99. Hausa HousesAuthor(s): A. J. N. TremearneSource: Man, Vol. 10 (1910), pp. 177-180Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and IrelandStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2788783 .

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1910.) MAN. [No. 99.

ORIGINAL ARTICLES. Africa, West. With Plate M. Tremearne.

Hausa Houses. By Captain A. J. Ar. Tremearne, B.A., D.Anth., F.R.G.S. UU

In some parts of the Hauisa country the mosques and the houses of the chiefs are very fine buildings, the materials available considered. The larger dwellings are made of mud, the roofs being either flat (soron beni*) of the same material, or square and sloping, or conical (da(i)ki), in which cases they are of grass. The whole house is called the gidda, the separate hurs da(i)ki or zaure, and the wall, fence or stockade bango, damfammi or kaffi, the last word givingo, its iiame to many towns.

The first step is to clear the ground (shemna), the next to mark it out. This may be done with sticks, or in the case of a round house with string, and then the plan is drawn on the ground by the chief builder (Sa(r)rikin Ginni), who drags one foot along the marks so that they become wider and more distinct, hoes or shovels being afterwards used to deepen the depressions thus made.

The next step in the building of a mud house is the preparation of the material. The earth (ka(s)sa) is mixed with water (rua) trodden and kneaded, and left for a day or two. It may then be made into sun-dried bricks (tubali), or be simply moulded into rough balls about the size of a bowl, and is brought from the pit to the builders by men on pieces of wood, or anything. These "bowls " are then laid in a line in the excavation; another line or two is placed on top, atd loose mud is then pressed into the crevices between the lumps and squared off, leaving the sides quite straight. Some walls will require several rows of these bowls or bricks, but one row is enough for those of the ordiuary house, the process being repeated as often as is necessary to bring the walls to the required height. The building must be done in the dry season to be any good, else the mud will be too damp to bind properly, Snd for a similar reason the walls are usually raised but a foot or two each day. Should the work have to take place during the "rains," however, plaited-grass protections are laid along the top of the walls to keep off the water. I have never seen any caffolding erected (note ladder in Fig. 6), as the walls grow the builders climb up and squat on them if too high to be reached by men standing on the grounid or on boxes or tree-stumps ; the higher the walls the thicker they are usually, so this is easy. Fig. 5t (the ruins of the Basle Mission at Kumasi, 1900) showvs how straighit the walls can be built; Fig. 2 shows two completed ordinary mud huts-ini this case built for my servanits at Jemaan Daroro; while in Figr. 4t can be seen flat-roofed houses built wholly of mud, with tin or bark spouting to carry off the rain water from the roofs. Only the mosques (masalachi)

* The singular is given in all casei. t The buildings in Fig. 5 were not put up by Hausas, but the work is very similar, so they do

to illustrate this article. I Figs. 3 and 4 are reproduced with the kind permission of Colonel Elliot and the Secretary of

the Royal Geographical Society (see Jousral for November, 1904). [ 177 ]

FIG. 5.

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PLATIE M. MAN, 1910.

FXGI. I.-

FIG. 2.

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FIG. 3.

FIG. 4.

HAUSA HOUSES.

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No. 99.) MAN. [1910.

anid the largest houses (tafafara) are square amongst the Hausa (in all probability due to Filani influence), but the Yoruba nearly always use this form.

With a grass house, after the forked poles (maigoffa), bamboos (gora), or palm-ribs (gongola), aind grass (chiawa) have been collected, the rate of erection is simply a question of how quickly the builders can work. A small hut, with walls from four to five feet high (taffe), can be put up in a couple of hours, or even less, and the season makes no difference-though it is, of course, preferable to have the floor quite dry. After the ground has been cleared and marked out as before, holes, some one to two feet deep, are dug at intervals of a yard or so around the circum- ference, and forked posts (dirka) of the required height are placed in them, arranged so that the forks will be on about the same level all the way round. A number of long supple withes (especially if the house be circular) and stouter poles are then laid in the forks horizontally, in order to connect the uprights, and are bound to them with tie-tie (rammca), or bark or native string (igia), so as to make the whole as rigid as possible (see foreground of Fig. 1). Other cross-pieces are then tied in parallel rows below these right down to the ground, and long grass (see left-hand side of Fig. 2) may now be placed upright against, and outside of, these cross-pieces, being secured by other cross-pieces outside of it again. Lastly, a trench is made around and a foot or so away from the house, the earth being thrown on to the lowest part of the grass so as to make the house proof against rain streams, in much the same way as we protect our tents. Sometimes large grass mats (zana) are used instead of the loose grass, and in this case the lower cross-pieces may be dispensed with. Fences (dantfammi) are made in the same way. The roofs are usually put on before the grass is arranged on the walls, but it is easier to finish the description of this part of the subject before going on, so the proper order has not been strictly adhered to.

