
Maiduguri is known to be a center of Islamic and Quran studies for the past 100 years since its founding. In fact it is very impossible for great Islamic scholars that remain popular in the Islamic history of Sub-Saharan African region or even in the modern days to find an Islamic scholar from the Sokoto Caliphat including Sokoto, Gwandu, Kano, Zaria, Katsina, Hadejia and many others that have never came and acquire Islamic knowledge and the Quran in Maiduguri . Some neighboring students and Scholars from other part of Africa still feels that their studies is somehow incomplete without coming to study in Maiduguri during the course of their studies.
So it is not a surprise that Maiduguri based Scholars like late Sheikh El-Miskin,Sheikh AbulFathi,Sheikh Abba Aji, Sayinna Alhaji Bashir, Imam Upchama (Ba Liman),Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh,Sheikh Sherriff Tijjani and Mallam Usman Bida still remained popular across Nigeria,Niger,Chad, Cameroon and within Africa and parts of the Middle East and “Magerib” (Morocco/Algeria) as a whole . In fact this is one of the reasons that made one late Sheikh Mahmud Ja'afar from the city of Kano in Nigeria and a graduate of the University of Madina Saudi Arabia , keep acknowledging that during his life time he was greatly inspired by the teachings of Sheikh Abba Aji which was one of the reasons he read to become an Islamic scholar and at the same time saying that after visiting Sheikh El-Miskin's library in El-Miskin house Maiduguri he acknowledged that he has never seen a library that has so much unique collections of books with some of its books not even available in the market or in the other libraries that he has known ; in fact he concluded by saying that some of the books looks new to him.
In terms of modern education Maiduguri has one of the best-equipped university and hospitals in Nigeria. The University of Maiduguri attracts foreign students from neighboring countries especially Cameroun, Chad, Sudan and Niger Republics as well as some commonwealth students from Malaysia, Kenya, Ghana, Belize, Jamaica and Gambia among others. The College of medical sciences is among the top 5 best medical schools in Nigeria. Other higher institutions include Ramat polytechnic, Elkanemi college of Islamic Theology, Muhammad Goni college of Arabic and Islamic studies, the Lake Chad Research Institute, College of agriculture and College of education among others.
Attractions of Maiduguri: Kyarimi Park,University of Maiduguri,Maiduguri Maiduguri Monday Market, Deribe Mosque, Deribe Palace ,the Maiduguri Museum, Shehu’s Palace, Imam Malik Islamic Center, Indimi Mosque, Maiduguri International Airport, Maiduguri Sports Center, Ramat square, Lake Chad hotel, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and the Maiduguri International Hotel.
The Deribe Palace which is considered as the most expensive House in Africa and one of the best in the World is in Maiduguri. Remember this house hosted King Carlos of Spain, Prince Charles and Lady Diana of the United Kingdom as well as the American President.
Maiduguri serves as a home and remains a home to many great business men, scholars, military generals, academicians, technocrats and diplomats; Some of the popular names under this category are Alhaji Mai Deribe ,Sheikh Elmiskin, Babagana Kingibe, Sir Kashim Ibrahim, Waziri Ibrahim, Sheikh Aabba Aji, Professor Umaru Shehu, Shehu Mustafa Elkanemi,Alhaji Bukar Mandara,Alhaji Bukar Bolori,General Abba Kyari, General Mamman Shuwa,Major General Yusuf Brutai, Kashim Ibrahim Imam, Mala Kachalah, Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh, Mukaddam Bukhari, Alhaji Zanna Deribe, Muhammad Indimi, Alhaji Zanna Dipcharima, Imam Ibrahim Ahmed (The chief imam of Borno),Dr. Shetima Ali Monguno, and Babagna Monguno among many other great personalities not mentioned here that are either residence or indigents of the city.
MAIDUGURI COLLECRTIONS:
The Maiduguri museum,the Maiduguri main islamic library,the Maiduguri University libraries ,private libraries like that of Sheikh Elmiskin,Chief Imam Ibrahim Ahmed, Sheikh Abulfathi, Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh as well as the Deribe collections in Maiduguri altogether holds a lot of unique historical artifacts,thousand years old books,letters as well as customised collections of items and objects that remain rare or in very limited editions that among the few places on Earth to reach such items or objects includes Maiduguri. This Makes Maiduguri a unique city and one of the Worlds capital of artifacts ,special customised and unique collections .
