By Abubakar Muhammad Musa (Saraki)
Historically, every Prince, Princess or a Royalist when s(he) got married they use to enter their matrimonial homes together with their Palace Retinues, which includes:
- The Overseer of the House Affairs (Sarkin Gida). And
- Chief Security Officer of the House (Sarkin Kofa), whom all of them are Royal Retinues.
From the bride’s side, she uses to enter her matrimonial home together with her female Retinue (Kuyanga) known as (Uwar Goyo), a time not only a single female servant but more than one Retinue (Kuyangi).
The Overseer of the domestic affairs (Sarkin Gida) and the Chief Security Officer (Sarkin Gida) are living with their families (wives and children at a side specifically build for them to live with the Prince and Princess and serve them.
A Prince In Kano Emirate and What it means
For female servants (Kuyangi) they use to be converted and elevated to concubines (Kwarakwarai) to the head of the family, who is the Prince they are serving.
Most of the time these concubines use to conceive and deliver before the Princess because usually, they are bigger and more matured then the Princess.
Usually the children of the Overseer of the house (Sarkin Gida), that of the other Retinues use to grow up together with that of the Princess, even at Emir’s Palace or Palace of any District Head, their children use to grow up with that of the Retinues.
The Emir or the Prince are the ones that use to slaughter ram for naming the newborn of the concubines or Palace Retinues, just the same way he (the Emir, District Head, or the Prince) use slaughter for their newborn of their wives.
It is the Prince or the Royalist that use to name his newborn and that of the Palace aides and he takes care of them all. And times, he takes care of the children of the Retinues much more than that of the Princess (that is his biological children).
The veterans among the Palace Retinues are the ones that use to nurture and train the Princes and Princesses right from childhood, in fact, concubines are the ones serving the wife or wives of the Prince or the Emir and their children.
A Prince is always with his Retinues since childhood, until the time when he will be turban as a District Head or when he will succeed his ancestors to ascend the throne and become an Emir.
That is why the Emir trust his Retinues much more than his children because the Palace Aides avail themselves to serve the Emir and meet his needs, while the Princes are after a succession of their father’s throne.
Retinues made the Emir’s entourage (Giwar Sarki) with more than %90, all the Emir’s housemaids are servants, Palace Retinues use to be the image-makers of the Emir. The Emir’s servants keep secrets, trust, and take care of the special needs of the Emir and the Princes.
During the Reign of Emir of Kano Abdullahi Maje Karofi, the grandfather of Emir Ado Bayero, he (Maje Karofi) was powerful and influential, despite his influence and social strata, also despite having many children, but it was his Retinues that served as key players in his affairs as the Emir, not his biological children.
It was Palace Aides that led immigrants’ houses (Gidajen Hijira) and that of Jihad in turbaning of Galadima Yusufu as the leader of the Kano Civil war (Sarkin Basasar Kano).
It was Palace Retinues that fulfill the will of the leader of Kano Civil War, Yusufu by installing Alu Mai Sango as Kano Emir, even when Alu intend to migrate, he hands over his entire family to his Retinues for them to take his family to Sokoto, despite that his maternal brother, Galadima Mahmudu was there.
Emir of Kano Abbas Makerin Doki, Emir Usman II (Dantsoho), Sir Muhammadu Sanusi I and Emir Ado Bayero all of them were born by concubines, so as Muhammadu Sanusi II’s paternal grandmother, the mother of his father, Ciroman Kano Aminu Sanusi, she was a concubine too.
Islamically, the Religion has recognition and acceptance for concubines, because history has it that Mariyatul Kibdiyya, was a concubine to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alaihi Wa’aluhi Wasallam), she was given to Him (S. A. W. W) by King Mukaukis of the Old Egypt Empire, it was she (Kibdiyya) that gave birth to a boy, whom the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah Be Upon Him) named after His grandfather, Prophet Ibrahim and nicknamed him as “Mu’azzam” that is Ibrahimul Mu’azzam.
Thus, these Palace Retinues and concubines are into what they were doing confidently and passionately, they are proud of that.
Whoever mocks any Retinue or Concubine, s(he) doesn’t know their relevancy in the Royal Cycle.
Historically, Retinues are also part and parcel of the households, and they were being taken care of, base on the social strata of their bosses.
Acknowledgment: A Special Royal Salute to a historian per excellence, a Royalist and a grandson of Sarkin Kano Ibrahim Dabo, Alhaji Abdulkadir Sani Koguna
Abubakar Muhammad Musa(Saraki) is a Public and Current Affairs Commentator, Historian, and Linguist. He can be reached via linguistmam@gmail.com or @linguistmam via Twitter
