Hausa emblem[1][2] is an older and traditionally established emblem of Hausa identity – the 'Dagin Arewa' or 'Northern knot' – in a star shape, used in historic and traditional architecture, design and hand-embroidery.[3][4]
Predominantly Hausa-speaking communities are scattered throughoutWest Africa and on the traditionalHajj route north and east traversing theSahara, with an especially large population in and around the town ofAgadez.[19] Other Hausa have also moved to large neighbouring coastal cities in the region such asLagos,Port Harcourt,Accra,Abidjan andCotonou as well as to parts of North Africa such asLibya over the course of the last 500 years. The Hausa are traditionallyagriculturists who live in small villages as well as in precolonial towns and cities. The Hausa aristocracy had historically developed anequestrian based culture.[20] Still a status symbol of the traditional nobility in Hausa society, the horse still features in theEid day celebrations, known asRanar Sallah (in English: the Day of the Prayer).[21]Daura is the cultural center of the Hausa people. The town predates all the other major Hausa towns in tradition and culture.[22]
The Hausa have, in the last 1000 years, crisscrossed the vast landscape ofAfrica in all its four corners for varieties of reasons ranging frommilitary service,[23][24] long-distance trade, hunting, performance ofhajj, fleeing from oppressive Hausa feudal kings as well as spreading Islam.
Because the vast majority of Hausas and Hausa speakers are Muslims, many attempted to embark on the Hajj pilgrimage, a requirement of all Muslims who are able. On the way to or back from the Hijaz region, many settled, often indigenizing to some degree. For example, many Hausa in Saudi Arabia identify as both Hausa and Afro-Arab.[25] In the Arab world, the surname "Hausawi" (alternatively spelled "Hawsawi") is an indicator of Hausa ancestry.
The homeland of Hausa people is Hausaland ("Kasar Hausa"), situated inNigeria andNiger.
Daura, inNigeria, is the oldest city ofHausaland. Historically, Katsina was the centre of HausaIslamic scholarship but was later replaced by Sokoto stemming from the 19th century Usman Dan Fodio Islamic reform.[26]
Photo of Sultan ofZinder's palace courtyard, 1906.
In the 7th century, theDalla Hill inKano was the site of a Hausa community that migrated fromGaya and engaged in iron-work.[27] TheHausa Bakwai kingdoms were established around the 7th to 11th centuries. Of these, theKingdom of Daura was the first, according to theBayajidda legend.[28] The legend of Bayajidda is a relatively new concept in the history of the Hausa people and is generally disregarded as myth by scholars.[29][30]
The Hausa Kingdoms were independent political entities in what is nowNigeria and emerged, predominantly in the 16th century,[31] as powerful and economically important trading states. Similarly toBornu and other neighbouring cities, Hausa states likeKatsina andKano became major centres of long-distancetrans-saharan trade with Hausa merchants specializing in producing textiles and leatherwork.[32] The primary exports wereleather,gold,cloth,salt,kola nuts,slaves, andhenna with the Hausa people acting as a median of trade within West Africa. By the 14th century, Islam had become widespread in the Hausa states due to commerce, withMuhammad Korau of Gobir generally attested as the first Muslim ruler by the mid 14th century,[33][34][35] though smaller populations of Hausas, like theMaguzawa remained followers of the traditional Hausa religion.[36]
By the early 15th century, the Hausa were using a modifiedArabic script known asajami to record their own language. The Hausa compiled several written histories, the most popular being theKano Chronicle. Many medieval Hausa manuscripts similar to theTimbuktu Manuscripts written in the Ajami script have been discovered recently, some of them describingconstellations andcalendars.[37]
A depiction of a Hausa man fromGobir by Carl Arriens (1913)
TheGobarau Minaret was built in the 14th century inKatsina. It is a 50-foot edifice located in the centre of thecity of Katsina, the capital ofKatsina State. The construction of the Gobarau minaret, was commissioned and designed byMuhammadu Korau[38][39](also spelled Muhammad Korau), the first Muslim ruler of Katsina to serve as a Mosque and symbolizing Katsina's early adoption of the Islamic faith. Built in traditional HausaTuabli architecture, the minaret served as a center for Islamic education and later as a defensive hub during wartime. The minaret is also believed to be one of West Africa's first multi-storey buildings and was once the tallest building in Katsina.
