CULTURE

Group members

Introduction

History of the shuwa culture

The shuwa culture’s beliefs

What the shuwa people wear

What the shuwa people eat

How they get married

HISTORY OF THE SHUWA CULTURE
IN NIGERIA.
GROUP ONE (1)
1. FATIMA UMAR KOLO
2. NANA FATIMA ABDULAZIZ
3. FATIMA GUJJA
4. UMAR BABA ADAMU
5. UMAR KABIR SAMBO
6. FIRDAUSI AHMAD ZANNAH
7. AISHA HASSAN
8. NAIMA DAHIRU
9. EMMANUEL OCHICHA
10. AISHA ALI BUKAR
11. USMAN IMAM MAHMUD
12. DAVID AIYETAN
13. AHMAD SHEHU
What is culture?

• Culture could be defined as the ideas, customs,

and social behavior of a particular people or
society. Culture is the total way of life of the
people that is learnt, acquired and associated with
people.
• Culture is one of the most important factor in life
because it provides important social and economic
benefits. With improved learning and health,
increased tolerance with others, and opportunities
to come together with others and enhances our
quality of life.
• There are different types of culture like the Hausa,
Yoruba, Fulani, Igbo, etc, but today we are going to
be talking about the Shuwa culture.
INTRODUCTION
• The Shuwa Arabs are commonly referred to as the "Baggara." The name
was derived from the Arabic word bagar, meaning "cow," and relates to the
Arab tribes in West Africa who are cattle herders. They are spread from the
Lake Chad region eastward to the Nile River in the countries of Sudan,
Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic. They
live in a hot, semi-arid climate with zones ranging from sparse shrub lands to
wooded grasslands.
 The Baggara tribes are of Arab descent and mainly speak the Shuwa
dialect of the Arabic language. They entered western Sudan between the
twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and have gradually moved east and west
from there. By the eighteenth century, they were concentrated primarily
to the north and east of Lake Chad. Their tribes continued moving
eastward until they became widely scattered across the horizontal plains
of West Africa. They have intermarried with the tribes who lived close to
them. This mixture of blood has given the Baggara darker skin and
thicker lips than other Arabs.
 They have a population of approximately 200,000
 The Baggara believe strongly in evil spirits. Each morning, a man
sneezes in order to rid his nostrils of the evil spirit who slept there
the night before.
 The Baggara have been Muslims since the thirteenth century. They
wear the clothes prescribed by the Muslim religion, and bury their
dead facing Mecca, the "holy city" of Islam.
• What the shuwa’s wear

SHUWA MEN USUALLY WEAR AN

ATIRE CALLED”JALABIYA(zalaika)

SHUWA WOMEN COVER THEIR BODIES PROPERLY

BECAUSE MAJORITY ARE MUSLIMS ,
THEY USE A LIGHT MARTERIAL CALLED”LAFAYA”irits. Each morning, a man
sneezes in order to rid his nostrils of the evil spirit who slept there the
night before.
•As part of their day to day activities, Nomadic lifestyle
is common in regions such as steppe, tundra and sand
where mobility is the most efficient strategy for
exploiting scarce resources.
•Animals are moved from one place to another in
search of fresh pasture. The Shuwa Arab nomads in
Borno State practice such activities. Shuwa ethnic
group is spread across Borno State and other
countries sharing border with Chad and Cameroon
Republics, close to the Lake Chad Basin. Shuwa
settled in this part of country during the time of
Muhammad El-Amin El-Kanemi. The term Shuwa is
peculiar to the region in the tip of the northeastern
Nigeria, where it is used by the majority of non-Arabs
to describe the Arabic speakers among them.
PRIMARY RELIGION AMONG THE
SHUWAS
Major Religion ▲ Percent
Buddhism 0.00 %
Christianity (Evangelical 0.02 %) 0.20 %

Ethnic Religions 0.00 %

Hinduism 0.00 %
Islam 99.80 %
Non-Religious 0.00 %
Other / Small 0.00 %
Unknown 0.00 %

