Thinking about the Magumi

A topic we have been thinking about whilst revisiting sources on the Bulala Sultanate of Fitri is the clan name Magumi. We had not considered it in much depth since encountering a gloss of its meaning as "free-born" in Koelle's dictionary. Although the name or word magumi very well could have also signified free-born status or people, it's also clearly associated with the Sayfawa Dynasty as the royal clan of Kanem and Borno. The form of the word could also be affiliated with an archaic version of the word mai. The -mi suffix at the end connotes descent from, as in "son of." Thus, Magumi should literally mean son of or descendants of Magu (or Mague? Maga?). This can be seen in the divisions of the Magumi named after various maiwa the branches claimed descent from (see Nachtigal's Sahara and Sudan for a list of them). So, if not originally a clan name, it emerged as one through the numerous descendants of the rulers of Kanem and Borno. Perhaps Magu, Maga, or Mague was the original form of the word mai? Or did it become the word for king due to the growing power of the royal clan?

Another form of Magumi survived among the Bulala royal clan as Maga. According to Henri Carbou, the Bulala in Fitri referred to themselves as Maga, Magga, or Maggue, clearly related to the Magu in the Kanuri Magumi. It also manifested among the Bulala memories of a leader named Ali Gatel Magabirni. Carbou also proposed an etymology for Maga based on the Tubu language, with Mâga as containing the word maï (sultan) and the  suffix ga to denote relation. Carbou may be more likely correct about the meaning of Toumagera (masters of the Tou, or Tibetsi). 

Yet one also notices speakers of other Nilo-Saharan languages seemingly referring to themselves with words that almost sound like Maga or Magu. For instance, in medieval Nubia, the people of Nobadia were Migi (ⲙⲓⲅⲓ). In Old Nubian, a word for people is Mugi or Magi, reminiscent of the Magu(mi) of Kanem and Borno. One can also point to the Maiga of the Songhay for the nobility. There may be no connection at all, but one wonders if the word could be related to something deeper in Nilo-Saharan languages.

Borno Basketry

Whilst perusing Staatliche Museen zu Berlin's website for pictures of objects brought back to Europe by Gustav Nachtigal, we came across a color photo of one of the beautiful basket covers. Nachtigal's Sahara and Sudan includes sketches of basket covers Nachtigal saw in Borno in the 19th century. One of them bears a resemblance to the basket cover below, sitting in Germany. Nachtigal also brought back basket covers from Darfur which are quite exquisite, too.

Hallam's Photo of Gambaru

 

We tried to snap a photo of W.K.R. Hallam's photograph of the Gambaru ruins recently. Originally in an article published in Nigeria Magazine entitled "Komadugu Yobe: The First and Last River," Hallam's article is rather brief on the early history of this region. Since it was published in the 1960s, the article also relies on less accurate chronologies for the Sayfawa Dynasty. Nonetheless, the claim that Biyoma, the "first" historical mai, was buried at Yo (a town on the south bank of the Komadugu Yobe), is interesting for possible references to an early presence of Kanem kings in the Borno region.

Nasr Bultu

Whilst re-reading Dierk Lange's A Sudanic Chronicle: The Borno Expeditions of Idris Alauma (1564-1576) According to the Account of Ahmad b. Furtu, we were reminded of the Binawa convert, Nasr Bultu. Close ties between him and the vizier of Idris b. Ali of Borno (r. 1564-1596), Kursu b. Harun, also an Ngizim according to Lange, were also indicated by Nasr's Islamic conversion. Presumably, this is why Nasr Bultu began to use an Islamic name like Nasr. However, each of his appearances in Ahmad b. Furtu's chronicle include the surname Bultu. 

We wonder if this surname is actually the Kanuri word for hyena, búltu (Cyffer's spelling). In the Ngizim-English dictionaries easily found online, that language's word for hyena is not like the Kanuri term. For instance, the dictionary affiliated with the Yobe Languages Research Project lists bədlamu (see the Ngizim-English-Hausa Dictionary by Mohammed Alhaji Adamu and Usman Babayo Garba Potiskum). Intriguingly, the Hausa language does have the word bultu for a type of hornbill, possibly pointing to a Hausa connection for Nasr Bultu's surname. Since the Binawa were part of the Western Ngizim, a possible Hausa-derived word used for a name was perhaps plausible?

