Overview
- Lesson Title: Handiwork Prevents Idleness-This editorial explains the importance of handiwork in Hausa societies.
- Language: Hausa
- Topic: Culture/Society
- ILR Level: 2+/3
- ACTFL Proficiency: Superior, Advanced-High; This ACTFL rating is an approximation based on the ILR level
- Modality: Reading
- Learning Objective: Maintenance & Improvement
- Subject Area: Language
- Material Type: LO
- Publication Year: 2007
- ObjectID: HAUS_12117
Transcript
| Original | Translation |
|---|---|
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Handiwork Prevents Idleness Sana’o’in hannu na hana zaman kashe wando NOTE: ”Q” represents the Hausa hooked ”K” “X” represents the Hausa hooked “D” “V” represents the Hausa hooked “B”
Kuma har a zamanin yanzu in mutum ya tafi wasu yankunan na qasar zai tabbatar da cewa a kwai sarakuna ko shugabannin masu sana’o’in hannu. Misali anan, shi ne a cikin birnin Zazzau akwai Unguwar Babban Gwani. Tarihi kuwa ya nuna cewa wani shahararren magini ne yazo qasar Zazzau har ya zama Sarkin magina, shi ne kuma tushen kafa wannan Unguwar. Kusan kowane tsohon birnin akwai Sarkin Marina da Maqera, kai Sarkin Kasuwa ita kanta. Kasuwa ita ce uwar ciniki, domin har kirari ake yi mata cewa, “Kasuwa akai maki dole.” Idan mutum ya yi nazarin waxannan sana’o’i da Hausawa ko kuma ace ximbin qabilun Nijeriya suka shahara suka tumbatsa, kwarewarsu ta kai kusan ko’ina, kuma a wancan lokacin babu masu zaman kasha wando. Saboda himma da qwazo da mutanen da ke dashi wajen sana’a da neman na kai, in har aka samu mai zaman kasha wando, to ko yana so ko ba ya so dole ya daina domin sunansa kawai malalaci. Hasali ma, matasa idan suna neman aure, bayan an gudanar da bincike kan kyawawan halinsu, to sai kuma an bincika qwazonsu a wajen sana’a, don hakan ne kawai zai iya ba da dammar fahimtar ko mutum zai iya xaukar nauyin iyalansa. Waxanda suke aikata masha’a da sata duk nan da nan ake saninsu. Sarki ko hakimi ko Mai unguwa ko Alqali kan yi masu nasiha duk sa’adda aka kamo su suka gurfana a gabansa kafin a yanke masu hukunci. Da al’ummar da muke ciki a yanzu za ta gina tarbiyyar xan Adam akan irin waccan qwarewa da mutanen da suka yi a sana’o’in hannu mabambanta, to haqiqa da an samu ragowar zauna gari banza. Kai qarshenta sai mutum ya shiga wasan vuya da ‘’yan uwa da iyaye ko hukuma in har aka ce yana zaman kashe wando. Amma saboda an mayar da al’amarin ba komai ba, yau za ka samu mafi yawan matasa suna iya haquri da babu, amma ba sa iya haquri da qaxan. Waxanda basu samu irin aikin da suke so ba, to da wuya su jarraba wasu sana’o’in, maimakon haka sai kawai su yi ta gararanba a gari, in a qauyuka suke sai su qwararo zuwa cikin birni; in kuwa waxanda suka kamala makarantun zamani ne to da wuya su yi sana’o’in hannu don kare mutuncin kawunansu. Rashin tsare-tsare matabbata da za su iya daidaita sana’o’in hannu su tafi kafaxa da kafaxa da irin na zamani ya qara dankwafar da qimarsu, al’amarin hart a kai ga mutum ba zai iya yin tinqaho da su ba, kamar misalin ya ce, “Ni marini ne ko masassaqi ko magini da dai makamantansu.” Ya zama wajibi akan mahukunta da sauran maxaukaka a cikin al’umma da su riqa qoqarin ganin mutanen sun gina tsarin rayuwarsu akan tarihinsu, musamman ma wajen neman abincinsu. Ya kamata kuma jama’a su riqa haquri da kaxan, don Hausawa na cewa “Maraina kaxan varawo.” Mutanen da suke aiki da hankali sun tabbatar da cewa daga qananan abubuwa ake kaiwa ga manya. Bayan an faxakar da mutane, to kamata ya yi hukuma ta ba da duk irin tallafin da za ta iya yi wa jama’a, masu hannu da shuni da dukkan maxaukaka a cikin al’umma su ma su bayar da tasu gudunmuwar. Yin haka tabbas zai kai al’umma kan tudun mun tsira |
Handiwork Prevents Idleness Since long ago, people in Hausaland have been engaged in different kinds of manual trades. Besides farming and herding, the residents of this region mostly have engaged in trades pertaining to everyday affairs. One could find people who were builders, dyers, carpenters, blacksmiths, makers of cooking pots and the like. The characteristics of life in those times did not make for an impoverished community, and this was due to nothing more than the fact that nearly every household had some kind of trade that they had held firmly since time immemorial. Eventually, one would achieve a status that ensured respect for his household even among those in power. In that period, instead of moving out and away, they became famous at a certain trade, and indeed the traditional chief would recognize such an individual by appointing him to be a leader from those engaging in a certain trade from the relevant household. And even to the present day, if a person goes to some regions of the country, it is certain that there will be chiefs or master craftsmen. For example, in the city of Zaria, there is a neighorhood known as “Great Expert.” History suggests that a famous builder came to the kingdom of Zaria and became the Chief Architect, and it was he who established this neighborhood. Nearly every old city has a Chief Dyer and a Chief Blacksmith, even a Chief of the Marketplace itself. The marketplace is the mother of trading, so that a song of praise refers to it by saying, “Marketplace, you have become indispensable.” If a person studies these trades, he sees that the Hausa or any number of Nigerian tribes made them famous and carried them far and wide, that their influence reached almost everywhere, and that in those days there were no idlers. Because of the determination and diligence that people had in a trade they practiced, if someone were lazy, then whether he wanted to or not, he had to change, because he