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Bida
•• BRITISH
•• COUNCIL
Updated 14
March 2008
Bida is famed for its handicrafts,
its colourful Fulani market, and the fact that it’s the main town of the Nupes.
The Etsu Nupe has his palace in the town.
To get to Bida:
Take the
Continue on this road until you come to a T junction.
Take the right hand turn towards Bida and Minna. There
are a large number of police road checks on this stretch of the road. (Turning
left would bring you back into Suleja.)
At Lambatta, take the turn to the left for Bida -
Lambatta has a good market which is held every four days. (The road to the
right leads to
This is now a straight road to Bida. The journey time
from central
The road to Bida goes
through Lapai so it’s worth checking to see what the
woodcarvers have in stock before proceeding to Bida; you can always come back
to Lapai to pick up the Nupe stools and the carved wooded doors made here.
There is Old Lapai which
you will pass, and then New Lapai about 10K farther. As you enter Lapai, take the first turn to
the left at the small monument (on a triangular island, and is covered with
plackards). Carry along this road for 500m or so and then turn right onto
The workshop makes
“Bida” stools, the multi-legged stools carved from a single piece of wood. They
also carve Nupe doors and large carved pounding pots.
Contacts: Jibrin, Audu, or Isah Duwatsu – 0805-821-2549
hakurkalt@yahoo.com. Farther – Duwatsu
Muhammadu.
It’s really interesting
to watch the men working on the wooden pieces. They will carve items to order
and will willingly carve items from pictures. The prices here are very
reasonable, for example a new Bida stool which may cost N4000 in Alhaji Tanko’s
shop in Bida will cost N500 here in Lapai. (March 2007 – prices have gone up as
the carvers have learned of the prices their stools bring in the market or
Alhaji Tanko’s. Bargain hard – start no
more than at 1/3 the asking price.) A
four panel carved door costs upwards of N10,000.
After Lapai, the road
passes through Agaie, one of the three Nupe Emirates (the other two being Lapi
and Bida). There are many very tall termite mounds on the LHS. The road crosses the railway just before the
bridge over the
Bead Makers:
As you enter Bida itself,
look out for the old rice mill and the Lafiya Clinic on the RHS and then take
the road (very badly broken tar) to the left. The sign will be to Masaga /
Musaga. Continue down this road for three hundred metres or so passing the
remains of small round buildings which were used by the bead makers but have
either fallen into disrepair or have been converted into the entrances of
family compounds. The buildings can be identified by their triangular windows
to allow good airflow.
After three hundred metres
or so you will see the bead shop on the RHS. Park just slightly farther on
under the shade of a tree next to the small Islamic school.
The beads made in Bida
are from recycled glass so you will be welcomed with open arms if you bring
with you the last few weeks/months supplies of empty wine bottles or other
glass containers, especially if they are blue or other slightly more unusual
colours. It is said that the first craftsmen working with glass came to Bida
from
In the Middle East, the
glassmakers of
The beads made here are
barrel shaped, often with a distinctive white spiral glass twist on them. The
colour of the beads depends upon the glass available but the usual colours are
blackish brown, green, yellow, clear brown, and blue.
The bead makers here
will be pleased to show you the bead making process although it will cost you
(negotiate first) if they have to light the fires again. They tend to work
early in the morning when it is slightly cooler. They will be happy to make
bangles, beads, or snakes for you from one of the bottles which you have brought.
It’s a good place for photos but again you will need to pay to take them. If you don’t phone ahead and arrive wanting
this service, the charge is N10,000. If
you phone ahead – Yahaya Muhammed, 0805-819-7716, and you ask when the next day
is that bead making will take place, you will be able to negotiate this price
down to N2000 or less. If you phone
ahead and make arrangements to fit your own schedule, expect to pay N3000.
The shop contains work
from more than one bead maker, but it is easier to try to negotiate a price
with one person after you have made your selection rather than with each
individual maker. A string of small beads may cost N200 but the large beads
when strung together may cost up to N2000. The shop also contains beads which
have not been made in Bida and occasionally there are some really interesting
examples from
One reference book on
bead making says that Bida is famed for both its beads made from recycled glass
and its stone bead making. I have never managed to find out anything more about
the stone bead making, so if you do, please do let me know!
There is a good
description of the bead making process in Bida in:
Beads and Beadwork in
West and
Published by Shire
Publications,
Beads: An exploration of
bead traditions around the world. Janet Coles and Robert Budwig. (1997) Simon
and Schuster Editions ISBN 0 684 83462 6
Brass Making:
Continue down the road
past the bead shop for another 200m and you will come to the brass area. There
area a number of small shops selling brass objects from extremely large brass
storage containers to small ashtrays and plates. All of the work is of a poor
quality and most of the brass items are not made here. It’s worth stopping for
a short while to see what there is in the shops as occasionally there are
interesting pieces, but you will have to look very hard. You can commission
items from the traders here for presents, but do take care to give very clear
instructions on design, decoration, engraving, etc. The sellers also have
“silver” items for sale.
Brass Works are found in
the following areas of Bida town: Gbongbofu, Tswatako and Tswata Mukun.
Bida
I Nupe Stools
The easiest way to
locate both old and new Nupe stools is to go to visit Aihaji Tanko. He normally
has a number of both for sale. He also has a number of Bida pots and often some
carved Nupe doors. He has also started to deal in textiles (both traditional
Nupe cloth and the men’s narrow weave cloth which has been made up in baban
rigas).