Christian Segments ▲ Percent

Anglican 0.0 %
Independent 0.0 %
Orthodox 40.0 %
Other Christian 0.0 %
Protestant 0.0 %
Roman Catholic 60.0 %
• Unlike their Arab neighbors farther north, the Baggara are unable to raise camels
because of the thicker vegetation and more humid climate.
Most of the Baggara tribes are nomadic. Each year, the herds are moved south to the
river lands during the dry season, and north to the grasslands during the rainy season.
Before changing locations, the Baggara usually plant sorghum, sesame, millet, and beans
in their fields, harvesting the crops on their return.

The roles of the Baggara men and women are very distinct. The women are responsible
for milking the cows. They sell the raw milk to factories, and processed milk either at the
marketplace or door to door. They keep the earnings for themselves, or use it to pay
household expenses. The women also build the houses, tend to the children, go for water,
prepare the daily meals, and trade in the marketplace.

The men are primarily involved with caring for the herds. They also plant and harvest
the crops. Although the mother is the primary caretaker of the children, the father may
also show them some affection, or discipline them from time to time. Since the women
are capable of adequately maintaining the household, the men will sometimes leave for
one or two years at a time to work in other countries.

The Baggara depend entirely on their animals for survival. people feed on milk and
cheese during the winter. Animal fat and dung are used as healing ointments. The skins
are used to make clothing and tents. Even the bones are used to make ornaments and
weapons. A Baggara's life revolves around his animals and he is strongly devoted to
them.
 SHUWA ARAB WEDDINGS
•Borno state is home to a rich variety of culture and wedding traditions that span hundreds
of years. Inspire of modernization, these people have clung to their cultural traditions,
notable amongst them are the Babur’s, the Shuwa Arabs and the Kanuri’s.

•Investigations carried out revealed that although these three tribes have shown similar
characteristics in terms of the process and ways by which they conduct marriages, the
Babur’s showed a marked difference while both the Shuwa Arabs and the Kanuri’s display
a certain similarity. While the Barbur are a mixture of Christians and Muslims, the Shuwa’s
and the Kanuri’s are exclusively Muslims.

•Arranged marriages still happen in the Arab world. The traditions of conservative Arab
society and Islam forbid couples to have sex or socialize before marriage (however forced
marriages are against Islamic teachings). Therefore, when it is time for a young man to get
married, his family will look around to identify a number of potential brides. [2]
The Shuwa Arabs have a much more different wedding culture from the Babur’s but akin to
that of the Kanuri people. Marriages among the Shuwa Arab nomads could be very
interesting because the parents usually choose spouses for their children. Parents start
searching for a companion to their sons before they attain the age of maturity. The same
applies to the females. Matches are made between relatives, particularly between cousins
and social equals. the path to marriage hood usually starts with the groom identifying the girl
he wants to marry.He will then send representatives to come and talk with the father of the
girl. If the father agrees, he will then confront her and if she consents to the idea, a dowry is
set between the representatives of both parties. If the girl is pretty, the dowry is usually
twelve pieces of gold coins and if she is average, just four pieces of gold coin.And because
gold has a universal value and its exchange rate is stable and harmonised throughout the
world and for most times, the bride price dowry of a Shuwa woman is therefore tied to gold
and thus she is always justly valued.However the prospective groom may choose to meet up
if he is financially capable or decide to renegotiate until an agreement is reached. If an
agreement is reached a date for the wedding is fixed and usually takes a period of about six
months, more or less. In the interim, the parent of the prospective bride will keep reiterating
on the fulfillment of the pledge. Then preparation is put in full gear, money is usually
demanded from the husband to be, to get the bride ready and for the occasion.Before the
wedding there is what is called “Wushewushe” which is usually a visit by the groom and his
friends to the bride’s family. There they are hosted with drinks, food and other forms of
entertainment including dancing. On the wedding morning a time is fixed for prayers, to
solemnised the wedding, which is called “Fatiha”, which is an Islamic wedding rite. After the
“Fatiha” the groom with his family members and well wishers will go to the bride’s family
house to appreciate and celebrate with them. Then a time is fixed for the groom to come and
take his bride. When he goes to collect his bride at the appointed time he is usually
prevented from doing so by the bride’s relatives.So the groom will have to induce them
financially in order to be able to leave with his wife, this payment is called “Sadaki”. The
bride’s relatives will then follow the new couples to their home and stay with them for a
period of seven days before departing.
 • Tulba
Tulba (Arabic: ‫ )طولبة‬is basically a formal request of hand. The event is more private, limited to
the relatives of the bride and groom. This occurs after both families have agreed to the couple's
decision to marry. In "Tulba", the groom, along with his family members, asks the bride, with her
family for her hand in marriage. Families then formally recognize that the couple will be married

