Vanishing Traditional Technology
The rather nauseating colour of the sandy floor is a blend of iron and steel rust, charcoal dust, ash and sand, mixed and baked overtime by the heat puffed out by the earthen furnace which formed part of the bare ground, in the process of iron heating, smelting, molding, fabricating and re-fabricating. Various collections of […]
The rather nauseating colour of the sandy floor is a blend of iron and steel rust, charcoal dust, ash and sand, mixed and baked overtime by the heat puffed out by the earthen furnace which formed part of the bare ground, in the process of iron heating, smelting, molding, fabricating and re-fabricating.
Various collections of mainly traditional blacksmithing tools and fabricated farming implements litter the larger part of the sandy floor, as he sat with the huge anvil firmly pegged quite deep into the bare ground and the furnace, all directly in front of him this Saturday afternoon.
He was repeatedly hitting, with the sledgehammer in his lean-armed right hand, the red-hot iron plank, which he had removed from the furnace and was holding with large traditionally-fabricated pliers in his left hand, in the process of fabricating the metal blade of a traditional hoe.
The furnace itself was mainly characterized by a bicycle wheel (now observed with most traditional blacksmiths in most traditional communities in Northern Nigeria) replacing the balloon-like animal skin known over the ages, as the furnace’s fire-fanning mechanism, called Zuga-Zugi in Hausa.
Over the ages, the blacksmith would need, say, an apprentice, his son or any other relation to operate the animal-skin balloon-like Zuga-Zugi in the process of hitting or smelting the iron, while he does the fabricating. With the invention of the bicycle-wheel Zuga-Zugi in the modern times, most blacksmiths could handle both processes themselves with relative ease, abolishing the role of any apprentice at that stage of the blacksmithing process.
As he displayed a bare collection of his tools, the Sarkin Makera (Chief Blacksmith) of the land of Gwari groaned severe lamentations over what he expressed as the grave and exterminating impact of time on the sacred craft of blacksmithing, one of the acclaimed most vital trades forming the foundation pillars of the existence and prosperity of every traditional human community since the olden times.
Some of the other trades are barbing and circumcising (Wanzanci) by barbers and circumcisers (Wanzamai), animal slaughtering and meat-selling (Fawa) by butchers and meat sellers (Mahauta), game hunting (Farauta) by hunters (Mafarauta) and the religious teacher (Malami) or the custodian of the local deity in Islamic or traditional communities as the case may be.
The tools Malam Yusufu Birnin Gwari displayed were mainly the sledgehammer, different sizes of hammer, honing tools, the scissors and pliers, iron blades and a few sizes of the anvil, used mainly to fabricate farming implements like the various types of the hoe, hand and ox-drawn plough, sickle and axe.
Tools used for the fabrication of arrows, spear, sword, armoured garment (Sulke) impervious to shafts, many household utensils, the pedal, saddle and most other vital facilities in the paraphernalia of horse riding, as well as many other significant tools and weapons which, overtime, contributed in sculpting human societies and their cultures, prosperities and civilizations, were missing.
Local blacksmithing in traditional Nigerian communities, as may well be the case in most traditional human communities the world over, seem one of the sacred trades and crafts, which chiseled and sustained the shape of the distinguishing identities and heritages of the communities over the ages, gradually vanishing into the ever widening yawning pit of modern technological inventions, advancement and invasion.
The Kamukawa, inhabiting the land of Gwari (Birnin Gwari) in Kaduna State and Kagara in Niger State, are one of the Northern Nigerian communities most noted for blacksmithing over the ages. They now grimly lament the gradual disappearance of the traditional practice of the vital trade into the abyss of modern technological age, explaining some of the various reasons for the trend.
Muhammadu Lawal Yakubu Makeri is the secretary of the association of traditional blacksmiths of the land of Gwari.
“Traditionally, the importance of blacksmithing in the human community is demonstrated by the fact that we are charged with the responsibility of fabricating farming implements like hoes, hand ploughs and ox-drawn ploughs and many other things the community needs in its economic, social and military life over time,” Muhammadu Makeri noted, moaning, “however, the practice of the trade is declining due to the weakening economy of most blacksmiths who lack the wherewithal to acquire the iron and other materials, especially to fabricate such heavier wares as the ox-drawn plough. They can only acquire just enough to fabricate hoes. As soon as it is past the time when the hoes are needed, which is the farming season, they stop blacksmithing because their wares will cease to be needed, and they have no other trades to fall back on. Such craftsmen gradually, over the years, stop practicing the trade of blacksmithing. This is one of the reasons for the gradual disappearance of the trade.”
