Historical Development of Settlements in Hausaland: A Case of Gozaki, Katsina Kingdom, c.1500- 1600 AD (2024)

Cite this article: Ibrahim, H. B. K. 2023. Historical Development of Settlements in Hausaland: A Case of Gozaki, Katsina Kingdom, c.1500- 1600 A. D. Sokoto Journal of History Vol. 12. Pp. 11-23. www.doi.org/10.36349/sokotojh.2023.v12i01.002

Hussaina B.K.Ibrahim, PhD
Department ofHistory
Ahmadu BelloUniversity, Zaria
E-mail:hussainabeekay@gmail.com

Abstract

Gozakiemerged as a political entity adjacent to Katsina, Zazzau and Kano Kingdoms byc.1500 A.D. The growth and development of Gozaki occurred in different stages.Firstly, it emerged as a hilltop settlement in Dutsen Kuraku (Kuraku hill) andthereafter a plain settlement which was characterised by the emergence ofGaruruwa (towns) under the authority of Masu Gari. The Masu Gari were the headsof the towns that emerged in the area and had a number of villages under theiradministration. Also, the Masu Gari were superiors to the occupational heads intheir respective towns. The occupational heads anchored various occupations,such as farming, hunting and smithing in each town. The emergence of the townswas as a result of the sophistication of the economy which developed beyondsubsistence level. Agriculture was no longer centred on food production for theteeming population; it served industries, as large hectares of land weredeployed in the production of cotton for the textile industry in the Gozakiarea and beyond. There was the production of goods beyond subsistence levelwhich led to the development of commerce. This paper used primary sources,particularly oral sources and Archaeological reconnaissance derived from thefield. The sources have been critically examined for the reconstruction of thehistory of the area of study.

Keywords: Gozaki, Katsina Kingdom, Political Entity, Migration, Settlements.

Introduction

Gozakiwas a settlement that emerged in the south-eastern part of Katsina Kingdom,from a small hilltop settlement at Kuraku to a plain type, due to provision ofsecurity andadvancement of the economy. As a result of the economic development that tookplace in the area by c.1500 A.D, Gozaki town was able to excel all other townsand became the most important in the area. This change occurred due tohistorical developments, not by accident. The Mai Gari of Gozaki came to occupy positions over and above other Masu Gari in the area. This was possible due toimportant developments that heralded the emergence of Masarautar Gozaki, as a centralized polity with semi-independentstatus. Gozaki was conquered by Katsina Kingdom and was administered under thekingdom with semi-independent status. What this means is that Gozaki like othersettlements in Hausaland emerged from small village units, to towns due toeconomic changes, migration among several other factors. There weredevelopments that led to its emergence as an important polity in the area. Thepeak of the developments could be seen in the emergence of masu gari in the vicinity of Gozaki as well as the emergence ofoccupational heads and different occupational groups. The occupational headsemerged in different towns, signalling the occupational sophistication in thearea associated with advanced settlements that consisted of varied groups, andattracting immigrants to the settlement. The towns had villages and some townsunder their administration, which made them more advanced than the villagesettlements. The primary concern of this paper is an analysis of thefactors that led to the development of a kingdom in Gozaki between 1500 and 1600 A.D. Therefore, any discussion of the earlier period is beyondthe scope of the paper.

Development of AdvancedPolitical System in Gozaki

Thehistorical development of Gozaki, like other settlements in Hausaland, waspossible due to many factors. One of such was the availability of iron ore inTandama in the Gozaki area, which led to the development of smithing activitiesand the production of agricultural implements such as hoe, axe, cutlass and warimplements, particularly bows, arrows and spears.[1] Iron smithing took place onthe plain, and not the hilltop settlement of Gozaki. Archaeologicalreconnaissance of the hilltops in Gozaki has not revealed the remains of ironworking centres.[2]Thismakes us to state that, iron working did not develop on the hilltop, but theplain settlements of Gozaki. Archaeological excavation has revealed thepresence of spheroids (stone tool) in Gozaki.[3] The discovery of a stonetool in Gozaki is a pointer to the existence of a continuous settlement in thearea right from the Stone Age period. However, there is the need for morearchaeological excavation of the hilltops of Gozaki to ascertain the nature oftools used in production in the earlier epoch in the history of Gozaki.

