This blog is for students of Civilizations of Africa at American University in Washington, DC and the ABTI-American University of Nigeria in Yola. You can use the blog for class assignments, to comment on things we've discussed in class and interact with other students.
The Hausa were a people that settled in Africa between the Niger and Benue rivers. They were renowned for their trading centers because they were a middle ground between huge trading posts of the north and the south. Islam was also a prominent religion among the rulers of the cities but they were very accommodating to the traditions their subjects still practiced. The Hausa divided their cities into the “Hausa Bakwai” (seven true sons) and the “Banza Bakwai” (seven bastards). The main cities of the seven true cities were Daura, Kano, Zazzau (Zaria now), and Katsina.
The first myth of the Hausa people is about the beginning of Daura and the founder of the people, a man named Bayajida. This myth is truly fascinating because, like other myths, its role in human society is to explain where a group of people came from and tell the story of their founding. The tale of Bayajida is unique in that it is beautifully crafted and woven together so that his descendants can be truly proud of his accomplishments.
Bayajida was the son of the king of Baghdad but lived in Egypt. He had a passion for horses but this inevitably forced him away from Egypt. He secretly used the King of Egypt’s revered stallion to breed with his lovely mare. He took care of the young horse until, one day, it responded to the whinnying of the King’s stallion, which was forbidden. Bayajida rode his young horse out of the city. The King’s men had pursued him; however, Bayajida had a marvelous sword with engravings of verses from the Koran on it. If the wielder of the sword recited these verses while they used the sword, the sword could do anything. He had left a message to those pursuing him with the sword. He cut down a tree and left a message there saying, “The rash should beware, for the consequences would be on their heads" (366). They turned back when they saw this sign.
Bayajida eventually came to the edge of the town of Daura. This town was ruled by a queen and the water was controlled by a serpent that lived underground in the well. Bayajida wanted to give water to his horse that had traveled a long way in the desert. He stopped at the house of an old woman on the edge of town but she told Bayajida that could not provide his horse with water because the serpent refused to give it to them. Bayajida went proceeded to go to the well and retrieve water from it. He invited the serpent to talk to him and once it came out of the well, he cut off its head and took the tail as proof. The people of the town the next day were very amazed by this and the Queen approved as well. They eventually figured out it was Bayajida, the stranger staying with the old woman at the edge of town, the Queen requested to marry Bayajida and he accepted. They had a son Bawo, who in turn had six sons. They were to become the kings of the other Hausa cities.
It’s quite fascinating to note that the power of the sword, in large part, comes from the verses of the Koran that are carved into it and the reciting of the Koran while using the sword. Islam, as evidenced, was already an obvious sign of power and wonder at this point in the history of the Hausa. It is also important to note that the second short myth of origin that the Hausa people believe in is the story of “Bagauda and the Founding of Kano.” This is another myth that has Islam at its foundation because the new leader was going to get rid of pagan practices by building a mosque and many new people moved to the city.
The information in the story conveys that water was precious to the people of this area, as they were very close to the Sahara desert. Bayajida was able to break the control of ruthless serpent had on the people of Daura. He did not brag about his accomplishments, however, which shows a sign of great integrity and modesty. These characteristics must, in turn, be of how value to the Hausa people if their great founder embodied them.
In my opinion, modern society does lack such myths to some extent because science and historical accuracy are so crucial to people today. Everything needs hard proof and sources behind everything they find and read in order to take it as true knowledge. Myths are lovely to read but their value is lost somewhat to people, particularly of the West, I’d say who have been embedded with the idea that things need to follow a scientific method in order to be true. They might exist in some other forms like fairytales but even those are outgrown by children. The only thing I can really think of today that people value that they cannot prove is religious beliefs- but this has seen a drastic downfall in places like Europe and even in the United States as well.
There are similarities between this myth and other myths of origin. It does not portray the founder of the people in an unkind light, which is usually the case. The founder of a people is usually a very strong, male figure who performs great victories and helps people. It is unique though in that Islam is a main factor behind the greatness of this man. Religion is very central to this myth of origin.
The myth tells us that society feared Islam, yet respected it. The people from Egypt pursuing Bayajida were too afraid to go after him after they saw what his sword could do. At the same time, the Queen of Daura admired his courage and what the sword had accomplished (the death of the serpent). It also conveyed a strong sense of women in the story. Bayajida stayed with an old woman on the edge of town presumably living on her own, which seemed acceptable to the townspeople. There was only a Queen in charge of the town and she was widely admired. Also, Bayajida showed his high regard for as well by accepting to marry her.
