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65-797: The leaders of the Zabarma Emirate, who belonged to the Zarma ethnicity from which the Emirate is named, originated in an area now in the nation of Niger , in an area south-east of Niamey on the east side of the Niger River . The key moving force behind the state was Babatu who hailed from N'Dounga in Niger, a place that had been Muslim far longer than most of the other areas the Zabarma leadership came from, most of which became Muslim only in

130-516: A background: Wobogo, the Moro Naba of Ouagadougou, had previously brought Zarma warriors into the country as mercenaries to "punish" a "disobedient vassal," the Lalle Naba, with their support. Despite this, due to the onset of the rainy season, the approaching Zarma army was forced to retreat without reaching the capital of the Lalle Naba. Various contemporary witnesses unanimously explain that

195-491: A compound may have several separate huts, each hut with the different wives of the head male. The huts are traditionally roundhouses, or circular shaped structures made of mud walls with a thatched straw conical roof. The Zarma people grow maize , millet , sorghum , rice , tobacco, cotton and peanuts during the rainy season (June to November). They have traditionally owned herds of animals, which they rent out to others till they are ready to be sold for meat. Some own horses,

260-526: A generous offer to his person. The Zarma Mallams also threatened to withdraw their support if Babatu accepted Samori's offer. At that time, the Germans were expanding further north to the east of Dagbon and were actively seeking to win over the Dagbamba king. His kingdom was the most economically powerful central power in the entire region, considering the convergence of crucial caravan routes. This alarmed

325-652: A large region. According to Anne Haour – a professor of African Studies, some scholars consider the historic caste-like social stratification in Zarma-Songhai people to be a pre-Islam feature while some consider it derived from the Arab influence. Caste-based servitude The traditional form of caste-based servitude was still practiced by the Tuareg , Zarma and Arab ethnic minorities. —Country Report: Niger (2008) US State Department The different strata of

390-694: A legacy of those Zerma people who historically belonged to the warrior class and were skilled cavalrymen in Islamic armies. Living along the River Niger, some Zarma people rely on fishing. The property inheritance and occupational descent is patrilineal. Many Zarma people, like Songhai, have migrated into coastal and prospering cities of West Africa, especially Ghana. Zarma people also grow guavas, mangoes, bananas, and citrus fruits. The Zarma people, like their neighboring ethnic groups in West Africa, have

455-659: A magical millet silo bottom. He decided to migrate with his people following a fight between the Zarma and a neighboring Tuareg village. Using this oral tradition as evidence, Lange has argued that the Zarma were the ruling class of the Gao Empire , later a vassal of the Mali Empire . In the early 14th century they were defeated by the rising Sonni dynasty , founders of the Songhai Empire. The surviving Za became

520-465: A means to escape French economic exploitation. Of the various ethnic groups in Niger, the early cooperation of the Zarma elite with the colonizers led to a legacy where Zarma interests have been promoted, and they have continued to compose an important part of the Nigerien political elite after independence in 1960. The language, society and culture of the Zarma people is barely distinguishable from

585-636: A possible border between the British and German spheres of influence. As a result, the Dagbamba and large parts of Mamprusi land were divided into British and German spheres of influence, dissolving the Neutral Zone. The north of Mamprusi land was allocated to French territory. The British's strategic goal was to prevent further German and French expansion into the hinterland of the Ashanti Empire . However, they first needed to quickly eliminate

650-399: A rich tradition of music, group dance known as Bitti Harey and singing. The common musical instruments that accompany these arts include gumbe (big drum), dondon (talking drums), molo or kuntigui (string instruments), goge (violin-like instrument). Some of this music also accompanies with folley , or spirit possession-related rituals. Savelugu Savelugu is a town and

715-597: A threat to the British government based in Cape Coast , they were left alone. However, this changed with Babatu's campaigns into Mamprusi, Dagarti, and Mossi, and the local authorities' requests for European assistance. But it was Samori's crossing of the Black Volta with his eastern army, under the command of his son Sarankye-Moré , that alarmed the British the most. In December 1895, Sarankye-Moré's soldiers entered