Availableevidence has revealed the existence of iron working on the plains of Gozakiwhich became one of the few centres of iron smelting in the states of Hausalandthat were developing at the same time with Maska.[4] That is one of the reasonswhy trade in iron-ore developed between Gozaki and other parts of KatsinaKingdom. In fact, Gozaki was one of the few centres of production of iron orein the kingdom of Katsina and Hausaland.[5] That was why iron workersfrom northern part of Katsina travelled there, during the dry season period andengaged in smithing work. The iron blades which were the final products werecarried and sold in the markets of the northern Katsina. Gozaki is part of theregion referred to as the southern part of Katsina. It is possible that, ironworking attracted immigrants from the northern part to settle in Gozaki due tothe availability of the resource there.[6]

Iron smelters were attracted to Gozaki fromother Hausa states. And this has led to the boost of the economy and anincrease in immigrants who decided to settle there permanently, therebyswelling the size of the heterogeneous population which was beginning to emergein the area at that time. The existence of a heterogeneous population during the period of study in Gozakipoints to the fact that the society was ripe for transformation into a moreadvanced type. Evidence exist as Gozaki was an important source of iron ore andone of the few iron working centres, which made it economically important andpolitically viable, as a power reckoned with in the south-east region ofKatsina Kingdom.[7]Therefore, the emergence of rulers to the emerging entity was feasible. Thus, the discovery of iron andiron smelting haveplayed great role in the emergence of states in the Western Sudanic region ofWest Africa. Thus, these developments partly made Gozaki a centre of importancein Hausaland.

Also, another important factor that led to theadvancement of the Gozaki area is the ability of Gozaki town to providesecurity against external aggression. The period of the emergence of thesettlement was a time when it faced constant attacks from states of Katsina andKano. Therefore, the ability of the rocky areas to provide security fromattacks was one of the reasons that made Gozaki attractive to people from thevicinity and from other parts of Hausaland and beyond.[8]Thus, the issue of security was so important that it made Gozaki the political centre of administrationof the area. The towns of Dabai, Tandama, Danja and others came under itscontrol. Economic centres of wealth production were located in these townsunder Gozaki to a larger extent. For example, Dabai and Danja were areasendowed with abundant food crops production.[9] Itwas in these areas that large cotton plantations were established. Similarly,in Tandama there was high iron ore concentration which was exploited for theproduction of iron implements. These towns were important centres that led tothe emergence of Gozaki into an advanced political entity.

Gozakibecame prominent and it continued to attract the attention of people from Hausastates and beyond. The attention of the people was not drawn for nothing. Itwas a settlement endowed with the production of guinea corn, millet, potato,cocoyam in the raining season.[10] Anarea endowed with the production of cereals and tuber foods is indeed blessedin varied crops. Production of variety of food led to its exportation to other areas. In the dryseason, they produced sugar cane, onion, wheat, tomato in large quantity.[11]This translated into food security for the people not only of Gozaki, but alsoto the regions in the northern Katsina Kingdom that experienced food shortagesdue to periodic droughts experienced during the period of study. There wereindeed, not many cases of drought experienced in Gozaki. However, northern part of KatsinaKingdom, including the capital experienced drought after every five years dueto shortage of rainfall.[12]This means that there were periods of food shortages in those areas. A likelysolution for the people of northern Katsina was either to migrate to areas offood abundance such as Gozaki, or import food from areas of food stability.Therefore, the issue of food security had led to the emergence of Gozaki as astrong political entity.[13]

Anotherreason for the political advancement of Gozaki was soil fertility. The soil ofGozaki area contains sand, silt and clay, and the clay has the highestcomposition. The clay has high water retention capacity suitable for theproduction of varied crops. Annual rainfall was about 1,000mm (40 inches)around Danja in Gozaki area,[14]while in the areas of northern Katsina, the average rainfall is 25 inches, andas low as 15 inches has been recorded in some of the areas.[15] People are attracted tosettlements with higher rainfall.

Indeed, the Gozaki area was endowed with watersupply, it is moisture dense which enabled people to engage in agriculture allyear round, and this advantage attracted the attention of people to that area. The ability of people to engagein agriculture all year round provided not only food security; it means thatexcess food and vegetables became means of generating income. Gozaki has beenknown for the production of onions and tomatoes for long. These two productswere produced in the dry season due to the availability of underground waterfor watering of the plants.[16]Gozaki is said to be lucky to have underground water, otherwise referred to as“dausayi in Hausa’. Onions andtomatoes were seasonal and have been scarce and expensive during the rainingseason.