He gave the reason for the stoppage of the fabrication of traditional weapons: “To be candid, the reason for the stoppage of the fabrication of weapons like the sword, arrows, spear, Dane gun and so on is the fear nursed by the blacksmiths fabricating them of being indicted by the law. It is now often incriminating on the part of the blacksmith if the law enforcement agents find out that he is fabricating such weapons. Such craftsmen are often accused of fabricating and supplying weapons to armed robbers, and severe torture is meted out on them. This is why experts in making such weapons gradually stop making them and also gradually leave the trade. They are so frightened that whatever their expertise in fabricating weapons, they don’t fabricate them, and because it is what they know best, which they are not free to do, they gradually become scared out of blacksmithing. This is why our traditional weapons are disappearing. But a few daring blacksmiths are still making them.”
According to him, “However, on the part of ornaments and household utensils, blacksmiths making them are still holding tight to their craft, in spite of the growing threat posed to them by the increasing invasion of such items made by modern technology.”
Muhammadu Lawal expressed the ability of the traditional blacksmiths to fabricate vehicle spare parts, boldly saying: “Many times, motor vehicles develop mechanical faults on their way, and their drivers have to take us there to repair or even re-fabricate the faulty mechanical parts which are often as efficient those manufactured by modern technology. I did that once for the driver of a truck when I was at Bagega in Zamfara State many years ago, when I fabricated a vital part of the faulty propeller perfect enough for the truck to continue the trip. The original part, which developed fault, was not even as durable as the one I fabricated for them. But they paid me only N300 for what should have cost at least N5000. If they had paid me handsomely, it would have encouraged me well to embark on fabricating such more durable motor spare parts. This is to show to you that even our people connive with modern technology to kill traditional blacksmithing.”
The traditional blacksmithing expert showed the grave implication of the gradual disappearance of the skills: “A blacksmith develops over the decades, fabricating arrows, spears, swords, cutlass, guns and other vital weapons and facilities for war, peace and good living, but his offspring fail to learn the skills from him. This means he dies without bequeathing the skills to posterity. In this way, gradually, the skills and expertise of traditional blacksmithing disappear from our society. If you have, say, four children, like this child (pointing at his young son, Abdullahi, who is a primary school pupil, but can fabricate a small hoe, sickle and knife), always around you while you are making such items, they will acquire the skills from you. In this way, the trade will be sustained for posterity.”
Another reason, according to him, is that most children of traditional blacksmiths are lazy and they lack the interest and commitment to learn the trade.
“Our skills of fabricating with iron and steel are very hard and demand a lot of energy and endurance. If you don’t tame your child around you while you are practicing the trade, cutting the iron, sitting for a long time close to the furnace, feeling and enduring the heat of the fire, hitting the hot-red iron with force, and he grows up roaming about freely away from you, it will be very difficult for him to develop the interest and commitment to learn it. Even if he is able to learn some of the skills, he will not be able to learn others,” he observed.
His namesake, another Muhammadu Makeri, began with blaming the gradual disappearance traditional blacksmithing on the introduction of chemicals in farming.
“This is what I have just tried to explain to you. The weeding chemical sprayed on farms to prevent weeds from growing, and such other chemicals performing similar functions, form one of the reason. If such chemicals are sprayed on the farm, grass and other weeds don’t grow, and if grass and other weeds don’t grow, there is no need for the hoe, which has been used in weeding for ages. If there is no need for the hoe, there is no need for its manufacture. This is how many of the blacksmiths fabricating such tools gradually get edged out of the trade,” he maintained.
He shared views with his namesake on the laziness of the youth to learn the skills.
“Blacksmithing is a very tedious trade. The youths of nowadays are not energetic and committed enough to learn the trade of their ancestors, expert those we tame around us since their childhood, growing up seeing us doing it and learning from us. They abandon it as soon as they start learning it. You will even observe that many youths who are offsprings of blacksmithing parentage steer clear of it because of its tedious processes. They can’t endure sitting for long at a place, feeling the heat of fire,” he observed.
Another reason, according to Muhammadu Makeri: “Waste materials merchants have packed all the iron materials and many blacksmiths find it difficult searching for the iron to acquire and practice their trade. If you live by the main road, you can regularly see truck-loads of waste iron materials conveying them to factories where they are smelted for the fabrication of items by modern technology. This is why, hitherto, we could acquire some of such waste iron materials at affordable rate. Now, there is very little to even acquire, at whatever rate. Many a blacksmith loves his trade, but he is forced to abandon it due to the unaffordable price of iron.”
He listed some of the items which seem no longer made by traditional blacksmiths.