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780-496: Is "certainly true that the majority of population" had a servile status, these colonial era estimates for "slaves" may exaggerate because there is a difference between servile status and true slavery. Slaves were an economic asset used for farming, herding and domestic work. A system of social stratification developed even among the slaves, and this status system survived even after slavery was officially abolished during French colonial rule. The French came to regions inhabited by

845-441: Is a part of the Zarma people tradition, with preferred partners being cross cousins, and a system of ritualistic acceptance between co-wives. This endogamy is similar to other ethnic groups in West Africa. The women among Zarma people, like other ethnic groups of Sahel and West Africa, have traditionally practiced female genital mutilation (FGM). However, the prevalence rates have been lower and falling. According to UNICEF and

910-666: Is not surprising that the Zarma Land was one of the primary goals in the great jihad of Usman dan Fodio (1790–1809) and was partially conquered by the Fulani jihadists. With the establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate in 1809, parts of the Zarma Land became known as the Emirate of Kebbi; Western Province of the New Sokoto Empire . In 1860, there was an uprising against the occupying power in and around Kebbi with

975-535: Is situated on an economically important route of Tamale-Bolgatanga highway and serves as the administrative and economic capital of the Savelugu Municipal District . Being an Agricultural hub itself and surrounded by towns and villages whose primary economic activity is Agriculture, it hosts the largest market in the district which serves as the main trade point for farmers in the district and other neighboring districts. The town of Savelugu

1040-589: Is textual evidence annual raids undertaken by Sunni 'Ali and Askiya Muhammad to capture slaves, for domestic use and export to North Africa. Sahelian societies, including the Zarma, have historically been based on slavery from far before colonialism. According to Jean-Pierre Olivier de Sardan , slaves accounted for two-thirds to three-quarters of the total population of the Songhay-Zarma people, similar proportions to other ethnic groups in pre-colonial West Africa. However, Bruce Hall cautions that while it

1105-488: Is the term used by the Zarma people themselves. The estimates for the total population of Zarma people as of 2013 has been generally placed over three million, but it varies. They constitute several smaller ethnic sub-groups, who were either indigenous to the era prior to the Songhai Empire and have assimilated into the Zarma people, or else are people of Zarma origins who have differentiated themselves some time in

1170-617: The Niger River valley which is a source of irrigation, forage for cattle herds, and drinking water. Relatively prosperous, they own cattle, sheep, goats and dromedaries , renting them out to the Fulani people or Tuareg people for tending. The Zarma people have had a history of slave and caste systems, like many West African ethnic groups. Like them, they also have had a historical musical tradition. The Zarma people are alternatively referred to as Zerma , Zaberma , Zabarma Zabermawa , Djerma , Dyerma , Jerma , or other terms. Zarma

1235-538: The Nilo-Saharan language family. Because of the common language and culture, they are sometimes referred to as "Zarma Songhay" (each also may be spelled "Djerma" and "Songhai"). Zarma oral traditions place their origins in the Niger Bend region of Mali . Some describe the Zarma as originally Mande or Soninke . Historian Dierk Lange has argued that these legends are accurate, pointing to Mande words in

1300-518: The Songhai people . Some scholars consider the Zarma people to be a part of and the largest ethnic sub-group of the Songhai – a group that includes nomads of Mali speaking the same language as the Zarma. Some study the group together as Zarma-Songhai people. However, both groups see themselves as two different people. Jean-Pierre Olivier de Sardan , Tal Tamari and other scholars have stated that

1365-469: The Tuareg people , the Fula people and other ethnic groups in the area. The Zabarma Emirate was founded by itinerant Zarma preachers and horse traders in the 19th century military, eventually conquering much of the voltaic plateau (southern Burkina Faso , northern Ghana ). The slave trade and slave raiding were historically important parts of the society and economy of the Niger river valley, and there

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1430-613: The Upper Senegal and Niger , which was part of French West Africa , established on June 16, 1895. However, there was no final agreement at that time on the delineation of borders between these areas and the other European colonial powers' spheres of interest. Until then, both Samori and Babatu had avoided any confrontation with the French and had sought to cultivate relationships with the British. This approach initially worked out well for both of them since, as long as they did not pose