Also,cotton was produced in large quantity and was used in the manufacture ofcloths, a production technique was developed which involved utilisation of theproduct in industrial production. However, large hectares of land were onlyemployed with the establishment of Gozaki entity.[17]What is important is that,at the early stage, the soil was noted for the production of cotton and thiswould have attracted people to settle in the area. Indeed, cotton an importantraw material for the textile industry attracted people from as far as Kano tosettle in Gozaki.[18]Trade in cotton was a major factor that led to the establishment of commercialintercourse between Kano and Katsina, even before the formation of KatsinaKingdom.[19]

Therefore,the changes in the economy of Gozaki brought significant transformation of thesettlement from a town among equals in the vicinity of Gozaki area, to anadvanced political entity with centralised authority regulating the affairs ofthe settlement. The political economy perspective points to the connectedstimulus between the development of the economy and the resultant expansion ofa state. Thus, economic growth stimulated the rise of the kingdom of Gozaki.

Development of Gozaki as aCentralized Political entity by c.1500 A.D.

Aplain settlement had already emerged after1450 A.D., on the plains of Gozaki,distinct with the hilltop settlement of Kuraku. The political head of thepeople on the plains was a Maigari(head of town) of Gozaki. The town was one of the many that emerged in thevicinity of Gozaki in that period; others were Dabai, Tandama, Dabaibayawa andothers. It should be noted that, there was the development of hilltopsettlement in Gozaki which was its beginning. The hilltop settlement was headedby the Sarkin Gwari. However, due tothe emergence of Masu gari in thevicinity of Gozaki, the Sarkin Gwariremained the head of both hilltop and the plain settlement of Gozaki. Then byc.1500 A.D., a change occurred which had to do with the introduction of Islaminto the area.[20] Itshould be noted that, this did not go well with the Sarkin Gwari and his people who perceived it as a ‘threat’ to theirtraditional religion. Therefore, the Gwari rulers and some of their followersunder the guidance of a single ruler Wake left Gozaki as defiance to theintroduction of Islam into the area.[21] Therefore, they went toBirnin Gwari and founded a new settlement on hilltop there. It is possiblethat, the Gwari people were attracted to the hills of Birnin Gwari due to thesemblance and similarity of it to the environment of Gozaki. Thus, due to thislink there is still good rapport between Gozaki and Birnin Gwari up to date.[22] Thepeople of Birnin Gwari up to today identify the people of Gozaki as their own.Nowadays, people from Gozaki receive the hospitality of the people of BirninGwari whenever they visited.[23]

However,the emigration of the Gwari did not signify that, the whole Gwari people leftGozaki as some remained and intermarried with the Gozaki people.[24] Itwas at this time also that Jangora, an official of Sarkin Gwari Wake who did not leave for Birnin Gwari was made aruler of Gozaki.[25] Thedecision to appoint him as a ruler was made in recognition of the fact that hewas one of the founders of the Gozaki hilltop settlement. Thus, the newsettlement on the plains of Gozaki was established under the leadership ofJangora. What this means is that, the Gwari who stayed back in Gozaki reapedthe reward of being patient. Having stayed back they were able to rule Gozaki.There is a proverb in Hausa language that tackles the importance of patience inthe society, “mai hakuri ya kan dafadutse ya sha romo” which means that, the patient can cook a stone and drinkfrom its sauce.[26] Theproverb was made in consideration of the fact that, it takes longer period fora stone to be crushed under intensive and high pressure. Thus, the patient onecan see to the crushing of a stone. The patience of the Gwari has recorded themin the annals of history as a group that ruled not only the hilltop settlementbut the plains. Though, during the rule of Jangora, the nature ofpolitical leadership wasmaintained, the change was only associated with the Jangora being the ruler ofthe plains, a town, different from the hilltop which they were associated with.Thus, Jangora was not able to establish a centralized entity in Gozaki.