would only be known for his idleness. In fact, when a youth wanted to get married, after one studied the quality of his character, one looked into his diligence in a trade, for only this would provide an opportunity to understand whether a man could shoulder the responsibility of a family. Those who went about drinking and stealing, were all immediately known. The chief, district head, neighborhood leader or judge would give them advice whenever they were arrested, as they knelt before him before judgment was passed. Were our people of today willing to build their communities on the basis of the qualities of our forebearers who placed emphasis on skill in various trades, we would have fewer idle people. In fact, a man would play hide and seek between himself and his brothers and parents or authorities, just so he could avoid being identified as idle. But because the matter is dismissed as unimportant, today you will find that a great majority of youths will not bother with anything, and have no patience for even the smallest thing. Those who haven’t found the kind of work they like have difficulty trying out trades, and instead they just wander about town or, if they live in a rural area, they migrate into the city; those who have finished their formal schooling have difficulty performing manual trades because they would not want to tarnish their reputations. The lack of meaningful ways to teach traditional trades in modern-day schooling has only made matters worse. We have reached a stage where a person can no longer, for example, proudly proclaim , “I’m a dyer or a carpenter or a builder and the like.” It is incumbent upon the authorities and other respected members of the community to keep trying to see that people build their lives following the past, especially in regard to their livelihood. And the public must be a little patient for, as the Hausa say, “Ungrateful people are like thieves.” Intelligent folks have often assured us that tiny acorns grow into mighty oaks. Besides alerting people, the authorities must provide every kind of support that they can to the public, while the wealthy and all respected members of the community should also help. Doing this would certainly raise the community to a higher level. |
Glossary
| Hausa | Hausa Meaning | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Su tafi kafa da kafa | Su tafi daidai da juna ko tare. | To go hand in hand, or to be compatible with something |
| Marainin kadan barawo | Ma'ana duk wanda ke raina kaɗan to yana iya sata domin ya wadata. | One who does not appreciate little is a thief; in the text this means those who do not appreciate having little, or even what they have, are the ungrateful |
| Zaman kashe wando. | Zaman rashin aiki. | Sitting to kill/destroy pants, referring to an idle person or mind |
| Kasuwa akai maki dole | Dole mutun na da dalilin zuwa kasuwa.Watau dole aje kasuwa domin sayen ko sayar da kayan masaruhin yau da kullum. | Going to the market is inevitable; one will always need to go to the market, either to take goods to sell or use money to buy goods for daily needs |
| Zazzau | Wanna suna ne da ake kira Zaria a zamanin da. | Zazzau is an ancient name for the present day city in Northern Nigeria called Zaria |
| Masu hannu da shuni | Masu arziki. | The wealthy people or bourgeoisie |
| Kan tudun mun tsira | Yin nasara ko nisa da al'amarin da suke ciki. | This means to escape from a situation or be free from a situation; (literarily means to climb the mountain of safety); also victory |
Notes
| Hausa Notes | English Notes |
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Handiwork Prevents Idleness Akwai hausawa fiye da miliyan 20 cikin Afrika ta yamma inda hausa ta fi sauran ƙabilu yawan jama’a . Hausawa sun fi kuma bazuwa cikin arewacin Nijeriya da kudacin Nijar. Yin aiki tsakanin Hausawa ya dangata da shekara da jinsi mace ko namiji. Kasuwanci na cikin manyan ayyukan a birane, sai kuma noma cikin ƙauyuka. Yawancin maza na aiyyuka biyu biyu misali aikin gwamnati kamar koyarwa da kuma kasuwanci. Sai cikin ƙauyyuka ana noma da aikin hannu. Wasu hausawa ma na kasuwancin saide-saide a kantuna ko na tebur. Yawancin Hausawa mallaman ƙur’ani ne. Matan hausawa kuma na nasu kasuwanci kamar dafawa da saida abinci. Suna saida kaya, tukane, man gyaɗa da dai ƙananan abubuwa kamar su. Saboda kuble da mata suke yi bisa ga ka’idodin musulunci, yara da masu aiki ne kan yi musu aikace-aikacen zuwa kasuwa ko zuwa maƙwabta. http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Mauritania-to-Nigeria/Hausa.html |
Handiwork Prevents Idleness The Hausa, numbering more than 20 million, is the largest ethnic group in West Africa. The Hausa people are concentrated mainly in northwestern Nigeria and in adjoining southern Niger. The Hausa society has a strong division of labor according to age and sex. The main activity in the towns is trade; in rural areas, it is agriculture. Many Hausa men have more than one occupation. In the towns and cities, they may have formal jobs, such as teaching or government work, and engage in trade on the side. In rural areas, they farm and also engage in trade or crafts. Some Hausa are full-time traders with shops or market stalls. Many Hausa are full-time Islamic scholars. Hausa women earn money by processing, cooking, and selling food. They also sell cloth scraps, pots, medicines, vegetable oils, and other small items. Since women are generally secluded according to Islamic law, their children or servants go to other houses or the market on their behalf. http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Mauritania-to-Nigeria/Hausa.html |