Muhammad Rumfa was the Sultan of theSultanate of Kano, located in modern-dayKano State,Northern Nigeria. He reigned from 1463 until 1499.[40] Among Rumfa's accomplishments were extending the city walls, building a large palace, theGidan Rumfa, promoting slaves to governmental positions and establishing the greatKurmi Market, which is still in use today. It was once used as an international market where North African goods were exchanged for domestic goods through trans-Saharan trade.[41][42] Muhammad Rumfa was also responsible for much of theIslamisation of Kano, as he got the general population to convert.[42]
The legendary QueenAmina ofZaria ruledZazzau sometime during mid 16th century for a period of 34 years, though there are some discrepancies about the dates of her reign.[43] According to oral legends detailed by anthropologist David E. Jones, Amina was brought up in her grandfather's court and was carefully taught in political and military matters.[44] Amina was 16 years old when her mother,Bakwa Turunku became queen and she was given the traditional title ofMagajiya, an honorific borne by the daughters of monarchs. She is celebrated as an outstanding conqueror who extended her dominion fromKwararafa state toNupe, theNiger andBenue rivers, subduedBauchi and extracted tribute fromKano &Katsina while also establishing long standing commerce with theYoruba markets of the south.[43][32] Amina is credited as the architectural overseer and financier of much of theTubali walls that surround her city, which were the prototype for the fortifications used in all Hausa states. Subsequently her name is associated widely with fortifications all over the Hausa states known as Ganuwar Amina or Amina's walls.[45] Though not all of the city walls known as Ganuwar Amina can be attributed to her, such connections highlight her imperial successes; they also identify the 15th century as a period of intense action, akin to a revolution, in defence of the Hausa kingdoms.[32]
In the 1836 book,Ifaq al-Maysur, authored by SultanMuhammad Bello ofSokoto he states that, "Amina was the first to establish government among the Hausa" and she claimed ascendancy over the cities of Kano and Katsina. Since Muhammad Bello provided only limited details about Amina’s life, historians primarily rely on theKano Chronicle —a widely cited 19th-century historical account of Kano—for more comprehensive information.[43]
From the beginning of the 1800s, theFulas began to migrate toNigeria fromSenegal,Mauritania and other neighbouring countries.[46][47] Driven by cattle herding, trade, and environmental pressures, thesenomadic groups gradually settled among the indigenousagricultural Hausa populations, often maintaining distinct clans while adopting the Hausa language and intermarrying.[46] In the early 19th century, the Fula Islamic scholarUsman dan Fodio launched the Sokoto jihad (1804–1808), accusing Hausa rulers of practising a syncretic and corrupt form of Islam that deviated from “true” Islamic principles, including tolerance of pre-Islamic customs and unjust taxation.[48][49][36] The successful jihad overthrew most Hausa kingdoms, establishing the Sokoto Caliphate under Fula leadership and profoundly reshaping the religious and political landscape of Nigeria. The political and social integration following the Sokoto jihad gave rise to the modern socio-political label“Hausa-Fulani”, which primarily refers to the Muslim ruling elite of northern Nigeria.[36][49] Despite the widespread use of this hyphenated term—especially in modernNigerian political discourse—the Hausa andFulas remain culturally and genetically distinct.[1]:[50] the Hausa are predominantly sedentary agriculturalists with ancientChadic-language roots in the region, whereas the Fulas are historically pastoralist and trace their origins to the western Sahel, retaining a separateFulfulde language, clan structure (lenyol) system, and higher frequencies of certain West African pastoralist genetic markers.[51][50] The “Hausa-Fulani” identity is therefore largely a product of 19th-century Fula political dominance within the Sokoto Caliphate, and shared religion rather than an indication of ethnic or genetic fusion; many Fulas in Nigeria continue to identify separately asBororo or Town Fulas, and rural Hausa communities often preserve pre-jihad culture and traditions with minimal Fula admixture.[52]
