Culture

Ibrahim Ado-Kurawa (majekarofi@yahoo.com)

Culture is generally defined as the way of believing and acting of a group of people. Societies could be multi-cultural with several cultures and in most cases with one dominate culture. Culture has traits, which are special features of persons learned from the families and communities. For example language and ways of dressing are cultural traits.

Foundation of the Culture

Kano is located in the Savannah region which distinct vegetation and crops especially cereals that have been domesticated for a long time. There is a similar pattern of diet in most of the Savannah regions of Africa. The non-Muslims of the zone consume bear brewed from cereals while in the forest zone they drink palm wine. The Maguzawa in Kano make their beer from guinea corn and some of their leaders are even known as Sarkin Arna Sha Giya (lit. Chief of the Pagans Drinker of Beer). Cotton was one of the domesticated crops and the local craft industry grew because people were used to wearing clothes for long time, while in other areas especially in the mountainous areas of Nigeria the people were not used to clothing before the advent of Islam or Christianity.

Islam has had more impact on the culture of Kano than any other experience of the people of Kano. For example Islam transformed the family traditions of the people from unlimited number of wives to a maximum of four. Women also gained properties rights and are subjected to unnecessary farm labor as still prevalent in the non-Muslim Maguzawa communities. It brought formal schooling and life long learning and the Arabic script and literacy, which were absent in the non-Muslim communities. European colonization also influenced the culture of the people by introducing another form of education, language, mode of dressing and influencing family by encouraging nuclear structure and reducing community spirit. Kano society like most other African societies has triple heritage; African, Islamic and European.

Islam

The exact time when Islam first arrived Kano cannot be ascertained but if Bagauda is accepted as Muslim then Islam has been in Kano for over one thousand years even though not as state religion [1]. It became a state religion during the reign of Sarkin Kano Yaji. His predecessors were engaged in struggles against the pagan cults and he formally made Islam the predominant religion with the assistance of the Wangarawa clerics who established the Five Daily Prayers and other public rituals of Islam. The Wangarawa belonged to the Maliki School of Islamic Law which has since then remained the school adhered to in Kano. They were also, perhaps, the first to set up the Kano scholarstic tradition of fiqh (Jurisprudence), lugha (language) and hadith (Prophetic traditions).  During the reign of Sarkin Kano Yakubu (1452-1463 C.E.), the Fulani enriched Kano scholarship by bringing books on tauhid (divinity) and etymology. The Kano chronicle has reported that before the Fulani, Kano scholars “had in addition to the Qur’an, books on law and traditions” [2]. This is contrary to Paden’s claim that most Kano Mallams believe al-Maghili brought books on Maliki law to Kano [3].

Just as the Maliki School of Law was official school of Islamic Law so was the Asha’ari School of Islamic Theology was the officially recognized school in Kano and the Mutazilite School, which was its rival was absent. Some books have also enjoyed the patronage of the Sarakunan (Kings of) Kano since the pre-Jihad period and up to this day. Amongst them is al-Shifa of Qadi Iyad, brought to Hausaland and Kano by Shaykh Tunusi [4] during the reign of Sarkin Kano Mohamma Kisoki (914-973 AH/ 1509-1565 CE). Sarkin Kano Abubakar Kado (973-980 AH/ 1565-1575 CE) was the first to read it at the house of Dan Goronduma Kursiya [5]. This book is still read at the Kano central mosque whenever there is need for rain or any other prayer for respite against catastropes. It is also read every Ramadan in the morning at Gidan Rumfa (Sarki’s palace). Tafsir al-Jalalyn by Jalaludeen al-Mahaly and Jalaludeen al-Suyuti is also read by many Kano scholars and in recent times Sarkin Kano Muhammadu Sanusi (1954-1963 CE) as palace commentary of the Quran. Shaykh Nasiru Kabara presided over the sessions of the commentary. Sarkin Kano Ado Bayero has continued this tradition. This tafsir session perhaps has more attendance than any other such session in Nigeria.

Islam in Kano is also not static. Since the beginning of the twentieth century and the advent of the railway the city and state grew and attracted many scholars. And in the 1930s Shaykh Muhammad Salga became the most prominent and influential scholar in the city attracting many students from all over Nigeria. Since that time Kano has produced more Islamic literary works than any other Nigerian city. Salga’s students became the nucleus of the Tijaniyya followers that accepted the leadership of Shaykh Ibrahim Niass who became the most popular Islamic leader in Africa during his lifetime. Shaykh Nasiru Kabara leader of the Qadiriya in Kano also become popular in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. With opening of more Islamic formal schools known as the Islamiyya Schools many people from Kano gained the opportunity of studying outside Nigeria bringing with them other interpretations of Islam that challenged the traditional Ulama who were mostly affiliated to the Sufi brotherhoods.

Kano is now blessed with several Mosques and schools. The first modern Mosque in Northern Nigeria was the Kano Mosque built by Sarkin Kano Alhaji Abdullahi Bayero (1926-1953) and it became a very famous architectural masterpiece. Kano is now prominent in world by producing several winners at annual international Qur’anic recitation competitions. It has also been a pioneer in the positive innovations being the first location of an Islamic Judicial School established in 1927 which gave birth to the Law School that later became School for Arabic Studies (SAS), it is now pioneering efforts of enhancing the quality of Qur’anic Schools and their pupils known as Almajirai (See Vision).

Traditional Institutions

The traditional institutions in Kano are under the authority of the Emir who is addressed as the Sarkin Kano, who appoints the Chiefs who are known as Hakimai and many of them are district heads located in the district headquarters (See www.kanoemirate.com for more information). Below the Hakimai are the Dagatai or Village Heads who have masu ungwuwani (ward heads) as their subordinates. The three categories of three rulers; Hakimai, Dagatai and Masu Ungwuwani are paid by the Local Government Councils. Most of these titleholders inherited their positions from their ancestors.

The table below shows the precedence, districts and hereditary clans of Kano Hakimai as at the time of writing: