Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 144, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 July 1917 — Oldest of Haysa I States [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Oldest of Haysa I States

RECENT publication of the fact that the emir of Katsena had agreed to give to the British imperial war fund the sum of $35,000 a year while the war lasts called attention to an interesting if unfamiliar state in Africa, and to its Capital city, which bears the same name. The state of Katsena Is certainly one of the lesser-known parts of the British empire; nor is this to be wondered at, since It is only within quite recent years that It was brought under British protection; this fact in itself making the handsome gift of its ruler the more pleasing and indicative of the keen appreciation of British rule in Nigeria. Formerly an ancient state of the Western Sudan, Katsena is now included in the province of Kano, in the British protectorate of Northern Nigeria. It lies 84 miles northwest of Kano, and 160 miles east by south of the city of Sokoto; and its population comprises some 500,000 people—Hausa and Fulani. Of these two races, the older —in the sense of having been longest In the country—is the Hausa, who form part of the most important nation of the Central Sudan, and who, though nlgritic (in places they possess a strong crossing of Arab and Fula blood), are morally and intellectually.far superior to the typical negro. They claim that their ancestors came from a country

very far east, beyond Mecca; and some corroboration of this is furnished by the fact that the Hausa language has several striking points of resemblance with the Coptic,, and also with that spoken by the Berbers south of Tripoli and Tunis. It is also noteworthy that the Hausa, alone of all the native inhabitants of tropical Africa, have been able themselves to reduce their language to writing. The character they use is a modified form of Arabic/the language is rich and sonorous, and contains no less than 10,000 words; and some fragments of Hausa literature are in existence, consisting of religious and political poCiiis, together with a limited amount of native history. It Is estimated that about a third of the people are Mohammedan, and a third heathen, while the remaining third have no definite form of religion at all. Are Peaceful and Industrious. Large numbers of the Hausa Mohammedans make the pilgrimage to Mecca every and they are a peaceful and industrious people, living partly in farmsteads amid their crops, being- excellent agriculturists, and partly in large trading centers. They have developed a variety of industries, such as the making of cloth, mats, leather, and glass; and not only do they trade with foreign parts, but they themselves journey far afield as traders, small colonies of them being met with In towns as widespread as Lagos, Tunis, Tripoli, Alexandria and Suaktn. In Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast territory they form the backbone of the military police; and, under English leadership, again and again they have shown themselves to be. admirable fighters and capable of a high degree of discipline and.-good conduct.

Katsena is of special interest in that it is the oldest of the Hausa states, and harks back to a time when the Hausa were undoubtedly a great people—as, under British rule, they may be once again. There exist manuscripts which carry its history back for a thousand years. Tradition ascribes the origin of the Hausa population, which is also known by the name of Habe, or Habeche, to thd union of Bajlbda of Bagdad with a prehistoric queen of Daura (one of the Hausa states); and Katsena was the chief seat of learning throughout’ the Hausa cdfintry. Conquered by the Fulani. . j The Hausa Confederation, of which Katsena possessed the most Influence, extended its authority ovej- many of the neighboring countries, and remained paramount till the Fula, or Fulani, under Sheikh Dan Fqdio, in 1180, conquered the states and found-

ed the Fula empire of Sokoto. The Fulani people are a mixture of Berber and negro, and where the purest types of the race are found they are of a reddish-brown or light chestnut color, with ovfrt faces, ringlety or even smooth hair —never woolly—straight and even aquiline noses, delicately shaped lips, and regular features, quite differentiating them from the negro race. Though the Fulani came as conquerors, they introduced few changes among the Hausa, adopting the existing customs and system of government, except that they, as zealous Moslems, endeavored, naturally, to spread Islam. A portion of the race has undoubtedly Intermarried with the Hausa, and acquired thereby a stronger nigritic character; but the ruling caste have preserved the purity of their blood, and It is, of course, from this that the present emir of Katsena is sprung. Katsena has been under British protection only since the year 1903, when Sir Frederick Lugard visited the state on his way from Sokoto, and the and chiefs accepted British suzerainty without fighting. In the following year, however, the emir was unfaithful to his oath of allegiance, and he was deposed, and his successor, the present emir, was installed in his stead. Since that time, the history of Katsena has been peaceful and progressive, under the enterprising and loyal rule of its

emir, and its future augurs exceeding well. It may be mentioned that only recently the emir was married to the daughter of the emir of Kano, who has also made a welcome gift to the imperial exchequer.

EMIR PASSING THROUGH GATEWAY WALL OF KATSENA

Palace of the Emir of Katsena.