British colonial administratorFrederick Lugard exploited rivalries between many of the emirs in the south and the central Sokoto administration to counter possible defence efforts as his men marched toward the capital.[53] As the British approached the city of Sokoto, the new SultanMuhammadu Attahiru I organised a quick defence of the city and fought the advancing British-led forces. The British emerged triumphant, sending Attahiru I and thousands of followers on aMahdisthijra.[54]
On 13 March 1903 at the grand market square of Sokoto, the last Vizier of the Caliphate officially conceded to British rule. The British appointedMuhammadu Attahiru II as the new Caliph.[54] Lugard abolished the Caliphate, but retained the titleSultan as a symbolic position in the newly organisedNorthern Nigeria Protectorate.[55] In June 1903, the British defeated the remaining forces of Attahiru I, who waskilled in action; by 1906 resistance to British rule had ended with the conquest of Hadejia and the death of Sarki Muhammadu Mai Shahada of Hadejia as the last Emirate standing in Sokoto Caliphate.[56] The area of the Sokoto Caliphate was divided among the control of the British, French, and Germans under the terms of theBerlin Conference.[57]
Art of aKano horseman wearinglifidi (cotton-padded armour)
The British established theNorthern Nigeria Protectorate to govern the region, which included most of the Sokoto empire and its most important emirates.[58] Under Lugard, the various emirs were provided significant local autonomy, thus retaining much of the political organisation of the Sokoto Caliphate.[59] The Sokoto area was treated as just another emirate within the Nigerian Protectorate. Because it was never connected with the railway network, it became economically and politically marginal.[60]
The Sultan of Sokoto continued to be regarded as an important Muslim spiritual and religious position; the lineage connection to dan Fodio has continued to be recognised.[55] One of the most significant Sultans wasSiddiq Abubakar III, who held the position for 50 years from 1938 to 1988. He was known as a stabilising force in Nigerian politics, particularly in 1966 after the assassination ofAhmadu Bello, the Premier of Northern Nigeria.[55]
Following the construction of theNigerian railway system, which extended fromLagos in 1896 toIbadan in 1900 andKano in 1911, the Hausa of northern Nigeria became major producers of groundnuts. They surprised the British authorities, who had expected the Hausa to turn to cotton production. The Hausa had sufficient agricultural expertise to realise cotton required more labour and the European prices offered for groundnuts were more attractive than those for cotton. "Within two years the peasant farmers of Hausaland were producing so many tonnes of groundnuts that the railway was unable to cope with the traffic. As a result, the European merchants in Kano had to stockpile sacks of groundnuts in the streets." (Shillington 338).
TheBoko script was implemented by the British and French colonial authorities and made the official Hausa alphabet in 1930.[61] Boko is aLatin alphabet used to write theHausa language. The first boko was devised by Europeans in the early 19th century,[62] and developed in the early 20th century by the British (mostly) and French colonial authorities. Since the 1950s, boko has been the main alphabet for Hausa.[63] Arabic script (ajami) is now only used in Islamic schools and for Islamic literature. Today millions of Hausa-speaking people, who can read and write in Ajami only, are considered illiterates by the Nigerian government.[64] Despite this, Hausa Ajami is present onNaira banknotes. In 2014, in a very controversial move, Ajami was removed from the new 100 Naira banknote.[65]
Hausas in the narrow sense are indigenous of Kasar Hausa (Hausaland) who are found in West Africa. Within the Hausa, a distinction is made between three subgroups: Habe, Hausa-Fulani (Kado), and Banza or Banza 7.[65]
"Habe" are taken to be pure Hausas. They include Gobirawa, Kabawa, Rumawa, Adarawa,Maouri, and others. These groups were the rulers of Hausa Kingdoms before the Danfodiyo revolution (Jihad) of 1804.[66]
"Hausa–Fulani" or "Kado" are Hausanized Fulas, people of mixed Hausa and Fulani origin, most of whom speak a variant of Hausa as their native language. According to Hausa genealogical tradition, their identity came into being as a direct result of the migration of Fula people into Hausaland occurring from the 15th century[63] and later at the beginning of the 19th century, during the revolution led by Sheikh Usman Danfodiyo against the Hausa Kingdoms, founding a centralized Sokoto Caliphate. They include Jobawa, Dambazawa, Mudubawa, Mallawa, and Sullubawa tribes originating inFuta Tooro.
