The following list is a compilation of various strange, miraculous, mysterious, or surprising anecdotes, traditions, and supernatural phenomena from the history of Kanem and Borno. The list is meant merely to function as a catalog for our own interests in various aspects of the history of this part of Africa. Undoubtedly, the list is also incomplete and surely is lacking several miracles attributed to various ascetic saints or stories about other supernatural phenomena. Nonetheless, as a beginning list, it can be of use for our later projects. Numerous other episodes, such as the execution of the people who retrieved the corpse of a murdered mai from a river (for seeing the deceased king’s nudity) or the return of a prince, Medicon, from enslavement in North Africa during the reign of Ali b. Umar are also fascinating episodes we should add to the list. Or perhaps the curse of the mother of 4 thieves against the progeny of Abd Allah (r. 1315-1335) or the attempt to kidnap Ali b. Umar ordered by the Pasha of Tripoli.
1. Ngamaram: An evil creature believed to
resemble a ram, with long hair and only 4 feet tall.[1] According to Ali Eisami,
it was a water demon.[2]
2.
Sau
Giants hunting elephants:
According to “A Legend of the Saus,” a Sau giant killed two elephants and slung
them on a stick. The Sau then called the elephants “small beef.”[3] Stories about the Sao as
giants who preceded the Sayfawa kingdom in Borno can be found elsewhere. The
story of the henna and ruse used by the Kanuri against the Sao (led by Dala
Gomami) is another example of the Sao “giants” in Borno oral tradition.
3.
Goigoi: a tiny, fairy-like creature which
can speak and walk. Although it lives in the bush, it comes to towns in order
to seize children. The children taken by him who are brought back become mad.[4]
4.
Meiram
Kurugu: a very
tall monster or demon heard at night but rarely seen. It walks through towns whilst
howling. It may be like the kúrīram demon described by Ali Eisami.
According to Eisami, this entity was enormous, had the complexion of a Fulani,
lived in the hollow of trees and slaps people. It was active after sunset,
before sunrise, and at midnight.[5]
5.
Wet
snakeskin to understand the speech of animals: One of the seemingly bizarre
anecdotes in the “Mahram of the N’Galma Duku” in H.R. Palmer’s Bornu Sahara
Sudan alludes to a gown made of a snake’s skin. When the faki Abd ul
Lahi Dili ibn Bikuru correctly recognized the gown of Salma ibn Bikuru was made
of the snakeskin, he also reported that the wearer of it gains the ability to
understand animals. Later, after the Kanem ruler put it in water, he was able
to understand two black birds.[6]
6.
Ali
b. Umar stretching his hand toward al-Azhar: from an account of Gazargamo in
Palmer’s Bornu Sahara and Sudan, the Sayfawa mai stretched his
hand toward al-Azhar to retrieve a book. The episode may metaphorically
represent the Sayfawa ruler’s numerous pilgrimages and piety.[7]
7.
The
Opening of the Mune:
According to Ahmad b. Furtu’s chronicle of Idris Alooma’s Kanem campaigns, the
Mune flew away when Dunama ibn Dabale (Dunama Dibalemi) opened it.[8] The question of the Mune has
been a controversial one as some read it as an example of a pre-Islamic
talisman or relic. Others, however, point to the Islamic nature of the Mune or
its similarities with the Ark of the Covenant.
8.
Al-Marwazi
and the gigantic trees (and people!) in Kanem: Although the wild stories
reported by al-Marwazi, related by Hamza b. Hasan al-Isfahani in the 10th
century, cannot be taken literally, the idea of giants in Kanem brings to mind
the Sao legends.[9]
Surely, the idea of the trees in Kanem being so huge that 30,000 horsemen could
sit under them is more in the realm of fantasy. But the reference to the bodies
of the people being in proportion to their trees is reminiscent of Kanuri
traditions of the Sao giants.
9.
Royal
sugarcane agriculture in 13th century Kanem: “They used to tend the
sugar-cane, but it yielded little, and only the sultan concerns himself with
it; the same applies to vines and wheat.”[10] The reference to a royal
garden 40 miles from Jimi (Njimi), presumably close to the Bahr el-Ghazal, is a
surprise. This may be one of the earliest attestations of sugarcane cultivation
in this part of Africa. Although it was unsuccessful on a large-scale, one wonders
if the royal garden was worked by slave labor.
