ARAB'S ORIGINS AT GARUN-GABAS. BY F. W. H. MIGEOD.

HADEJIA A YAU!

Arab Origins at Garun Gabbas.

By F. W. H. MIGEOD... 1911..

A noticeable feature among the peoples west of Lake Chad is that many claim an origin from Arabia and chiefly Yemen.This means little more than that a leader arose who migrate a number of followers by slave raiding and the prospect of loot, in the same way as Rabeh did at the end of the 19th century. The legends of this stream of migration are so persistent that an authentic genealogy proving it in at least one instance is of value in support of the general claim; and this is supplied by the town of Garun Gabbas. Many of the migrations appear to have had their origin in the refusal of certain persons and families to accept Mohammedanism, but whether the Arab tribes on the eastern side of Lake Chad owed their presence there to the same cause is another matter. In any case, Arab infiltration across Africa from the Red Sea and the Nile to Lake Chad did not begin in recent centuries.

 The small town of Garun Gabbas is about 12 miles north of Hadejia. The present Bulama or Headman (Bulama is a compound Bornu word, meaning Town Headman) named Musa claims to be of Arab descent and of a long line of kings. In appearance he is jet black, but with white whiskers, and I found nothing to distinguish him from a pure negro, except, perhaps, some slight difference of manner. One felt there was a distinction. He said he was not a Shuwa Arab, the Arab tribe living to the south of Lake Chad, but an Arab from Sham, ie., Syria, and the line of migration of his ancestors was Sham, Kanem, Bornu, Kulumpardu or (Kulunfardu), and thence to Garun Gabbas. His wife was Fula and his children by her spoke the language of their mother. His mother and grandmother were both Bornuese. He went the pilgrimage to Mecca before Rabeh's time, and was 5 years away, he reckoned his present age of 55.

The founder of Garun Gabbas was one Ibrahim, and members of the same family went and founded the now more important city of Daura. Inhabitants of Garun Gabbas wore possibly largely Arab, the leader of the colonists was a Beriberi (i.e. Bornuese), known to them by the name of Zanoa, but his real name was not known. Zanoa's family no longer exists. The reason of the migration out of Bornu was that Ibrahim had a dispute with Mallam Mukhtar, his elder Although the early brother. He came along peacefully and there was no fighting. Although a Beriberi was the leader of the colonists, Garun Gabbas was never under the rule of Bornu. Nevertheless the inhabitants are said to have used the Kanuri language (the language of Bornu) in the days before the founding of Daura, the date of which I have not been able to ascertain with any degree of acouracy. 

The reason probably was that owing to the preponderating influence of the Bornu empire as far back as the thirteenth century, and possibly earlier, the Kanuri language became and still is very widely used. In any case the Bornu influence is reputed to have been very strong in Garun Gabbas. An unexplained detail is why Zanoa does not appear in the list of kings. There are twenty of the ancient families said to be still represented in the country. Some of the inhabitants had in recent years married Beriberi women, but Beriberi men had not settled there in great numbers. The Town is now very small compared with what it was formerly. The present population is Fula, it had spread even to within a few miles of Kano.

Garun-gabas is a small town compared with what it was formerly. The present population is Fula, Awuyokawa (related to the Bedde), and some Beriberi, the Fula being in the largest numbers. The old record of the kings was burnt accidentally six years ago (say 1916). I was told, but a new one had been written out containing all they could remember.

In the original list was the number of years each king had reigned, but they could not be reproduced. The first on the list is Ibrahim who came out of Bornu, it is said they were Mohammedans then and brought horses and asses, but not cattle. 

 As to the town, the old mud wall is now scarcely discernible. The Headman's house is surrounded by a high mud wall, but all the other houses are of grass and circular in shape. There are some baobab trees about that at the rest house being 35 feet in circumference. The soil between Hadejia and Garun Gabbas is dark grey clay, except where crossed by the numerous east to west sand ridges. On the low ridge on which stands the rest house lies a little quartz gravel of very small size, which was the first i had seen on my westward journey from Lake Chad. A depth of twenty-two fathoms.

LIST OF KINGS OF GARUN GABBAS FROM A MANUSCRIPT. 