"Banza or Banza 7" according to some modern historians are people who are of ancient tribes and extinct languages in Hausaland, of whose history little is known. They include Ajawa, Gere, Bankal, and others.[67]
A more recent genetic study of the Hausa population inArewa (NorthernNigeria) reported similar results, with haplogroupE1b1a being the most prevalent (47%), followed by other subclades ofhaplogroup E—includingE-M33 andE-M75—at 21%. HaplogroupR-M173 (R1) was observed at a frequency of 18%, whilehaplogroup B accounted for 9% of the sample. HaplogroupE1b1b was present at a lower frequency of 5%. In further detail, the Hausa populations inKano showed a higher frequency ofR1b (approximately 40%), alongsideE1b1b at around 20%. These findings indicate substantial paternal lineage diversity among the Hausa, reflecting contributions from West African, North and Eurasian populations.[72]
In terms of overall ancestry, anautosomal DNA study by Tishkoff et al. (2009) found the Hausa to be most closely related toNilo-Saharan populations fromChad andSouth Sudan. This suggests that the Hausa and other modern Chadic-speaking populations originally spoke Nilo-Saharan languages, before adopting languages from theAfroasiatic family after migration into that area thousands of years ago:[73]
From K = 5-13, all Nilo-Saharan speaking populations from southern Sudan, and Chad cluster with west-central Afroasiatic Chadic-speaking populations (Fig. S15). These results are consistent with linguistic and archeological data, suggesting a possible common ancestry of Nilo-Saharan speaking populations from an eastern Sudanese homeland within the past ≈10,500 years, with subsequent bi-directional migration westward to Lake Chad and southward into modern day southern Sudan, and more recent migration eastward into Kenya and Tanzania ≈3,000 ya (giving rise to Southern Nilotic speakers) and westward into Chad ≈2,500 ya (giving rise to Central Sudanic speakers) (S62, S65, S67, S74). A proposed migration of proto-Chadic Afroasiatic speakers ≈7,000 ya from the central Sahara into theLake Chad Basin may have caused many western Nilo-Saharans to shift to Chadic languages (S99). Our data suggest that this shift was not accompanied by large amounts of Afroasiatic16 gene flow. Analyses of mtDNA provide evidence for divergence ≈8,000 ya of a distinct mtDNA lineage present at high frequency in the Chadic populations and suggest an East African origin for most mtDNA lineages in these populations (S100).[73]
A study from 2019 that genotyped 218 unrelated males from theIgbo, Hausa andYoruba tribes using X-STR analysis, found that when studying the genetic affinity, no significant differences were detected, supporting a genetic homogeneity of Nigerian ethnic groups.[74] In 2024, a paper similarly found homogeneity in the Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa in Nigeria for X-Chromosomes (mtDNA). However, differences in the Hausa were found for the Y-Chromosome, where they had more paternal lineages associated with Afro-Asiatic speakers, while the Yoruba and Igbo were predominantly paternally related to other Niger-Congo speaking groups.[75] Specifically, in the 135 Yoruba and 134 Igbo males, E-M2 was seen at high rates of 90%. In contrast, the 89 Hausa males had E-M2 at 43%, and frequencies for R1b-V88 at 32%, A 9%, E1a 6%, B 5%, and another 5% being made of other lineages.[75]
The Hausa cultural practices stand unique inNigeria and have withstood the test of time due to strong traditions, cultural pride as well as an efficient precolonial native system of government.[citation needed] Consequently, and in spite of strong competition from westernEuropeanculture as adopted by their southern Nigerian counterparts[citation needed], have maintained a rich and particular mode of dressing, food, language,marriage system, education system, traditional architecture, sports, music and other forms of traditional entertainment.
Though theHausa language, is a member of theChadic branch of theAfroasiatic family of languages,linguistic scholars note that it has lost many typical features of Afroasiatic languages in contact withBenue-Congo languages[76] and constitutes a group within itself (Gwandara, the only other member of the group) .The groups most closely related to it, with which Hausa shares many features of phonology and grammar, are theBole andAngas languages of Nigeria. What sets Hausa apart from its sister languages is the richness of its vocabulary, due in large part to the enormous number of loanwords from neighbouring languages.[77]
Hausa has more first-language speakers than any otherAfrican language with around 50 million first-language speakers, and close to 30 million second-language speakers.[78] The main region in which Hausa is spoken is withinNigeria and southernNiger. Hausa is also widely spoken in northernGhana,Cameroon,Chad, andIvory Coast as well as among other neighbouring people.
There is a large and growing printed literature in Hausa, which includes novels, poetry, plays, instruction inIslamic practice, books on development issues, newspapers, news magazines, and technical academic works. Radio and television broadcasting in Hausa is ubiquitous in Nigeria and Niger, and radio stations in Cameroon have regular Hausa broadcasts, as do international broadcasters such as the BBC,[79][80][81] VOA,[82][83] Deutsche Welle,Radio Moscow, Radio Beijing, RFI France, IRIB IranIRIB World Service, and others[84][85][86][87][88][89]
Hausa is used as the language of instruction at the elementary level in schools in northern Nigeria, and Hausa is available as course of study in northernNigerianuniversities. In addition, several advanced degrees (Masters and PhD) are offered in Hausa in various universities in theUK,US, andGermany.