When building a large grass house, or a muid house with a verandah, the frame- work of the roof would have to be erected at about the same time as the forked posts are set up, for all would be connected. With a square house two or more (with a round house one) stout forked posts (maigoffa), high enough to give the proper pitch to the roof, are erected in the centre line and connected by a long cross-piece (mafiadi) lying on, and bound to, the forks, as before. These and the cross-piece are then connected with the shorter uprights (dirka) by other slanting poles (tsayko) -generally bamboos (gora), or palm-ribs (gongola) in the large houses, smaller palm-stalks (tukurua), or perhaps even guinea corn stalks (kara) in the very small ones-which are again connected with each other by more cross-pieces (tanka), the whole, which now has the appearance of lattice-work, being securely bound. In the case of a high house these tanka are first tied on near the bottom, the builders gradually working upwards and using each line like a rung in a ladder until they reach the top, when the projecting pieces are cut off or bent over (see Fig. 6).

The longer the grass the easier is the thatching, and the better it will be ; it is usually about three to four feet long when ready for use. While the builders have been at work other men have joined the grass stalks together with igia, making a kind of fringe (yanta), which is rolled up like stair carpets and stacked ready to hand. On the completion of the framework, the rolls are passed up to the men above, who unroll the grass (bebeya) over the tanha, aud either tie it (now known as bunu) or pin it with short sticks (kinni). This also is commenced at the bottom- as with our slate or tin roofs-and over the ridge is placed a wide plaited layer like that described as being used on the walls when building in wet weather. The framework of the roofs of small houses is usually put together on the ground (perhaps even thatched here) and is then lifted bodily on to the mud walls or uprights by half-a-dozen men. One can be seen in the course of construction in the right-hand

[ 178 ]

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1910.1 MAN. [No. 99.

side of Fig. 2. It does not seem to be anything like so large as the two completed ones in position to the left, but-as will be seen by the mud walls on each side- the huts are all of much the same Eize. The complete conical roof is known as the jinka.

In the case of a grass house the doorway (kofa) is simply the space left uncovered between two of the uprights, but in a mud building a proper lintel (almanani) is made by placing a stick or two across the top of the openinig, long enough to rest securely upon the wall on each side, mud being placed on top of this, and building going on as before; windows are made in the same way.

The doorway is closed with a roughlv made wooden or grass door (keauri, but generally called kofa) kept in place by hinges or a cross pole (moadogara), or with a mat (tufania, askunia), a cloth (zenne), or a string blind (tsewa). The floor will be stamped and beaten hard, when it is known as debbi, and may be blackened with dorowa solution (makubba). The walls may be whitewashed with alli, or

fa(r)rin ka(s)sa, reddened with jan ka(.s)sa, or blackened like the floor. To the house proper many additions may be made. Outside hut-like structures

(rumbu), raised on stones to keep out white ants and perhaps two-storied, are built for grain, while smaller ones (rafonia) are placed inside the house. There is also a lodge (zaure) opening on to the street, where attendants generally live and are at hand to announce a visitor; the zaure may also act as a stable. Beehives are usually at a distance, and may be made of long strips of bark cut in the form of a cylinder (ainya), or of gourds or pots (butumi). A small porch or verandah (shiria) may be built out over the door of the zaure, or of any of the huts. Each wife has her separate hut, the husband having a larger one nearer the zaure, and the whole will be sur- rounded by a wall or fence, as is seen in Fig. 3. In markets (kasua) or at halting places (zungo) little grass shelters (buka) are run up. Natives are particularly reckless folk, they will pull out the grass at night to make a fire, though knowing full well that they may want the shelter badly a week hence.

