Zangon Tama’s sassy girl cattle-herders
At first glance, the culture of caring for cattle herds and goat flocks is one that is associated with the male folk. But in Zangon Tama and its environs of Giwa Local Government Area, Kaduna State it is not exactly the case. Cattle raring and caring is a task for men, boy, women and girls. […]
At first glance, the culture of caring for cattle herds and goat flocks is one that is associated with the male folk. But in Zangon Tama and its environs of Giwa Local Government Area, Kaduna State it is not exactly the case. Cattle raring and caring is a task for men, boy, women and girls. But here it is more for the female folks.
It was a most unusual sight for Masters students of Development Communication who visited the locality as part of their intervention programme using Theatre for Development. A most interesting observation amongst theses the girls is their doggedness and willpower to look after and attend to the animals in their custody with all their might and love.
Girls are not just groomed to take care of these animals from as early as they become conscious of their environment, but to also to understand that rearing animals is a survival skill such as farming.It is a part of the growing up and education process of the people.
Once they reach ages seven to ten, when the boys go to farms, most of the girls go the fields with the herds. In some cases where they are too young, their mothers accompany them rather than spend time on the farm.
Housed in well prepared rooms of their own which are a part of the main compound, the little girls of Zangon Tama take great pride in executing their responsibilities.
“It does not make any difference to me”, 11-year-old Blessing said. “As far as I can remember, I started with taking the goats out to graze in the fields along with other girls and boys in the village. It is always fun because whoever takes the animals to feed does not have to do any work at home which most of us consider to be more difficult than grazing. When we take the cows to graze, we play and pick wild fruits and nuts and tell each other stories. So, it is not at all a difficult task.
How do they get the animals to obey their directives? Seven year-old Halima proudly said in very articulate English, “In the beginning when I was learning from my brother how to talk to them and coordinate them, I did it with fear and somehow the cows especially behave stubborn so my brother would step in and help me out. But now, I am bigger and have more and better skills to handle them. So I don’t have any problem with them.
She said they do not disobey them. “Not at all. I will flog and discipline them with my stick if they try it. I am no longer afraid of them and it is as if they know.”
Although some of the girls spoke to our reporter confidently and eloquently, others took to their heels on sighting strangers. They did it with this reporter. With some persuation and intervention from the adults and the girls who had spoken, some of them loosened up to tell their story. One of such was thirteen year-old Jamila who spoke in Hausa. “Initially, I did not like to go out with the cows and goats because I thought it is a job for the boys. It did not matter to me whether the other girls around were doing it, it was not girly in my opinion. So I used to go and hide behind the firewood pile at the back of our house and play there. I would sometimes fall asleep there until I heard the laughter of the other children as they returned from the fields. This is what I did until my mother found me out one day and punished me. Since then, I began taking the cows out. Now I enjoy it and the time away from home.
Which would she prefer, taking out the livestock or going to the farm? Aisha said, “I like to take the animals out. I will even volunteer to take them out when it is time and nobody has done so. Farm work is too hard especially under the sun. Kai, farm work is too much. With the animals, all you have to do is take them to a good spot where they can eat fresh grass and plants. With the animals, you don’t have to labour the way you would on the farm. After eating, I direct them to drink. I am not scarred of the animals. Instead, taking them out has enabled me to learn some skills, which I can use when fighting the boys.
Exhibiting great skill and dexterity in getting a cow to sit so that she can tie it up before taking it to the fields was great. “Aunty”, she said with eyes wide open, “these cows have sense o. They know what is going on as you see them like this. The cows know when I am serious and when I am playing with them. Depending on the sound I make, they know what to do. Also, the pitch of my voice tells them whether I am angry, in a hurry or of normal temperament. They also know the routine and the different hours of the day. So, when they see me coming at a particular time, they know what I am coming for. This is after church, they know that at this time we go out, that is why this one is behaving well. I particularly like this one and have a special name for it Adam because it is the least troublesome of them all.”
Although generally happy about spending more time with her father’s cows and goats, than on the farm with the rest of her family members, Zainab has some complains. “The female cattle and goats give me more headache than the male ones, I don’t know why. Sometimes I wonder if it is because they know I am a small girl. When they have just put to bed, they are restless and itchy. At times like this, I don’t enjoy taking them out or milking them.”
The girls all said in spite of the hardships they experience with their herds, they have grown very attached to the animals and feel absolute sense of duty and responsibility to them as Patience Daniel explained. “I feel very bad when any of them is sick or when they die. It does not happen often, but when it does, it makes me very, very sad. They feel like family and I am very happy that their stables are inside the compound with us. So at any time of the day even at night they are close by and safe.”
It was interesting to watch the back and forth communications the girls have with the animals and how well the animals understood and reacted as expected. The pitch changes in the voice of the young caregivers as they bellowed and howled instructions at the animals was another intriguing site as they showed great mastery of the art. Indeed, what the Zangon Tama boys can do, the girls have proven they can also do.