Part 1: Early Islamic to Pre Colonial Era Week 6: The Palace Harem, Kano (Northern Nigeria) [15 th 18 th Centuries]
Palace Harem, Kano (15 th -18 th c.) Heidi Nast, Concubines and Power: five-hundred years in a Northern Nigerian Palace Focus of this week s study Puts the Harem specifically concubines at centre of state formation
Palace Harem, Kano (15 th -18 th c.) Entrance to Emir s Palace (above); Interior courtyards (right)
Hausa States, Kano (15 th -18 th c.) Kano Emirate: origins in Hausa States like Usman s principality (Ottoman Empire), clearly in formation 13 th c. Unlike Usman: Hausa States not Muslim until c. 1400s Unclear exactly how, why local leaders became Muslim Several explanations
Hausa States and Islamization "There is a story that the Prophet appeared to Abdu Rahaman in a dream and said to him, 'Get up and go west and establish Islam.' Abdu Rahaman got up and took a handful of the soil of Medina and put it in a cloth and brought it to Hausaland. When-ever he came to a town, he took a handful of the soil of the country and put it beside that of Medina. If they did not correspond, he passed that town. So he journeyed until he came to Kano. And when he compared the soil of Kano with Medina soil they resembled one another and became as one soil. So he said, 'this is the country that I saw in my dream.'" Murray Last, Historical Metaphors in the Kano Chronicle p.xx ( Resources )
Hausa States and Islamization Islam by the book, Islam by the market: most likely related to Hausa States relationships with western neighbours Islam adopted by Tekrur King (9 th c.) Ancient Empire Ghana: became Muslim 11 th c. (controversy over how: conquest? Peaceful conversion?) Mali Mansa Musa made pilgrimage in 13 th c. Dalla tributary to Islamized Borno 1400s Centre trade networks attaching it to north, west, east
Hausa States c. 1215
Hausa States c. 1453
Hausa States c. 1648
Hausa States c. 1789
Pre-Islamic Kano: DALLA
Long-Distance Trade: Kano1500s
Hausa States and Islamization Late 15 th C.: new ruler established power in Mali successor state - Songhay Empire Established by jihad in name of Islam Posed questions of al-maghili [religious scholar, southern Algeria]: how to be a good Muslim Ruler? Questions concerned property, commerce, slavery: seeking legitimacy of rule
Hausa States and Islamization Exchange provided insight into what early West African Muslim society looked like: ambiguities, syncretism real impact of Islam when only ruler/court was Muslim (see Resources, J.O. Hunwick, Trans./ed., Sharia in Songhay: Replies of al-maghili) Al-Maghili also advised Emir of Hausaland
Hausa States and Islamization Mali -- Mansa Musa (13 th C): Descriptions of pilgrimage Said to have taken 1000s of concubines dressed in fine clothes and jewels in Egypt, scholars told him that if he possessed all the beautiful daughters given him by his subjects [understood to mean the concubines above], he must marry them But at the same time, he could only marry four wives
Hausa States and Islamization Seems to have led to understanding that a good Muslim Sultan, because of being limited to four wives, should increase the number of his concubines: Hence the story of the late 15 th century ruler of Hausaland who announced his commitment to Islam by ordering the catching of slave girls and women to populate his new harem presumably Mohamed Rumfa the Arab King
Hausa States and Islamization Apocryphal or not: reflects tensions of transition from matrilineal to patrilineal society In matrilineal society, descent and inheritance traced through females possessing (or potential possessing) of women given to ruler critical to political strength of state/empire: women establish blood relations between royal and non-royal families tying political elites together Women held recognized political power
Hausa States and Islamization Islam restricted traditional female roles through marriage but offered comparable influence through concubinage: principle of umm al-walad Al-Maghili s replies (to ruler of Songhay, contemporaneous with his advice to Emir Rumfa of Hausa States)* emphasized importance of recognizing paternity between master and slave woman Spoke to essential difference patrilineal/matrilineal society: when property, blood lines trace through male paternity is critical See Nast s discussion of al-maghili s advice to Rumfa (pg. 63) The Crown of Religion concerning the Obligations of Princes
Hausa States and Islamization Story [oral tradition] of Malian Sultan who did not recognize his son by his concubine: it is said that she remained in slavery, as did her son when grown, the son brought civil war to the land seeking his rightful power Whether true or not, importance lies in clear expression of centrality of Islamic moral authority as measured by rights of paternity and umm al-walad to society
Hausa States and Islamization That said, cannot be assumed that transition immediate or complete: A late 15th century Queen of Hausaland was immortalized in a poem referencing her mortar of scented Guinea wood and her pestle of 'solid silver she is called both "Amina" (Islamic name) and "Gumsa (Traditional name) She asks Allah (Islam) to give her the long life of a frog and the dignity of an eagle (Traditional values) Poet collapses into one cultural identity the definition of power in belief systems of two different but not necessarily competing worlds: reflection of moment in time
