Azaghvana E-Book 2003 - Flipbook - Page 124
was subsequently changed to Nighine Gazuwire of Kunde. Next bulama Zanga Taɗa of Kunde
was asked to give a candidate. He said he was only standing in for someone else as bulama and
gave this bulama’s name, which was Njaɗa Gasagwa.
Next, we were told to go back home and tell our people to come down to Gwoza for compulsory
labour. The day the people went it was raining. When they arrived in Gwoza those who had been
named were singled out and the rest were sent back home because of the rain. The bulamas went
down the next day and found the people who had been separated at the district head’s house. Lude
Gatapa and Taɗa Gli’a of Ghwa’a were two of them. We were asked whether those were the
people we had named as candidates, which we confirmed.
Now the recruits were given clothes to wear. Taɗa Tarkwa refused to wear the dress given to him
and he started fighting instead. Hawa, senior bulama from Korana Basa, said to him ‘Who are you
to fight me, you are only a slave’ and then he was beaten. All three recruits from Ghwa’a: Kvawa
Gaghuda, Lude Gatapa, and Taɗa Gli’a, and also those from Kunde, put on the dresses.
Next Musa Gaɗaga [an employee at the district head’s house] and three policemen and prison
service workers put us all into an automobile and drove us to the resettlement scheme in Gwalaga.
They told the recruits that this land would be for them and after they had settled the rest of
Dghweɗe should follow them. They agreed and we all went back to the hills and dispatched to our
various homes.
The following day a meeting took place at Bla Ganage’s house in Ghwa’a. The candidates for
Gwalaga told the Dghweɗe people that he had agreed to settle in Gwalaga after they had been
arrested. They also said that all Dghweɗe must be resettled down there. Next, they took off the
dresses which had been given to them and left them in Plata Gaskwe’s house, who was the biggest
bulama in Ghwa’a.
At the time Bla Ganage was still a 'dawakara' [an assistant bulama] and was celebrating har ghwe
[sacrifice of a he-goat for the deceased father]. All the bulamas and their helpers [the chima and
dawakara] had gone there to drink beer. Bla Ganage gave us a big pot of beer and alla ghuza’a [a
mixture of goat blood and sour milk]. However, we could not eat and drink in peace because the
candidates for resettlement came and started fighting us. Lude Gatapa was the one who destroyed
the beer pot. We went to Warige Gakwaza’s house, also a dawakara, to find new beer but Kvawa
Gaghuda, another candidate, destroyed the beer pot. He was supported by other Dghweɗe. Now
we went to Lak Gajuguma’s house [also a dawakara] but the candidates followed us and stopped
us from enjoying the beer.
We eventually managed to send someone to Guduf to get beer and drank it but we were fed up and
called Kufa Gahutsa from Gwoza to come and collect the dresses and take them back to Gwoza,
also those from the candidates from Kunde. Kufa was also a dawakara and when he returned to
Gwoza he explained that the bulamas were facing trouble in Ghwa’a, and that the candidates
refused to go to Gwalaga. Now the district head informed lawan Buba to climb up to Ghwa’a to
investigate.
Three days later lawan Buba arrived and assembled the bulamas. I was informed by Gazawa ga
Lima, also bulama in Ghwa’a, that I should call Plata Gaskwa. We went up to Barike [meaning
barracks and is presumably a reference to the governmental rest house in Klala, near today’s
market place of Ghwa’a] and lawan Buba told us to call on the elders to discuss the disagreement.
Lawan Buba had arrived with eight others from Gwoza town. They had already arrested Luda
Gatapa, and Lude’s brother Nzava Gadangwadha was crying ‘Why have they arrested Lude?’ who
was tied by a rope to a tree. Among the elders they called Mbicha Gadga, Kalakwa Gadawa,
Dzuguma Gahwaza, Nzawa Gazawada, Ghadak Gambiye, Yadaka Katiwire, Fik Gavamile and
Nguzd Gafila.
Lawan Buba ordered us bulamas to go and find the candidates but neither of us responded to his
orders. Now lawan Buba himself went to find Kvawa Gaghuda but could not find him and arrested
his brother, Ɗawa Gaghuda, instead. Next, lawan Buba called on Taɗa Ghli’a but he could not be
found. After this, we all gathered at Giɗa Madawa [a rock near Taɗa Nzige’s house where also
this interview took place, in Ɓuhe at Ghwa’a].
Now lawan Buba addressed the elders and said: ‘You know how serious this matter is? Why did
you advise your children to run away and hide?’ The elders responded that they had not advised
them in this matter and that they were too old to go around and advise them. Some elders were
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