To find Alhaji Tanko:
From
Bida stools are made
from one single piece of wood and are usually circular or oblong. The round
stools have up to 10 legs. The price of stools depends upon their age, the
number of legs and the number of cross-overs on the legs, the size, etc. Stools
can be purchased from N2500 upwards. Weaving sticks with interesting carvings
are usually about N500. Nupe doors are for sale at a starting price of N30,000.
If you want something
specific or want to make sure that AIhaji Tanko has some items in stock give
him a call before travelling. He can be reached on: 0803-514-5873. If you can
not find his house give him a call and he will send his son to find you.
Many of the stools which
are for sale have been repaired so do check carefully. Some of the stools have
wood worm but it is easy to kill the eggs and larvae by placing the wooden
articles in a domestic freezer for a number of days.
AIh Tanko has a number
of old Bida pots and sometimes has a number of the older “wedding pots” which
have incised decorations and beaten metal ornaments. The pots usually have
metal lids, but many of these are now missing.
Small market
Continue down this road
until just before the roundabout and park on the RHS near the large tree (on
the LHS). Enter the small market by the steps near the tree. Under the shade of
this tree is the Fulani market, with butter, Furra, Warra, etc., for sale.
There are also, at the right time of the year, a large number of people carving
calabashes. Painted and carved calabashes (as well as plain gourds) are
available in one of the small shops near the entrance to the market. Note the
black and white calabashes which come from Kontogora. The young Fulani women
here have extremely impressive hair decorations and bead jewellery.
Farther into the market
you can find Fulani sticks, beads, cloth, khol containers, etc. There is also a
small pot area. At the end of the small market is the entrance to the larger
market with fruit, meat, dried fish, household goods, etc. It is a good place
to buy local rice since the rice mill at the entrance to the town seems not to
be operating.
The market is also a
good place to look for old Nupe weaving and interesting hats which are
distinctly Nupe with fabric woven rather than the embroidery of traditional
Hausa hats.
The market is a good
place to find someone to take you to the home of some of the weavers in the
area. The car can be left in the same place as it’s only a five-minute walk to
the family compounds of the weavers.
Weaving
For a full description
of Nupe weaving see:
Nigerian Weaving.
Nigerian Hand Crafted
Textiles. Joanne Bubolz Eicher.
Nupe women weave on the
vertical loom. The looms are placed within the depths of house compounds either
in individual rooms or along verandas in inner courtyards. The Nupe weave cloth
with two distinct systems of patterning, one based on warp alignment, and the
other on inlay. One cloth type to look out for is called Duna.
Duna cloth has two
distinct features. Firstly, the background is broken up by an array of thin
warp stripes, each of one or two threads, about a quarter of an inch apart.
Secondly, on this background is woven a sequence of extremely bold and
distinctive inlay designs. The background can be traditionally blue or white.
On the blue background, the inlay is usually red or green, and on the white
background black may be added to these colours. Modern Duna cloth is sold in
the market as “Bida Cloth.”
Normally, Duna cloths
are purchased either with three panels (men’s wear) or two panels (women’s
wear).
When you are in the
compounds, look out for the enamel or china plates positioned in the plaster or
mud finish on the outside of the buildings. These are said to be both a form of
decoration and a sign of wealth. Look out for the range of enamel and china
plates used.
Men weave, too, in Bida.
Men’s weave is on the horizontal loom with Nupe cloth woven by men being about
10-12 cm wide. The cloth is sewn together and is used for the production of
men’s gowns which are also embroidered here in Bida. The cotton used for the
weaving is usually purchased from local markets although people used to spin
their own cotton for use in weaving. The cotton and the strips woven are then
dyed using natural indigo dyes.
To ensure that you get
to see the weavers at work or see the family compounds where cloth may be on
sale, ask Alh Tanko’s son to arrange a visit for you.
Other places to see:
Etsu Bida’s palace:
Travel through Bida on
the road towards Kutigi. The Etsu’s palace is on the RHS before you leave the
town. It is well worth visiting Bida for the Durbar celebrations at the end of
Ramadan. The procession from the prayer ground to the Etsu’s palace and the
Durbar itself match the more popularly visited Durbars in the north of the
country.
Town Walls:
Bida was a walled town
but few sections of the mud wall now exist. The one place where you may be able
to see the town wall is close to the Etsu’s palace and on the way to the
Federal Polytechnic in Bida. From the Etsu’s palace drive back toward town and
take the first main road to the RHS (close to a small market and a number of
eating places). Drive down this road toward the river and the GRA. The remains
of the wall can be found on the LHS.
Embroidery:
Contact Ahmed Abdulkarim
on 0805 8018671 or 0806531618. He is one of the main people providing high
quality embroidery for baban rigas, etc. He will come and meet you in Bida to
guide you to the compounds where the work is done. Well worth hunting him out!
Places to eat:
Try Classy Restaurant:
Go back to the junction on the main road where there are two petrol stations on
the corner, close to the traffic control site. The restaurant is on the LHS
after about 150—200 metres.
Place to stay:
A small guest house in
Bida is one that I used. It was small and clean but had no food. There was
power and water. It’s in the GRA area at the far end of town on the road to the
polytechnic and within 5 minutes of the Etsu’s palace. I think it’s called something like CS and S
guest house, phone: 0803-464-0770.
Catherine
Subsequent edits by
Roman