The Hausa Kingdoms were a collection of independent city-states situated between the Niger River and Lake Chad. Their history is reflected in the Bayajidda legend, which describes the adventures of the Baghdadi hero Bayajidda culmulating in the killing of the dragon in the well of Daura and the marriage with the local queen Magajiya Daurama. According to the legend, the hero had a child with the queen, Bawo, and another child with the queen's maid-servant, Karbagari.[1] It has been argued that the traditions's descent scheme was influenced by the biblical Abraham-Sarah narrative.[2]
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According to the Bayajidda legend, the Hausa Bakwai states were founded by the seven sons of Karbagari ("Town-seizer"), the unique son of Bayajidda and the slave-maid, Bagwariya. They are called the Banza Bakwai meaning Bastard or Bogus Seven on account of their ancestress' slave status. Yet, because of the first-born ancestor Karbagari they claim precedence over the Hausa Bakwai. These states include two kingdoms inhabited by Hausa-speakers and five states inhabited by speakers of Benue-Congo languages:
Hausa Kingdom
The Hausa Kingdoms began as seven states founded according to the Bayajidda legend by the six sons of Bawo ("give the (town) back"), the unique son of the hero and the queen Magajiya Daurama in addition to the hero's son, Biram or Ibrahim, of an earlier marriage. The states included only kingdoms inhabited by Hausa-speakers:
The Hausa Kingdoms were first mentioned by al-Ya'qubi in the ninth century and they were by the 15th century vibrant trading centers competing with Kanem-Bornu and the Mali Empire.[3] The primary exports were slaves, leather, gold, cloth, salt, kola nuts, animal hides, and henna. Except for tempory domination by Kanem-Bornu, the Hausa city-states functioned independently. Rivalries among the states inhibited the formation of one centralized authority.
Despite relatively constant growth, the city-states were vulnerable to aggression and, although the vast majority of its inhabitants were Muslim by the 16th century, they were attacked by Fulani jihadists from 1804 to 1808. In 1808 the last Hausa state was finally conquered by Usuman dan Fodio and incorporated into the Hausa-Fulani Sokoto Caliphate. In 1906 the British restored the old Hausa dynasty in Daura.[4]