Radwa
•This event usually occurs one or two days before the wedding day. It is a small gathering of
close male relatives on both sides of the bride and groom, usually in the home of the bride's
family. In this exchange, the men on the groom's side make sure that the bride's family is
satisfied with the party. Male family members on the groom side also make sure to resolve any
last minute issues before the wedding. After all, the eldest man on the side of the groom
congratulates all the male relatives on both sides.
 Henna night (Ghomrah)
•In Old tradition, the henna night was a night used to prepare all the necessary
wedding decorations and last minute arrangements. It was also a chance for the
families to celebrate together before the wedding. The groom's family would dance
through the streets of the village until reaching the house of the bride. Once there, the
family would mix henna together, which would then be used to decorate the bride and
grooms hands (with the groom's being merely the initials of his bride and himself), and
then offer the bride her mahr (usually gold as it does not decline in value like other
wealth). The families would then dance and sing traditional shuwa songs

•In modern times, particularly those not living in the arab states, the henna night
remains traditional in customs, but is very similar to a bachelorette party; the bride's
female friends and relatives join her in celebrating, which includes food, drinks, and a
lot of dancing. A women's group plays Arabic music, sometimes Islamic music, while
everyone dances. A woman draws henna , a temporary form of skin decoration using
henna, on the bride and guests' skin — usually the palms and feet
• IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE DARKER THE HENNA

• THE STRONGER THE BOND OF THE MARIRIAGE

 Wedding reception
•Weddings usually include a zaffa, a procession that loudly announces the
couple's wedding. The zaffa differs from region to region. In Egypt, for
example, the Dumiyati zaffa is popular in the north. In the Levant, the
traditional dabkeh is popular. Other versions of the zaffa can be found in
North Africa and the Arabian peninsula as well as the khaliji; the zaffa even
reached Malaysia with the first Arab traders, called the Zapin.

The Weddings
• The ceremony resembles the reading of fatiha, this
when the legal documents
are filled out and filed. two witnesses ,usually the eldest men in each
files ,sign their names to the marriage contract ,and the couple is now
officially married. Then the groom can then take his bride home and
some post marital ceremony .
What do the shuwas eat
The shuwa’s are very fancy ,they are considered to have the best women in
Nigeria when it comes to wife material. They are very neat and
organized ,many Nigerian women want to know their secrets but it is nothing
other than their sweet ,mouthwatering and delicious dishes. Here are some
few secrets of the shuwas:

• Danderu;
pesThis is a type of shuwa dish made purely from beef ,the meat is
buried underground after being marinated .It is left to cook for a day
or two as little coal is added to the ground until meat is cooked and
tender .It can be served with rice or be eaten alone .this has been a
traditional food of the shuwas for centuries and it never seizes to
please theople .
• Basisey
It is called rice pudding .it is made from sugar ,rice and milk
(with a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness).it could be
severed hot or cold and topped with varieties of fruits.

This is a dessert unlike danderu which is a main meal.

THANK YOU