Zabarima (emirate)

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The Emirate of Zabarima (own name: asalin Zabramawa ) was a short-lived, Islamic state that existed from around the end of the 1860s to 1897 in the northern territories of today's Ghana and in the south of today's Burkina Faso . The Zabarima state became famous and notorious in particular through leaders such as Gazari or Babatu , who in European historiography are mostly (rightly) described as slave-buccaneers and, as such , are elevated to the same level as Samori Touré .

Ethnic diversity in the Zabarima state

From an ethnic point of view, the Zabarima state was a very heterogeneous entity in which the Jerma who founded the state were actually only a small minority. It was mainly Haussa , Fulbe , Yoruba , Mossi and members of the peoples of the Gurunsi country who had joined the Jerma since their early campaigns. Despite their small number, however, the Jerma had been able to secure the services of their followers of different origins, coupled with a rather long-lasting loyalty. The latter in particular was the basis on which the power of the Jerma was built.

Today's descendants of the Zabarima founders live, apart from a settled group in Ghana, mainly in sparsely populated regions between Niamey and Dosso (today's Republic of Niger ) and in the Sokoto region (today's Nigeria ). The current head of the Jerma in Ghana, however, still bears the title Sarkin Zabramawa and is a relative of the patrilineal lineage of the Babatu.

History of the Zabarima State

Origin of the founders of the state

The founders of the Zabarima State were Muslim Jerma , d. H. Members of the Songhai group who speak their own dialect of Jerma . After the Songhai campaign of 1516, parts of them had settled in the newly conquered areas of the kingdoms of Kebbi and Dendi .

After the defeat of the Songhai Empire (1591), there was again a major wave of immigration from Jerma to these regions when a large number of refugees moved eastwards to their relatives. Although the Jerma have been constantly subject to Islamic influences since that time, they have been able to withstand extensive Islamization for centuries. So it is not surprising that the Jerma Land was also one of the primary goals in the great jihad of Usman dan Fodio (1790–1809) and was finally conquered by the Fulani jihadists. With the establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate in 1809, the Jerma Land became the western province of the new Sokoto Empire under the name of Emirate Kebbi . Around 1860, possibly earlier, however, there was an uprising against the occupying power primarily in the areas around Kebbi. With the help of their neighbors, the rebels, who were mainly Jerma, succeeded in regaining political power and largely driving the Fulanis out of the country. Triggered by this uprising and the already existing general longing for a more just social order, large parts of the population of Jerma Land turned to Islam during these years, which increasingly established itself as the main religion in these areas.

Due to the general devastation as a result of the warlike events and the resulting failures in vital areas of economic production, however, numerous Jerma increasingly concentrated on trade outside their national borders.

Dagomba colony

During this time, groups of Jerma warriors and others appeared. a. also in the kingdoms of Dagomba and Kotokoli , where they first appeared as a horse dealer. The fact that the Dagomba chiefs in particular took their time to pay for their purchases prompted the local Jerma to settle in Dagomba land for a longer period until their horses were paid for. During this time, the Mallams Alfa Hanno and Alfa Gazari also appeared in Dagomba after they had initially devoted themselves to religious studies in the Gonja metropolis of Salaga . A short time later, the Dagomba-Jerma chose Hanno as their leader and a little later Hanno was generally regarded as the leader of all Jerma who lived outside the mother country.

Dagomba was at that time tribute to the Ashanti kingdom . This tribute was mostly paid in the form of slaves. In addition, at that time Dagomba was in danger of sinking into the turmoil of a civil war, which was being fought between Yakuba, the ruling Ya Na , and his sons. In the course of this, the Ya Na in particular organized “staff expeditions” against neighboring peoples on the charge that they had supported the other side. In addition, the pressure from Asante on the Dagomba king regarding compliance with the tribute payments was great enough that these "punitive expeditions" were primarily undertaken to capture slaves. The Dagomba-Jerma also took part in these expeditions as mercenaries. It was primarily the campaigns of Adama, the then Na Karaga , and Abudullai, the then Na Kumbungu in Gurunsi country that took place with the support of Jerma.

