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Gwari Villages
•• BRITISH
•• COUNCIL
Things to do near
Pots:
If you are interested in
seeing Gwari pots being made and do not want just to buy the pots from the sellers
at Giri (known to most people as the pot market at Gwagwalada), there are a
number of villages close to Abuja that are worth visiting to see the potters at
work.
Guye:
Take the road out of
There are a number of
female potters in Guye. Ask around and you will be directed to the women who
are still making pots. Many of the designs derive from influences such as birds
and beasts, plant life, religion and pure practicality.
Iddo:
Take the road out of
lddo is only one
kilometre from the main road. The first building on the LHS is a pink, green
and brown set of shops. A little farther
on, there is a primary school on the RHS. Take this turn to the right and then
go straight ahead for 200m or so. Stop and ask for the potters. There are a
number in this area of the village. You will not see the pots outside the
compounds as the pots are made by the women in the compounds. You may see small
piles of unprocessed clay outside the houses, however.
There are other families
who make pots. Return to the main road and continue through the village of lddo
Sarkin Pada. Take note of the small grain stores in the village and in the
family compounds. At the end of the dry season, they are all re-thatched and
renovated. Go through the village until you see a small mosque on the LHS. Park
here and enquire. There are a number of Gwari potters in this area. Just beyond
the mosque there is an open space which is used as the firing ground for
potters in this area of the village.
Firing is done irregularly and appears not to be done
collectively. If you see pots which you like but are not fired it is possible
to pay for the wood to be purchased for the firing to be done. Prior to the
main firing, all the pots are preheated over small fires within the compounds
to ensure that the pots are fully dry and that there are no pockets of air. If
these air pockets remain. there is a danger that the pots will crack and
shatter when firing occurs.
After firing the pots
are splashed with an infusion of the pods of the locust bean tree to make them
water-resistant. A
Many people who make
pots here in Iddo take their pots to the market at Mandalla in Zuba (near Zuma
rock).
Prices: The small pots
cost N80. The very large water pots cost N700.
Tatico:
Tatico is approximately 5 km from Paiko near Minna. Take the
In Paiko, turn off to the left into the village. Take the first road on
the RHS which leads past he market. Paiko market takes place on Fridays and is
well worth visiting. There are piles of pots left at the market from one week
to the next but these are not for sale.
Continue down this road for about 3 km and then look out for a turnoff
on the RHS. There is a sign on the LHS for Tatico Union Bank (but the sign is
rather difficult to spot). The road to Tatico is rather uneven and should not
be attempted in a low clearance vehicle (although we did not need to us a 4WD).
Tatico village is reached after about 4 kilometres. Drive through the village
and you will see piles of pots outside many of the compounds. The village is
famous for both its weaving and its pots.
Pots:
The pots made range from small money boxes to large 20 gallon water
coolers, beautifully bellied and adorned with decoration characteristic of that
village. The large water pots are highly porous which enables an excellent transfer
of heat to the atmosphere through evaporation. Equally associated with the
porosity of the vessels is their resistance to thermal shocks. This means that
as cooking pots they will survive being stood over a naked flame or in hot
ashes while food is being prepared in them.
The women of Tatico are responsible for all the processes of pot making
from the digging of the clay (about 2 km from the village) to the firing of the
pots and then the sale of the pots in the local markets.
One of the characteristics of the larger Tatico pots is the rouletted
patterns made by rolling a millet cob or something similar over the surface.
This, combined with parallel lines circling the belly and shoulder of the pot,
produce a most beautiful effect. Often strategically arranged bare areas
bordered by short vertical lines are left in preparation for the application of
a red pigment which is added after the pot has dried.
Near the village are deposits of decomposed laterite or brickstone which
the potters grind into fine powder and rub with water to form the bright red
pigment. This is then rubbed into the prepared patches of the pattern. Each pot
is different but characteristically Tatico.