ARABS…. 

1. Ibrahim

1. 2. Maji

2. 3. Kulada

3. 4. Yerima

4. 5. Kimeri

5. 6. Donkofo

6. 7. Jatou

7. 8. Amale

8. 9. Mammadu

9. 10. Donko

10. 11. Yahaya 

11. 12. Dan Asawa

12. 13. Aburi

13. 14. Sakaina

14. 15. Musa

15. 16. Kujeilu

16. 17. Adam

17. 18. Aliyu

18. 19. Tagwoi

19. 20. Jimami

20. 21. Balikurugu

21. 22. Issaku

FULANI...

 23. Baruwei 

24. Gauyama 

25. Bouri 

26. Ousmanu 

27. Abdu 

28. Abdu 

SLAVE OF KING OF HADEJIA. A pagan.. 

29. Baluwa

ARABS grandfather of present man. 

30. Muhamman Bako

FULANI… 

31. Tukur 

32. 

Buba 

33. Kawu 

34. Alhaji Abubakar. father of the present man 

34. Musa. Present man 1922.

Reference....... MAN A MONTHLY RECORD OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCE.

PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.

PUBLISHED BY THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE 50, GREAT RUSSELL STREET, LONDON, W.C.I. General Agent: FRANCIS EDWARDS, 83, High Street, Marylebone, W.l,New York Agents: Messrs, G. E. STECHERT & Co.

GANUWAR HADEJIA DA KOFOFIN TA...

HADEJIA A YAU!

Garin Hadejia gari ne wadda ganuwa ta kewaye shi, sannan yana da kofofin shiga guda biyar. 

In muka duba Report din Lugard akan Africa wanda yace "Duk kasar Hausa babu gari kamar hadejia wajen jarunta da rundunar mayaka majiya karfi, akwai ganuwa a zagaye da garin masu kofofi guda biyar masu karfin gaske wanda harsashin bindiga bazai iya fasa kyauran kofar ba." Lugard Ya rubuta wannan magana acikin (kundin Najeriya ta Africa shafi na 247). Wanda yake ajiye a dakin da ake ajiye kayan tarihi na Najeriya ta Africa a Arewa House Kaduna.

A wata wasika da Captain Philips H. C. B. ya rubutawa Colonel Larymore ranar 17 December, 1903. Inda yace. 

 "HADEJIYA BUBBAN GARI NE SOSAI KUMA TANA DA GAWURCACCIYAR GANUWA MANYA-MANYA MASU KYAU SOSAI A  ZAGAYE DA GARIN MAI TSAWO KIMANIN KAFA TALATIN GABA DA BAYANTA, TA KO INA A ZAGAYE DA ITA AKWAI KOFOFI GUDA BIYAR KADAI, ITA KANTA GANUWAR KAURINTA YA KAI KAFA TALATIN DAGA KASA. KYAMAREN KOFOFIN MASU KARFI NE SOSAI YADDA HARSASHIN BINDIGA BAZAI IYA FASA SHI BA CIKIN SAUKI, YAWAN JAMA'AR DA KE CIKIN GARIN SUN KAI KIMANIN DUBU TAKWAS ZUWA DUBU GOMA. FADIN GANUWAR GARIN YA KAI KIMANIN MAYIL HUDU DA RABI. GARIN ZAI YI KWATANCI DA KAMAR RUNDUNA, AMMA TA KAI KIMANIN DARI UKU DA HAMSIN (350)."

A Zamanin Sarakunan Habe garin Hadejia bashi da ganuwa sai dai wani abu da ake kira "KAFI", wato wani Asiri ne na kafewa gari wadda abokan gaba bazasu samu nasarar yakar garin ba. Shi kafi ana sanya Layu ne a cikin Tukunya ko a kahon rago da sauran su, sannan a binne a farkon gari da karshen gari ta kowane bangare. A lokacin da Sarkin Hadejia Sambo ya samu nasarar korar Sarkin Hadejia na Habe, bayan ya zauna a gidan sarautar su sai ya sake tsara taswirar fadar sa, inda ya sake gine-gine da soraye da masaukin baki da sauran su. Dalilin da yasa aka samu Kududdufin Atafi kenan, domin anan aka rinka debo ƙasar da aka gina sorayen fada.

