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Of course, he went with me of his own free will, and I expressed my wish to him right after the end of our first successful journey to the headwaters of the Benue; but since I did not find any means/funds/resources on my return, I did not repeat the Uufforderung, which even then was not answered negatively (? Abschlaegig). – why are there two nichts?. In September 1883, I was invited by a wealthy German private citizen to continue the exploration of the Niger Benue area at his expense, and, delighted by this sign of a turnaround in the homeland, I immediately made my plan, returned home with Madugu mai gasin baki, to win this man for such and similar interests. Finding a companion for him, by the way, took a lot of effort. I took him to give Mai gasin baki the great inconvenience of continuing to exchange ideas with a compatriot and also to have an eyewitness for his compatriots upon my return, which should have taken place, in case he should be met with an accident. ???
The great journey of my Haussa friends is now almost happily over. May he not lack the well-deserved recognition among his compatriots for this great deed, and may he still be granted a number of years in the enjoyment of this recognition, as well as the pleasant memories of his stay in Germany. I am convinced that with this wish I have only expressed what everyone who has met the good Ulten with the beards wishes for him from his heart.
An board of the S. S. Coanza , April 1885.
Ed. Robert Flegel
Mohamman was born about 1828, around the middle of the reign of the second Mohammedan ruler of the tribe Dabo Kangwa, about 1813-43. Similar to Henry the Finkler from Vogelherd, from the reading of the Koran, far from the capital from a small Nufeort, he is a contemplative, someone who withdraws to lead a life dedicated to studying the Holy Book. He was taken away to take the Throne of the powerful province and festively most important city of the empire. His father was an Almazuri, someone who learned little readings and writing but did not fully understand it- to the Mallam, Drifter- of the Oran and mai noman gona, the one who cultivates the field. His paternal ancestors were the shepherds of the Wangara Tribe from the area of Male (West). His mother was a Djusufrau. His Aban gida, Father of the House, was called Mallam Bambande. Just as every province has its Aban gida, so did several families also. He presents them in the same way as the governor and has power over them. Settling minor disputes among them and intervenes in all important life events in a patriarchal way. At the time of the first years of reign of the eldest son and successor of Daba, Usuman (about 1844-53). At the age of 16 or 17, he met his first trade trip, as a companion of a certain fatakes (maturing trader), called Gadjigi.
“ Dabo yo mutu, mu sa tafi.” When Dabo died, we traveled. Around the year 1844 or 45.Mohammad knows nothing more about his former youth life. Another time specification is the: “ Raba (am Aiger) ya sase, Masaba be dedde ba.” Raba was broken,Masaba had not ruled long. Ledde, west am Aiger, was then the capital of Nufe and residence of the Masaba. Mohammad went there and sold horses to the king for Nufe cloths, which are very popular in Haussa. This first trip lasted about six months, and after a short stay in Kano, he also embarked on the second (first to Adamaua) trip under the direction of the Gadjigi. This led him to Yola, where Mohammed Lowel, the Barth ausweis (1851) ruled. Mohammad noted: “ Yola kamar zabon gari, garu abu”, that means: Yola looked like a new city, it still had to be, because you don’t know any walls there. — The original population of Adamaua seems to have been very peaceful, because there are no walls there and the huts are freely scattered around.– At that time bought ivory in the woods of Adamaua. In Baia, for example, for 200 to 400 cowrie shells, a slave for a string of pearls, sold 100 pounds of leg for 100,000 cowrie shells (100 M) and a slave for 12-20.00 cowrie shells in Kano (12-20M). After a three-month stay in his hometown, he embarked on his third journey alone, around 1847; this led him to Bautschi and Kuka. “ Na tafi da dukan jaro”, “ I went on a journey with the treasures of a boy,” he says, i.e. with little means. In Bauchi he bought Ores, d. I. antimony under/or lead ore (probably the latter). Around the Benue from southern Bautschi to west of Wukari, these ores seemed to be abundant everywhere. They are an important article of domestic trade and are widely exported to be used in particular pulverized for coloring the edges of the eyes. He brought his ore, about 3 loads worth of 30,000 cowrie shells- about 30 marks, to the capital Kuka on Lake Chad. There were many German researchers of the 50s and 60s. having opened their headquarters, and selling it there with great advance. For the return trip to Bauchi he bought Kuka 5 Takakari, d. F. Oxen for riding and load collaring, which is a rope through the strips, with which they are learned. He paid for the stud with 2-3 Maria Theresia Thaler a 5000 cowrie shells; he loaded her with Kanzwa in tablets, d. I. Natron, he last in the class of 2 maria Theresia coins.