However, the closer ties of Nasr Bultu to Borno and one of its top officials during the reign of Idris Alooma could have played a greater role in the Binawa leader's new name. If one theorizes that his surname was also new like his first name of Nasr, perhaps the Kanuri-derived word was another sign of the integration of non-Kanuriphone populations into Borno. Islam and Islamic-derived names were an important part of that process. But, adding Kanuri names or surnames could have been yet another layer of the role of culture and language in integrating other ethnic groups into the state. Why the name of an animal may have been adopted as a surname is not clear, either, although it may have ties to the depiction of the hyena in Kanuri folklore and oral literature.

Dunama Dibalemi and the Kecherda

 

While rereading parts of Maurice Abadie's La colonie du Niger, we came across a garbled and problematic reference to Dunama Dibalemi from the Kecherda. According to an informant, Issa Maini, the earliest known Kecherda chief was a man named Kourei Koullougoni. Given an eastern origin, this figure's community included a Mai Doumouri, son of Debellemi (Dibalemi). This is almost certainly a garbled reference to Dunama Dibalemi of the Sayfawa (c. 1210-1248). However, the Kecherda tradition heard here at N'Guigmi by Captain Martin makes it the descendants of Dunama Dibalemi who moved to Kanem and then migrated further into Borno (while the Kecherda stopped in Kanem). One wonders if Dunama Dibalemia is being used anachronistically here to refer to the distant past. On the other hand, this Sayfawa ruler was remembered for having fought a war with the Tubu for several years. It is possible that some of the Daza in Kanem might recall traditions of being forcibly relocated during this poorly understood conflict. 

This also brings to mind Kreda songs translated by Henri Carbou. According to one song, Mai Dena was the Arab prince who led the ancestors of the Kreda into Kanem (possibly Sayf?). Despite being described as an Arab prince,  Mai Dena ("master of the world") was also described as "black" (azreq) in color. We wonder if Mai Dena here and the "Mai Doumouri" mentioned by the Kecherda elder may be a reference to the same figure. If so, then there may be a confused echo in these traditions of Dunama Dibalemi's relations with the Tubu in the 13th century. 

Jerma Melei and Assakélé

Another thing we have been contemplating is the question of the identity of the captor of Assakélé, a Bulala princess remembered in a Kanembu song partly recorded by Henri Carbou. Although we have written about our speculative thoughts on this figure and her possible connection with the Aisa Kili of Borno traditions, we should consider other possibilities. For instance, the song identified the Borno official who seized Assakélé as Kaléa djerma Meleï. Kaléa means captive, djerma or jerma (sometimes spelled zerma) was an important officer in the Sayfawa court and Meleï is probably Mele, a Kanuri form of the name Idris sometimes seen in Kanuri girgam lists and other sources translated by H.R. Palmer. Thus, Kanembu tradition remembers a jerma named Idris whose actions here sparked or contributed to the war between the Bulala and Borno. 

Is it possible that the song is actually remembering the Ngizim jerma of Idris Alooma? When mentioned by Ahmad b. Furtu in the context of the Kanem campaigns, his title had risen to wazir. Furthermore, we know from Ahmad b. Furtu's account that women related to the Bulala royal family were indeed seized during the conflict. Perhaps Kanembu tradition here is actually recalling an event right before the Kanem wars of Idris Alooma or one of those seizures of Bulala royal women during the war? Carbou claims that Kanembu tradition remembered Idris Alooma's vizier as Idris b. Harun, but that does not necessarily preclude the possibility of Idris b. Harun also being remembered as a jerma or jarma in other Kanem traditions. 

Of course, without the full song this conjecture remains pure speculation. For all we know, there was a jerma named Idris during an earlier period in Borno who may have seized a Bulala princess. Assuming Kalo, Assakélé's father, was Dunama b. Salma, then we would think Melei was a jerma during the reign of Idris Alooma's grandfather. But it is still possible for the song partly translated by Carbou to have been actually referring to the Ngizim jerma, Idris b. Harun.

The Bulala Sultan of Fitri

Whilst recently perusing a book on Chad, we saw the Bulala sultan of Fitri in Les treize préfectures de la République du Chad by Pierre Gentil (1962). Although we could not find his name in the pamphlet, we wonder if it is Oumar since the book was published in the 1960s. Or perhaps Hassan Absekin who became sultan in 1967 according to Hagenbucher.