A new development happened in Gozaki by c.1500A.D., the same period when Jangora the Gwari ruler became the head of Gozaki.In fact, the period c.1500 A.D was a turning point in the history of Gozaki.This had to do with the arrival of immigrants into the area from the Lake Chadbasin that shaped the history of the area. This development was none other thanthe arrival of Kyangyaran who has been accredited with founding of the state ofGozaki. It is said that, the town of Gozaki was founded by a man calledKyangyaran[27] whois said to be the founder, and first ruler of Gozaki.[28] It should be noted that,Kyangyaran was not the founder of the town of Gozaki, when he reached the areahe met independent towns in the vicinity of Gozaki. What Kyangyaran did wasthat he was able establish a centralized entity by making the town the metropolis of the entity ofGozaki. The establishment of a centralised political entity means that there aking inGozaki, who emerged along withthe masu gari of Dabai, Tandama andothers who were heads of towns. However, the king of Gozaki was able to bring under his authority other towns in thearea by making other masu gari in thearea to recognize his rule. Therefore, the political transformation brought byKyangyaran in Gozaki led to his acceptance, widely and in all quarters as thefirst ruler of Gozaki.[29] This does not signify that,the towns in the area of Gozaki were not in existence prior to his arrival. Forclarity, the arrival of Kyangyaran did not signal the beginning of politicalsystem in Gozaki. Rather, he was able to shape the political developmentsalready taking place in Gozaki. Upon his arrival in Gozaki he was viewed as a mai gari, by other masu gari he met in the area and not a king at that point in time,in the surrounding towns of Gozaki. Innitially, the other masu garihave seen, and accepted him as a person with similar position as theirs. Theposition of mai gari was the highestpolitical office in the Gozaki area, and was the order of the day at that timeprior to the arrival of Kyangyaran. This is so, because the society did notemerge overnight, as it went through different stages of development. Prior tohis arrival developments which we noted above occurred in the society, this ledto the transformation of the society to a large entity.[30]

Therefore,Kyangyaran has been widely accepted as the first king of Gozaki, which hasdebunked the legend of origin of Gozaki that claimed Gozo and Agwaragwi, the saidgiants, as the first rulers of Gozaki.[31] Kyangyaran was a hunter whomigrated into the area from the Lake Chad basin with large number of people.[32] Sobeing a hunter and a warrior he was able to use his military might and strengthin Gozaki and established his authority over the masu gari he found in the vicinity, and he established a smallstate afterwards. The masu gari thatKyangyaran met had put up resistance against his authority as they saw him asnone other than a mai gari like them,with equal powers. Therefore, even if they challenged his authority, Kyangyaranhad the military might of subduing opposition. He came to the area with somefollowers whom he could have conscripted into an army to suppress allopposition. He went a step further to secure his position as a ruler of Gozakiby defending the state he established against external aggression, byestablishing a strong defence. Prior to his tenure as the king of Gozaki therewas attempt by Katsina Kingdom to conquer the area.[33] Therefore, establishingdefence for internal and external security was paramount for the survival ofthe emerging state.

Itshould be noted that the Gozakawa(people of Gozaki) were a mixture of Gwari,[34] Hausa, Bare-bare (people of Borno), Fulani and other groups from differentparts of Africa. This shows that Gozaki emerged as a heterogeneous societycomposing of different groups, which was far and above kinship basedsettlement. However, as the Hausa in the settlement were the largest in termsof number, they assimilated other groups into Hausa culture. Indeed, theimportance of migration in the emergence of Gozaki cannot be undermined. Thearrival of Kyangyaran and his people from the Lake Chad basin brought changesinto that entity of Gozaki; and this is a testimony to the fact that peoplefrom other parts of Africa beyond Hausaland also settled in Gozaki.

Itis worth noting at this point that; a centralised state of Gozaki emerged byc.1500 A.D., at the time when other Hausa kingdoms were also emerging. This wasthe time when some territories were gradually brought together throughconquest, and integrated into the kingdom. Consequently, a “state like” systemdistinct from a settlement that was based on kinship relations emerged. Thisimplies that, the people living in Gozaki were not related by blood alone; theyestablished relations with people from far settlements. It composed ofartisans, farmers and even more villages and towns were incorporated in to thestate. It should be noted that farming remained important in the economy ofGozaki.

