Dala: The Mystery, Myth About Kano Ancient Hill

Dala hill, from which the Dala area in Kano city got its name, is undoubtedly shrouded in mystery and myth. The ancient hill, which stands tall in the city, is so alluring and captivating that anyone on a visit to Kano will desire to see its top. Though time and nature have started taking their […]

Dala hill, from which the Dala area in Kano city got its name, is undoubtedly shrouded in mystery and myth. The ancient hill, which stands tall in the city, is so alluring and captivating that anyone on a visit to Kano will desire to see its top.
Though time and nature have started taking their tolls on the hill, it still embodies those fairy tales that people who have lived around it for centuries continue to hold.
According to the historical accounts from natives of the area, Dala was named after a hunter who once lived at the hill. They claimed that the entire area where the hill is today was a deep forest until their forefathers decided to settle down around it.
There are many mythical stories about it, which some settlers regard as spiritual and superstitious. In those days, it was believed that only Dala natives could go up the hill at a particular period of the day. Even now, to an extent, people still hold that belief. It is believed that a non-indigene cannot go up the hill after 8pm without a consequence.
Till today, a deep well, popularly known as Rijiyar kare kukan ka (the well where you will cry out your tears without help) is believed to be on top of Dala hill. The mysterious well, according to the elders of Dala, is the most frightening myth about the hill. It is so deep that when a stone is dropped into it, it would take about 20 minutes before one could hear the splash of water to signify its landing.  They claimed that a number of people and animals had fallen into the well and could not be rescued. The well, according to them, is still on the hill, but no one has ever fetched water from it because of its depth.  They said it was not dug by anybody and it never gets filled up with water since it was discovered on the hill.
One of the elders in the area, who spoke to Daily Trust on Sunday about the mythical stories surrounding the hill, said the place, which is today known as Dala, used to be a forest and there were so many wild animals there. He said people used to come and hunt around the hill; hence it became a settlement for hunters.
The elder regarded the stories about the spirit of the hill (Tsunburbura) and the chief priest (Barbushe) – the two mythical creatures on the hill – as folktales because there has not been a confirmation of their existence, as no one has had contact with any of the spiritual creatures.
A principal officer at the National Museum, Gidan Makama, in the ancient city of Kano, said some archeologists recently dug out a big pot from the hill. He said it was on record that in the olden days, there was a chief priest of the hill called Barbushe. He worshipped a spirit called Tsunburbura, who used to come from a forest called Jakara. He said the chief priest built a shrine on the hill to worship the spirit. According to him, evidence has also shown that many pots were buried there, which indicates that people’s claims about the hill are true.
Alhaji Yusuf Baba is one of the custodians of Dala hill. No settler of the area goes up the hill without his permission. For this reporter and the photographer to be allowed to climb the hill, they had to be taken to him. Not until we told him our mission to Dala were we allowed to go up the hill in the company of one of his sons called Abdullahi, who guided us. There, we saw what remains of the dreaded Rijiyar kare kukan ka (The well where you will cry out your tears without help coming for you) but too scared to go near it. However, our camera man managed to take some photographs to show where it lies on top of the hill.
Speaking about the hill, Alhaji Baba said, “The histories behind the hill are diverse. When we were little, not everybody had guts enough to climb up the hill at day time or at night.  Not everyone could even go near the hill, especially if you were not from this area. People dreaded the hill because of the many stories and superstitions associated with it.
“People have said many bad things about it, but God has never let us witness any of such things.  We did whatever we wanted to do on this hill. About 50 to 60 years ago when this belief was stronger, we would climb up the hill by 1am. If you were not part of us here you dared not climb it, even by 6pm. People associated so many superstitions and spiritual stories to the hill, but you know it is what you believe that either works for you or against you. 
“Despite the spiritual myth surrounding the hill, one day, my goat gave birth on top of the hill at 3am and I climbed up to get them. Even though there was no light up there, I went there and came down without any problem.
“No one could tell how old the hill is because it was there before we came to settle here. We grew up to find it here. And the Takutaha celebrations were done in a grandeur way.  It took up to three days and people would ride on horses. This was like a custom of the Madabo and Dala. People would go to Madabo to pray and they would come back to Dala to celebrate for having witnessed a Takutaha festival.
“The well on the hill is called Rijiyar kare kukan ka. If you drop a stone inside the well it would take about 20 minutes before you would here the splash of water, signifying the landing of the stone.
“A number of people and animals had fallen inside the well, and they could not be rescued.
“The hill has brought fame and recognition to us in Dala because people come from different countries of the world just to climb it. The myth surrounding this place is one that has been passed on from generation to generation, beginning from our forefathers.