1495-640: The Zabarima (emirate) . Savelugu is among the native towns of the Dagbon Kingdom and along with Karaga and Mion . It is one of the three traditional areas that are known as the gate skins to the sacred kingship of the Dagbon Kingdom - the others being Mion and Karaga, reserved only for the Princes of a Ya-Na . Savelugu is also a place where they showcase the culture of Dagbang. The town

1560-582: The Zima or priests and Islamic clerics had to be initiated but did not automatically inherit that profession, making the cleric strata a pseudo-caste. According to Ralph Austen, a professor emeritus of African history, the caste system among the Zarma people was not as well developed as the caste system historically found in the African ethnic groups further west to them. Louis Dumont , the 20th-century author famous for his classic Homo Hierarchicus , recognized

1625-530: The 1850s or so. The founders of the Zabarma Emirate were Muslim Zarma , a subgroup of the Songhai who speak the Zarma dialect. After the Songhai campaign of 1516, some of them had settled in the newly conquered kingdom of Kebbi . After the defeat of the Songhai Empire in 1591, there was again a major wave of migration by the Zarma to these regions. Although the Zarma have been consistently subject to Islamic influences since then, they have been able to withstand extensive Islamization for centuries. So it

1690-596: The British as it posed an immediate threat that the Ashanti Empire's hinterland would be divided by European competition without British involvement. In 1896, the British established a garrison at Kintampo on the northwest border of the Ashanti heartland, while simultaneously a British military detachment led by Donald William Stewart marched northeast and occupied Gambaga in Mamprusi land, located northwest of

1755-480: The British expeditionary corps commanded by Francis B. Henderson. The battle ended with a crushing defeat of the Samorian army. At this point, the area north of Ashanti and east of the Black Volta was free of slave raiders. However, it's worth noting that the Zabarma Emirate no longer existed as a united entity at that time. From an ethnic point of view, the Zabarma Emirate was a very heterogeneous entity in which

1820-708: The British on April 12, 1894. Similarly, on May 4, 1894, the Dagarti signed a similar treaty with the British near Wa, and the Mamprussi signed one in Gambaga on May 28, 1894. In order to avoid an open confrontation with the British, Babatu turned northward and invaded the Mossi Empire of Ouagadougou with his army, even though the Mossi and Zarma had otherwise remained distant from each other. However, this action had

1885-731: The British to take military action against them in October 1897. The fighting lasted until June 1898, when the last resistance of Babatu's former private army was finally defeated. As the British military presence continued to grow in Gambaga and other areas east of the Black Volta , many of the remaining authorities of the Zabarma Emirate in the Gurunsi area fled eastward towards Dagbon. However, eventually, they submitted to British sovereignty. On March 29, 1897, Samori's East Army clashed with

1950-624: The Dagbamba core area. The British were eager to win over the Dagbamba king to their side, hoping he would conclude a protection and trade treaty with the British Empire. However, the Dagbon anti-European uprising failed, and German troops defeated their army in the Battle of Adibo on December 4, 1896, occupying the capital, Yendi , the following day, and destroying much of it in the process. Babatu and Samori now found themselves caught between

2015-462: The Dagbon army because they were relatively well-armed and experienced riders who knew how to fight with a high degree of internal unity and mobility. However, they remained only in a guest role within the Dagbon armed forces, based solely on unpaid debts of various Dagbon chiefs. In addition, the Zarma became increasingly unpopular in Dagbon due to their committed involvement in Dagbon's internal affairs. Property disputes also arose between Alfa Hanno and

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2080-623: The European colonial powers and sensed that their downfall was inevitable, especially after the British rejected a negotiation offer from Samori, and the French refused to negotiate with him, having militarily fought against him for years. Samori decided to create political facts of his own and sent negotiators to the Kong Empire in 1894 to purchase weapons. However, muslim Dyula merchants, through whom trade in Kong almost exclusively ran, refused

