Meet Taraba indigenes who can spend hours in deep water

The tradition of dropping a newborn baby into deep water is common among the people of riverine areas in Taraba State.

This practice, known as the tradition of the ‘Masunta,’ is as old the history of the people; however, modernity is now having an effect on it.

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It is believed to be part of activities to prepare a child for the great task ahead of him, such as fishing, which dominates the livelihood of the ‘Yan Bakin ruwa’ people who reside by the riverside. They are inside the water day and night and during all seasons.

This practice trains the people in the art or ability to stay in deep water for hours without any form of aid as done by modern day water researchers.

Although the people are made up of different tribes, such as Kabawa, Jiru,Wurbu Jukun Wanu, Kankanda and Burkani,  among others, they have a unique and common culture and tradition. And these tribes profess different faiths, but united in cultural and traditional beliefs.

They are found along River Benue, River Taraba, River Donga and smaller rivers in Taraba State.

They are found in Kanbari, Zip, Amar, Mayoreneyo, Lau, Jen, Gurowa, Kwatan Nanido, Jibu, Donga, Dampar, Ibbi, Gassol, Tella, Sansani and Tau, among other communities located by the bank of rivers in the state.

It was also learnt that they always stay away from other people’s cultures and traditions.

At Mayoreniwo, a big fishing settlement with an international market, located by the bank of River Benue, off the Jalingo-Wukari highway, there was a local jetty, dotted with flying boats, engine boats and canoes. There, the acting chairman of the Association of Inland Water Transporters, Taraba State chapter, Alhaji Jidda Suliman, led our correspondent to the activities of the fishermen.

Jidda coordinates most rescue operations in Taraba waters, including searching for bodies inside water in the case of boat mishaps or when vehicles plunge into a river with passengers.

He identified some people, mostly the elderly and few young men in the community who can stay for hours inside deep water.

Among such people was a 70-year-old Musa Basho, a Jukun Wanu man. He told Daily Trust Saturday that he started fishing when he was nine years old, and since then, has been plying in his daily activities in the river.

“Fishing is my major activity, just like any other person in my household,” Basho said.

He also participates in rescuing people during boat mishaps.

“We are always called for rescue missions or to recover corpses inside the river. l can stay inside deep water for more than one hour.

“Whenever there is a mishap we search inside the water for days. We also search where there are trees or rocks in the river because roots of a tree or rock can easily trap a human body and prevent it from moving further,” he added.

He also said that recovering corpses and rescuing victims of a mishap was difficult; hence it requires a high level of expertise, including the ability to swim for a long distance and staying long inside water.

Also, Bulus Dauda, 30, started fishing and engaging in other activities inside water when he was seven years old.

He told Daily Trust Saturday that most times he would sleep inside the canoe he used for fishing.

“We earn our living inside water. Most times we embark on fishing for several days, along River Benue, down to Makurdi, Lokoja, up to Calabar,” he said.

Bulus said he was among those his parents put inside deep water few hours after he was born, as part of the tradition of his family. He added that, according to his parents, he was brought out of water after many hours.

“l am now so used to water that nothing makes me fear while in a river, whether it is night or during the day.

“We usually have encounter with evil spirits (yan ruwa) when we are fishing in the night. In some cases we challenge them, but in other cases we quietly leave the scene,” he said.

Bulus said he could only spend between 20 and 30 minutes inside water, adding that he also participates in rescue operations.

He said the process of learning how to stay long inside water among children, especially those from 7 years of age, would start when they follow the elderly to fix fishing equipment and materials, which every household does during the rainy or dry season.

More so, Zubairu Zakari Bakabe, who hails from Zip town, also located at the bank of River Benue, told our correspondent that he could stay deep inside water for more than an hour if the need arose.

He said that from Kwantan Nanido, up to Kanbari and Amar, they were usually contacted for rescue operations or recovering of dead bodies inside the water.

Bakabe, however, said, “The ability to stay inside water for a long time depends on the powers and forces possessed by one’s forefathers of individual fishing families and inherited by generations.”

It is also said that apart from the power to stay long inside deep water, many elderly and young persons possess such powers that give them expertise in native medicine; hence people from different parts of the country troop to them to get healed of illnesses that could not be treated by orthodox doctors.

Findings by Daily Trust Saturday showed that there is a secret behind the ability to stay long inside water, but the people are not ready to reveal it. Those who spoke with our correspondent said it was suicidal for a fisherman to reveal his secret to an outsider.

An 85-year-old fisherman who simply identified himself as Buba a Wurbu by tribe, is one of the living strongmen of the ‘Bakin Ruwa.’

Buba said that once the dry season set in, he would move from Amar town to the bank of River Benue, along with his entire family, for fishing activities till the rains start. That has been his practice for the past 70 years.

He is feared, respected and regarded as an authority among his people because of the powers he possesses.

He told Daily Trust Saturday that his powers were passed to him by his forefathers many years ago; and he would do the same.

“This settlement is for me, my wives, children and grandchildren. We do everything together.

“I will tell you many things about us because l like your approach. But don’t tell anybody that l told you this and that,” he warned.

He said the settlement was a reference point to many fishermen seeking for powers, as well as those seeking healings and issues of witchcraft, which he said he solved with ease.

“I am not a witch, l only help those possessed by witches or evil spirits. That is my role, so don’t say I am a witch,” he said.

The acting chairman of Inland Water Transporters Association, Alhaji Jidda, also refused to disclose the power behind his abilities, insisting that it is a top secret that should not be disclosed to any person outside the system.

The village head of Zip, Alhaji Uba, also said such powers among the fishermen would always be a secret.

Talking about their experiences, he said, “During one of our fishing expeditions at midnight, there was a time we caught a baby in our net, but we quickly dropped it inside the water and nothing happened to us.”

He added that there were occasions when evil spirits would try to scare them by making a loud noise, holding firmly to  their  fishing nets or hooks, or putting off  their lighting systems, but in most cases, they would counter such threats and come out of water safely.