Northern-Nigeria Perspective

Chiefs are busy people, so a colonial chief finding time to write the history of his own people is unusual, and more remarkable when the history he wrote sheds light on an anarchic period of the nineteenth century about which few testimonies were recorded. The chief’s initial research predated his accession and was augmented over more than three decades as otherdemands allowed and his enthusiasm dictated, a pattern of attention which accounts for theoccasionally recursive character of the finally published text to which episodes were added when there was a moment to do so Later a supplementary volume was indeed added to fulfil the author’s wish on completing the first. Garbosa II, the regnal name of Malam Muhamman Bitemya Sambo, the seventh Gara Donga, was the author in Hausa of two volumes: The History and Customs of the Chamba (Labarun Chambawa da Al’amurransu) and, later, The Family Trees of the Garas Donga (Salsalar Sarakunan Donga), which were completed in 1956 and pu...