THE PENETRATION OF ISLAM AND THE ISLAMIC INFLUENCE IN THE HISTORY OF SOUTHERN KADUNA PEOPLE: A FRUIT OF TRANS SAHARAN TRADE BEAING A TALK DELIVERED ON THE SKHISTORY PROJECT; AT ZARIA, NIGERIA ON 25 MARCH 2017

BY

 

JUBAL FREE-MAN (JF.) DABO
Jubalfreemandabo@gmail.com
+234-8140537507

INTRODUCTION
A people's history is set for destruction the very moment such a people focus on the problems of a such a dying history. Most histories of the world stand awash not because they are faced by a force or forces beyond them but because they people are overtaken by the pains of the process of the distraction of their history. Need I establish quickly, the fact that a people without a history or a good grasp of their history is a people soon to exit existence. Far before the 50s southern Kaduna has been under a slow progressive agenda, there has been an existing project at destroying the southern Kaduna history and to this moment such a project is still maintaining its 'progressive' status. His has been progressive not really because the powers against us are stronger than we are but because we settled for dressing the wounds of the project and not facing the I'll project itself. We kept cutting the branches of the unwanted tree with the aim of killing it for each season they (the branches) grew when in fact what we should have done is to destroy it from the roots.
These vain venture is traceable in our numerous struggles in the years past. From the days of fighting for survival when Zazzau kept standing against us, to the years of the quest for freedom in the old Emirate system of ruling, through to the quest for southern Kaduna State, inclusion in governance, the list can go on. All these have been problems, yes, but they are all a process towards one end. That end is the total termination of the southern Kaduna people. I had never been disappointed as I was on the day His Excellency Arch Barnabas Yusuf Bala on an AIT program (Sunrise Daily) stated his inability to see a territorial ambition in the ingoing Fulani terrorist activities in southern Kaduna even when this is clear.
The need to rewrite the southern Kaduna history is one all important task that awaits us, the time to do it is now, and the champions of this project is no other but myself and yourselves. It time we return to the root, develop literatures, build up our youths and redirect the dead articles of our culture and history. It is often said that if you want a task done well, you should do it yourself.
I was invited as a resource person in this historic gathering because of my March 11th rejoinder to the Zazzau Emirate Development Association, That much I know. I found myself compelled to react to ZEMDA's advitorial for no reason but for the fact that it dawn on me that one need challenge such I'll ventures as soon as they arise. In today's gathering, as you demanded, I shall take you on a ride through the issue of trans Saharan trade in central Nigeria, particularly on its impact in southern Kaduna people and the history. Let us go there.

