In this article, platinumtimes.ng explores the history, culture, beliefs, traditions and lifestyle of the Kanuri ethnic group in Nigeria.
The Kanuri are a group of people of African descent found in Nigeria, Chad, Libya, Niger and Cameroon.
Their origin can be traced to the ruling lineage of the medieval Kanem-Bornu empire and its vassals or provinces. Majority of the Kanuri people live in Borno, Nigeria and the speak the Kanuri language.
The Kanuri people can easily be identified through their dark skin color and outstanding heights which gives them an edge over other tribes owing to their past history as rulers and warriors.
They have a dignified sense of culture which is valued and respected by all it’s people.
The Kanuri people are most involved in farming, hunting and pasture and they constitutes a minor population in Nigeria.
Language
The Kanuris speak the Kanuri language which is a member of the Nilo-Saharan language family. Other divisions of the language includes the Manga, Tumari, and Bilma dialects of Central Kanuri, and the more distinct Kanembu language.
Majority of the speakers of these dialect are found in Nigeria while a minority of the group speak the Manga dialect.
In Chad, the Kanembu speakers differentiate themselves from the large Kanuri ethnicity. The Kanuri was the major language of the Bornu Empire, in Chad, Kanuri speakers are only a handful in the urban centers.
Kanuri remains a major language in southeastern Niger, northeastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon.
Origin
They mostly trace their origin to the ruling lineages of the medieval Kanem-Bornu Empire, and its client states or provinces.
The Kanuris were formerly seen as herdsmen made of many Nilo-Saharan groups indigenous to the Central South Sahara, beginning their expansion in the area of Lake Chad in the late 7th century, and absorbing indigenous Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Congo and Chadic speakers.
They were also influential on its neighbouring communities including the Budum of Lake Chad, the Mandara and Kotoko (or Mogori) who live southeast of the Kanuri, the Marghi of the Damboa district, the Babur in the hills south of the Kanuri, the Bolewa located southwest of the Kanuri, and the Bede of Gashua, within the Kanuri territory.
All of these people have presently been engraved into diverse aspects of Kanuri culture, mainly the Kanuri language and Islam.
Location
They occupy major cities of northern Nigeria and parts of Chad and Niger.
The southwestern section of the Republic of Niger is dominated by the Kanuri people.
Their soil is sandy and is covered with scrub brush, scattered thorny trees, and occasional baobabs.
There are also large flat surfaces of hard green clay at the bottoms of ridges.
Population
The Kanuri people number about over three Million people in Nigeria predominantly in the Borno province, five hundred thousand in Niger, hundred thousand in Chad and sixty thousand in Cameroon.
Beliefs
The Kanuri people are mostly Muslims since the 11th century when the Kanem empire became a center of Muslim learning.
They also belief in proverbs and see it as a means of communicating vital informations to the younger generation.
The proverbs are also used as a way to chastise and correct someone in a more polite way.
They also belief in the existence of deities and the use of charms and amulets worn in specific parts of the body as means of protection against unforseen events.
Occupation
Traditionally, the Kanuris are greatly involved in agricrulture, fishing, trading, salt processing and cattle rearing.
Modern Kanuri people engage in white collar jobs in both government and private sectors.
Cuisines
Millet serves as a staple food crop among the Kanuri people.
However, it is supplemented by guinea corn (sorghum). They have a common soup which is made from large amount of millet, served either as porridge or as dumplings.
A vegetable soup, also containing meat, groundnut oil, salt, and other condiments is spread over the Millet.
Dressing
The traditional Kanuri dress, “Kulwu” is a long robe or shroud consisting of trousers, a long sleeve undershirt and the open stitched sleeveless gown on its top.
It is usually worn with turbans or brightly embroidered caps to festivals, ceremonies and other Islamic occasions.
The women wear zani (wrappers) that are made out of colourful cloth called atampa, alongside matching blouses, head ties and shawls.
They can also be seen with beautiful body paint ornaments.
In everyday life, they can wear embroidered blouses and wrappers and sport some face marks and traditional jewellery.
Marriage
The Kanuri traditional marriage rites follows Islamic laws.
A man is permitted to marry more than one wife because of how early their men marry.
The men are suitable for marriage from 20 years of age while the women are sometimes betrothed from birth or at the age of 10 to 14 years being that a potential bride is expected to be a virgin.
The dowry is often paid by the groom’s family to the bride’s father(waliyyi), accompanied with other traditional rites and processes to solidify the union.
Also, marriage between cousins is practiced among the Kanuri people as this is seen as the cheapest form of marriage.