Kano Palace Harem This is moment in which harem system described, analysed by Nast took shape: Shift to the centrality of concubines (as distinct from wives): key to physical reproduction and economic production Redefinition of seclusion : altering of pre-islamic concept Growing role of Eunuchs: gendering of Eunuchs
Kano Palace Harem Centrality of concubines: political fertility Critical to actual formation and rise of Hausa state Represented regions from which they came, created/cemented alliances Brought valuable information Their children born royal princes, princesses ( free ) In turn, married creating new households, alliances
Kano Palace Harem the womb functioned symbolically as a source wherein the States primary currency was created: children (Nast) currency was multi-functional, as were royal children born into the harem harem acquired corresponding importance Expanded in both numbers and space: Emir Rumfa (16 th ) said to have had 1000 wives (concubines)
Kano Palace Harem Seclusion: pre-islamic Hausa secluded ruler: as one who bestowed to or took life from his subjects, his humanness (bodily functions, eating, talking ) kept hidden Islamic Hausa secluded whole harem: royal family (including ruler Emir ), wives, children, concubines, eunuchs Divided into male and female spaces but in complex way, necessitating male and female paths, gates
Kano Palace Harem Nast notes that gendering space within palace not, in itself Islamic : male quarters in the east, female in the west pathways following geographic gendering Both can be found in non-islamic circumstances BUT: with different meaning
Kano Palace Harem Islam superimposed its own meanings on pre-islamic gendered space: Notes building of mosque, quarters for religious advisor who accompanied military campaigns [Rumfa] Quranic study spaces built by successors within eastern sector [see diagram]: religious education had important political functions (Nast)
Palace Harem: spatial diagram
Kano Palace Harem In various ways, Nast argues that the ciki (the inside ) the harem was a spatial articulation of way in which state accumulated, centralized and used women s fertility and knowledge [Discuss] patriarchal control reflecting Islamic influence BUT: centrality of fertility protected by seclusion of harem also permitted continuing of pre-islamic practice of bori (powerful belief system rooted in female fertility) Nast notes women placed (spatially) beyond scrutiny of male clerics
Kano Palace Harem The Kano Nine : Rumfa s creation of council Eunuchs Unclear process: said that Rumfa s wife Auwa was daughter of Songhay s ruler held power reflective of earlier matrilineal influence Rumfa sought to contain this by establishing council of nine eunuchs: reason not addressed by Nast Not entirely successful: story of Auwa s son and grandson ruling Her influence deposed two others in favour of another grandson
Kano Palace Harem Eunuchs seen to better represent patriarchal power of ruler (called Emir under Islam) because of having no competing family claims: non-kinship base central authority bolstered Ruler s power Eroded potential power of male (blood) kin
Kano Palace Harem Why did Council (eunuchs) acquire such power? Given lands, revenues to administer Controlled stables (army based on Calvary, fortune invested in horses) Oversaw other male slaves in palace Four eunuchs controlled state treasury (various aspects) One of Kano Nine -- Maaji represented treasurers (above) on Council
Kano Palace Harem Eunuchs also eroded power of Royal (free) women over accession decisions:.. But not without a struggle Example of mid-17 th century situation when Council determined that Queen Mother had overstepped authority in attempting to have her son put on the throne and had her deposed Queen Mother (date uncertain) lobbied successfully to have her son replace a reputable eunuch on Council
Kano Palace Harem Eunuch rise to power made Harem theatre of struggle : Women increasingly realized importance of alliances with eunuchs (or contrarily against them) Eunuchs similarly politically inclined Developed particular harem dominated palace politics [not terminology used by Nast but nevertheless, comparable to Peirce, Fay]
Evolution of Eunuchs in Harem
Kano Palace Harem Politics of Fertility versus Infertility : Reference not to obvious ability to reproduce (sexually) Rather to kinship networks Concubines production of children key but ONLY because of kinship relations back to families/regions If eunuchs influence increased, it was at expense of kinship Suited Ruler/Emir but had short and longer term impact
Kano Palace Harem Impact on Free Royal Women: Combination concubines, eunuchs: Matrilineage no longer key Concubines created new lineage through Emir Change over time: many of these (hundreds) came to compete with each other diluted direct relationship with village/region Queen Mother : retained right to determine marriages of manumitted concubines Overall: (Nast argues) Royal women forced to develop new negotiation skills with each other and the Emir
Kano Palace Harem To Be Continued: Concubines and the (re)production of the state
Harem and Grain Market Diagram Represents Schematic Drawing of Aerial Photograph of Kano
Royal Grain Areas