Despite their numerical low strength, the Zabarima mercenaries were highly valued allies in the Dagomba army, as they were relatively well armed and experienced riders who knew how to fight with a high degree of inner unity and mobility. Nevertheless, there was only one guest role within the Dagomba armed forces, which was based solely on unpaid debts of various Dagomba chiefs. In addition, the Jerma in Dagomba made themselves increasingly unpopular through their committed intervention in internal Dagomba matters. In addition, there were property disputes that had arisen between Alfa Hanno and the Ya Na . How much the relationship between Dagomba and Jerma was strained can be seen e.g. For example, Isaka (see below) demanded that Alfa Gazari be appointed as the person responsible for the uban dawaki , the cavalry of the Dagomba army, before the start of the next expedition , but this met with general rejection from the Dagombas. Some time later, the Zabarima finally turned away when the Ya Na sent troops to the Zabarima, initially to emphasize their own claims to property. Later, when Alfa Gazari took office as Hanno's successor, Andani, the chief of Savelugu , was commissioned by the Ya Na Abudallai to invade Gurunsi land and "bring back" the Zabarimas. This violated a holy oath, because the heads of Dagomba and Zabarima had once sworn on the Koran that they would never raise their hands against each other. This was a clear breach of trust and at the same time the trigger that finally sealed the end of the long-strained relationship of the Jerma-Dagomba Alliance.

Constitution

In addition, the Dagomba-Jerma had already grown ambitions that were much more far-reaching than just those of a guest people. This is shown e.g. B. in their negotiations with Sisala chiefs under the leadership of the Kuoro (chief) von Dolbizan, the leader or spokesman of a smaller confederation of several Sisala centers.

The so-called "Gurunsi" country was a territory in which societies existed, which today are assigned to the so-called "stateless societies" of the West African savannah. The Zabarima came here to a relatively densely populated area, inhabited by ethnically diverse groups, which was also surrounded by powerful central states. These were Dagomba in the east, Gonja and Mamprussi around the southeast, Asante in the south, Gyaman with Bono-Mansu in the southwest, Walembele (Wala) in the west and the Mossi Empire in the north. Most of the southern states were vassal states of Asantes at that time. In addition, these areas also suffered greatly from military incursions from outside, such as, for example, shortly before a campaign that had taken place as part of the jihad of Mamadu Karantao and which was the cause of a certain depopulation of the eastern Gurunsi country was.

Campaigns and Conquests

Campaign to Wala and Dagarti Land

Jerma troops invade Wala in 1890. In the ensuing battle at Nasa, 12,000 warriors of the Wala king Bazori and 9,000 Jerma warriors of the Emir Babatu dan Isa face each other. With their Malams, both sides have religious support from high-ranking Islamic dignitaries. Babatu was finally able to achieve victory with his troops and then occupied the city of Nasa. However, he found the city largely deserted. A large part of the city's population had fled, unless they took part in the fighting. The few who were still in the city at that time ran away in a hurry as Babatu's troops approached. They followed the fugitives and another battle broke out near Wa in which Babatu's troops again had the upper hand. From here, the Zabarima invaded Dagarti land, which triggered a general movement of refugees towards Wala. Emissaries of the Wala King who visited Babatu for the purpose of negotiations, however, were murdered by the Zabarima. Babatu then occupied the city of Wa and set up his new headquarters here. Not only was the city extensively looted, but there was also a gruesome massacre that the Zabarima wreaked havoc among the Wa population found. Although the Jerma were of Islamic faith themselves, they made no difference in the mass murder whether you were dealing with a Muslim or not. The Malams of the Wa were also captured and sold as slaves by the Zabarima to the north.

A short time later, from Wa, Babatu began a campaign in the Dagarti land. But he only got as far as Baire (Bayayiri), where the Zabarima pitched their camp. When attempting to take the nearby city of Sankana, however, the attack by the Babatu army was successfully repulsed. Despite the warning from his malams, Babatu was determined to continue this war. The Jerma Army then moved to Sati and from here to Kabala land. The city of Kawulalawuri could be occupied, which was largely destroyed by the Zabarima. The Zabarima army moved on without stopping here. Unfortunately, nothing is known about the further course of the campaign.

The political result of this Zabarima campaign, however, was that the Bona (Boya) resident in the West Gonja area signed a friendship and protection treaty with the British on April 12, 1894. Likewise, on May 4, 1894, the Dagarti near Wa signed a similar treaty with the British, and the Mamprussi on May 28, 1894 in Gambaga.