From Mafate swept him through to Kuka and back to Bautschi and after a short stay once again to Kuka, which around year 1851 would have been. Back then he probably was very provided. A powerful and handsome lad of big benevolence and generosity and therefore was generally loved. A king’s child Eisa kaugi jikan Sarifi, is Bornu king’s granddaughter who married very young, did not love her husband and in the end she ran away from him. She fell in love with Mai Gasin Baki, and since then she is a high-ranking woman. Once she achieved the rights of self-disposal in a similar way, she acted quite freely. So she married him also, since then he did not wish eagerly. It shone in this action, in order to have a marriage from a truly mutual exercise. After the art , my old friend is still talking about it. His young wife was not only beautiful, rather rich in camels, cows, sheep and lands, and so could the young couple lead a satisfying and calm love life. He said every time “nun tsi Dufia kowei,” which means we consumed our wealth, without especially some to do.
It will interest the readers and definitely the female readers about the art, how it in Haussa and Bornu marriages were concluded , and to experience the details. Girls from better status were promised mostly from the parents to be very young and the bridegroom must be the same – definitely of mother – to make the presents frequently. Often this old man is the only who probably almost has numerous wives. A wealthier and better known mother, and when a girl is grown into a virgin, she comes to his house. So it is a frequent case that she is less attached to her husband than to some of her youthful boys. Well after that she now is more or less energized. The relationships, in which she would be offset into, more or less she shaped herself, and the husband who attracts her greater or lesser attention, will throw off oppressive shackles, free himself – which is done simply by running away – and then usually seek a man himself according to inclination.
Should a marriage occur, they would be after the Malla, which is Priest, history of this question, firstly, after Sadakan=mota, which is Thanksgiving present to the wife, which is either a cow or a horse, or a slave. Often even a little thing of very little value with the poor people, who only rarely marry a Virgin.
“Zutsia na ba so Haussa ba” meaning my heart did not like the homeland.
It should be taken into account that he had left a lot, not only his wife and her rich house, but also everything he had owned and earned during his six years of travel. Such things, especially under such circumstances, the Haussa really disregards, he thinks “Cabu komi Allah akoi” meaning it does nothing, God lives.
After the passage of a year, about 1857, he made up his mind to seek out Eisa again and came as far as Bomba; there he received news of the quarrel between Sehu and Ab’er Rahman. It was learned that the latter had been killed by the former, and since he was among the followers of the latter, he changed his mind and returned, first to Bauchi. From here he went to Toto’; just at that time Panda was destroyed, that is in 1857. The Pleiade expedition under Baikie brought the news of it. Madugu says: “Uban sarikin Toto’ Makama dogo ta tsi Panda watan azurni mo bededde ba umukomo gida” that is the father of the present king of Toto, Makama the Long, had eaten (taken, destroyed) Panda in the month of fasting; we do not stay long, we returned home. So at the end of 1857 and the beginning of 1858, he stayed in Kano for about two years, and since he was fed up with the life of a young man, he married, with the help of his Ubandaki Mallam Bambade, a virgin from a good family, named Nana, in 1860, who was about 17 years old, whose parents came from Daura and had been living in the city for some time.
After he had been married for two months, he prepared himself for a new voyage, namely a third Adamaua voyage, on which he reached Gazza, the southernmost point he had reached. “Malam Debosa si ne Madugu uma” meaning Malam Debosa was our guide. They used the most treading caravan route at that time, keeping the turban Jenkari Bauchi west and Muri often and mostly suhrend through forest, taking the Dutsin mei fula, that is the mountain with the Mutze (cap), as a signpost beyond the Benue and stopping first in Konstcha. From here they went under the leadership of Mallam Mohamman the Fillani and Ubandawaki Jdi (whom I still met) on the Turban Tsamba (Tschamba ways) to Ngaundere and Djermai up to Gazza. Nana accompanied him. Mohamman mai gasin baki was at that time already a respected fatake and an Abokin sauro of Djadji, that is, a friend of the council of the caravan driver.
The mighty ruler, cheered by his people, returns to the city among the banging of shotguns, shouts and cheers. The sounds of all kinds of musical instruments, among which the kakaki (a long brass instrument with trombone sounds, an attribute of the ruler’s dignity) sounds again and again, amidst all kinds of warlike games. On a way home, everyone rushes to see him and trying to be noticed by him. The whole groups of horsemen with fluttering colorful robes and colorful, metal-shod, panther-skin clad harness and saddlery blast towards the ruler and parry, shaking their armed right towards him.
On a such day Madugu went out with his Mai ungwa, i.e. the head of his district. On the way home, where in all the doorways the cleaned girls and women stand to see the procession and to look for their knight or the one who is to become it, the latter asked him to accompany him to one of his mother-in-laws, who had returned from Nufe. She had been captured in the war by the lord Birni-n-Guari. The king, however, released her because her father, although a kano man by birth, had grown up in his city.