Conclusion:
Though Maiduguri is a young city with most part just 100 years old,but its strategic location,climate,history, nature and quality of its inhabitants made it popular to rank with cities of thousand years history. Its inhabitants are historically mostly experts and established professionals in diversity cutting across craft making,education,international trading and its leaders are wise gentlemen that made all aspects work together in developing the city to an extend that today Maiduguri serves as not only the capital of Borno state in Nigeria, but has the economic and social powers and prestige that made it only major city in the Su-Saharan African region connecting the West,North and the Central African region as such that if social or economic earthquake affect it makes nations like Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Sudan, Central Afrique, Gabon and beyond feels the impacts of its after shock or shock-waves.
Thanks for your time in reading this piece.
Introduction:
Geographically Maiduguri is location @ Coordinates: 11°50′N 13°09′E. It occupies an area of 50,778 square kilometers. It remains center of trade, learning, culture, Durbar and home of tourism and history.
The name Maiduguri is from the name Maiduwuri, the name Maiduwuri is referring to the present day Old Maiduguri in Jere local government Area of Borno state. The name Maiduguri is a combination of two Kanuri language words namely “Mai” and “Duwuri”. Mai is a word in Kanuri referring to a King or a leader and Duwuri is from the word Duwu which means a thousand; hence Duwuri is referring to the plural of a thousand which is thousands, ordinarily it’s like saying something is in the category of thousands (a thousand in ancient time is the peak of counting because counting in millions was not known then). So literally Maiduguri (Mai+Duwuri) means “Thousand Kings” thus Maiduguri is a land of a “Thousand-Kings”.
Why Maiduguri is called the Land of the Thousand Kings; During the colonial and pre-colonial eras the African societies and even the global community is not as rich as it is today due to the effects of industrial revolution, development in transportation, agriculture, improvement in food preservation as well as accelerated level in development of science and technology and stability in global governance/politics. In those days ordinary citizens apart from the King /ruler and his children or siblings all other people in a kingdom hardly owns more than One Gown cloth (a set of complete ceremonial clothing) in the sub-Saharan African region including the Hausa lands/Danfodio caliphate and the great Songhai empires . This Gown is known locally as Babban riga/Kuluwu or Malum-Malum in the Hausa language and “Kuluwu” in the Kanuri Language because they are expensive; thus they are not used as regular wears but rather ceremonial one by the members of the public outside the royal families who were then the richest families in almost all the kingdoms in the ancient precolonial African Kingdoms.
However contrary to this practices in the neighboring kingdoms to Kanem-Borno of wearing Gowns only on special occasions here in Borno (Old Maiduguri) which was a town with booming economy and having Islamic scholars as its leaders (the Shehu’s/Sheikh) who pays less attentions on their subjects on issues of who wears what made almost all the indigenes of Maiduguri then to be wearing the traditional Gowns for their daily activities.
So for visitors visiting Maiduguri for the first time as at that time normally gets surprise seeing everybody in the city dressed like a King. Therefor they feel that they are in a Land of a thousand Kings, Simply because there are thousands of people with everybody looking like a King. So this is the reason why old Maiduguri is called Maiduguri. To prove this claim just have a look at the Maiduguri society and city of today where people are still wearing one of the most expensive traditional clothing /dressings in the country when compared to their neighboring counterparts or states. Just imagine how an ordinary man who is not a big time business man, a governor, a minister ,an ambassador or even known to the society next to him wearing a Zanna cap along costing N 50,000 (fifty thousand naira) equivalent to $ 350 Dollars USD or even above plus expensive Swiss Filtex materials.
It is also important to note that the present day Maiduguri is also called Yerwa because that was its original name before the name Maiduguri.
Why Maiduguri is called Yerwa? That was because Yerwa is a name derived from the Kanuri word “HERWA” or "Herrah "which means a promising or a blessed Land. Experts said it is called Herwa in the first place because of its close proximity to the seasonal Ngadda River that still passes through it while considering the blessings coming with a river flowing through a desert or semi-desert environment where water is considered to be a highly prestige resource. Remember most of the Kanem Borno capitals like the cities of Ngazargamu, Kukawa, Monguno and others were either desert or semi desert cities , so water has a prestige in the kingdom in fact it is even a determining factor in creating new settlements (towns & villages).