Firing of the pots is done on Thursdays in preparation for the market in
Paiko on Fridays. There are a number of firings within the village, depending
upon the number of pots made during the week. Each firing takes about 40 — 50 minutes. It is worth
going to the village on Thursdays to buy pots before they are transported to
Paiko market the following day.
Tatico pots are on sale at the pot market in Gin (Gwagwalada) but they
are of course slightly cheaper in Tatico. Expect to pay N250-300 for a medium
sized pot. Large pots should be ordered in advance. It is better not to go to
Tatico early in the week as the women are often out collecting the clay for
their pots.
For a full explanation of pot production in Tatico see Ceramic Review
122 (1990) p17-19
For a full explanation of pottery in Africa see: Smashing Pots: works of
clay in
Institution Press (1994). ISBN 1-56098-419-8.
Weaving:
When the women are engaged in the making of pots, the men are engaged with
weaving. The men weave narrow strips on a horizontal narrow strip loom. The
main strips are white in colour but there are also blue woven strips. It is
possible to buy the strips singularly or sewn together in a basic fashion.
The weaving is done outside of the compound by groups of men. It is possible to see the preparation of the
warp on the ground outside of the compound.
For further details on Gwari weaving styles, see the section on Bwari
weaving, below.
For a full explanation of weaving in Gwari areas, see Nigerian
Textiles: Venice Lamb and Judy Holmes
(1980), ISBN 0-907-129-00-5.
When going to Bwari, don’t just visit the pottery, but also explore the
The Esu will be able to assist you if you are interested in seeing more
of Bwari or if you would like to visit Ushafa to look at the weaving, etc.
The Emir’s palace is at the end of the village on the RHS just beyond
the post office and the hospital and just before the new pipeline road.
The market day in Bwari is Tuesday.
To get to Ushafa, take the road out of
Ushafa (sometimes known as the Bill Clinton village after his visit
there during his whistle stop visit to
Next to the Women’s pottery center is a government-run Youth Corps
facility where young ceramics majors come to learn to create more modern,
filtered clay, high fired pottery. The
young men and women of this center make more modern-looking pottery, often with
painted, somewhat touristy “African” motifs.
They also make non-traditional clay objects such as beads.
Textiles:
Ushafa has a small number of weavers. As with many traditional crafts,
the number of people weaving is reducing. The range of textiles being produced
is also limited, but there are still a number of people creating many
interesting textiles for wearing at all the major events in the life of the
Gwari communities.
One of the important completed women’s Gwari cloth is known as Bubuje.
Every Gwari woman has at least two, one worn as a wrap coming right up to the
armpits and the other as a head tie worn as a type of turban with a tail
hanging down the back.
Bubuje cloths play a part in marriage ceremonies both as apparel and as
gifts. They are also used as baby ties. Finally the Gwari women are buried with
their head ties as a significant part of their funeral dress.
The cotton cloth is about three inches wide and is woven so that there are
weft holes at each edge. The sewer then joins strips together with a braid,
using the same thread that is used for the main strips. Sometimes, instead of
the three inch strip, a wider strip of twenty inches is used to make what is
essentially a two panel cloth. Once braided together, the cloth is dyed in a
mixture of wood ash and wild indigo to produce a very deep blue colour. It is well worth asking to see
the dye pits which are not dissimilar to those in
It is possible to buy Jebuyie (undyed white cloth) and Jesnuda
(blue). The cost of the white is
approximately N2000, whereas the blue is approximately N3000. Because there are few weavers of the quality
Shale or Bubuje textiles, it does not seem possible to buy these textiles
here. It may be possible to buy these
textiles in some of the other Gwari markets, but we were told that most of the
textiles on sale in Kuje, Kwali, etc., would have been made in Ushafa.