10 . “Pots of Fire” at
Night:
according to Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Kanemi, in a story later repeated by
al-Umari, walkers in Kanem saw objects that looked like pots of fire at night.[11] As walkers approached the
objects, they moved further away. This may be an allusion to some sort of
unusual natural phenomenon. In addition, al-Umari reported that giant pumpkins existed
in Kanem, so large that boats were made from them.
11. The miraculous Shahada
in Spilled Blood:
According to Muhammad Bello, unquestionably relying on oral traditions, a
miraculous event occurred when Shaykh al-Jarmi was killed. Identified as a
Tuareg by Bello, his origins may have been Arab. Nonetheless, when his execution
was ordered by Borno’s Umar b. Idris (r. 1619-1639), his blood gushed out and
spelled the Kalimah al-Shahada.[12]
12. Abu Gantur’s Rebellion
Against Rabeh:
According to various sources, Abu Gantur claimed control or power of jinn.
However, he lost their support after accepting a bride from Rabeh. Mallam Abu
Gantur’s movement won popular support and featured millenarian tendencies. Access
to powers or control of the spirits apparently shaped his popularity or
standing with supporters.[13]
13. Sacrifices for the
River:
One of the accusations of Muhammad Bello against Borno was the practice of sacrifices
or offerings to the river. In some cases, this was even said to be human
sacrifice as virgins were thrown into the river when it inundated Gambaru.[14]
14. Flying Blankets: In Borno tradition, Shaykh
Waldede was said to have escaped the pursuing horsemen of Borno’s mai with
a flying blanket.[15] Unlike al-Jarmi, Waldede
survived the wrath of Umar b. Idris (r. 1619-1639).
15. Tuareg Bandits and
Hashish:
According to Nicholas Said, some of the Tuareg raiders and bandits enjoyed
using hashish. One night, after he was kidnapped, the Tuareg were too drunk
from hashish eating, so they forgot to confine their captives. About 7 or 8 of
them escaped and killed 5 of the Tuareg. Unfortunately for Said, the escapees
did not liberate the other slaves.[16]
16. Firing Rockets to Frighten
Rebels:
During the first British mission to Borno, the Shehu, Muhammad al-Amin
al-Kanemi, requested the use of rockets from the British travelers. After they
fired 2 rockets, the Manga rebels were awed into submission since such a thing
was never seen before.[17]
17. Sandaram Pond or Reservoir
in Gazargamo:
According to tradition, the creation of this was the result of prayers of
Shaykh Umar, whose piety and prayers led to the necessary rain.[18] Umar was one of the sons
of the leader of the second Kalumbardo.
18. Several French Slaves
and a Cannon Foundry:
According to an informant from Afade, the ruler of Borno possessed many French
slaves. Said Europeans were used to establish a cannon foundry for making
cannons to use against “pagans” to the south.[19] Whether or not this was true
is unknown, but the Sayfawa mai did have cannons.
19. The Sayfawa mai and Fire: According to Jukun traditions,
one of the rulers of Borno was said to have prayed during battle, causing fire to
attack the Jukun forces. However, the Jukun ruler was said to have prayed as
well, leading to rainstorms. This neutralized the Sayfawa’s fire. Context
suggests this mai was Ali b. Umar (r. 1639-1677).[20]
20. Sultan El Gatous: According to blacks in Tripoli in
the 17th century, Borno’s Ali b. Umar possessed the power to transform
into a cat. According to Girard, “Ceux qui ont veu Mahi-Hagi-Hali en racontent
une chose, que il j’ay creu ne devoir pas estre teüe, quî est qu’il se transforme
souvent en chat.”[21] Since the cat was
supposedly one of Muhammad’s favorite animals, this transformation was linked
to the Sayfawa king’s piety.
21. Enslavement and Spying
for Public Morality:
According to his informants from Borno living in Saint Domingue (Haiti),
Descourtilz wrote that Borno’s ruler had necklaces, jewelry, and bracelets
placed in public places or roads. Then, if a child took one of these objects,
the king’s courtiers, who were watching, grabbed the child and sold their
family into slavery.[22] If true, this constituted
illegal enslavement and punishment of Borno subjects.