A lithographic print from Nigeria in the early 20th century featuring text from the Surah ofAn'am, printed in theHausawi script.
Sunni Islam of theMaliki madhhab, is the predominant and historically established religion of the Hausa people. Islam has been present inHausaland since as early as the 11th century — giving rise to famous native Sufi saints and scholars such as WaliMuhammad dan Masani (d.1667) and WaliMuhammad dan Marina (d. 1655) in Katsina — mostly among long-distance traders to North Africa whom in turn had spread it to common people while the ruling class had remained largely pagan or mixed their practice of Islam with pagan practices. By the 14th century, Hausa traders were already spreading Islam across a large swathe of west Africa such as Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, etc..
Muslim scholars of the early 19th century disapproved of the hybrid religion practiced in royal courts. A desire for reform contributed to the formation of theSokoto Caliphate.[90] The formation of this state strengthened Islam in rural areas. The Hausa people have been an important factor for the spread of Islam in West Africa. Today, the currentSultan of Sokoto is regarded as the traditional religious leader (Sarkin Musulmi) of Sunni Hausa–Fulani in Nigeria and beyond.
Maguzanci, anAfrican Traditional Religion, was practised extensively before Islam. In the more remote areas of Hausaland, the people continue to practise Maguzanci. Closer to urban areas, it is not as common, but with elements still held among the beliefs of urban dwellers. Practices include the sacrifice of animals for personal ends, but it is not legitimate to practise Maguzanci magic for harm. People of urbanized areas tend to retain a "cult ofspirit possession," known asBori. It incorporates the old religion's elements ofAfrican Traditional Religion andmagic.[91]
A boy on a horse in a traditional Hausa royalty dress
The Hausa were famous throughout the Middle Ages for their cloth weaving and dyeing, cotton goods, leather sandals, metal locks, horse equipment and leather-working and export of such goods throughout the west African region as well as to north Africa (Hausa leather was erroneously known to medieval Europe as Moroccan leather[92]). They were often characterized by theirIndigo blue dressing and emblems that earned them the nickname "bluemen". They traditionally rode on fine Saharancamels andhorses.Tie-dyetechniques have been used in the Hausa region ofWest Africa for centuries with renownedindigo dye pits located in and aroundKano,Nigeria. The tie-dyed clothing is then richlyembroidered in traditional patterns.
The traditional dress of the Hausa consists of loose flowing gowns and trousers. The gowns have wide openings on both sides for ventilation. The trousers are loose at the top and center, but rather tight around the legs. Leather sandals and turbans are also typical. The men are easily recognizable because of their elaborate dress: a large flowing gown known asBabban riga also known by various other names due to adaptation by many ethnic groups neighboring the Hausa (seeindigoBabban Riga/Gandora). These large flowing gowns usually feature elaborate embroidery designs around the neck and chest area.[citation needed]
They also wore a type of shirt calledtagguwa (long and short slip). The oral tradition regarding thetagguwa is that during the age when Hausawa were using leaves and animal skin to cover their private parts, a man called Guwa decided to cut the centre of the animal skin and wear it like a shirt instead of just covering his privates. People around to Guwa became interested in his new style and decided to copy it. They called it 'Ta Guwa', meaning "similar to Guwa". It eventually evolved to becomeTagguwa.[citation needed]
Men also wear colourful embroidered caps known ashula. Depending on their location and occupation, they may wear the turban around this to veil the face, calledAlasho. The women can be identified bywrappers calledzani, made with colourful cloth known asatampa or Ankara, (a descendant of early designs from the famousTie-dye techniques the Hausa have for centuries been known for, named after the Hausa name forAccra the capital of what is now Ghana, and where an old Hausa speaking trading community still lives)[citation needed] accompanied by a matching blouse, head tie (kallabi) and shawl (Gyale).