2145-463: The FGM practice. According to UNICEF, these efforts have successfully and noticeably reduced the practice to a prevalence rate in the single digits (9% in Zarma ethnic group in 2006 ), compared to east-North Africa (Egypt to Somalia) where the FGM rates are very high. The Zarma villages traditionally consist of walled off compounds where a family group called windi lives. Each compound has a head male and

2210-578: The Kabala Land. The city of Kawulalawuri was occupied during this campaign, but was largely destroyed by the Zarma. However, the Zarma army continued on without staying for long. Unfortunately, nothing else is known about the further course of the campaign. The political result of this Zarma campaign was that the Bona (Boya) residing in the West Gonja area signed a friendship and protection treaty with

2275-533: The World Health Organization studies, in Zarma culture the female circumcision is called Haabize . It consists of two rituals. One is ritual cutting away the hymen of new born girls, second is clitoridectomy between the ages of 9 and 15 where either her prepuce is cut out or a part to all of clitoris and labia minora is cut then removed. The operation has been ritually done by the traditional barbers called wanzam . Niger has attempted to end

2340-540: The Ya Naa. The strained relationship between the Dagbamba and Zarma is evident in Isaka's demand that Alfa Gazari of the Zarma be appointed Uban Dawaki (cavalry of the Dagbon army) before the next expedition, which was generally rejected by the Dagbamba. Some time later, there was a definitive break between the Zarma and Dagbon, as the Ya Naa sent troops to the Zarma to first emphasize his own property demands. Subsequently, at

2405-719: The Zabarma State, Galadima was the title of the governor or deputy governor of an "important region" and the title is of Hausa origin. Mallams: Other significant military leaders: Tunifikedubu's army. His grave is located in Yendi. Zarma people The Zarma people are an ethnic group predominantly found in westernmost Niger . They are also found in significant numbers in the adjacent areas of Nigeria and Benin , along with smaller numbers in Burkina Faso , Ivory Coast , Ghana , Togo , and Sudan . In Niger,

2470-530: The Zarma are often considered by outsiders to be of the same ethnicity as the neighboring Songhaiborai , although the two groups claim differences, having different histories and speaking different dialects. They are sometimes lumped together as the Zarma-Songhay or Songhay-Zarma . The Zarma people are predominantly Muslims of the Maliki - Sunni school, and they live in the arid Sahel lands, along

2535-422: The Zarma language. Other scholars, however, believe them to have been part of the broader Songhai ethnic umbrella since the beginning. The Zarma migrated south-eastward into their current geographic concentration during the Songhai Empire period, settling particularly in what is now southwest Niger near the capital Niamey . According to legend, this migration was led by Mali Bero , who migrated by flying on

2600-774: The Zarma left a deep trail of destruction in their path. This Zarma raid also drove the remaining tribes of the Mossi Empire into the hands of the Europeans. As a result, the Mogho Naba (Mossi Emperor) signed a friendship and protection treaty with the British on July 2, 1894, in Ouagadougou. As part of the Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty negotiations, the governments in London and Berlin discussed

2665-649: The Zarma people at the end of the 1890s, during a period of intra-ethnic conflict. The French established a partnership with the Zarmakoy Aouta of Dosso , building a military post there in November 1898. From 1901 to 1903 the area was plagued by natural disasters such as famines and locust attacks, as the French increased their presence. The French relied on the Dosso post and Niger river valley as supply hubs as they attempted to establish their colonial control all

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2730-437: The Zarma people have traditionally been a socially stratified society, like the Songhai people at large, with their society featuring castes . According to the medieval and colonial era descriptions, their vocation is hereditary, and each stratified group has been endogamous. The social stratification has been unusual in two ways; one it embedded slavery, wherein the lowest strata of the population inherited slavery, and second

2795-451: The Zarma to settle in Dagbon until they were paid for. During this time, Alfa Hanno and Alfa Gazari arrived in Dagbon after dedicating themselves to religious studies in the Gonja metropolis of Salaga . The Zarma in Dagbon chose Hanno as their leader, and he later became the leader of all Zarma who lived outside their homeland in Niger. Dagbon was also engulfed in a civil war between Yakuba,

