Migrant Hausa settlements in

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

land, popularly known as Sabo, are small geographic areas where

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also * ...

migrants settle, congregating to create a distinctive socio-political quarter to foster their

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soci ...

and economic interests in the midst of a different ethnic group. At the same time, the Hausa enter into informal contractual obligations to the Yoruba. The rise of ubiquitous Hausa settlements in some major Yoruba cities is mostly attributed to the inter-ethnic or long-distance trading networks that developed overtime in

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

. The exact time-line is unknown but span a millennium. In the early period of the last century, a stream of migrant Hausa settlers began to settle in major Yoruba

cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

, as a result of their desire to embrace their traditional customs and their "different" norms, they preferred to own their own space in foreign towns under the rulership of a Sarkin Hausawa. However, the quarters became avenues which Hausa communities in Niger and Northern Nigeria use to consolidate their trading networks. The advent of nationalism however, put a dent on the Hausa people’s desire to create their own identity. The two major southern parties promoted the idea of a single region of different interest groups working towards the same goal:

nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...

. Since the 1950s, Hausa groups are sometimes seen as political interest groups courted for political affiliations to strengthen southern interest among Northern Nigerians.

History

The Hausa communities in Yoruba land originated as a necessity of long-distance trading.

men developed as specialized dealers in

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

which was abundant in Northern Nigeria but dangerous to breed in Yoruba areas. The need for cattle among Yorubas and

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among Hausa men created an avenue for trade. Hausa men originally lodged at Yoruba owned houses when in Yoruba towns for business and then later gradually increased in minute numbers. But over time, accusations were leveled against some Hausas, coupled with the need to own their own identity, a quarter was awarded to them in different cities by the native rulers. A powerful man of influence would be recognized as the head, he is usually called the Sarkin Hausawa of the city.

Cultural features

The Hausa men in Sabo are fervent in their religious obligations. Prayers according to

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

rites of the Tijaniyya order is a norm in most areas. However, there are some who practice the

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

of Bori. Most times, the Islamic morning prayer is performed alone while the four others are performed collectively. In the community, attaining wealth and Islamic

knowledge Knowledge can be defined as awareness of facts or as practical skills, and may also refer to familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often defined as true belief that is distinc ...

are the two major criteria for success. Sabo communities became known for having a large number of Mallams or Muslim clerics.

References

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History

Cultural features

References

Further reading