Paiko: Where Gbagyi princes used to run off with maidens from the market square

“Many years ago, before modern civilization took precedence on our culture, if a young prince develops interest in a lady he has just seen at the market square; all he has to do is to quickly run to the palace to alert the guards to carry her home for marriage.  He would inform the guards […]

“Many years ago, before modern civilization took precedence on our culture, if a young prince develops interest in a lady he has just seen at the market square; all he has to do is to quickly run to the palace to alert the guards to carry her home for marriage.  He would inform the guards who have been   trained for the purpose to run off with the girl from the spot and take her straight to the palace. The only thing they do while she is being taken to the palace, would be to find her parents and perform the normal marital rights of paying her dowry,” he intimated.

Alhaji Marafa, a cultural officer with Paiko Local Government Area in Niger State, explained further that the reason why market days were the most suitable for royal men to scout for wives was due to the fact that it was on such days ladies came out in their best looks and wears.

In Gbyagi culture, according to him, market days were not only for the purpose of buying and selling, but also an avenue for young people to socialize and target their life partners. He added that it was a disservice to prevent unmarried people from going to the market in those days.

How do family members whose maidens are taken away on market days accept this tradition? Alhaji Marafa explained that rather than take offence at the ‘kidnapping’ of their daughters, the ladies’ families considered it a kind of honour that their own were considered worthy to be married to the royal families.  Alhaji Marafa stated that the attention of the community would be diverted to the family, as the marriage would not only make them prominent but protected. They considered the prospects of being associated with the royal family, which was a great privilege.

When a lady is taken by a member of the royal family, the whole Paiko would declare a seven-day feast where communities are mandated to come with food, musicians and gifts to mark the wedding celebrations. Within that period, the people are expected to dine and wine with the royal family, as musicians, magicians and acrobats display their talent from morning till the early hours of the next morning for seven days.

Alhaji Marafa, however, pointed out that the tradition has since waned as a result of western education, and the powers of the royalty have diminished as a result of human rights campaigns on the prerogative of the girl-child to make her choice of husband.

THE STORY OF PAIKO

Gbagyi people in Paiko were once living on a hill called Paigo-KnuKnu, from where the name ‘Paiko’ originated.

Hausa speakers changed the pronunciation from Paigo to Paiko; the same fate that led to the change of the name of the ethnic group from Gbari (dialect of the Paiko people) to Gwari (by the Hausa).

While the people of Paiko were living on the hill-top, they were impervious to attacks, as their enemies couldn’t reach them while they had the advantage of seeing their adversaries from all flanks.

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Marafa explained, however, that despite this advantage, they never engaged in any war with their neighbours.  The nearest they came to in terms of war was the conquest of  Nagwamatse  of  Kontagora who had to stop at Wushishi  for fear of what Gbagi fighters could do to his army.

“Shehu Nagwamatse refused to enter Paiko during his conquest as he knew that we were not only equipped with the men and weapons to fight, but our position atop the hill gave us an advantage in battle. So he had to stop at Wushishi,” the cultural officer explained.

As the population continued to grow over the years, the people had to descend from the hilltop. This explains why they occupy the landmass in present-day Paiko.

The 54-year-old Marafa said that the Paiko people are ruled by three ruling houses of Sarikis. The first was Sariki Paina, who ruled for many years before his brother, Sarki Maisuza, took over. Sarki Maisuza left the throne for his younger brother, Sariki Shabua.

He, however, lamented that after the reign of the 12th Sariki (Bello), the royal family lost their privilege to external influences, and over the years, the Paiko people have failed to get government’s attention to help restore the royalty.

“We do not have Sarikis again.  All that we have is Degechi and Hakimi. All our efforts to get the government to help address the issue has yielded no positive results, as we are waiting patiently to get our monarchical institution back,” Marafa explained.

In the days of Yore, Marafa said, a criminal would prefer to be summarily sentenced by the people, than to be asked to see the Sarki whose pronouncement was often the final on any matter.

 

GBAGYI PEOPLE ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL STATES

Explaining the differences among Gbagyi people across the Middle Belt states of Niger, Nassarawa, Kaduna, Kogi and Kwara States, the cultural officer maintained that those in Niger State are well-established.

Drawing his conclusion from the fact that they were the only set of Gbagyi people with two emirate councils (Minna and Suleja Emirates) Marafa claimed that Niger remained the cradle of the Gbagyi people. Despite the fact that they are all the same in most of their cultural heritage, Gbagyi people have some differences in language and norms.

He pointed out that Gbagyi is the language they speak generally, though there are several other dialects peculiar to groups in the different states.  There are dialects like Gbagyi Yama, the Gbagyi Nkwa, which is spoken in Paiko, Gbagyi Nche, Gbagyi Matai and Gbagyi Ngbagun.

“The language Gbagyi refers to the central language we speak, as we are divided into different groups, cutting across the various places. But the crib of Gbagyi people is  in Niger State, as we are the only Gbagyi in the country with two emirate councils,” Marafa said.

He said that other aspects of the cultural heritage that Gbagyi people differ from state to state. One of the common cultural practices is the tradition of carrying of loads on the shoulder.

Marafa stated that while it was customary for most Gbagyi to carry things on their shoulders, as they hold that the head is sacred, they do not see or consider such values important, as many still carry loads on their heads.

“When you are taken to the shrine to swear, the elders will tell you the implications of lying, which could be instant death. Whoever is taken to the shrine could begin to emit smoke, which suggests that the person is not telling the truth. The smoke is usually followed by thunder which strikes and kills the affected person,” Marafa explained.

He said that a masquerade called the Kusi- Maigiwa has the mystical prowess to punish criminals, as it makes the person to suffer from swollen stomach as a prelude to eventual death.

He said that though the people have so many festivals, the Kuaknu is the most important of all because it is celebrated annually and all Paiko-born persons from in and outside the country are encouraged to attend.

Marafa said it is during this festival that the entire people assemble to celebrate what God has done for them the year under review.