22. An Old Woman, a Hyena
and the Mai: According to Muhammad Yanbu, the
theft of an old woman’s sheep by a hyena prompted Ali b. Umar to send men to
seize the hyena. Although the woman’s sheep was lost, the ruler compensated her
and had the hyena killed. The story is difficult to take literally, but it is an
interesting anecdote.[23]
23. The town of
Were-Hyenas:
According to Ali Eisami, the capital district of Borno had a town whose
residents possessed the ability to transform into hyenas. Koelle wrote of the
town, “Kάbūtílõa, in which every individual possesses the faculty of transforming
himself into a hyena. Any such person is called ngádza.”[24]
24. An Artificial Fishpond
in Fachi:
Landeroin reported that Ali b. Dunama (c. 1465-1497) allegedly ordered the
construction of a large pond at Fachi. Using 1000 camels to carry the animal
skins containing the water and fish, the pond was used to resupply a Bornoan
army during a campaign against Aïr.[25]
25. A Bornoan Army
Terrified of Ostriches:
al-Tunisi, who did not go to Borno, repeated a story of Borno troops fleeing
from a flock of ostriches that they believed, from afar, were the Fulani
attackers.[26]
The story suggests that the Bornoan troops were cowards when sent against the
Fulani after Ahmad b. Ali already fled Birni Gazargamo.
26. Ceremony of Giving to
the Albinos:
According to Ali Eisami, a special ceremony existed in which the mai gave
a present to albinos. Called šérifūrám, the giving of a present to such
individuals reflected the belief in their supernatural powers.[27]
27. The Charm-Water of
Shehu al-Kanemi:
When called upon to defeat the Fulani, al-Kanemi employed charm-water against
them. In one battle, al-Kanemi threw a calabash with charm-water against the Phula,
who fled. The Bornoan troops then pursued them and killed many.[28]
28. A Solar Eclipse in
Borno:
When Ali Eisami was 11 (or possibly 13), he witnessed a solar eclipse. Everyone
in his town gathered in the place for prayer until the Sun was visible again.[29]
29. Royal Orgies in the
Last Days of Gazargamo:
In his field notes, Louis Brenner recorded a story in which the ruler of Borno
ordered the construction of a large hall. At night, men and women gathered
there for a big orgy in which a man could not tell if he was sleeping with his
sister or mother. Apparently, this orgy “went on until the semen ran out of the
door.”[30] This tradition was presumably
gathered from descendants of people who may have been far more hostile to the
Sayfawa in the 1700s and early 1800s.
30. Umar b. Idris
Consulting an Astrologer:
An Arabic chronicle, translated into French, claimed the Borno mai was
told by an astrologer that Tahir, sultan of the Fazzan, would come to him.[31] Events turned out as
predicted, with Tahir fleeing from forces from Tripoli to Borno, where he was drowned
in a sac in the river for blinding his nephews.
31. Ali b. al-Hajj Dunama’s
Progeny:
This mai (r. 1747-1792) was said to have 350 children. But, implausibly,
300 of them were males.[32]
32. Turning Pebbles into
Gold:
One of the miraculous stories included in a problematic rihla from Borno
includes an example of the transmutation of pebbles into gold. A mai,
identified as Ali b. Umar but incorrectly dated, was said to have been in need
of gold whilst still in the Hijaz. After his ulama counseled him to have
pebbles gathered, they spat on them for 3 days until they turned into gold.[33]
[1] Johannes Lukas, A Study of the
Kanuri Language, 175.
[2] Sigismund Koelle, African
Native Literature or Proverbs, tales, fables, & historical fragments
in the Kanuri or Bornu language. To which are added a translation of the above
and a Kanuri-English vocabulary, 373.
[3] P.A. Benton, Languages and
Peoples of Bornu, Vol. II, 9.
[4] See Johannes Lukas, A Study of
the Kanuri Language, 176.
[5] Sigismund Koelle, African
Native Literature, 342. Eisami’s description of this ghost or demon is very
similar to another long-haired forest demon said to live in the trees.
[6] H.R. Palmer, Bornu Sahara and
Sudan, 19.
[7] Ibid., 35.
