Musawa is an ancient town in Katsina State with rich cultural traditions and historical background. The town, which is believed to have been in existence for over 100 years, was also known for its numerous crocodiles which locals said had in the past co-existed and interacted with the people of the town.
Musawa has so many ponds and marshy sands which till date are spread across the town, and had served as the breeding ground and habitat for the crocodiles. In the town, most of these ponds are visible, but without the crocodiles which were said to have been poached by hunters.
Unique as the town is, these ponds are in different sizes with different names. But among the famous are the Tafkin Kada (crocodile pond) Tafkin Gambo, amongst others. Another distinguishing feature of these crocodiles in the past, were that each had its name with which it was called and addressed.
A popular myth in the town has it that there existed two famous crocodiles, namely a male called ‘Dattijo’ which is said to be calm and most popular with the locals and a female ‘Arkilla’ which is fierce and wild.
This sacred Dattijo was then believed to be 200 years old and had a ring hanging on its nostrils. Offerings were said to be taken to it by the locals, and when it accepted them the people’s wishes would be fulfilled.
Even though there are conflicting accounts on the cause of the death of Dattijo, with many believing it was poisoned by some unknown persons while it was being fed, others have it that the increasing demand for crocodile skin, especially during the colonial period made poachers and hunters hunt the crocodiles,which led to their extinction.
After the death of Dattijo, the people were said to have sought for another crocodile to replace him, and they settled for another which they named DanDattijo. This new crocodile was also killed in a similar manner .
However, 76-year-old Malam Halliru Muhammad who in the past played with some of the crocodiles, recalled that crocodiles were very friendly to the residents of Musawa.
“If it heard a movement of some residents it usually popped out of the pond and we all touched and played with it when we were children”, he said.
At the ponds you these inner holes, where they normally slept when not in the water. They bred there and we used to find their eggs therein, he added.
Muhammad said that whenever it rained, the ponds over-flooded their boundaries and are to the Tantanau area of the town and the crocodiles, followed the waters to get fed by the locals. He added that “we never had cause to fear any danger”.
The traditional ruler and Magajin Garin, Musawa Abdullahi Idde, said although not too old to witness the era of the living crocodiles, many of the townspeople were told by their parents and grandparents of the exalted place the crocodiles hold in the imagination of the people of the town.
He said, “we grew up to learn and understand that our history is incomplete without the story of the crocodiles, which till date can be found on some logos, stamps, signposts of some of our structures and schools.
“Our forefathers told us that the Tantanau area of this town had been a home to these loved reptiles. They fed there and didn’t harm anyone”.
One important tradition and mark of the Musawa residents was the traditional croc mark every newly born child used to bear on the right part of its chest. It was an order of the day that every baby has to bear that mark, and this was the case for any one born 40 years ago and earlier. The tradition ceased in the early 1980’s, he added .
According to Dr. Aliyu Ibrahim Kankara, a Lecturer in the Department of Geography and Regional Planning, Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State and author of the book titled: Shata: Mahadi Mai Dogon Zamani, Shata’s role in rediscovering the lost crocodiles cannot be ignored. He said during Shata’s visit in 1976, he was confronted with agitations on the sudden disappearance of the crocodiles. The legendary singer mobilised some youths of the area to comb neighbouring parts of the community in search for them.
“The residents complained to him that the crocodiles were spotted moving from Datsin Gabas and Datsin Yamma, and were found settling at Kogin Chofa,that is Chofa lake which was situated outside Musawa, and there were fears that if this movement continued they will migrate completely from the town.
“There and then Shata ordered that energetic youths be gathered. He paid them, and instructed them to go to Chofa and drive the reptiles to their former places. They used long sticks and sacks. After settling them at the former places within Musawa town, then he began singing the ‘Mun yi murnar zuwan Shata Bana ya mayar da Kada Musawa’, (roughly menaing: We are happy with Shata for repatriating Musawa’s crocodiles) a version of the song he started in 1950”, he said.
While conducting our correspondent round the new breeding pond used by Shata when he returned the crocodiles to the town, his first cousin Alhaji Balan Guzum, said over 40 years ago the pond had provided relief to the town, given the disappearance of the crocodiles in the main ponds at Tantanau area of Musawa. He said these efforts had greatly rekindled hope, where over 30 different sizes of reptiles were reared once again to the admiration of the residents.
However, even these new reptiles began to vanish and some were moved to Duten Reme, Dikke, and Mairuwa in Funtua Local Government, where they were reared. But still poachers and scavengers did not let them be, as they continued to hunt them over the years.
Shedding more light on Musawa’s residents fondness for crocodiles, Guzum said the residents and the reptiles had come a long way, and there was no way you could detach or separate them. “We love each other,” he added.
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