Myths of African society seem to take on the role of the peoples’ tutelage by past human experiences, whether literal or allegorical, for newer generations. These are stories many centuries old in the African region for which we in the Western world have little to no parallel because of our later foundations in the U.S. and like Lindsey said, because science and historical accuracy had already become so crucial to people living in our more modern societies. For this particular Hausa story of Bayajida and Daura, the main character Bayajida originates from Baghdad, but takes residence in Egypt until he leaves for Daura, the land of present day Northern Nigeria, where he slays the town’s water serpent and speedily becomes the King of the land. In this way, this myth is not only offering cultural customs of the time and portraying to its people the certain values needed to be a socially accepted being or to a hero like Bayajida, it is also offering incredible detail of a society’s foundations and origins, as we follow through Bayajida’s journey across northern Africa.
The turn of events for Bayajida was surprising to me, but what most struck me as particularly curious is how often and casually sex and the means of reproduction are used as integral markers throughout the tale, whether it be between humans or horses. For example, take into consideration these selections from the myth:
“When the stallion was put out to stud, the groom would collect any semen that dribbled on the ground and deliver the ball of dirt that formed to Bayajida. The occasion arrived; the man delivered the wet sand to Bayajida, and Bayajida carefully introduced it into the womb of his mare” (The Hausa 366). Also: “…’But I feel I am too old for marriage.’ ‘Do you still have the monthly flow?’ asked Bayajida, and she answered yes. ‘Then it is permissible for you to marry, and as I find you beautiful I would be honoured.” (368).
From this detail, I take it that either African myths were, at the time they were put into writing, intended for an adult audience, sexuality was simply a naturally understood theme by all, or perhaps a little bit of both. I find this very interesting, especially since the sexual overtones are comparable to those in Greek mythology that certainly had extensive influence in Europe at the time, perhaps having made their way down south to the ears of Africans at or prior to the time that these myths were written.
Another thing I picked up on while reading this myth of the Hausa is how much power is placed into intemperate warrior-like achievements. Once Bayajida exposed that he had killed the serpent that was forcing the people of Daura to ration their water supply and displayed the serpent’s tail to prove his reputable deed, he was immediately offered the Queen’s hand in marriage. I saw the same kind of power with the King of Egypt in that no one dared to challenge his irrational attempts to keep the head stallion of the kingdom as the great lone whinnier; the issue was apparently so emphatic to him that, as it was told in the myth, he would even take the life of his own grooms should he find the horse mounting another in the act of sharing its esteemed genes. What this tells me is that characteristic of a ruler at this time in history in Africa was almost pervasive control of every and all situations and of course courage, the one element that would probably be able to take you a long way past bureaucracy straight to the heart of royalty, as it did for Bayajida and the Queen of Daura.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the Hausa tale of Bayajida and Daura and thought it shed valuable insight on the temperament, desires, beliefs, and of course origins of this region of Africa in the second half of the second millennium.
2 comments:
The Hausa were a people that settled in Africa between the Niger and Benue rivers. They were renowned for their trading centers because they were a middle ground between huge trading posts of the north and the south. Islam was also a prominent religion among the rulers of the cities but they were very accommodating to the traditions their subjects still practiced. The Hausa divided their cities into the “Hausa Bakwai” (seven true sons) and the “Banza Bakwai” (seven bastards). The main cities of the seven true cities were Daura, Kano, Zazzau (Zaria now), and Katsina.
The first myth of the Hausa people is about the beginning of Daura and the founder of the people, a man named Bayajida. This myth is truly fascinating because, like other myths, its role in human society is to explain where a group of people came from and tell the story of their founding. The tale of Bayajida is unique in that it is beautifully crafted and woven together so that his descendants can be truly proud of his accomplishments.
Bayajida was the son of the king of Baghdad but lived in Egypt. He had a passion for horses but this inevitably forced him away from Egypt. He secretly used the King of Egypt’s revered stallion to breed with his lovely mare. He took care of the young horse until, one day, it responded to the whinnying of the King’s stallion, which was forbidden. Bayajida rode his young horse out of the city. The King’s men had pursued him; however, Bayajida had a marvelous sword with engravings of verses from the Koran on it. If the wielder of the sword recited these verses while they used the sword, the sword could do anything. He had left a message to those pursuing him with the sword. He cut down a tree and left a message there saying, “The rash should beware, for the consequences would be on their heads" (366). They turned back when they saw this sign.
Bayajida eventually came to the edge of the town of Daura. This town was ruled by a queen and the water was controlled by a serpent that lived underground in the well. Bayajida wanted to give water to his horse that had traveled a long way in the desert. He stopped at the house of an old woman on the edge of town but she told Bayajida that could not provide his horse with water because the serpent refused to give it to them. Bayajida went proceeded to go to the well and retrieve water from it. He invited the serpent to talk to him and once it came out of the well, he cut off its head and took the tail as proof. The people of the town the next day were very amazed by this and the Queen approved as well. They eventually figured out it was Bayajida, the stranger staying with the old woman at the edge of town, the Queen requested to marry Bayajida and he accepted. They had a son Bawo, who in turn had six sons. They were to become the kings of the other Hausa cities.
