ABSTRACT
This research is an attempt to reconstruct the History of Indigenous Industries under Colonial Rule in Daura District 1903-1960. To ascertain the effect of colonial rule on indigenous industries. However, prior to colonial administration the indigenous technological advancement especially blacksmiths, leather works, pottery, textile industry, wood carving among others were flourishing professions among the inhabitants of Daura. Nevertheless, during colonial administration the establishment of colonial policies such as taxation, compulsory cash crop production, conscription of bodied able men to forced labour in mining among others affected these industries such that these indigenous industries have faced retarded growth till date not only in Daura but in Nigeria as a whole.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
This research attempt to examine A History Indigenous Industries under colonial rule in Daura District, 1903 – 1960.Daura is blessed with resources like fertile land, river and other natural resources which provide opportunities for human habitation. Majority of the people in the area were farmers and the staple crops grown include millet, maize, guinea corn, rice, beans etc.They practiced subsistence farming using local inputs. Other economics activities practiced in the area included domestication of animal, fishing, indigenous industries i.e pottery, craft, cloth weaving, cloth dyeing and beating and engagement in small scale enterprise.1
Long before the advent of colonial administration, indigenous technology especially blacksmith, cloth weaving, pottery, hand craft, gasket making, butchering, thread making (Kadi) and textile industries were flourishing profession among the people of Daura. It was evident that metal work had advanced before the advent of colonial rule that revolutionalised trade and export of the economy of Daura particularly in the second half of the 19th century.
However, these indigenous industries began to decline during the colonial period because of the policies of the colonial government in Daura District toward indigenous technology which was also applicable to the whole country. Moreover, Nigeria and Africa as a whole had suffered a devastating economic, political and social decline with the advent of colonialism.2
The research therefore examine the effect of colonial policies on the economic activities of Daura District such as colonial agriculture, taxation policy, British Colonial labour policy, craftsmanship, commerce and other factors that led to the decline of indigenous industries in Daura District in the same period.Furthermore, issues such as the process that led to the evolution of Daura district as a settlement and changes witnessed during the period of colonialism are also examined. Let’s look at the indigenous industries before the coming of colonialist.
A blacksmith his best defined as a man who manufactures certain products in iron (bakinkarfe) used in the production of iron tools and implements: fire charcoal, an anvil, tongs, skin bellow and a variety of hammers.Blacksmithing is one of the most important pre-colonial industries. In fact up to now in Hausaland there is ward called AnguwanMakera. The predominant occupation of the people is blacksmithing.Apart from direct participation; the ruling class also intervenes to encourage agricultural production through the sarakunannoma, [chief of farmers] in alltowns. In industrial activities, the emirate administration intervened to ensure qualitycontrol. Intervention was done through the sarakunansana’a [occupational chief] suchas [chiefs of blacksmiths], sarakunanmakera, sarakunanmabuga, [chief of dyers].3
Leather work was another important occupation on which a large section of pre-colonial society in Hausalanddepended.Leather working dukancior jimainvolved the use of animal hides and skins for the manufacture of various leather productsused for various purposes ranging from making bellows zuga-zugiused by blacksmith saddles, siriddafor horses leather shields, sword sheathes, kubewater vessels salkafoot wears and bags such as book cases gafaka, berbers wallets zabira. It should be noted there has always been interdependenceamong the various manufacturers. For example, the blacksmith needs bellowsin order to carry out his occupation while leather worker badukuneed knivesand other similar implements from blacksmiths4.According to some informants leather working dukanciwas a veryimportant economic activity done by the people of Daura since timeimmemorial. In fact, leather working seems to be as old as blacksmithing inDaura District.5
Wood carving and pottery were also occupations that were practiced by pre-colonial period society. Wood carvers masassakawere very important in pre- colonial economic growth. They provided wooden handles for various implements and weapons. This occupation has been flourishing. This was largely because of the need to use during burial and other social and economic activities such as tanda,tukunyarfulawa etc6.
One of the important pre-colonial industries was the textile industry. There is quite an ancient legacy of cloth production in Hausaland, and weaving as a rural occupation of the Hausawacertainly predates the colonial period. One of the first stages was spinning of cotton. The thread making craft known as kadiwas the most vital input (or raw material) of the weaving industry. It was essentially the process of the production of thread from raw cotton and has always been dominated by women across the population.Kadiwas a very important aspect of the domestic economic ventures of Daura and Hausa women generally.7
Another important pre-colonial industry was indigo dyeing. Dyeing has for many centuries been one of the most popular rural farming occupations of many farmers in Hausaland. While some establishments were spread all over, depending on the size and commercial importance of the towns. Some of the towns with large dyeing establishment included Zango, Katsina, and Daura.8
Closely associated with the dyeing industry was the cloth beating (bugu) which emerged to provide necessary support and services to the cloth dyeing industry. Cloth beating was for quite a long time closely connected with dyeing, as part of the whole dyeing process, and was mostly done by dyers themselves. It should be noted that Daura cloth beating was practiced alongside with dyeing. It was an important economic activity that was practiced long before the coming of colonialists.9however, as I mentioned above, these indigenous industries were frequently flourishing in the pre-colonial period. Furthermore, with the advent of colonialism, these industries began to face setback and eventually decline because of the colonial policies such as taxation, compulsory cash crops productions e.t.c