Thepolitical developments of Gozaki with the arrival of Kyangyaran was similar towhat happened in Katsina Kingdom, as the arrival of Korau signalled a new eraof the establishment of a centralised state of Katsina in 1500 A.D.[35]With his arrival Kyangyaran decided to take a measure to strengthen hisauthority over and above other Masu Garihe met in the vicinity of Gozaki. In order to strengthen the defence of thearea, he engaged in the fortification of the town of Gozaki, which led to itsadvancement to a status of a metropolis and the most advanced town in thatentity.[36]Thereare some characteristics of a birni(metropolis) and capital of a settlement which differentiate it from a gari (town). In other words it isreferred to the characteristics of a state, no matter how small, whichdifferentiate it with other towns. One of such is fortification of asettlement. The town of Gozaki was fortified, similar to the way states inHausaland were secured with fortification that provided security to the peoplenot only in the physical sense, but also, provided mental stability; it guaranteed safety to thepeople, as they felt a sense of security and protection from danger. Thisprovided a boost to the growth of the economy, as people felt safe to engage incommercial transaction within and outside the settlement of Gozaki, than in any other settlementin the vicinity.

Theability of Kyangyaran to organise labour in the erection of the fortification,popularly known as ganuwa in HausaLanguage is a clear indication of his leadership skills. The walls were erectedthrough a serious effort of canvassing for the support of large number ofpeople, both free born and slaves. There were leaders assigned to organise theworkforce that was engaged in a strenuous way involving the use of physicalenergy and technical know-how. The wall happened to be so thick that makes onewonder the amount of earth that was used to erect it. Hefty buildings must havebeen erected to stand the test of time. Also, the wall was meant to prevent theenemies from crossing over, either, by breaking down the wall or throughcreating a hole on the wall.

Thatis why a ganuwa (fortification) isdifferent from dwelling place in terms of energy, resources and workmanshipdevoted in erecting it. The fortification of Gozaki was made of mud, which wasbroad and very strong. In fact, the fortification was so strong and impenetrable,[37]which made it difficult for foreign elements to plan a surprise attack throughit or by bringing it down.[38]This is an indication that the people took their time, resources andcraftsmanship to put up structures that could be impenetrable from all sidesand direction. In a similar vein, in countries of Asia such as Korea, India andChina for example, states that developed in those regions in the past centurieswere able to develop strong defensive measures, and one of such was thefortification of their settlements, in a manner that the rulers and the ruledhappened to be in a single fort, a kind of superior fortification, though notmade of mud alone, but a combination of mud, stones and cement. Thefortifications were of great height, about 100 feet high, which prevented theinvaders from easily penetrating inside.[39]However, the palaces of therulers were demarcated from the rest of the commoners, an evidence of rise ofauthority between the rulers and the ruled.

Theerection of the fortification would have given Kyangyaran a sense of authorityover and above other Masu Gari hefound in the vicinity, and that would have given him some legitimacy as the newruler of Gozaki. The other Masu Gariat that juncture have witnessed a difference in leadership, as Kyangyaran wasable to achieve allot by erecting a fortification for the whole settlement ofGozaki from all sides. The fortification was highly needed by the people atthat time due to constant attacks on Gozaki from Katsina and Kano.[40] Theprovision of security to the people was one of the reasons they decided toaccept him as the new ruler of the emerging entity of Gozaki. In fact, not onlydid the rulers of the surrounding settlements submitted to the ruler of Gozaki,the fortification sent a signal to other rulers, with centralized authorityelsewhere that an important settlement which could not be easily crushed hademerged. People who wanted to invade Gozaki must have had superior militarytactics, to be able to do so. People coming in from other places into Gozaki,have found a secured place to inhabit, where they could pursue their means ofliving, with the soil being productive and enabling them with food resourcesall year round, not found everywhere. Therefore, the emergence of aheterogeneous settlement began to unfold in Gozaki that became a centre ofpolitical leadership and economic growth.