Maiduguri, is still called Yerwa by its locals. It is the present day capital and the largest city of Borno State in the north-eastern Nigeria and the Fourth largest city in Nigeria. The city as stated above seats along the seasonal Ngadda River which annually disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad. Maiduguri was founded in 1907 as a military outpost by the British and has since grown rapidly in to millions in terms of its population.
A brief history:
The city was actually home to the Kanem-Bornu Empire for centuries. Maiduguri consists of two cities: Yerwa to the West and Old Maiduwuri to the east. Old Maiduguri was selected by the British as their military headquarters while Yerwa was selected at approximately the same time by Shehu Abubakar Garbai of Borno to replace Kukawa as the new traditional capital of the Kanuri people.
Maiduguri is estimated to have a population of 2,607,497 as at 2014 and presently 3.7 Million due to the recent past unrest that pushed the rural population to Maiduguri. Its residents are mostly Muslims and the main tribes in Maiaduguri includes the Kanuri, Shuwa Arabs, Hausa Bura, Marghi, and Fulani ethnic groups.
It serves as the capital of Borno states and it once served as the capital of the entire Northeastern Nigeria region including the present day states like Bauchi, Yobe,Adamawa, Taraba and Gombe states.
Climate:
The average temperature in Maiduguri is 25.8 °C. The highest record temperature was 47 °C (117 °F) on 28 May 1983, while the lowest record temperature was 5 °C (41 °F) on 26 December 1979.
The average annual rainfall is 613 mm.
The Shehu palace:
The Shehu Palace was built in 1907 by the British. The original settlers who were relocated to build the Shehu’s Palace were the descendants of the former Mais (Kings) of the Borno Empire before the coming of the Elkanemi dynasty in the year 1809 including the great -great grandchildren of Mai Idris Alauma (1580–1617) (Internationally the most historic and most popular Kanuri Empire King), some of them were initially moved to the Shehuri North (Located at the Northern part of the present day Shehu palace) to enable the British create space to build the Shehu Palace which still stands at the place today. Construction work of the Palace began in the early 1900’s immediately after the defeat of Rabih az-Zubayr in the year 1900 and completed in 1907.
Though the palace was built by the British and has resemblance to a British super house with its Chimneys, but yet it also has more Kanuri style elements in it in terms of its central location and neighborhood arrangement patterns around it; with traditionally bounded by the courtier's residences including the; Waziriri, Shettimari, Abbari, Limanti, Kalari,Talbari, Yerimari, Kaigamari Moramti and Galtimari among others with Shehuri (the Shehu Palace) standing at the center .
Economy:
Maiduguri has an ultra-modern market known as the “Monday market" that has a spectacular satellite or Umbrella like image view 4rom the above. It has an ancient museum and is served by the Maiduguri International Airport. The city has one of the best layouts in Nigeria. It is connected by road to the republics of Cameroon , Chad and Niger and from Maiduguri goods and services are transported to as far as Sudan , Bangui in the Central African Republic and Gabon . There were existing historical records of trade with the North African nations of Libya, Morrocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia,Yemen and Lebanon. A survey of property markets in Nigeria (2009) positioned Maiduguri as the third most expensive for buying and renting in the country next to Abuja and Lagos. Maiduguri is the principal trading hub for the northeastern Nigeria. Its economy is largely based on services and trade with a small share of manufacturing.
Maiduguri manufactures locally and traditionally the best Horse Saddles known as “S3RD3” or “SIRTTI” to that end there is a street in Maiduguri named after the making of the Horses Saddles referred to as S3RD3MARI or SIRTIMARI (within Fezzan ward of Maiduguri) meaning where the local Horse Saddles are made. Horse Saddles and horse dresses /decoration from Maiduguri are considered to be one of the best in the in the World.