Like other Muslims and specificallySahelians within West Africa, Hausa women traditionally useHenna (lalle) designs painted onto the hand instead of nail-polish. A shared tradition with otherAfro-Asiatic speakers likeBerbers,Habesha, (ancient)Egyptians andArab peoples, both Hausa men and women usekohl ('kwalli') around the eyes as an eye shadow, with the area below the eye receiving a thicker line than that of the top. Also, similar to Berber,Bedouin,Zarma andFulani women, Hausa women traditionally use kohl to accentuate facial symmetry. This is usually done by drawing a vertical line from below the bottom lip down to the chin. Other designs may include a line along the bridge of the nose, or a single pair of small symmetrical dots on the cheeks.
Common traditional dressing in Hausa men
A Hausa boy wearing traditional cloths (Babban riga and rawani)
Aisha Buhari wearing Hausa clothes andhijab, which consists of the kallabi matching the dress cloth design, and gyale draped over the shoulder or front
Turai Yar'adua wearing atampa and dan kwali, note the henna designs on the fingertips instead of nail polish
Kannywood actress wearing gyale in Hausa style, along with henna applied on fingers
The architecture of the Hausa is perhaps one of the least known of the medieval age.[citation needed] Many of their earlymosques and palaces are bright and colourful, including intricate engraving or elaborate symbols designed into the facade[93] This architectural style is known asTubali, which meansarchitecture in the Hausa language. The ancient Kano city walls were built in order to provide security to the growing population. The foundation for the construction of the wall was laid by Sarki Gijimasu from 1095 through 1134 and was completed in the middle of the 14th century. In the 16th century, the walls were further extended to their present position. The gates are as old as the walls and were used to control movement of people in and out of the city.[41] Hausa buildings are characterized by the use of dry mud bricks in cubic structures, multi-storied buildings for the social elite, the use ofparapets related to their military/fortress building past, and traditional white stucco and plaster for house fronts. At times the facades may be decorated with various abstract relief designs, sometimes painted in vivid colours to convey information about the occupant.[93]
The Hausa culture is rich in traditional sporting events such as boxing (Dambe), stick fight (Takkai), wrestling (Kokowa) etc. that were originally organized to celebrate harvests but over the generations developed into sporting events for entertainment purposes.[citation needed]
Dambe is a brutal form of traditional martial art associated with the Hausa people of West Africa. Its origin is shrouded in mystery. Edward Powe, a researcher of Nigerian martial art culture, recognizes striking similarities in stance and single wrapped fist of Hausa boxers to images of ancient Egyptian boxers from the 12th and 13th dynasties.[94]
It originally started out among the lower class of Hausa butcher caste groups and later developed into a way of practicing military skills and then into sporting events through generations of Northern Nigerians. It is fought in rounds of three or less that have no time limits. A round ends if an opponent is knocked out, a fighter's knee, body or hand touch the ground, inactivity or halted by an official.[94]
Dambe's primary weapon is the "spear", a single dominant hand wrapped from fist to forearm in thick strips of cotton bandage that is held in place by knotted cord dipped in salt and allowed to dry for maximum body damage on opponents, while the other arm, held open, serve as the "shield" to protect a fighter’s head from their opponent's blows or used to grab an opponent. Fighters usually end up with split brows, broken jaws and noses or even sustain brain damage. Dambe fighters may receive money, cattle, farm produce or jewelry as winnings but generally it was fought for fame from representations of towns and fighting clans.[94]
Kyinkyinga (suya), a popular marinated kebab, prepared by a Ghanaian Hausa street vendor in GhanaKilishi, a Hausa delicacy similar tojerky
The most common food that the Hausa people prepare consists ofgrains, such assorghum,millet,rice, ormaize, which are ground into flour for a variety of different kinds of dishes. This food is popularly known astuwo in the Hausa language.
Usually, breakfast consists ofcakes anddumplings made from ground beans and fried, known askosai; or made from wheat flour soaked for a day, fried and served with sugar or chili, known asfunkaso. Both of these cakes can be served withporridge andsugar known askunu orkoko. Lunch or dinner usually feature a heavy porridge with soup and stew known astuwo da miya. The soup and stew are usually prepared with ground or choppedtomatoes,onions, and local spices.
Spices and other vegetables, such asspinach,pumpkin, orokra, are added to the soup during preparation. The stew is prepared with meat, which can include goat or cow meat, but not pork, due to Islamic food restrictions.Beans,peanuts, andmilk are also served as a complementaryprotein diet for the Hausa people.
The most famous of all Hausa food is most likelysuya, also known as tsire, a peanut and chili-spiced skewered meat dish that is a popular food item in various parts of Nigeria and is enjoyed as a delicacy in much ofWest Africa and has become a prominent feature of Nigerian food in the diaspora.