Mats:
The Yucca plant which grows vigorously by the rivers in the valley is
used to produce the fibres for the weaving of mats. These mats are not woven in
narrow strip as are the woven mats produced in the far north from the Dumm Palm
(for sale in Jajimarji, etc.), but are wider and more pliable. The mats were
for sale at approximately N1000.
To visit the weavers or to see the mats being produced it is first
necessary to call on the village head. His house can be found by going into
Ushafa from the main junction and then taking the first road to the right
towards the women’s pottery centre. When you get to the centre, turn left and
go through the village. The District Head’s house can be found on the RHS after
a large shade tree. If you have visited the Esu in Bwari he will be able to
assist you in making contact with the District Head and through him the
artisans in Ushafa.
Lapai is on the road from Lambata to Bida. It is a Nupe town which is
famed for both its straw weaving and its wood carving. The town also has the
tombs of ancient chiefs of Lapai from Mallam Usman Jauro, a cattle Fulani, to
the last Etsu Lapai.
Many of the wood carvings and Bida stools which are for sale in Bida at
the house of Alh Tanko are made here in Lapai.
As you enter Lapai take the first turn to the left at the small
monument. Carry along this road for 500m or so and then turn right. You are
looking for Gidan Duwatsu at G79,
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.
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 Alh Tank’s shop in Bida will cost N500 here in Lapai. A four
panel carved door costs upwards of N10,000.
Rather than going to the Lower Usuma Dam why not go to the Upper Usuma
Dam for a change? Take the road out of
The ferry costs N20 to get to the village on the other shore. However if
the ferry is not busy they are happy to take you around the lake. Please
remember to negotiate the price before you start out. The village, as you would
expect from one on the lakeshore, has many fishermen. It is interesting
watching them sort the fish and dry them on the shoreline. The nets are hung
from the trees on the shoreside. The fishermen fish using a number of
techniques. There are small canoes always on the move and there is always
something going on.
Return to the broken tar road and then continue on the road past the
road from Royal Ceramics (on the RHS). At the next village turn left just past
the last house. Follow the road down for a kilometre until you get to the
lakeside. Just before the shoreside, there is a monument, presumably to the
opening of the dam, however the signs on the monument have long since been
removed but the site of the monument gives good views over the dam. It appears
to be safe to park here and go exploring along the lakeside and along the dam
wall to explore the dam system on the far side of the wall.
Go back up to the road and then turn left again. Less than one kilometre
on, turn left alongside an old chain link fence and by a group of large mango
trees. The road is not brilliant and it is probably better to have a 4WD or at
least a high clearance vehicle.
The road goes under the dam wall and continues along the water’s edge
with great views across the water and through a few temporary fishing villages.
There are a number of Fulani encampments along the water’s edge and bird
watching is interesting.
There is one interesting moment with a narrow bridge (without high
sides) over a stream. Take it easy! The rest of the journey is OK and you will
see the occasional Okada and a few small minibuses so it must be alright for
you too!
Continue along the road for 5-6 kilometres until you come to a T
junction. Turn right. Continue along this road (broken tar) through a number of
small villages. After 4-5 kilometres you will arrive in Bwari after passing the
Bwari pottery on the LHS. In Bwari, turn right and continue along this road
past the road to Ushafa and continue to Dutse and then on to the expressway.
Turn left on the expressway (take care) to return to
More things to do in the
Commonwealth War
There are a number of Commonwealth War Graves in
In the lych gate of the cemetery there is a memorial and an explanation
of the conflicts in which the commonwealth soldiers (British, Nigerian, and
other nationalities) lost their lives, and the role which Nigerian soldiers
played in the second world war.
To get to the cemeteries go from the Residence to the Hamdala Hotel. At
the first rond about, go straight across. At the next junction, go straight
across, down a quiet cul –de-sac. At the bottom of this road you will see on
the RHS the cenotaph and the entrance gates to the cemetery in which are buried
both Nigerian and British war dead. At the bottom of this road adjacent to
Sabon Birni Market:
Another market to explore in the
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