It’s quite fascinating to note that the power of the sword, in large part, comes from the verses of the Koran that are carved into it and the reciting of the Koran while using the sword. Islam, as evidenced, was already an obvious sign of power and wonder at this point in the history of the Hausa. It is also important to note that the second short myth of origin that the Hausa people believe in is the story of “Bagauda and the Founding of Kano.” This is another myth that has Islam at its foundation because the new leader was going to get rid of pagan practices by building a mosque and many new people moved to the city.
The information in the story conveys that water was precious to the people of this area, as they were very close to the Sahara desert. Bayajida was able to break the control of ruthless serpent had on the people of Daura. He did not brag about his accomplishments, however, which shows a sign of great integrity and modesty. These characteristics must, in turn, be of how value to the Hausa people if their great founder embodied them.
In my opinion, modern society does lack such myths to some extent because science and historical accuracy are so crucial to people today. Everything needs hard proof and sources behind everything they find and read in order to take it as true knowledge. Myths are lovely to read but their value is lost somewhat to people, particularly of the West, I’d say who have been embedded with the idea that things need to follow a scientific method in order to be true. They might exist in some other forms like fairytales but even those are outgrown by children. The only thing I can really think of today that people value that they cannot prove is religious beliefs- but this has seen a drastic downfall in places like Europe and even in the United States as well.
There are similarities between this myth and other myths of origin. It does not portray the founder of the people in an unkind light, which is usually the case. The founder of a people is usually a very strong, male figure who performs great victories and helps people. It is unique though in that Islam is a main factor behind the greatness of this man. Religion is very central to this myth of origin.
The myth tells us that society feared Islam, yet respected it. The people from Egypt pursuing Bayajida were too afraid to go after him after they saw what his sword could do. At the same time, the Queen of Daura admired his courage and what the sword had accomplished (the death of the serpent). It also conveyed a strong sense of women in the story. Bayajida stayed with an old woman on the edge of town presumably living on her own, which seemed acceptable to the townspeople. There was only a Queen in charge of the town and she was widely admired. Also, Bayajida showed his high regard for as well by accepting to marry her.
-Lindsey Amato
Myths of African society seem to take on the role of the peoples’ tutelage by past human experiences, whether literal or allegorical, for newer generations. These are stories many centuries old in the African region for which we in the Western world have little to no parallel because of our later foundations in the U.S. and like Lindsey said, because science and historical accuracy had already become so crucial to people living in our more modern societies. For this particular Hausa story of Bayajida and Daura, the main character Bayajida originates from Baghdad, but takes residence in Egypt until he leaves for Daura, the land of present day Northern Nigeria, where he slays the town’s water serpent and speedily becomes the King of the land. In this way, this myth is not only offering cultural customs of the time and portraying to its people the certain values needed to be a socially accepted being or to a hero like Bayajida, it is also offering incredible detail of a society’s foundations and origins, as we follow through Bayajida’s journey across northern Africa.
The turn of events for Bayajida was surprising to me, but what most struck me as particularly curious is how often and casually sex and the means of reproduction are used as integral markers throughout the tale, whether it be between humans or horses. For example, take into consideration these selections from the myth:
“When the stallion was put out to stud, the groom would collect any semen that dribbled on the ground and deliver the ball of dirt that formed to Bayajida. The occasion arrived; the man delivered the wet sand to Bayajida, and Bayajida carefully introduced it into the womb of his mare” (The Hausa 366). Also: “…’But I feel I am too old for marriage.’ ‘Do you still have the monthly flow?’ asked Bayajida, and she answered yes. ‘Then it is permissible for you to marry, and as I find you beautiful I would be honoured.” (368).
From this detail, I take it that either African myths were, at the time they were put into writing, intended for an adult audience, sexuality was simply a naturally understood theme by all, or perhaps a little bit of both. I find this very interesting, especially since the sexual overtones are comparable to those in Greek mythology that certainly had extensive influence in Europe at the time, perhaps having made their way down south to the ears of Africans at or prior to the time that these myths were written.
Another thing I picked up on while reading this myth of the Hausa is how much power is placed into intemperate warrior-like achievements. Once Bayajida exposed that he had killed the serpent that was forcing the people of Daura to ration their water supply and displayed the serpent’s tail to prove his reputable deed, he was immediately offered the Queen’s hand in marriage. I saw the same kind of power with the King of Egypt in that no one dared to challenge his irrational attempts to keep the head stallion of the kingdom as the great lone whinnier; the issue was apparently so emphatic to him that, as it was told in the myth, he would even take the life of his own grooms should he find the horse mounting another in the act of sharing its esteemed genes. What this tells me is that characteristic of a ruler at this time in history in Africa was almost pervasive control of every and all situations and of course courage, the one element that would probably be able to take you a long way past bureaucracy straight to the heart of royalty, as it did for Bayajida and the Queen of Daura.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the Hausa tale of Bayajida and Daura and thought it shed valuable insight on the temperament, desires, beliefs, and of course origins of this region of Africa in the second half of the second millennium.
-Chrissy Sewell
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