[8] H.R. Palmer, Sudanese Memoirs
Vol I, 71.
[9] See al-Marwazi, in Nehemiah
Levtzion and Anthony Hopkins (editors), Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for
West African History, 92.
[10] See Ibn Sa’id, Ibid., 188.
[11] Al-Umari, in Ibid., 260-261.
[12] “The Sarki slew him (al-Jarmi) and
his blood gushed out and made a trace of Kalimah al-Shahada on the ground.” See
Muhammad Bello, A History of Islam, Scholarship, and Revivalism in Western
Sudan, Being an Annotated Translation with Introduction of Infaqul-Maisur fi
Tarikh Bilad al-Tukur of Sultan Muhammad Bello bin Fodio, 70.
[13] Behique Dunama, “Abu Gantur's
Rebellion in Borno,” https://thedreamvariation.blogspot.com/2025/09/abu-ganturs-rebellion-in-borno.html.
[14] For more on sacrifices and
offerings to rivers and some of the superstitions associated with them, see
Behique Dunama, “Bornoan River Ceremony,” https://thedreamvariation.blogspot.com/2025/12/bornoan-river-ceremony.html.
[15] Behique Dunama, “Umar b. Idris (r.
1619-1639) and the First Kalumbardo,” https://thedreamvariation.blogspot.com/2025/09/umar-b-idris-r1619-1639-and-first.html.
[16] See Nicholas Said, The
Autobiography of Nicholas Said; a Native of Bornou, Eastern Soudan, Central
Africa, 42.
[17] Behique Dunama, “The Manga Uprising
of 1824,” https://thedreamvariation.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-manga-uprising-of-1824.html.
[18] Behique Dunama, “Birni Gazargamo:
A Central Sudanic Metropolis,” https://thedreamvariation.blogspot.com/2025/09/birni-gazargamo-bornoan-metropolis.html.
[19] Ulrich Seetzen, “Nouveaux renseignemens
sur le Royaume ou Empire de Bornou, recueillis au Caire par M. De Seetzen,” Annales
des Voyages, XIX (1812), 180.
[20] J.M. Fremantle (editor), Gazetteer
of Muri Province, 36.
[21] Rémi Dewière, Du lac Tchad à la
Mecque: Le sultanat du Borno et son monde (xvie - xviie siècle), 322. The
appellation of Cat King became an insult when used by other blacks not from
Borno.
[22] Michel Etienne Descourtilz, Voyages
d'un naturaliste et ses observations faites sur les trois règnes de la nature,
dans plusieurs ports de mere francais, en Espagne, au continent de l'Amerique
Septentrionale, a Saint-Yago de Cuba, et a St.-Domingue, ou l'auteur ... donne
les details les plus circonstancies sur l'expedition du general Leclerc, Tome
III, 146-147.
[23] Behique Dunama, “A Hyena, an Old
Woman and the Mai of Borno,” https://thedreamvariation.blogspot.com/2026/08/a-hyena-old-woman-and-mai-of-borno.html.
[24] Sigismund Koelle, African Native
Literature, 275.
[25] Moise Landeroin, “Notice
historique” in Documents scientifiques de la Mision Tilho, 355.
[26] Muhammad ibn Umar al-Tunisi, Voyage
au Ouadây par Mohammed ibn-Omar el-Tounsy, 259.
[27] Sigismund Koelle, African
Native Literature, 401.
[28] Ibid., 224.
[29] Ibid., 207.
[30] Louis Brenner, “Sources of
Constitutional Thought in Borno,” Journal of the Historical Society of
Nigeria 7, no. 1 (1973): 62.
[31] Anne-Charles Froment de
Champlagarde, Alain Blondy (editor), Histoire abrégée de tripoly de
barbarie, 1794 et Suite de l'histoire de la Régence de Tripoly de Barbarie.
Règne d'Ali Caramanly 1793, 47. The Kanuri word for astrologer is kantágema.
[32] John Ledyard and Simon Lucas, Voyages
de MM Ledyard et Lucas en Afrique, 196. Were some wives and concubines
claiming other male infants to increase their chances of becoming the mother of
a possible future king?
[33] Omer Abdel Raziq El-Nagar, “West Africa and the Muslim Pilgrimage,” 398.