The city lies at the end of a railway line in Nigeria connecting the cities of Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kafanchan, Kuru, Bauchi, and finally Maiduguri. This rail lines were originally intended by the British to convey Groundnuts (Peanuts) as well as Hides and skin to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in Southern Nigeria for upward transportation to Europe. Even though the Borno state town of Nguru in the present day Yobe state had its rail system functioning as far back as in the 1930s, but Maiduguri got its own rail lines or railway system in the 1960s due to the fact that the elders of ancient Maiduguri prevented the rail lines from reaching Maiduguri deliberately through prayers . Because people here are good in determining the faith of future events through the Islamic religious practices known as the “ISTIHARA” (prayers). This is a type of prayer usually prayed in the middle of the night or before going to sleep purified, it helps to give inside or serve as a guide regarding blessings or evils associated with future events. After this ISTIHARA on the coming of the rail lines (which is something never known here before) to Maiduguri it was said that the elders of Maiduguri then saw associated problems /troubles coming with this intended rail lines coming to the city ;meaning that it might bring with it associated troubles/problems/evils to the City . So their efforts in praying against the coming of this rail line to the city actually prevented the rail lines from reaching the city of Maiduguri in the 1930s, 1940s and the 1950s until the 1960s when the original elders where mostly no more or stopped this prayer. So in this modern era of today we can now say with confidence that their guess is true or is now proved to be true, because on 14th July 2009 the “Boko Haram” unrest that seriously affected the city actually started from the “Railway compound” in a place called “MARKAS” behind the State-Low-cost Housing-Estate of Maiduguri “. At this point I would like to point out that I am not an anti-rail line person, but I was amazed with the level of this Sophisticated forecast in to the future without using science and or technology by our Grandfathers as far back as some 70 years ago; that manifested now and directly correling to their guess. Even with our present day sophisticated modern science gadgets/equipment which has the ability to forecast future weather patterns ahead of times, days or even weeks using sophisticated gadgets like the satellite systems , but yet we can see an determine event that is about to happen decades away. So actually it’s so amazing.
Maiduguri is blessed with various communities which offers differing expertise and professions helping in economically,educationally and socially building in developing the city since inception ; that’s why some places (wards,streets or boulevards ) are still named and called after the original profession that exist or the most popular profession still existing within them for example Arinmari – dyers , Mundulmarai (Hyde and Skin business), Mundulmari – tanners, Kaalmari – blacksmiths,S3rtemari (Sirrtimari)-Horse saddle makers , Kumozomari -calabash decorators and Aritamari-Trumpeters .
Education:
Maiduguri is known to be a center of Islamic and Quran studies for the past 100 years since its founding. In fact it is very impossible for great Islamic scholars that remain popular in the Islamic history of Sub-Saharan African region or even in the modern days to find an Islamic scholar from the Sokoto Caliphat including Sokoto, Gwandu, Kano, Zaria, Katsina, Hadejia and many others that have never came and acquire Islamic knowledge and the Quran in Maiduguri . Some neighboring students and Scholars from other part of Africa still feels that their studies is somehow incomplete without coming to study in Maiduguri during the course of their studies.
So it is not a surprise that Maiduguri based Scholars like late Sheikh El-Miskin,Sheikh AbulFathi,Sheikh Abba Aji, Sayinna Alhaji Bashir, Imam Upchama (Ba Liman),Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh,Sheikh Sherriff Tijjani and Mallam Usman Bida still remained popular across Nigeria,Niger,Chad, Cameroon and within Africa and parts of the Middle East and “Magerib” (Morocco/Algeria) as a whole . In fact this is one of the reasons that made one late Sheikh Mahmud Ja'afar from the city of Kano in Nigeria and a graduate of the University of Madina Saudi Arabia , keep acknowledging that during his life time he was greatly inspired by the teachings of Sheikh Abba Aji which was one of the reasons he read to become an Islamic scholar and at the same time saying that after visiting Sheikh El-Miskin's library in El-Miskin house Maiduguri he acknowledged that he has never seen a library that has so much unique collections of books with some of its books not even available in the market or in the other libraries that he has known ; in fact he concluded by saying that some of the books looks new to him.