ON THE MYTH OF OUR ORIGIN
It was C.K. Meek, that stated in his work on "The Northern Tribes of Nigeria, vol. I, pp. 19-20. That " because Borno was well connected with Egypt by Darfur and Kordofan, and could be approached from Kanem via Lake Chad, it became the broadway for invading tribes into Northern Nigeria (sic)" Through the corridor created, hordes of invaders from the North and East displaced less organized tribes. C.K. Meek further stated that "the displaced tribes found easy passage west along the Kamadugu River and the great plains of Borno, Kano, Katsina and Zaria to the south." This is in a quest to establish befor the trans-saharan trade days, Central Nigeria in general and Southern Kaduna in particular had a people existing originally there in. Any other as shall be seen here after is but an invader traceable on commercial grounds though this commerce carried with it some more articles that will later deal a dirty blow on the life of Southern Kaduna natives.
Southern Kaduna as we all know is a collection of very many minority ethnic nationalities. These different tribes has with them their individual myth of origin. Given the issue of the limitations of this paper, we shall not so much go into detailed amount of all the various myth of origins we have. But for the sake stinking you to further research, let me place on record here a brief Atyab myth of origin.
The first Atyab Myth of origin has the Atyab as Originally living in the East from where they moved to settle in Katsina, then Sokoto and last to their present locationlocation. In the second Myth of origin they have such ancestors as Minyan who is said to had set out from Kallah in Kajuru District to go hunting and coming to a stream called "Rafago" near the present day Zangon Kataf, he settled there given the abundance of game in the bush there. Minyan Married and gave birth to two sons there, Fakan and Aswan. It is said that in one of his hunting after he had settled, he came across SOE fellows playing in the gully, it turned out that they were playing "Dodo" a fetish worship. Minyan took them to his house and build a compound for them. That saw the expansion of the settlement as with time they both began marrying each other's daughters.
While a third version indicates the original home of the Atyab was located at Kargi close to Ruruma Hills in Kauru District. It holds that Agba'at was the ancestor of Agba'at clan and founder of the Atyab ethnic group. Agba'at is said to have had three sons namely, Amuran, Yafo and Allan. He had set out from Kargi near Dan Allhaji Lere District with his three sons. He came across Minyan's sons "Fakan and Aswen." He stopped at their compound and asked for drinking water, after he had quenched his thirst, they offered and he accepted to stay with them and join in their hunting. It is in the pages of history that it was at the instance of the Agba'at hunters' hunting for elephants that one of them of the Nje sub-clan stambed the ground, (while some will say it was a horse hoof) and Aku who was the ancestor of the Aku clan sprang out of the ground with a calabash of liquor from the hoof mark made by the Nje hunter. Nje is an Agba'at horsemen sub-clan. A fire was made for Aku and after feeling warm, he too remained with Agba'at never to return to his underground home. Aku the founded the Aku clan as Agba'at alongside his son Allan and grand sons Kpaisa and Makwar founded the Agba'at clan. Agba'at with his son and grant sons were said to later moved out and form their dwelling at Tanje from where the group got divided thereby forming Nje, Kpaisa, and Kokwak clans. Kokwak clan on moving Northwards came across the Sokwa clan. At the moment of the said division of the Agba'at clan, it is held that the Kachechere clan was beginning to get smaller and Atswam-Chawai were being confined to the River Kaduna. The story about Sokwa's origin is that himself and his wife miraculously came out of Kaduna River and were rainmakers.
The implication here is that, the Atyab people comprises of distinct groups of clans, namely, the immigrant clans represented by Minyan and Agba'at and the autochthonous clans as Shokwa and Aku. Though most Southern Kaduna tradition of origin are silent about the series of events and movements, especially the causes of such movement, but there is a reference to some attempt at escaping from the heavy taxation imposed on these clans then by the Kauru chief in the case of Minyan, for Agba'at, it was to escape slave raids by the Have rulers of Zazzau. Note that there is no any linguistic, cultural or religious affinity between the Atyab migrants and the Habe people of Katsina and Sokoto. Note too that Katsina and Sokoto as used here may not mean the present day cities of Katsina and Sokoto. Generally, the migration of the Atyab people to their present dwelling is traceable to the 17th and 18th centuries.

TRADES AND THE TRADE ROUTES
Comercial activities where responsible for the penetration of external influence in southern Kaduna territory. The Trans-Saharan Trade stimulated the establishment of five (5) major trade routes namely:

1. Morocco route from Marakeesh to Taodeni, through Audaghost, Walata to Timbuktu.
2. Morocco from Tlemcen and Fez, through Sijilmasa, Taghaza, Tuat-Taotet, Arawa to Go and Timbuktu.
3. Routes from Algeria and Tunis from Constantine through Ghadames, That Air, Agades to Katsina and Kano.
4. The Tripoli-Fezzan-Bornu route through Murzuk, Bilma to Ngazargamu of Bornu.
5. The Cyrenaica-Kufra route to Watal through Kordofan, El Dasher to Sennar in Sudan.

 These five major routes linked North Africa to West Africa as well other areas of Tropical African. E. Onwolabi in a Textbook, Economic History of West Africa established in page 21 that from the Sudanic termini like Wada, Ngazargamu, Kano, Katsina, Timbuktu and Walata came goods from the various parts of West Africa and other parts of Tropical Africa. To Timbuktu and Janne came gold from Begho and Ashanti and also Kolanuts. Cloths Came to Kano from Nupe country and its environs. Leather goods, fund, wax, ostrich feathers and slaves came to Kano and Katsina from various parts of Western Sudan. Kolanuts and ivory came from as far as south as Yorubaland.
In exchange, goods from Europe, North Africa, Asia were brought to Western Africa, they included calicoes and cotton prints from Britain, Italian beads and silk, German swords and blades, Moroccan and Egyptian redcaps, sashes and trousers. Salt was brought down to West Africa as a special commodity through the routes from Taghaza, Taotek and BilmaBilma.
With the Trans-saharan Caravan routes caused the establishment of such local routes from Sudanic termini Wadai, through Ngazargamu, Kano, Katsina, Zaria, Sokoto, Walata southwards towards River Niger and River Benue and beyond. Because of the emergence of Hausa Trading Colonies across southern Kaduna, four of these long distance trade routes deserve our attention:
1. The route from Kano, Faki, Zaria, through Kauru, Znagon Katab, Keffi, Nupeland, Oyo, to Gonja.
2. The route from Kano, Zaria, Igabi, Kakuri, Kajuru, Kachia, Kagarko, Keffi, Oyo to Gonna.
3. Bauchi route through Jos, Bukuru, Miango, Fadan Chawai, Kurmin Rizga, Zangon Katab, Jere, Abuja, to Lokoja.
4. The route from Kano, Gadas, Lere, Zangon Katab, Jema'a, Lokoja.
These four routes further caused the emergence of such other trade routes as we had:

In Ham Land (Ribi Ham)
1. Kwoi-Sambam, Fadan Kagoma, Ungwar Rimi, to Kafanchan
2. Ankun, Kwoi, Nok, Chori, Kuryas, Kurmin Kwara, Kyari.
3. Fadan Kagoma, Ungwar Rana, Gidan Sani, Gidan Jibir, Jaban kogo, Sabon Sarki, Kwaturu, Kachia.
4. Kwoi, Nok, Chori, Kurmin Musa, Kurmin Rami, Gidan Mana, Jaban Kogo to Zonkwa.
5. Kachia, Dangwarga, Kuda, Gantan, Kurmin Dangana, Kubacha, to Kakarko.
6. Kurmin Jatau, Fai, Nok, Chori, Kuryas, Fadan Kagoma.
7. Sambam Daji, Ramindop, Indofa, Ankung, Taime, Idar as presented in Gazetteer of Zaria province, by E.J Arnet.

In Bajjuland
1. Jema'a, Ungwar Rimi, Kamaru, Abet, Farmang, Zuturung to Zonkwa.
2. Zonkwa, Zuturung, Framang, Abet, Gidan Maga, to Jaban Kogo and Walijo.
3. Zonkwa, Badauchi, Tsoriyang, Aduwan, Madakiya, to Kafanchan.
4. Kafanchan, Katsit, Ungwar Rimi, Marsa, Rikawa, Jaban Kogo, Walijo to Kachia.
5. Fadan Kaje, Zonkwa, Fadiya, Fadan Kamantan, Kurmin Mazuga, to Kachia.

In Adaraland
1. Kachia, Ankwua, Awon, Kojo, Kateri.
2. Kakau, Kankomi, Kasuwan Magani, Kalla, Libere, Kauru.
3. Kachia, Kurmin Biri, Idon, Doka, Kufana, Kajuru.
4. Kachia, Ankura, Mai Ido Kafai, Bishni.

In Akurmiland
1. Karun Kurama, Doka, Ramin kura, Danjaba, Lere, Sabon Birni, Dan Alhaji, to Tudun Wada.
2. Rahama, Saminaka, Sabon Birni, Tsuruntawa, Yarkasuwa, Kudaru, Maigamo.
3. Kudaru, Goron Dutse, Kukun Kurama, Maskawa, Juran Taba to Bauchi.
4. Goron Dutse, Kakun Kurama, Galmo, Kayarda, Sabon Birni, Saminaka, Rahama.

In Aworokland, Asholioland and Attakadland
1. Kagoro-Chawai route through, Tsok-awai, Abum, Madamai, Makwahu, Magata, Mayayit, Masong, to Zangon Katab.
2. Attakar-chawai route through Watyab, and Makwahu, linking up with the Kagoro-Chawai route at Magata.
3. kagoro-Ganwuri (Aten) route through Dusai, Watyab, Gizagwai, Manchok and Mahuta.
4. Kachechere, from Kagoro, through Dusai, Mafonk, and Jankasa.
5. Kagoro-Koro route through Kafanchan, Ungwar Rimi, Fadan Kagoma, to Kwoi-(Dah),Jaba.
6. Kagoro-Zonkwa route through Tsok-awai, Zali, Tsoriyang, Fagwai, Kankada, to Zongwa as reported in J. Gyuk's Occasional unpublished Paper of 1981 Titled; Thoughts on Jaban Local Government.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ZANGOS
The local long distance Trans-saharan trade routes reported above necessiteted the emergence of Hausa trading colonies hereafter to be referred to as "hospitality or resting zones that sprang along these routes. Most of this colonies are referred to in their original Hausa name as Zango, and Zango is Hausa name for a resting places. Most of these Zangos carry with them the Hausa possessive sign or indicator which is the letter "n" and then followed by the name of the southern Kaduna native tribe that hosted this Hausa traders to indigate that these are hospitality centers granted the traders by the southern Kaduna natives, also by extension to show that the land is originally for the Southern Kaduna natives. However not all this ZANGOS carry with them the Zango, tag as must just settled with names, most of which are not the original names of this places. This is where we find the clear attempt at changing history. These ZANGOS include: Zangon Aya, Pambeguwa, Rahama, Saminaka, Lere, Kauru, Kajuru, Kachia, Kagarko, Jere, Zangon Katab, Jema'a Dororo later Kafanchan, amongst others.

PENETRATION OF ISLAM INTO SOUTHERN KADUNA