Her name was Hazara. She was still young and also a beautiful woman and excellent housewife. Madugu, of course, could not be aware of all this at the moment, because according to the custom of the country, she knelt before the gentleman visitor, completely covered in her cloths, with her face averted. The may ungwa and son-in-law expressed his joy in her return and advised her to stay in Kanto and get married. She replied that she would gladly be at his beck and call if a good man could be found who desired her as a wife.
Then he jokingly turned to Madugu. Here is a good woman to have, friend, do not let the opportunity pass away. Madugu replied that he already had two wives. The Mai ungwa said that this was no obstacle, since the law allowed four, and they agreed. Madugu sent his new bride kuri (money), goro (kolanueffe) and turare (fragrant cloth) and after a few days the wedding was celebrated and the zabo-n-aruria, i.e. the newlywed, came to his house; of course to the great annoyance and chagrin of the meiramma, who also immediately threatened to leave the house. – Madugu says: na safe ta, i.e. I spoke kindly to her.
General Remarks
about the social conditions and the peoples character of the Haussa’s and Fulde’s.
…
Beside the Bornus, the Haussa and the Fulde people (to name a few) in western Sudan should be mentioned as representatives of a higher civilized behavior and intelligence, as bearers and pioneers of culture. Physically as well as psychologically, these two both, who form the subject of our observations here, are quite different, but the common faith unites them, and since the social conditions and legal relationships are based on this – the Koran – and the people are often dependent on each other precisely because of their very different characteristics, they get along relatively well with each other. The Haussa are ‘seßhafte Aderbauer’ [farmers?]; the Fulde are nomadic herders and therefore dependent on each other, and gladly exchange the fruits of their labor. The Haussa have flourishing cities that are constantly growing, have long had an orderly state, counting a series of several hundred famous kings in the past and appreciate their internal and external fortunes for the country and the people; they have a developed industry and flourishing trade, therefore strong foreign traffic and an open eye for the outside world [Ausenwelt?]. The Fulde’s live a more secluded life, often behave in the opposite way to the strangers, have neither industry nor trade and exchange their few needs for the excess of the yields of their herds, which they drive from grazing ground to grazing ground, living together in a patriarchal manner under a family head in larger and smaller groups and always separating and segregating themselves as they increase, as once Abraham and Lot did in the Book of Genesis XIII 6-12. The Haussa appears more stocky, stoutly fleshy, well-muscled, dark-colored with short woolly hair and ‘negro-type’, whereas the Fulde is slender and lean, light-colored with long, less woolly hair and a more [???? faufafifchem] facial expression. Also by the Haussa women coincides with the round, full, fleshy forms, the dark skin, the short frizzy hair, and the sensual [?] facial expression, in the same contrast to the light coloured ones.
//
often southern European = white slender forms
der Fulde = women with elongated oval, more sharply defined and noble facial shapes, larger and more beautiful eyes and long hair arranged in twists/braids.
//
The Haussa are generally quick-witted and insightful, tolerant in matters of faith, courageous and masculinely proud, easily satisfied with the pleasures of life and yet often very moderate, witty, cheerful, generous, hospitable and warmly affectionate, but also combative and naive, at times as thoughtless as they are deceitfully boastful, selfish, deceptive and arbitrary. Age and experience are highly respected, while family life is often relaxed. The Fulde’s, on the other hand, are sly, cunning, less tolerant, full of passion, often proud and presumptuous, vengeful and resentful, stingy, but also more serious and strict, thankful and faithful to their convictions held, often even a little benefit shown to themselves is not wasted, respecting and maintaining law and order, sensitive, soft and peace-loving; family life appears very developed, and property is granted to the children according to the right of first born.
//
The general conditions in the Haussa-states are similar in some respects to those of the German lands in the Middle Ages. In terms of the state, a fully harmonised system of living conditions has been established. The Lord of Soloto has governors over the provinces of his realm and over individual cities with larger or smaller territories.
In the name of Allah. There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet and messenger. Let us thank him and all his people, the 4 wives and their children. May God have mercy on them.
We have seen good things; we have seen nothing bad in this land. The things that find themselves in this city (Berlin): Horses without end! We went and sat in a ship, which drives over the country (railroad); 30 days’ worth of travel we have driven in one day.
We saw no forest, but houses again and again houses. We saw a city called Fronkfred (Frankfurt a Main), a big city. We saw the community of this city, it is countless. People with beautiful features! We saw Kuranga*), d.h. an elevator (in the hôtel).
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*Kuranga is the name given in Hausa to the way of lowering someone into a deep well with strides (striden) and pulling him up again.
Loose Leaves German to English Translation Annotations 