Sarkin Ruwa: Mouth of the Marine Spirits

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July 24, 2024

The Hausas and the many other ethnic groups in early Northern Nigeria share similar cultures and traditions. Chiefly, their monarchical system of rulership was quite the same. Each village was ruled by a Head usually called the Mai Angwa or Sarki. He heads the village and oversees the dispensation of justice, law, and order in his village. The Mai Angwa is assisted by many other Chiefs and assistants who handle various tasks and responsibilities. There was the Sarkin Yaki, Chief of the Army and Law Enforcement. The Sarkin Samari was the head of the Youths. The Maaji was the village treasurer. The Sarkin Noma was head of farmers, among others. The Sarkin Ruwa was the Head of Fishing and other matters involving the water sources of the village. He alongside the Sarkin Aljanu, the Chief Priest, heads over the Divine practices of the Village with his specialty in Marine Spirits. The Sarkin Ruwa is also called Sarkin Rafi.Northern Nigeria before the advent of Islam practiced some form of animism, called Maguzanci or Bori. The belief is such that spirits exist among us and the practice of adorcism, which involves the traditions of music, dance, and other ritualistic practices that will invoke these spirits and cause them to possess persons. Spirits are invoked to possess people with the belief that they grant healing, fertility, strength, foresight, invincibility, knowledge, and understanding, among other supernatural gifts.These spirits are conjured by songs of praise, precise dance steps, and eating specific meals at specific times of the day among other requirements. The Sarkin Aljanu is the Chief Coordinator of these practices, ensuring that they are done right and the right spirits are conjured. When an evil spirit is summoned unintentionally, he is to appease it and send it back to the Spirit realm. The Sarkin Aljana also performs sacrifices to appease these spirits and make them pleased so they can successfully fulfill the prayers of their worshipers.The Sarkin Ruwa is however responsible for the Marine Spirits. There is a belief in the existence of water spirits that dwell in rivers, streams, and wells of each village and the Sarkin Ruwa is the bridge of communication between the human world and the realm of the water spirits. He consults with the spirits and informs mere men when to fetch water, fish, travel by water, swim, wash, or use the water sources in the village.The Sarkin Ruwa sets the rules and conditions that make peace to exist between the realms of the spirits and the human world, through active divination and sacrifices to the said Spirits.He is summoned at the annual harvest as well as fishing festivals where he performs his rituals and dances with leaps, landing on his bottom. This style of jump is called jifa. He makes his acolytes scoop up dirt to pour over their heads and rub into their eyes. He screams and mimes swimming, and jumps into nearby water or mud. People at ceremonies are careful not to block his path, as he may become violent. During the harvest festival, a large pumpkin is brought out, and he breaks it by landing on it with a jifa leap. The pieces are distributed among the Yan Bori, which is adherent to the faith of Bori.The Sarkin Ruwa is mostly actively summoned and seen at work in rare cases of drowning. As mentioned previously, he consults with the spirits to ascertain when it is permissible for humans to use the water sources in the village. However, disobedience is often unavoidable on the path of the villagers or some spirit might get excited and choose to claim some of the humans for itself hence, drowning incidences. The Sarkin Ruwa is then deployed to negotiate with the spirits for the release of the "drowned" persons, dead or alive.For example, if a person drowns in a river, the Sarkin Ruwa is summoned and he first makes sacrifices to the river spirits, usually a cock strangled and its blood drained in the river and then buried in the river bank. Then, he plucks a specific leaf from a specific plant and bites on it while he dives into the water. Another tradition is to wear his priestly raffia palm dress, draped with beads and amulets while smoking a pipe. He then rows to the exact point at which the person drowned, and sits for a while until the spirits permit him to dive in. It is said that he develops abilities to breathe, talk, and live in the water as a fish or amphibian.Inside the river, he converses with the spirits, usually purported to be a Merman, Mermaid, Fish, Snake, Turtle, or some other marine animal. Terms and conditions for release and stated which include sacrifices for safe release of the human alive or offerings to appease the spirits to release the corpse. When the Spirits are vexed by the human they capture, they tend to wrestle with the Sarkin Ruwa and inflict injuries on him so he will carry the evidence of their grave displeasure with the humans. In some severe cases, he may be killed. This shows that the humans have made grave errors that need to be corrected with sumptuous sacrifices to satisfy the anger of the Spirits. Mostly, the items needed for the ritual sacrifices include a speckled cock, a black and white ram, or a duck in any color.When the sacrifices are made and the Spirits are appeased, the human is released alive. At other times, the corpse turns up and it is a tradition to bury the drowned person by the river's bank. However, if the family of the deceased wishes to bury their relative somewhere else, they have to make a sacrifice to the water spirits again. Also, the earth from the river bank will be dug and mixed with the earth from whence the deceased is buried. Likewise, the river's water will also be used to wash the corpse for burial.With the advent of Islam, most of these practices are extinct and rarely practiced. However, other tribes in Northern Nigeria like Gbagyi, Bajju, Jaba, Koro, and Nupe among others have adopted this practice and use it as their own.