2860-412: The Zarma who founded the state were actually only a minority. It was mainly Hausa , Fulani , Mossi , and members of the peoples of Gurunsi country who had joined the Zarma since their early campaigns. Despite being a minority, the Zarma had been able to secure the services of their followers of different origins, coupled with a rather long-lasting loyalty. The latter in particular was the basis on which

2925-417: The Zarma-Songhai people have included the kings and warriors, the scribes, the artisans, the weavers, the hunters, the fishermen, the leather workers and hairdressers (Wanzam), and the domestic slaves (Horso, Bannye). Each caste reveres its own guardian spirit. Some scholars such as John Shoup list these strata in three categories: free (chiefs, farmers and herders), servile (artists, musicians and griots), and

2990-535: The capital of Savelugu Municipal , a municipality in the Northern Region of north Ghana . Savelugu has a 2012 settlement population of 38,074 people. There are many villages under Savelugu kingship. Most of the villages are smaller. In the 19th-century Savelugu was the center of one of the major divisions of the Dagomba and ruled over by Andani who was involved in fighting with the raiding forces of

3055-512: The city hastily fled as Babatu's troops approached. The Zarma pursued the fleeing population and engaged in another battle near Wa , in which Babatu's troops again emerged victorious. From here, the Zarma invaded the Dagarti Land , triggering a general movement of people towards Wala . However, envoys of the Wala king who went to negotiate with Babatu were murdered by the Zarma. Babatu then had

3120-438: The city of Wa occupied and established his new headquarters there. From Wa, Babatu soon began a campaign into Dagarti Land. However, he only reached Baire (Bayayiri), where the Zarma set up their camp. When attempting to capture the nearby city of Sankana, Babatu army's attack was successfully repelled. Despite the warning of his Mallams, Babatu was determined to continue the war. The Zarma army then moved to Sati and from there to

3185-477: The deal due to the ravages of Samorian Sofa gang, which had not spared other Islamic believers on their raids. Kong had already allied itself with the French or did so now, and this amounted to a declaration of war against Samori. As no French military could be seen in Kong, Samori had it occupied. His Sofa gang plundered and looted extensively, capturing and selling a large part of the population into slavery. The once flourishing trading city with its 20,000 inhabitants

3250-469: The help of other ethnic groups. The Zarma rebelled and succeeded in regaining political power and largely driving the Fulanis out of the country. The genesis of their conversion to Islam was triggered by this uprising and the already existing general longing for a more just social order. Large parts of the population of Zarma Land turned to Islam during these years, which increasingly established itself as

3315-417: The lands north of Ashanti as they battled against the pirate kings. However, this also meant that Babatu's army was cut off from their route back south. Together with their local allies, the French successfully defeated Babatu and his Zarma army on March 14, 1897, at Gandiogo . The rest of Babatu's troops were defeated again on June 23, 1897, at Doucie . The survivors of this battle then fled south, prompting

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3380-584: The leaders of small Zarma principalities. Some helped Askia Muhammad overthrow Sonni Baru in 1493, but did not return to power. After leaving Gao, the Zarma first settled in the Zarmaganda , later expanding south into the Dallol Bosso valley and Dosso by the 17th century. Forming a number of small communities, each led by a chief or ruler called Zarmakoy , these polities were in conflict for economically and agriculturally attractive lands with

3445-528: The main religion in these areas. Due to the general devastation as a result of the "warlike" events and the resulting failures in vital areas of economic production, numerous Zarma increasingly concentrated on trade outside their national borders. During this time, groups of Zarma warriors, among others, also made their way into the Kingdom of Dagbon , initially appearing as horse traders. The Dagbamba chiefs took their time paying for their horses, which led

3510-515: The north were underway. Prior to this, there had been an attempt at reconciliation between Samori and Babatu. Samori proposed an anti-European alliance to Babatu, which also included the Ashanti king and the Gyaman kingdom's leadership. Although the Asantehene signaled his willingness to participate, Braimah, the new Imam of Bondoukou north od present Ivory Coast , rejected the proposal despite