Europeans have, of course, tried to improve the local conditions aud methods, and it is usual to have an extra outside roof joining two or three complete huts. Fig. 1 shows the three huts of my house at Jematn Daroro with a small verandah (connecting each but), the latter is being removed as it had fallen in. In this house there was at first only a single roof, but in Fig. 6 can be seen the same three huts, each with its own roof, and a large .roof being erected over all; the verandah, therefore, will have one roof, the rooms two. Fig. 1 shows the dirka for this new roof.

The Hausas are very fond of riddles and proverbs, and it is only natural that many should refer to their domestic conditions. The best-known riddles are: "My " mare is in foal, but I do not ride her; I ride the foetus "-Answer, a hut with a bed. " The owner is in his house, but his beard is outside "-Fire and smoke. Of proverbs the following are examples: "Does the rack (of string fastened to the roof)

remain if the roof is blown away ? "-This comes to mean, will a good woman [ 179 ]

, ,

FIG. 6.

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Nos. 99-100.] MAN. [1910.

refuse to accompany her husband should he go to another town to live ? "The one who lives in the house knows where the roof leaks," i.e., everyone knows his own

business best, or the wearer kniows where the shoe pinehes. "Though a naked man may be ignored on the feast day, he will be sought after when building is going on."

Compare Kipling's "Thin red line of heroes when the drums begin to roll." " The only prevention against fire is to have two houses." Grass is, of course, easily inflammable, but the cooking is usually done inside. "The small pot tthe wife) " goes to and fro, but the big pot (the husband) remains at home," i.e., does no work. Yet we think that we can teach them the dignity of labour !

A. J. N. TREMEARNE.

Africa: Sudan. Thompson. Some Hadendoa Words hitherto unpublished. Part ii. By R. 4ff

Campbell Thompson, M.A., F.R.G.S. IUU DANCE: I was given the phrase " rise, dance " (in fantasia) tamna ya/kanat lMg5nd. DEEP: "the well is deep," tu-re nm'haotn't (B.). DEVIL: Arabic word adopted, e-gann (B.), (see also story No. 2, note I): DUST-

DEVIL, e-logdni. DROP OF WATER, ETC.: d5bb5nuna (B.). EAST: e-mmaIh (S.); o-mhon (B.), which A. gives as mahkn, im Osten. EAT, TO: see story No. 2, note 0.

ELBOW : A. gives gulhe for Unterarm : I heard o-gulhin for "elbow," which, I see, Rein. gives as pl. form.

EYE-LASHES, EYE-BROWS: I heard o-s'amb'han for both (S.): A. gives siimbehane Augenwimper, Munz. shinmbehane Augenbrauen, Lin. ochombanni, sourcils, Rein.

simbehA/ni for both. FEATHER, BIRD S: ti-tumba ti-kelai (Okela). FINE (OF FLOUR): A. gives naku : I heard the causative participial form s'ndkua (S.). FINISH: Arabic word adopted, imiperative kamala (B.). FLEE : imper. Ibalba, 2 m. s. perf. tilbaba' (B.). FLUTE: t-ambilhoi (O.). Given by Rein. as trompete. FOOT FROM ANKLE TO BASE OF TOES; o-sawa (pl. the same) (S.). FOREARM: o-sulai (S.). Fox: A. has " baio* [?], ni. SALT, ba-sho, fox; LIN. (Text s. 131: 'un petit reinard

nomme bachs') ; Seetz. baaschob, Fuchs, Schakal": I heard i-bas0(b) (H.) and o-timbil (B.).

Go: I was told that saka was used to dogs, and giga to meii (B.). GREETING: The greeting is dabaiwa, with aniswer daban (B.). N'harak sai'd and

leltak sac'da are not used.

GROUSE, PALLAS SAND-: wa-annoi (Okela). GUN: The ordinary word bunduk yya I beard under the form minduk (H.), but Seetz.

gives bunduk-jje. HAIL: A. gives mi, Seetz [e]neh ; Munz. embi[?] : I heard eba (B.). HAND : I heard te-dumbe for both the palm of the hand and the sole of the foot: see

A. sub voce ddnba. Rein. gives fuss-, schuhsole.

HANDLE OF A KNIFE : a'dd'r (Am.). HAPPY (): erkab (B.). HARLOT: te-rautune, pl. amakta (S.). I will not vouch for the accuracy of either of

these words; the former appears to be connected with rau, a friend, and the latter appears to be connected with the word amag, "bad."

HEEL: te-gt'sat (S.). [ 180

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