Hausa Language has been written in modified Arabic script, known as Ajami, since pre-colonial times. The earliest Hausa Ajami manuscript with reliable date is the Ruwayar Annabi Musa by the Kano scholar Abdullah Suka, who lived in the 1600s. This manuscript may be seen in the collection of the Jos Museum.[96] Other well-known scholars and saints of the Sufi order from Katsina,Danmarina andDanmasani have been composing Ajami and Arabic poetry from much earlier times also in the 1600s. Gradually, increasing number of Hausa Ajami manuscripts were written, which increased in volume through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and continuing into the twentieth century. With the nineteenth century witnessing even more impetus due to theUsman dan Fodio Islamic reform, himself a copious writer who encouraged literacy and scholarship, for both men and women, as a result of which several of his daughters emerged as scholars and writers.[2] Ajami book publishing today has become greatly surpassed by romanized Hausa, or Boko, publishing.
A modern literary movement led by female Hausa writers has grown since the late 1980s when writerBalaraba Ramat Yakubu came to popularity. In time, the writers spurred a unique genre known as Kano market literature — so named because the books are often self-published and sold in the markets of Nigeria. The subversive nature of these novels, which are often romantic and family dramas that are otherwise hard to find in the Hausa tradition and lifestyle, have made them popular, especially among female readers. The genre is also referred to aslittattafan soyayya, or "love literature."[97]
A "Hausaethnic flag" was proposed in 1966 (according to online reports dated 2001). It shows five horizontal stripes—from top to bottom in red, yellow, indigo blue, green, and khaki beige.[2] An older and traditionally established emblem of Hausa identity, the 'Dagin Arewa' or Northern knot, in a star shape, is used in historic architecture, design and embroidery.[2]
^P25 is an unreliable genetic marker for which recurrent back-mutations are documented.[69] RP25 might indicateR-V88 (R1b1a2), which is statistically the most common R1 clade in Africa[70]
^Lovejoy, Paul E. (2023).Hausa Diasporas and Slavery in Africa, the Atlantic, and the Muslim World, 1450–1900. Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0190277734.
^Salamone, Frank A. (1997). ""The Hausa-Fulani: The Politics of Identity in Northern Nigeria"".Journal of Asian and African Studies.32.
^The Cambridge History of Africa: 1870–1905. London: Cambridge University Press. 1985. p. 276.
^abFalola, Toyin (2009).Colonialism and Violence in Nigeria. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
^abcFalola, Toyin (2009).Historical Dictionary of Nigeria. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press.
^Abubakar.b (202). Dierk Lange. "Oral version of the Bayajidda legend" (PDF). Ancient Kingdoms of West Africa. Retrieved 2006-12-21. Johnston, H. A. S (1967). "The Consolidation of the Empire". The Fulani Empire of Sokoto. Amana Online. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
^Swindell, Kenneth (1986). "Population and Agriculture in the Sokoto-Rima Basin of North-West Nigeria: A Study of Political Intervention, Adaptation and Change, 1800–1980".Cahiers d'Études Africaines.26 (101):75–111.doi:10.3406/cea.1986.2167.S2CID32411273.
^Pestcoe, Shlomo; Adams, Greg C. "3 List of West African Plucked Spike Lutes". In Robert B. Winnans (ed.).Banjo Roots and Branches. pp. 47–48.Semi-Spike Lutes... garaya [pluralgarayu] (Hausa: Nigeria) (two strings)... garaya [garayaaru,garayaaji] (Fulani [Fulbe]:Cameroon) (two strings; gourd body)
^Robinson, David,Muslim Societies in African History (Cambridge, 2004), p141
^Adeline Masquelier.Prayer Has Spoiled Everything: Possession, Power, and Identity in an Islamic Town of Niger. Duke University Press (2001)ISBN978-0-8223-2639-7
^E. Lovejoy, Paul (1986).Salt of the Desert Sun: A History of Salt Production and Trade in the Central Sudan (African Studies). The Press syndicate of the University of Cambridge.ISBN0-521-524334.
Philips, John Edward (2004). "Hausa in the Twentieth Century: An Overview".Sudanic Africa, vol. 15: Language in Africa. pp. 55–84.JSTOR25653413. On the language of the people.
Salamone, Frank A. (2010).The Hausa of Nigeria. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.ISBN9780761847243.
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