Azaghvana E-Book 2003 - Flipbook - Page 125
pouring sand on their backs [this meant that they were asking for mild punishment]. Lawan Buba
answered that the issue of resettlement had not come from him but others. He said: ‘You built the
district head’s house in Gwoza and now you don’t want to settle in the plain. When we asked your
children to go to school, you refused to give out your children. Coming up into the hills is very
difficult. Do you want to live in a primitive way or do you want to be educated?’ Lawan Buba put
all these questions to the elders who answered that all they wanted was to be free from the Plat-ha
[Fulbe of Madagali, also in memory of Hamman Yaji's raids]. Lawan Buba again mentioned
Gwalaga and that they could live there very comfortably.
Next, lawan Buba was asking for water. Kalakwa Gandukwa brought water for him. After lawan
Buba finished drinking, Ɗawa Gaghuda, who had been arrested on behalf of his brother, also
asked for water but lawan Buba and his companions answered in Fulani: ‘Who will give you
water, are you not only a prisoner, which water shall we give you?’ Ɗawa now said: ‘Am I really
a prisoner?’ Since he was not tied up he ran away. Lawan Buba asked the bulamas to catch him
but they didn’t succeed.
Next, the bulamas went to the house of Ɗawa’s father-in-law who was celebrating har ghwe. They
knew that Ɗawa’s wife was there. Baraya Ngargwa, who was part of lawan Buba’s entourage,
shot his powdered gun. The people inside the house, who were already in the middle of their
religious celebration, were interrupted by the shooting of the gun outside the house. Some tried to
jump out of the house in a panic. Baraya forced his way in and got hold of Ɗawa’s wife in the
kitchen. He dragged her out while the bulamas and the rest were waiting outside. As a result of the
gunshot, everybody in the village now knew that the trouble had started.
When the bulamas and lawan Buba’s helpers moved back where lawan Buba was waiting they
could hear a flute. Fulata, the bulama of Ghwa’a, asked what the flute was for, and they said that it
was for condolence in Chikiɗe [this was presumably said to distract him]. Before they knew
people moved in groups towards them, calling out: 'Khina, khina, khina, khina', meaning ‘Today
is today, today is today’. Bulama Fulata started to panic, and Umar Ganjikwa and Nage Gahawa,
both members of lawan Buba’s entourage, fled as well. They ran towards Barike, which is the
place where they stayed when they came up from Gwoza and the Dghweɗe groups followed them,
shouting 'Khina, khina, khina, khina'.
Lawan Buba’s entourage shot another powdered gun towards the Dghweɗe attackers but they
were hiding between the fields of beans and millet. Khwisa Gadava, one of the bulamas of
Ghwa’a, said to the other bulamas: ‘We better find our way or else these people will not leave us’.
Taɗa Njga Nguva from Dzga now got hold of bulama Fulata’s stick and broke it. Stones were
thrown at them like rain. The other Gaske rainmakers of Ghwa’a started beating Taɗa Nzige. The
people of the Ga-Jata lineage beat bulama Fulata and bulama Gazawa because they were from
their lineage. The Gangaladiwe lineage beat Dzutha Katiwa and bulama Pagha had to run into a
house because he was beaten with a big stick by Gwaya Gadanga.
They encircled the bulamas and lawan Buba and his entourage, throwing stones and fighting them.
Lawan Buba tried to escape into one house but before he could enter, someone threw a stick on
the back of his head. He was about to fall and Taɗa Nzige held him up on his shirt from behind.
He went with him into the house.
People were about to kill bulama Fulata but Prsa Gagaya, a man from Ghwa’a, laid on top of him
to protect him. Bulama Dzutha Katiwa was almost dying. All the bulamas were naked now
because their clothes had been ripped off. All bulamas escaped to Gwoza, being naked.
They also wanted to kill Taɗa Nzige but because he was a rainmaker they only kept him in
rainmaker Ghamb Gagwaya’s house. If the whole of Ghwa’a had responded to the call to attack,
nobody would have survived, but it was only Dzga who carried out the attack [the reason was
presumably that the arrested woman was from Dzga, including her father and her husband].
The first person to shoot lawan Buba with an arrow was Mik Gaparɗa from Dzga. Taɗa Nj’ga
Nguva cut with a sword into his left arm. Ghi’a Gacemine shot him into the back. Kurima cut him
with a sword. The other arm was cut into by Nukwe Gaparɗa. Lawan Buba injured Ruta Kalakwa
on his hand and Ruta Kalakwa threw him down.
Yarima Nage Gahawa, a member of the entourage, shouted from a nearby rock towards Gharguze
[Korana Basa] to Mbica Gargwa: ‘They have killed us and they have killed lawan Buba, give us
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