“Takutaha is an age-long celebration that I believe cannot be stopped. We met our parents doing it and they in turn met their grandparents doing it. Our children are now partaking in it as well. We even have security men to ensure that the celebrations are conducted peacefully every year. In the last 20 years we have not had any problem during the Takutaha period because we have a very good mai unguwa (head of the area) who always ensures that things are done peacefully.
“If you come here by 2am I would pick up my torch and take you up the hill. The people in Dala take pride in the hill while people in Madabo take pride in being in a place with the most knowledgeable Islamic scholars in the state.
“Only God knows when Dala hill came into existence and when it will go extinct. We came into the world to find it here, and we will depart and leave it here.”
Giving his own accounts, Malam Babale Muhammad, who has been living in Dala for the past 70 years said, “There was a man called Dala, and there was another one, a hunter and bachelor called Gauron Dutse. They used to hunt for animals together. Whenever Dala had excess food he would ask that it be taken to Gauron in Dutse. That was how the name, Gauron Dutse came about. Dala, on the other hand, was named after the hunter who lived here. I lived in Gauron Dutse before I decided to relocate to Dala.
“I have never been to the top of the hill, but I know some of its history. This place used to be a forest with animals that people would come to hunt. It was a settlement for hunters at that time. Tsunburbura (spirit of the hill) and Barbushe (chief priest of the hill) are mythical creatures. We heard about them but there was no confirmation of their existence. We do not know of a single person that has had any contact with the spiritual creatures.
“There is no specific time for people living around here to go up the hill. Anybody can choose to climb at any time. Children even stay there until dusk. The well is still there, but no one fetches water from it for fear of falling into it. Nobody dug the well, and it never gets filled up with water since it was discovered on the hill top.”
Another resident of Dala, Malam Garba Muhammad, said he was born there over 70 years ago. “During that time, we had only the hill where we are today. Everybody you see around here came to settle.  We all met this hill where it is standing now. This is where we all grew up, and we have lived here all our lives. We don’t have anywhere else to call our home other than this hilly place called Dala.
“There is a historical importance attached to this place. During the times of riots in those days, we used to run to the hill top for safety. People from within and outside this place would come over to sit atop the hill. We were not doing anything special then, we would just sit and tell historical stories of people who had lived around the area in the olden days.”
Alhaji Dabge said that as children, they came to the area to meet people climbing the hill. “They discovered a deep well on top of the hill. It has water in it but no one has been able to get close to it because of its depth. The well is still there, but people are afraid of going close to it because whoever falls into it cannot be rescued by anyone. There is nothing specific that people go up there to do except to play with one another or listen to folktales. They just go there to hang around with food items as if they were having a picnic. Children also go up the hill to play with their friends and to meet new people.
“There is a particular festival that happens every year here. We call it Takutaha.  Even people from villages around Kano come to this place to experience the Takutaha period. Any other person that comes aside this period merely comes for tourism purpose. We are known for our Islamic scholars and Malams. People come from different states and beyond for prayers from the Malams. We are also known for trade, mostly in anything that is traditional. The hill has brought strength to our environment. No other hill in the state has this name and popularity. This is the only Dutsen Dala in Kano State.
Mallam Mukhtar, a 73-year-old man said he was aware of the well on top of the hill. “There is a wood called Borai inside the well. For a very long time, it has been impossible to bring out anything or anyone that falls into it because of its depth. There was a mythical demon called Tsunburbura that lives inside the well. No one can see the end of the well. All we see is a steep darkness that probably has no end. There are people here in Dala who have never been up the hill before for fear of this well, but I have been up there more than once,” he narrated.
Giving official accounts about the hill, the principal officer (guide) of the National Museum, Gidan Makama in Kano city, said it was on record that there was a chief priest called Barbushe at Dala in those days who worshipped a spirit called Tsunburbura. 
“They said the spirit used to come from a place called Jakara, which was a forest. Barbushe, being the chief priest, was able to communicate with it, and he built a shrine on the hill to worship and consult it. From time to time, Barbushe would climb the Dala hill to consult the sprit while his followers would sing and dance down the hill.
“It was only the chief priest that was allowed to climb the hill at that time. Oral history tells us that whenever he finished consultation with the spirit, he would come down to inform his people what the spirit told him. The spirit used to tell them what would happen to them in future, and most of the predictions usually came to pass.
“There are some archaeological evidences that there was something related to that shrine on top of Dala hill. Between 2010 and 2011, our staff members excavated a very huge pot on the hill. It was a rocky hill but we discovered a pot that was buried on it. Evidence has also shown that there are still more pots that were buried there. Archaeologically, this indicates that something like that happened there. Till today, more evidences are still being discovered.
 In Gidan Makama Museum, we don’t have the history of the well on the hill. We are yet to discover its location. There is no archeological finding or evidence on the mysterious well on Dala hill.”