Sarkin Hadejia Sambo shine ya gina ganuwa a Hadejia, inda kuma yayi kofofin shiga garin guda hudu. Wannan Ganuwar daga yamma iyakar ta Kofar Jarma, daga kudu kuma Bakin Ramin Atafi kusa da gidan Sarkin Busa. Daga gabas kuma iyakar ta ramin Tankari kusa da Unguwar Hudu, daga gabas kuma iyakar ta Unguwar Dallah. A zamaninsa kuma Fulani suka bar mazaunin su da yake Rinde, can kusa da Gandun Kabo suka dawo cikin garin Hadejia, inda da yawan su sai suka zauna a yamma da gari inda yanzu Unguwar Rinde take. Bayan Sarkin Hadejia Sambo shima Sarkin Hadejia Buhari ya fadada ganuwa ta bangaren Kudu har sai da ta kai kusa da Kogin Hadejia, shima Sarki Haru ya ci gaba da fadada ganuwa har sai da ta kai inda take a yanzu, sannan ta ci gaba da zama kofofin ta guda hudu. 

Kofar Gwani itace Kofar gabas

Kofar Matsaro itace kofar yamma

Kofar Kogi itace kofar kudu

Kofar Barno itace kofar Arewa.

Ganuwa kuma ta zagaye garin domin babu ta inda zaka shiga cikin gari sai ka bi ta kofofin nan. A zamanin Sarkin Hadejia Muhammadu wadda ya gaji Sarkin Hadejia Haru ya sake ginin kofofin nan, inda aka sake musu gini mai kyau a shekarar 1871. Dalilin wannan gini ne ma yasa ake kiran kofar Gabas da suna Kofar Gwani, domin wani magini ne mai suna Gwani ya gina su har ma da Soron fada da ake kira Soron Bubban Gwani.

Itama Kofar Kogi ta sauya suna a zamanin da aka rufewa Sarkin Hadejia Umaru Kofa, saboda ambaton kalmar kyale su da yayi shine yasa ake kiran ta Kofar Kyale su. 

Kofar Barno itama ta sauya suna yanzu an fi kiran ta da sunan Kofar Arewa, dalilin da yasa ake kiran ta da Kofar Barno kuwa shine, saboda Unguwannin da suke kusa da kofar duk mazaunin Barebari ne, irin su Gagurmari, Kilabakori, Kakaburi, Zonagalari da sauran su. 

Itama kofar yamma dalilin da yasa ake kiran ta da suna Kofar Matsaro shine saboda Sarkin Kofar ne ake kiran sa Mai Tsaro, shine ake cewa kofar Mai tsaro daga baya sunan ya sauya ya zama Matsaro. 

Zamanin Yakin Hadejia da Turawa a shekara ta 1906, Turawan sun rusa ganuwa ta Kudu da gari inda suka samu suka shigo Hadejia suka cita da yaki. Bayan an gama yaki ba'a gine wurin da Turawan suka shigo ba, sai aka gyara wurin aka saka masa kyauren kofa, sannan ake kiran kofar da suna Kofar Talata. An yiwa wannan Kofa lakabi da sunan ranar da Turawa suka fasa Ganuwar suka shigo Hadejia, wato ranar Talata.

Bayan shekaru da yawa kuma wannan kofa sai ake kiran ta da suna Kofar Mandara, domin akwai wata mata da ake kira Mandara kullum a wannan kofar take wuni domin tana tura dabbobin ta kiwo tun safe har zuwa yamma. Saboda karuwar Kofar Mandara sai kofofin Hadejia suka zama guda biyar.

Tun zamanin Sarkin Hadejia Haru wadannan Kofofi guda hudu suke da Sarakunan su, wato masu kula da su kenan. Wadda kuma sune suke sarautar Unguwannin da kofofin suke, misali... Mai Unguwar Matsaro shine sarkin Kofar Yamma, haka sauran kofofin duk masu unguwannin wurin sune sarakunan Kofofin.