Campaign north into Mossi land

In order to avoid an open confrontation with the British, Babatu then turned north and invaded the Mossi kingdom of Ouagadougou with his Zabarima army , even if Mossi and Zabarima otherwise remained at a distance from each other. However, this was due to the fact that Wobogo, the Moro Naba of Ouagadougou, had brought Zabarima warriors into the country as mercenaries in order to “punish” what he saw as a “disobedient vassal”, the Lalle Naba . Due to the onset of the rainy season, however, the advancing Zabarima army was forced to retreat again without having reached the capital of the Lalle Naba. Various contemporary witnesses unanimously explain in this context that the Zabarimas left a deep trail of destruction on their way. This Zabarima incursion also drove the other tribes of the Mossi Empire into the hands of the Europeans and so the Mogho Naba (Mossi Emperor) signed a friendship and protection treaty with the British on July 2, 1894 in Ouagadougou .

Babatu, Samori and the Europeans

In connection with the Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty , the governments in London and Berlin also discussed a possible border between the British and German areas of interest. Among other things, Dagomba and large parts of the Mamprussi country were divided into a British and a German sphere of influence with the dissolution of the neutral zone , with the north of the Mamprussi country being assigned to French territory. The main strategic goal from the perspective of the British was to prevent further penetration of the Germans and French into the hinterland of the Ashanti Empire, although it was first necessary to clear the areas of slave freebooters from the type of a Babatu or Samori and theirs as soon as possible To eliminate state structures.

While the French and British were still fighting over the kingdom of Gyaman (west of Asante), the Dagomba began an uprising, which was particularly directed against the efforts of the Europeans to achieve political supremacy in the territory of the Dagomba king. The French had already reached the northern borders of Dagomba in advance and assigned the area they occupied to the Territoire Haut-Sénégal et Niger , which formed part of the French West Africa colony established on June 16, 1895 . At that time, however, there was (still) no final regulation as to how these areas should be demarcated from the areas of interest of the other European colonial powers.

Both Samori and Babatu had hitherto tried to avoid any confrontation with the French and also sought cultivated relations with the British. The latter was initially beneficial for both, because as long as they did not pose a threat to the British government in Cape Coast, they were left alone by the latter. However, this changed with Babatu's campaigns to Mamprussi, the Dagarti country and the Mossi empire and the requests of the authorities there for European assistance against the warrior hordes of the slave-privateers. At the very latest, however, when Samori's eastern army crossed the Black Volta, the British were more than alarmed. Under the command of Samori's son Sarankye-Moré, his sofa gangs had invaded the western Gonja area in December 1895 and, as usual, had left behind a field of excessive destruction and extensive depopulation. The British were now forced to act if they did not want to give up their positions north of the Ashanti Empire and leave the areas to the French and Germans. They therefore initially demanded, albeit in vain, the withdrawal of the Samorian armed forces. At the same time, the British were preparing for a larger, north-facing military expedition in full swing.

Prior to this, there had been an attempt at a rapprochement between Samori and Babatu. Samori approached Babatu with the proposal for an anti-European alliance to which the Ashanti king and the leadership of the Gyaman kingdom were invited. Although the Asantehene signaled his readiness for this, Braimah, the new Imam of Bondoukou , refused an alliance with Samori in this regard, despite a generous offer to him. But the Zabarima-Mallams also threatened to terminate their allegiance in the event that Babatu would accept Samori's offer.

East of Dagomba at this time the Germans were advancing more and more to the north and were trying hard to win the Dagomba king for themselves. After all, since important caravan routes converged here, his empire was the economically strongest central power in the entire region, apart from the Ashanti Empire as such. Both alarmed the British, as there was now an immediate danger that the hinterland of the Ashanti Empire could be divided up among the European competition without the British being on board. When the British therefore set up a garrison at Kintampo on the north-western border of the Ashanti heartland on August 14, 1896, a British military division under the leadership of Donald Steward marched north-east and occupied Gambaga in Mamprussi Land, northwest of the Dagomba core area is located. The British, for their part, also tried hard to get the Dagomba king on their side so that he could conclude a protection and trade treaty with the British Empire . However, the anti-European uprising of the Dagombas failed. On December 4, 1896, German troops defeated the Dagomba Army in the Battle of Adibo and occupied the capital Yendi (Jendi) on the following day , which they largely destroyed in the process.