3575-597: The power of the Zarma was built. Today, the descendants of the founders of the Zabarma Emirate, the Zarma people (Zabarma, Zamrama) live across the country of Ghana , apart from the later settled group. The current head of the Zarma in Ghana, however, still bears the title Sarkin Zabaramawa' and is a relative of the patrilineal lineage of the Babatu. Emirs: Other high-ranking state officials Galadima: (In

3640-405: The precolonial period (through dialect, political structure, or religion), but these are difficult to differentiate according to Fuglestad. Groups usually referred to as part of the Zarma or Songhay, but who have traceable historical distinctions include the Gabda, Tinga, Sorko, Kalles, Golles, Loqas and Kurtey peoples. The Zarma language is one of the southern Songhai languages , a branch of

3705-422: The reigning Ya Naa , and his sons, and "punitive expeditions" were organized against neighboring peoples under the pretext that they had supported the other side. The Zarma participated as mercenaries in these expeditions, primarily in the campaigns of Adama, the then Na Karaga , and Abudullai, the then Na Kumbungu in Gurunsi land . Despite their small numbers, the Zarma mercenaries were highly valued allies in

3770-404: The slave class. The servile group were socially required to be endogamous, while the slaves could be emancipated over four generations. The traditionally free strata of the Zerma people have owned property and herds, and these have dominated the political system and governments during and after the French colonial rule. Within the stratified social system, the Islamic system of polygynous marriages

3835-431: The social stratification among Zarma-Songhai people as well as other ethnic groups in West Africa, but suggested that sociologists should invent a new term for West African social stratification system. Other scholars consider this a bias and isolationist because the West African system shares all elements in Dumont's system, including economic, ritual, spiritual, endogamous, elements of pollution, segregative and spread over

3900-419: The state structures of warlords like Babatu and Samori Touré . While the French and British were arguing over the Kingdom of Gyaman (west of Ashanti), the Dagbamba began a rebellion that was directed mainly against the Europeans' efforts to gain political dominance in the Dagbon kingdom. Prior to this, the French had already reached the northern borders of Dagbon and assigned the territory they occupied to

3965-418: The subsequent Battle of Nasa , 12,000 warriors of the Wala King Bazori faced off against 9,000 Zarma warriors of Emir Babatu dan Isa . Both sides also had religious support from prominent Islamic leaders, known as “Mallams”. Babatu and his troops eventually emerged victorious and occupied the city of Nasa . However, he found the city largely deserted, as much of the population had fled. Those who remained in

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4030-448: The time of Alfa Gazari's inauguration as Hanno's successor, Andani, the chief of Savelugu , had been tasked by the Ya Naa to invade Gurunsi land and "bring back" the Zarmas, which violated a holy oath that the leaders of Dagbon and the Zarma had sworn on the Qur’an never to raise their hands against each other. This breach of trust finally sealed the end of the already strained Zarma-Dagbamba alliance. In 1890, Zarma troops invaded Wala. In

4095-422: The way to Chad . This led to conflicts with the Zarma people. French colonial rulers established mines throughout West Africa staffed with African labor, many of whom were migrant Zarma people. Thousands of Zarma travelled to various mines, as well as to build roads and railroads. These laborers followed pre-colonial raiding pathways towards the Gold coast, with colonial mines provided economic opportunities and

4160-417: The western Gonja region and left behind widespread destruction and depopulation, as was their custom. The British now felt compelled to act if they did not want to give up their positions north of the Ashanti Empire and leave the areas to the French and Germans. They therefore demanded the withdrawal of Samori's forces, albeit unsuccessfully. At the same time, preparations for a large military expedition aimed to

4225-421: Was reduced to smoking ruins after the massacre, and the Islamic Kingdom of Kong, which had existed since 1710, ceased to exist. In early 1897, tensions between the British and French over Bondoukou and the areas surrounding the Black Volta prompted the British to establish the protectorate of the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast . This move was intended to prevent the French and Germans from occupying

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