In terms of modern education Maiduguri has one of the best-equipped university and hospitals in Nigeria. The University of Maiduguri attracts foreign students from neighboring countries especially Cameroun, Chad, Sudan and Niger Republics as well as some commonwealth students from Malaysia, Kenya, Ghana, Belize, Jamaica and Gambia among others. The College of medical sciences is among the top 5 best medical schools in Nigeria. Other higher institutions include Ramat polytechnic, Elkanemi college of Islamic Theology, Muhammad Goni college of Arabic and Islamic studies, the Lake Chad Research Institute, College of agriculture and College of education among others.
Attractions of Maiduguri: Kyarimi Park,University of Maiduguri,Maiduguri Maiduguri Monday Market, Deribe Mosque, Deribe Palace ,the Maiduguri Museum, Shehu’s Palace, Imam Malik Islamic Center, Indimi Mosque, Maiduguri International Airport, Maiduguri Sports Center, Ramat square, Lake Chad hotel, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and the Maiduguri International Hotel.
The Deribe Palace which is considered as the most expensive House in Africa and one of the best in the World is in Maiduguri. Remember this house hosted King Carlos of Spain, Prince Charles and Lady Diana of the United Kingdom as well as the American President.
Maiduguri serves as a home and remains a home to many great business men, scholars, military generals, academicians, technocrats and diplomats; Some of the popular names under this category are Alhaji Mai Deribe ,Sheikh Elmiskin, Babagana Kingibe, Sir Kashim Ibrahim, Waziri Ibrahim, Sheikh Aabba Aji, Professor Umaru Shehu, Shehu Mustafa Elkanemi,Alhaji Bukar Mandara,Alhaji Bukar Bolori,General Abba Kyari, General Mamman Shuwa,Major General Yusuf Brutai, Kashim Ibrahim Imam, Mala Kachalah, Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh, Mukaddam Bukhari, Alhaji Zanna Deribe, Muhammad Indimi, Alhaji Zanna Dipcharima, Imam Ibrahim Ahmed (The chief imam of Borno),Dr. Shetima Ali Monguno, and Babagna Monguno among many other great personalities not mentioned here that are either residence or indigenes of the city.
MAIDUGURI COLLECRTIONS:
The Maiduguri museum,the Maiduguri main islamic library,the Maiduguri University libraries ,private libraries like that of Sheikh Elmiskin,Chief Imam Ibrahim Ahmed, Sheikh Abulfathi, Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh as well as the Deribe collections in Maiduguri altogether holds a lot of unique historical artifacts,thousand years old books,letters as well as customised collections of items and objects that remain rare or in very limited editions that among the few places on Earth to reach such items or objects includes Maiduguri. This Makes Maiduguri a unique city and one of the Worlds capital of artifacts ,special customised and unique collections .
Conclusion:
Though Maiduguri is a young city with most part just 100 years old,but its strategic location,climate,history, nature and quality of its inhabitants made it popular to rank with cities of thousand years history. Its inhabitants are historically mostly experts and esterblished professionals in dyversity cutting across craft making,education,international trading and its leaders are wise gentlemen that made all aspects work together in developing the city to an extend that today Maiduguri serves as not only the cpaital of Borno state in Nigeria, but has the economic and social powers and prestige that made it only major city in the Su-Saharan African region connecting the West,North and the Central African region as such that if social or economic earthquake affect it makes nations like Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Sudan, Central Afrique, Gabon and beyond feels the impacts of its after shock or shockwaves.
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Author: Babagana Abubakar (BSc, MPA, UNCCPP)
The Discours historique de l’estat du royaume de Borno, written by a former French slave in Tripoli in 1685, is one of the most important sources for the history of Borno sultanate. Unfortunately, its study has been neglected due to inconsistencies between the manuscript and other sources. The manuscript was then considered as a second hand source. However, a close study of the context where the manuscript was conceived and written shows that we can deeply learn from it. The work of whom we call the « French surgeon », comes within the scope of a context favorable for writing the experience of captivity. It is the consequence of the author’s intense works of research in Tripoli and in France. The « French surgeon » wrote this chapter in a voluminous manuscript on the history of Tripoli with the reviews of a second author. The most interesting part of his work remains the way how the « French surgeon » collected his sources : their census is the occasion to propose their first classification, and a first overview of the contribution of the Discours historique de l’estat du royaume de Borno for the modern history of Borno sultanate.
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