Anotherimportant factor behind the emergence of Gozaki as the most importantsettlement in the region by 1500 A.D., lies in the transformation witnessed interms of religion. It became a centre of a more advanced religious practice,the bori cult. In Gozaki, theredeveloped a system of religious worship which accommodated the interest of theheterogeneous community settling in the area. This was the worship of thespirits and the emergence of boricult which was superior to the ancestral worship tenable in the settlement.[41]Kyangyaran had an upper hand in the boricult and he belonged to the iskokipantheon that was introduced in Gozaki which is among the reasons why he wasaccepted as the ruler. Prior to that period, the ancestors were believed to bethe protectors of the lives and properties of the people and as the deadwatching over the living. The dead,dwelling in the spirit world oversee the lives of their ‘own’ people living inthe world, and assisting them in time of need and difficulty. The role of theancestors could be seen in the mediation they engaged in case of disputesbetween people, provision of rain and good harvest, curing various ailments wasalso a duty of the ancestors. The ancestral worship reflected a society ofpeople with close relationship either by blood or through similar traits ofkinship. It also, shows that the society has not advanced to a heterogeneoustype to incorporate people of different values and occupations. The issue ofancestral worship has been part of the social fabric of many societies inAfrica.[42] The introduction of bori cult in Gozaki catered for theheterogeneous population that settled there.

InGozaki, the advancement of the society led to the emergence of differentoccupational groups, which further led to the emergence and the introduction ofbori cult. It is said that eachoccupational group had certain spirits who were the owners of that occupation.For example, iron workers sought for the blessing of the spirits of iron andthe same applies to other occupations.[43] This means that, the roleof the ancestors in regulating the lives of the people was no longer tenable,as it was before c.1500 A.D. Therefore, in order to meet the needs for thegrowing population, a bori cult wasintroduced. It involved worship of spirits and supernatural beings consideredto be elements of enormous powers, who afflicted people with diseases as wellas provide cure for different afflictions. In fact,bori was a religious practice amongthe people of the area. The followers of a type of bori cult could harm a non-follower using the spirits theyworshipped. However, on a general note, the boricult took care of the interest of all, whether related by blood or those fromdistant places. That was why it became widely accepted by the heterogeneoussociety.

Bori is a form of traditionalreligion. Before the advent of Islam people the world over had a deity theyworshipped. People in Hausaland worshipped the Jinns, as they considered themas deities.[44]People prayed to the jinn for protection against all adversities like famine,as they also prayed to him to bless them with all fortunes like offspring andbountiful harvest. The act for seeking for assistance from the spirits gavebirth to Bori. The intermediariesbetween the adherents and the Jinn were the people called ‘Yan Bori. The adherents of Boricult called ‘Yan Bori prayed to thegods of those times, the jinns, for all fortunes and against misfortunes.[45]

Themost notable bori cult in Gozaki wasthe Magiro cult, which was the mostcommon form of worship among the people of the area.[46] Gozaki became a centre ofthe bori cult, thereby, bringing thesurrounding settlements under its authority. The recognition accorded the Uwar gari,[47] the female spiritresponsible for protecting the people, was incomparable to any other spirit.The Uwar gari was similar to theposition accorded to the female spirit, Innauwa in the political evolution of Katsina Kingdom. The bori cult involved making animal sacrifices, be it goat or chickento the spirits in order to grant the wishes of the people as regards to rain,good harvest, and cure from illness and protection from enemies. The dwellingplace of the spirits is said to be the baobab tree, and such trees happened tobe the largest innumber in the domain. If such trees were the abode of the iskoki, a lot of them dwelled in Gozaki.[48] Up to today that settlementis inhabited by the iskoki whofrighten people at every opportunity; they might have frightened invaders toGozaki alike.[49]Therefore, Gozaki was able to supersede other surrounding settlements and theywere able to submit to her. The rulers of Gozaki became part and parcel of thenew religious order and were able to dominate not only the religious aspect butbecame in charge of the political authority of the area. Interestingly, the bori cult was not only the belonging ofthe males; women were part and parcel of it. In fact, that is why the positionof Magajiyar bori emerged, a titleheld by women who co-ordinated the activities the bori for the rulers and the ruled. Interestingly, a renowned spiritworshipped was a female, popularly called Innauwa, meaning mother.[50]

Therefore,Kyangyaran set the foundation of a strong political system and became the firstSarkin Gozaki. The emergence of theoffice of Sarki heralded theemergence of a political system whereby other settlements of Dabai, Tandama,Dabaibayawa were brought under its fold and SarkinGozaki became the chief executive officer of that territory. However, it issaid that, there was the rise of chief priest in every community in Hausaland,who had all the powers at their disposal and even exercised political influencein the settlements and were the preservers of the accord made between theancestors and the spirits of the land.[51] It is now clear that, thespirits were the owners of the land and they gave the people usufruct rightsaccording to the sacrifices offered to them. Therefore, the rise of the chiefpriest in Gozaki for example would have heralded a power tussle between themand Kyangyaran. It is possible that, Kyangyaran was widely accepted by thespirits of the land. And the Boricult might have served the interest of the spirits to have warranted hisacceptance as the ruler of the entire Gozaki region. The chief priest continuedto perform their duties in the religious sphere. The bori was however used by some people to inflict pain on others byspreading diseases to the enemy or making someone barren. This is so because,animal sacrifice made to the spirits by some people could make them derail fromtheir role of ‘protecting’ all members of the community.

