THE LOSS OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS (2)
How Hausa lost Katsina Kingdom to Fulani forever: Lesson to Yorùbá
Though the 7 Hausa states shared the same lineage, language and culture, the states were characterized by fierce rivalries with each other with each state seeking supremacy over the others. They constantly waged war on each other and would often work with invaders to the detriment of their sister states, hindering their collective strength.
Throughout its history, Katsina had been governed by various dynasties, including the Wangarawa and the Dallazawa, and was a vassal to neighboring empires such as Songhai and Bornu.
Usman Dan Fodio found excuse to usurp the power by charging Sarkin Katsina of respecting the opinion of the Bori priests who were traditionalists. Furthermore, the influence held by Bori priests over the Sarakuna was deemed unacceptable for Muslim rulers by Usman and his followers. This religious revolution, or jihad, led to the establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate. For the first time in the region’s history, it united all of Hausaland under a single ruler, the Sultan of Sokoto.
The Katsinawa offered support for the jihad. Much of this support came from the Sullubawa, a Fulani clan. Umaru Dumyawa, the leader (‘Ardo’) of the Sullubawa, resided near Zandam in Jibiya. When the jihad erupted in Katsina, Umaru Dumyawa, Na Alhaji, and Mallam Umaru from Dallaji near Bindawa went to assist the reformers and the Shehu. Na Alhaji was known as a mallam who had married one of the daughters of the Sarkin Katsina. All three individuals were of the Sullubawa Fulbe clan.
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