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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Colonial Hausa Idioms: Toward a West African Ethno-Ethnohistory |
Author: | Miles, William F.S. |
Year: | 1993 |
Periodical: | African Studies Review |
Volume: | 36 |
Issue: | 2 |
Period: | September |
Pages: | 11-30 |
Language: | English |
Geographic terms: | Niger Nigeria Great Britain France |
Subjects: | images Hausa colonialism History and Exploration Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) |
External link: | https://www.jstor.org/stable/524731 |
Abstract: | Ethno-ethnohistory refers to the recollections and interpretation concerning early Western visitors and settlers in the history of indigenous peoples. The author illustrates the ethno-ethnohistorical method for West Africa by using material that arose during fieldwork carried out among villagers in Hausaland (Nigeria and Niger) in 1983-1984 and 1986. Colonial-era ethno-ethnohistory reveals distinctive portraits of British vis-à-vis French administrators and policies. The latter are characterized by the expression 'mulkin zahi' ('a hot, burning rule'), whereas the British are regarded in much gentler terms. An examination of the perception of the 'White Man' as embodied in Hausa folklore also reveals the significance of clientship as a factor in the colonial relationship. Lessons gleaned from the investigation of Hausa ethno-ethnohistory may be applicable to the even more ambivalent relationship between social scientist and host community in contemporary Africa. Bibliogr., notes, ref. |