[Historically, the ancestral Bahaushe (Hausa man) is dark complexioned, short big, flat nosed and wide mouthed. This description is now nearly a history due to inter-marriages between Bahaushe and non-Bahaushe. Hausawa (Hausa men) are known to cling to their culture. Except their religion which was formally 'Maguzanci' (traditional religion) and lately Islam. Nothing superseded their tradition. The easiest way to distinguish Hausawa from members of other Nigerian ethnic groups, in an inter-ethnic gathering was their firm grip on their culture in terms of their dressing, dish, architecture, you mention it. Whoever in the gathering were bound by their tradition are, no doubt, typical Hausawa. This does not only apply to Nigerian inter-ethnic gathering, it does so to non-Nigerian as well.
[Yesterday, Hausawa hardly took their supper alone, they, along with other neighbors used to dish in an encircled arena. Each of them would present his food, commonly known as “Tuwo and Miyar Kuka”, to the circle and the meals one after the other would be eaten by the group, until they are all satisfied. The left over was then given to hungry beggars (known as Almajiris) who normally used to hang around in anticipation of being call to collect the left over. This exercise is called 'ciyayya', literally meaning 'eating together'. Whoever among the participating men could not afford the supper would still enjoy the group meal, that way it became apparent to his friends that he was possibly financially handicapped. if this lasted for long, the other men would assist him with food stuff and cooking ingredients. If among the normal participants one was not able to show up for two or more occasions, other members would ask for him. Some could even go to the extent of sending for him or even inquiring from his wife. If he was befallen by sickness or any form of calamity, they would mitigate the predicament by praying and offering financial assistance individually or collectively to his family.
[Yesterday, virginity of an unmarried lady is very sacred. Most unmarried female Hausawa are virgin. Loosing virginity is losing life, and therefore the worst pre-marital crime by a Bahaushiya. To confirm the virginity of a lady before she was conveyed to her matrimonial house, a ritual had to be conducted and if a girl was found guilty, she would instantly die. If for certain reasons the ritual was not conducted, and after the couple spent the first night, the groom found the bride already deflowered, the fresh marriage would be terminated. Before the termination, his female relatives out of curiosity to confirm whether or not their inlaw took her virginity to their brother's room, would visit his room a day after the bride conveyance. They would be very observant of any sign no matter how slight it might be, leading to the affirmation of the purity of the bride. If for example, they saw a broken plate or calabash in the room, which the groom would break after sleeping with the bride and finding her unsealed, to signal the virgin status of his wife to whoever went to confirm it. But if no sign was seen, then the visitors would outsmart the lady by asking her to bring water to them which she would bring possibly in a calabash. When they received the water and they found the calabash broken, then every doubt was dispelled. She was already disvirgined out of wedlock!]
Yesterday, Hausawa hardly knew courtship before their most marriages. In the couple of marriages where courtship was done, the chat between the lady and the guy at all times took place at night. The young man in the company of his bosom friend would send a boy to the house of the young girl to call her for the chat. This is a tradition which used to take place at night. In Hausa this is call 'zance'. 'Tana zuwa' meaning she was coming was usually the reply by the errand boy. He would then give the boy some few 'kobo' as a gift to show some appreciation. Happily the boy will run back to their house while laughing mouth to ear. The chat was characterized by ultimate modesty between the trio. They sat not at whispering distance, with the girl, uttering no word except nodding or shaking her coyly bowed head.
Bahausshiya hardly collected 'Kudin Zance', meaning chat gift, from her boyfriend when he offered her. He would insist she collect but she could not succumb. This was a form of modesty enshrined in Hausa Culture and norms. At the end he would place the money beside her. The coy lady would take the money after her lover and his friend disappeared. Arranged and kinship marriages are the major kinds of Hausawa's marriages. Peace reined in such marriages. It took quite many years before you hear of any squabble.
[The habit of Hausawa at that time can be illustrated in Hausa Proverb 'Naka naka ne ko yaci naman ka ba zai tauna kashin ba' meaning, 'man's home is his castle'.]
That was Hausawa by then. Today, the story is becoming something else, to some extent. Hausawa's appearance is now transformed to a different looks, beautiful, should I say, even though beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. This is because of inter-marriages with Fulani, Nupe, Barebari etcetera. Their intermarriages with Fulani had greatly impacted them linguistically, and thus the journalists brought about the claim of Hausa-Fulani. Today, the word 'ciyayya' is not popular in the modern Hausawa's dictionary. Some female unmarried Hausawa have begun to change. Some of them are lured by money or other worldly things and allow themselves to be deflowered out of wed lock.
Today, some Hausawa have begun to develop the habit of divorcing their wives on a preventable or solvable marital crises. Leaving behind the divorcee's children with him in the hand of step mother, some of whom do not treat the step children 'agola' with fairness. Some young men and women spend some years in courtship but cannot spend such years spent in courtship in the marriage. [It all of a sudden break.
Today, partying, cutting cake, and reception to celebrate a wedding is becoming more acceptable to some Hausawa. Not long ago, a groom divorced his bride on the day their marriage was contracted just few minutes before her conveyance to him because he confirmed that the wedding party he opposed was sponsored by the ex-boyfriend of the bride and therefore was taking place.
[Today, some Hausawa youth dress in earth down and pensu/pensir trousers style, balatoli hair style and swag. The recent one is 'Dab' style or dance imported into Nigeria by Olamide. Dab originated five year or so ago. As the American rapper Bow wow said, it was a practice of cannabis community. This phenomenon have become popular among some Hausa youth recently.]
Today, some Hausawa have formed the habit of looking down at their fellow Hausa's who study Hausa as a course in tertiary institution or university. If you ask them to write one paragraph in Hausa, some of them can't do so correctly. British, Arabs and French men study their respective languages with pride.
[The names: Emiratus Prof. Dandatti Abdulkadir, Prof. Yaro Yahaya, Prof. M. K. Galadanci, Prof. Abdulkadir Dangambo, Prof. Abdallah Uba Adamu and few others must be written in gold as strong and unshakable scholastic pillars in Hausa scholarship in Nigeria and beyond.]
Finally, decline in cultural values is not limited to some Hausawa only, some other ethnic groups in the country also face the same or even worse problem. In fact, this is a universal phenomenon due to globalization and the effect of modernity. Hausawa ought to inculcate their culture most of which are good. In fact Hausa culture is one of the best in the country and in Africa by extension. Looking at the modern Hausawa, you find the Hausa proverb that 'Bahaushe mai ban haushi...' Credible, meaning, Hausa man an angree maker. Bahaushe says, 'Kowa yabar gida gida ya barshi'!
NB: The square bracketed parts in this blog were not included in the article published by Daily Trust.
Bello Sagir Imam is a member Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Kano Branch.
08132518714/belsagim@gmail.com
