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.