Both Babatu and Samori now found themselves wedged between the European colonial powers and seemed to suspect (or know) that their demise was already a done deal, especially after the British had rejected an offer to negotiate on the part of Samori and the French had rejected any negotiations anyway with Samori and had fought against Samori militarily for years. Samori then tried to create political facts on his part. In 1894, Samorian negotiators had appeared in the Kingdom of Kong to buy weapons. The Islamic Dyula traders, through whom the trade in Kong was almost exclusively, refused such a deal, which was not least due to the rage of the Samorian sofa gangs, who had not spared other Islamic believers on their raids. Either they had allied themselves with the French in Kong beforehand or they were doing it now at the latest. This was tantamount to a declaration of war on Samori and as long as the French military did not see anything in Kong, Samori had Kong occupied without further ado. His sofa gangs looted and pillaged here in great detail and a large part of the population found was captured and sold as slaves. After the slaughter, only smoking ruins remained of the once flourishing trading town with its 20,000 inhabitants. The Islamic Kingdom of Kong, which had existed since 1710, ceased to exist.

The end

In connection with the British-French tensions surrounding Bondoukou and the areas on the Black Volta, the British set up the Protectorate of the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast in early 1897 to prevent the French and Germans from occupying the lands north of Asante in the fight against the privateer kings. The way back south was now cut off for Babatu's army.

Together with local allies, the French succeeded in defeating Babatu and his Zabarima army on March 14, 1897 near Gandiogo. The rest of his troops were then again defeated by the French on June 23, 1897 at Doucie. The survivors of this battle then fled south and induce the British for their part to take military action against them in October 1897. The fighting lasted until June 1898 when the last resistance of Babatus' former private army was defeated.

In view of the British deployment in Gambaga and now also in Wa and other areas east of the Black Voltas, many of the authorities of the Zabarima emirate remaining in the Gurunsi area fled eastwards towards Dagomba, but they finally bowed to British suzerainty. On March 29, 1897, Samori's Eastern Army and the British Expeditionary Force, commanded by Francis B. Henderson, collided. The battle ended in a crushing defeat for the Samorian army. The area north of Asante and east of the Black Volta was now free of slave freebooters - a unified state of the Zabarima no longer existed for a long time anyway.

Selection of prominent leaders in the Zabarima state

Emirs of Zabarima

  1. Hanno or Alfa Hano dan Tadano (Hanno in colonial literature ): Jerma
  2. Gazari or Alfa Gazare dan Mahama (Gazari in colonial literature ): Jerma; came from Kara
  3. Babatu or Mahama dan Issa (Babatu in colonial literature ): Jerma; came from Indunga

Other senior civil servants

Galadima

Galadima was the title of governor or governor of an "important region" in the Zabarima state.

  • Isaka dan Aljima (also "Isaka Karaga") : Origin: Jerma ; He was from Kirtashi ; and was Galadima for the region of the Dagarti, the Pougouli and the Bobo on the Voltaufer. He initially refused to follow Babatu after Gazari's death and led the resistance that delayed the installation of Babatus as the emir of the Zabarima state for years. He often quarreled with Babatu; later recognized however, after a failed expedition, the rule of Babatus. Later lived in exile in Dagomba, accepted by Babatu. His grave is in Yendi .
  • Tunifikedubu (also mentioned as Kaga Zarumin ) : Jerma ; He is described as rich, spirited, and one of the bravest warriors in the Zabarima army. He was Galadima for the politically extremely sensitive Walembele region and later also lived in exile in Dagomba, which Babatu accepted. His grave is in Yendi .

Mallams

  • Alabira : Origin: Jerma ; arguably the most prominent among the Mallams' executive advisors; He was also the spokesman for all Mallams in the Emirate of Zabarima.
  • Mumuni : Origin: Jerma
  • Baba Limam : Origin: Jerma He was probably also the Friday Imam of the Zabarima.

Other military leaders with importance

  • Hamma Bruntaka : Origin: Jerma ; He was initially also an opposition to Babatu's takeover.
  • Wonkoi : Origin: Jerma ; He was an influential advisor despite a subordinate position in the Tunifikedubu armed forces. His grave is in Yendi .
  • Takubaba : Origin: Jerma ; He had already accompanied Alfa Gazari on the way to Dagomba.
  • Hamma Zuma (also called "Salaga") ; Through him there were important connections to Salaga , the then (still) flourishing trading center in the Gonja empire .
  • Daramani Kago : Origin: Sultanate of Hamdallahi ; Most likely there was also a connection to the Mallams of the Massina - Fulbe , of whom a colony had also existed in Yendi since the end of the 18th / beginning of the 19th century .
  • Hamma Giwa : Origin: Jerma ; He was killed during the extremely disastrous advance on the Black Volta for the Zabarima .

