Azna

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The Azna are a segment of the Hausa society of Northern Nigeria and Niger , the other is the "Hausa" in the real sense. The name Maguzawa applies to the same segment of society, only it expresses the greater acceptance of Muslims in relation to recognized “wards” ( ahl al-dhimma ).

The Azna are often viewed as "pagans", but this assessment falls short, as the Azna do not abandon their social category even after their conversion to Islam. Rather, it is a matter of clan-related descent, which goes back to the fundamental division of Hausa society into "actual Hausa" and "Azna". The Bayajidda legend expresses this dichotomy through the descent of the "Hausa" from Magajiya and the "Azna" from Bagwariya, the slave of Magajiyas and concubine of the founding hero Bayajidda. In the sense of the Bayajidda legend, the Azna are thus identical to the "Banza", ie the seven states that do not belong to the seven house states . These connections, which have only recently been deciphered, ultimately lead back to the pre-Islamic clan structure and gods of the Hausa.

literature

  • Dierk Lange: Ancient Kingdoms of West Africa. Dettelbach 2004 (pp. 234-5).
  • Guy Nicholas: Dynamique sociale au sein d'une société hausa. Paris 1975 (pp. 461-522).

Web links