Thetenure of Kyangyaran was short-lived as he left Gozaki and this paved way foranother ruler to assume office. There is paucity of source to explain whyKyangyaran left Gozaki to Birnin Gwari.[52] The traditions of BirninGwari support the view that immigrants from Katsina founded the settlement, asit is said that “hunters from Katsina went and founded Birnin Gwari. When theyreached the area they only met bushes and vast open land which they were ableto transform into a settlement due to fertile nature of the soil, which wasswampy in nature, and suitable for the production of varied crops.”[53] Wehave to note that, other immigrants Wake, and his people left Gozaki for BirninGwari. According to Oral Tradition collected in Birnin Gwari, it stated that,the old settlement of Brinin Gwari was founded by hunters from Katsina and wereable to put themselves in position of authority.[54]In fact, these hunters fromKatsina along with the Gwari people from the area ruled Birnin Gwari.[55]

Theevidence from Birnin Gwari has corroborated the claim in Gozaki that Kyangyaranand followers left for Birnin Gwari and they established the politicalleadership there. This is shown in the king-list of Birnin Gwari whichestablished that there was mixed succession between the Gwari rulers at thetime of the arrival of these hunters, up to the reign of the last Gwari kingShijaw.[56]What is clear is that, Kyangyaran was not chased out of Gozaki or was defeatedin a war, to have warranted him leaving the settlement. He left on his ownaccord for another settlement. It is possible that, his whole existence anddreams rested on ushering in political developments and transformation of thesettlements he inhabited, that was why after transforming Gozaki, he set out toBirnin Gwari to transform it into an advanced settlement as well. It is possible that, he wasone of those rulers who were not interested in establishing long reigns anddynasties. Also, travelling from Lake Chad Basin he had passed through somesettlements before reaching Gozaki. Though there is no information on his lifebefore reaching Gozaki. What is important is that he left his foot print, andthe mark he left behind is indelible in the history of Gozaki, it cannot bewashed away by the sand of time.

However,there was no interregnum in the history of Gozaki. The leadership of the entitycontinued in the hands of the Gwari after Kyangyaran, and it continued to beadministered as a centralized entity. In fact, dynasties that ruled Gozaki wereclearly marked in its history, consisting of rulers who reigned in Gozaki as anindependent entity and later as an entity under Katsina kingdom. What isimportant is that, these rulers stirred the affairs of Gozaki and administeredit as a significant entity whose economy was reckoned with in terms of internalproduction of goods and services as well as income generation.

Incorporation of Gozaki intoKatsina Kingdom

Theincorporation of Gozaki into Katsina kingdom was done in the context ofterritorial expansion undertaken by the newly formed Hausa kingdom, Katsina, inthe beginning of the sixteenth century Central Sudan. Gozaki at that point intime was not an insignificant settlement that was desolate; rather, it hademerged as an important entity. The availability of natural and agriculturalresources in Gozaki has contributed immensely to its emergence as an importantentity by c.1500 A.D. That natural resource and along with many factors madeGozaki attractive, and it drew the attention of state builders in Hausaland.And it was annexed and conquered by Katsina Kingdom in the fifteenth century.However, Gozaki came under Katsina kingdom instead of Zazzau kingdom despiteits proximity with the latter. Zazzau was a centralised political entity withwell centralised political entity and a well developed military structure atthat point in time.[57]

Also,it is also likely that, Katsina Kingdom was the fastest in terms of territorialacquisition of Gozaki over and above Zazzau and Kano. In Hausa Language theability to grab something at a faster rate is called ‘shigar sauri’. Therefore, it was likely that Katsina Kingdom did shigar sauri, outwitted Zazzau andacquired Gozaki. It is possible that, the attention of Kano and Zazzau Kingdomswas not on Gozaki at that time. Though as we stated earlier there was attemptby Kano to conquer it. The most important issue to be considered is that,Katsina Kingdom acquired Gozaki and brought it under its administration due tothe supposed significance of Gozaki to the growth of Katsina Kingdom. Thekingdom of Katsina was established in the fifteenth century in the northernterritory of the state. [58]