“Apart from the hoes, the axe, the hand and ox-drawn ploughs, the paddle and other horse-riding facilities are no more made by most blacksmiths. Out of over fifty blacksmiths you may only be lucky to find one making such items now. Most blacksmiths even lack the skills to make such items. The monarchs, princes and wealthy persons, traditionally known to ride always on horseback most times, now ride about in beautiful cars. They ride the horse only during ceremonies. So the need has ceased for the making of the horse-riding iron paraphernalia in large quantities as was the case in times past. This is why most blacksmiths can’t even make them now. Only very elderly blacksmiths can make them now. You may only find such paraphernalia with very elderly committed blacksmiths who may have preserved them since a long time ago for history. The main reason is that our leaders have abandoned horse riding. So, don’t blame the blacksmiths for abandoning the making of iron facilities for horse riding. If they ride the horse, they must need such facilities; and if they need such facilities, they must search for the blacksmith who makes them. Searching for the blacksmith to make them will make many blacksmiths to continue making them. In this way, blacksmiths sustain their trade,” the 40-year experience blacksmith maintained.
“You will gather a large number of blacksmiths without finding one who can fabricate the spears and the arrow. The modern-made gun has usurped the function of such weapons. In this way, the custodians of such skills die along with the skills because the need to bequeath them to their progenies does not exist. Now look at us practicing the trade, while, most times, these children (pointing at his children around him) are at school. When we die, they continue schooling. For them, that is the end of blacksmithing trade,” he lamented, claiming that while the modern-made ox-drawn ploughs cost about N20,000, over twice the price of the ones made by traditional blacksmiths, the ones made by the blacksmiths are often more durable than the modern-made.
Muhammadu Makeri gave another reason traditional blacksmithing is disappearing, saying, “Many blacksmiths abandon the trade as soon as they get rich. Most traditional blacksmiths are very poor. So our leaders and government should assist us with funds, even if it is loans, to enable us buy enough iron to sustain the trade. It is a very tedious trade. Now look at us here. Apart from us and our children, the children of other people don’t come here to learn the trade, because it is tedious and the way we practice it because of our poverty, it can’t guarantee you quick richness. In times past, the children of other people in the neighbourhood troop around to learn it. Now even our children, if they can have their way, they won’t come around to learn it. You hear of many people apprenticing their children to carpenters and other artisans, but you don’t hear of people apprenticing their children to traditional blacksmiths. It is tedious and only small amount of money is made from it.”
“We grew up, over about fifty years seeing farming and blacksmithing at the forefront of trades in the traditional communities,” Sarkin Makera Yusuf recalled, bemoaning, however, “we are now witnesses to the trend whereby blacksmithing is being relegated to the backround, and it is gradually disappearing. Even our children don’t want to live by it now.”
“One of our main problems now is that we are not getting any support from any quarters, in spite of the fact that our situation of poverty and the demand of the modern times have given rise to the need for such support. Over the decades, we have severally been advised to form cooperative associations to facilitate sourcing funds to buy iron, but such funds have never come our way. We formed cooperative associations with leaders since the administration of Obasanjo,” he recalled.
“The trade will gradually disappear with its skills because our children don’t want to take it up as trade since they observe that even the government does not regard us with any importance. With support we can fabricate, not only our traditional items, but even the modern ones. We often repair modern machines in our traditional blacksmithing settings here. There is nothing so strikingly difficult that we can’t fabricate or repair,” he maintained.
Malam Yusufu complained: “The invasion of the society by items made by modern technology is edging traditional blacksmithing out of relevance and history. In times past, whatever the community required, especially weapons, were manufactured by us. Now we are doing little or nothing, and we are not seen as contributing anything to the economy. If you call your child to come and help you hold an iron, that is if you see him at all, he will dodge to school. If he knows that in the morning, you will give him some blacksmithing work to do, he will run away from home very early in the morning before you look for him. The thought of the child is that how will he suffer hitting the iron, sweating for a long time before getting a pittance to spend when with his pen and education he get fortunes? This is one problem.”
Ibrahim Mohammed Babangida Makeri, an acclaimed expert in the making of guns, is the chairman of blacksmiths association in the land of Gwari.
“Don’t even talk of weapons, because they can no longer be useful since we are no in times of communal war, even such farming implements as hand ploughs and the very large sickle we used to know are very few now, and they are disappearing because not many blacksmiths make them. That is why such items gradually disappear. We don’t have the wherewithal to acquire enough iron to make them, and the authorities are not forthcoming in that regard, because they observe that modern-made ones are available everywhere. Almost everything facility needed in the farming process is available in the modern mold. We can fabricate even better ones than them, but where are the funds? Nobody seems ready to give us, and we are so poor,” he cried out.
“Our skills are disappearing, because every skill is sustained by constant practice. If it is not practiced, it gradually disappears from the mind of the person possessing it. Most blacksmiths do the trade now for bare survival,” Ibrahim Makeri lamented.