Footnotes

An exact dating of the history of the Zabarima state, especially its early period, is difficult, as different information can be found in the literature.

  1. ↑ alternative names and spelling variants: Zarma, Dyerma, Dyabarma, Zabarima, Zamberba, Djemabe or in similar spellings; the Haussa name is Zabarma
  2. ↑ Mallam (other variants: Mu'allim , Mulla (h) etc.) is the title of a graduate of an Islamic school (Koran school, Islamic university) and as such identifies a scholar in the Islamic world. In the past, Mallams were highly respected personalities within the Muslim population of a region and often advisors to Islamic rulers without holding a secular office.
  3. ↑ a b c Alfaqui , or Alfa for short , is an ancient Islamic term for preacher and an important title in the Islamic world.
  4. ↑ Ya Na is the title of the King of Dagomba. At the time, Yakuba ruled as Ya Na of Dagomba (ruled 1849 - 1864).
  5. ↑ Chief of Karaga, today's Karaga District with the capital of the same name Karaga at 9 ° 55 ′  N , 0 ° 24 ′  W ; The chief of Karaga is traditionally the successor to the throne of the King of Dagomba.
  6. ↑ Chief of Kumbungu. Meant is Kumbungu at 9 ° 33 ′  N , 0 ° 57 ′  W in today's Tolon / Kumbungu District .
  7. ↑ What is meant is the country west of the Red Volta and north of the Mamprussi up to today's western border of Ghana. In the past, however, the language used to describe the local population was not uniform.
  8. ↑ Dolbizan in northern Ghana at 10 ° 44 '  N , 1 ° 47'  W .
  9. ↑ Stateless societies are characterized by the fact that at least numerically larger groups in these settlement areas have tried to avoid as long as possible the compulsion to provide for the ruling classes by evading threatening state authority by moving to largely deserted areas, at least in West Africa had avoided the savannah and later also into the rainforest. Many of these larger populations, therefore, never developed a major state organization and also jealously defended their freedom as settlers for as long as they could. Most of their internal affairs and disputes were resolved in the traditional manner with the threat of retaliation.
  10. ↑ Wa is the capital of the Kingdom of Wala (Walembele), the most powerful central state on the western periphery of the stateless communities in the north of present-day Ghana.
  11. ↑ The region around the city of Kpala.
  12. ↑ Their main settlement areas are in and around the city of Daboya or north and northwest of it. Is meant Daboya at 9 ° 32 '  N , 1 ° 23'  W .
  13. ↑ Gambaga at 10 ° 32 ′  N , 0 ° 27 ′  W is the capital of the kingdom of the Mamprussi.
  14. ↑ Moro Naba means "leader of the Moro" (or "... of Moro").
  15. ↑ The sphere of influence of the Lalle Naba then extended north to the region around today's city of Koudougou .
  16. ↑ Gandiogo and Doucie are located in the south of today's Burkina Faso.
  17. ↑ Kirtachi (Kirtashi) in what is now the Republic of Niger , region: Tillabéri , at 12 ° 49 ′  N , 2 ° 29 ′  E

swell

  • Raymond Mauny, Tableau géographique de l'Ouest africain au moyen age d'après les sources écrites la tradition et l'archéologie , thèses Univ. Paris 1959, Dakar / Lisbon 1960
  • JJ Holden, The Zabarima conquest of North-West Ghana, Part I , in: Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana , 8, 1965, pp. 60-86.
  • Brigitta Benzing, The history and the rule system of the Dagomba , Meisenheim 1971, ISBN 3-445-00801-9
  • Myron J. Echenberg, Late nineteenth-century military technology in Upper Volta , In: Journal of African History , 12, 2, 1971, pp. 241-254.
  • Akbar Muhammad, The Samorian occupation of Bondoukou: an indigenous view , In: The International Journal of African Historical Studies , 19, 2, 1977, pp. 242-258.
  • Stanislaw Pilaszewicz, The Zabarma conquests on the Gold Coast and in Upper Volta. Studies on Hausa Manuscript No. 98017 , In: Africana Bulletin , 37, 1991, pp. 7-18.
  • AEG Watherstone, The Northern Territories of the Gold Coast , In: Journal of the African Society , 7, 28, 1908, pp. 344-372.
  • David Owusu-Ansah, Daniel Miles McFarland, Historical Dictionary of Ghana , London 1995
  • Robert J. Mundt, Historical Dictionary of Cote d'Ivoire , London 1995