Thus,the formation of the kingdom of Katsina in the fifteenth century around theBirnin Katsina by Korau “requires thebringing of the towns of Katsina Laka.... under the authorities of the Birni.”[59] ‘Birni’ here is referred to as Birnin Katsina, the capital of theKatsina kingdom. Also, this information has been corroborated by oralinformation where it has been stated that, Gozaki was brought under theauthority of Katsina Kingdom during the rule of Korau.[60]

Thus,the acquisition of Gozaki by Katsina Kingdom signalled a new era in itshistory. Instead of Gozaki existing as an independent entity composing of the Gozakawa (people of Gozaki), it becamean entity under Katsina.

Infact, Gozaki was one of the important territories under the Sarakunan Garuruwa (heads of territories) of Katsina. Others were Maska,Kogo, Dugul, Samri, Yandaka and Gazobi.[61]

Theoccupation brought an end to the independent status of Gozaki, along with Maskalocated to the west; they became provinces under Katsina Kingdom.

Conclusion

Gozakiemerged as a centralized political entity in the fifteenth century in an areasouth east of Katsina Kingdom, close to Zazzau Kingdom. It was administered asa political entity under the administration of a king, the Sarkin Gozaki. However, the independent existence of Gozaki wasbrought to an end with its conquest and incorporation into Katsina kingdom,thereby bringing an end the independent settlement of Gozaki in c.1500 A.D., asit became an entity under the SarkiKatsina, the overall head of the kingdom.

Bibliography

1.(a) Oral Interviews

i.Interview with Mallam Sani Ladan,Limamain Masallacin bakin hanya, guide to historical sites in Gozaki, Gozaki,12^th June, 2020

ii.Interview with Mallam Dalha Gozaki, 43years, civil servant, the interview took place at Kafur local GovernmentSecretariat, 6th September, 2018.

iii.Interview with Mallam Sani, civilservant, the interview took place in front of his house in Gozaki, 10th August,2020.

iv.Interview with Mallam Salisu, Potter,50 years, Gozaki, July 2017.

(b) Field Reports

1.Fieldwork Report on Gozaki by OyinloyeYinka Olenrajaju, Department of Archaeology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.2013.

2.Umar Bashir, “An Archaeological FieldReport of Gozaki Kafur Local Government of Katsina State”, June 2016.

(c)Archival Records

NNNAKKATPROF/1/6,3. Maska District Notebook

NNNAKKATPROF /1/25 Danja District Record Book

NNAKKATPROF 1/1695, Assessment Report Galadima District

2. Published Works:

a. Books

Barth,H., Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 1, London.

Bello,Muhammad, Infaqul Maisuri Bello,Being a Paraphrase and some parts translation of Infakul Maisuri of F.J., The Rise of the Sokoto Fulani

AimanZagami, Hausawa da Makwabtansu, vol.1, Northern Nigeria Publishing Company, 1970

IbnKhaldun, Al- Muqaddimah (Rosenthaltranslation), Dar al Qalam, Beirut, 1981

Nakuta,Abubakar Ibrahim, Takaitaccen TarihinBirnin Gwari, Kual Printers, Kaduna, 1999

Palmer,H.R., Sudanese Memoirs III, London, 1928.

Usman,Y.B., The Transformation of Katsina 1400-1883, Ahmadu Bello UniversityPress, Zaria, 1981.

b.Articles

Adamu,M., “Thousand Years of Hausaland Participation in Trans-Saharan Trade 9^thto 19^th centuries” in History Research at A.B.U vol. I1981/82

Aliyu,M. K., Archaeological Survey of Gozaki Site: A Preliminary Report, Zaria Archaeological Papers, vol. 11,no.1, 2012

HolowinskaZofia, “Ancient Towns in Katsina and Daura Emirates”, Fieldwork Report, 1974.

Ibrahim,Hussaina B.K., “Gozaki:The Emergence and Political Development of a Settlementin Central Sudan Up to 1600 A.D.” Degel:The Journal of the Faculty of Arts and Islamic Studies, vol. 19, no.2, December, 2021