TITLE : ENYALÒ (NUPE ARITHMETIC)
PAGES : 135
PUBLISHER :
GANDZO ENTERPRISES
YEAR
: 2012
AUTHOR
: ISYAKU BALA IBRAHIM
REVIEWER :
PAUL LIAM
If African traditional,
cultural and religious values must be saved from annihilating claws of
extinction we must begin to document this national endowment that defines who
we are as a people with cultural history and values especially in this age of
culture-colonialism threatening the existence of African nations. There is
rarely an African country that does not depend on the benevolence of a foreign
language for its economic ejaculation and global relevance. Even in cases where
indigenous languages are adopted for general use priority is still given to
foreign languages. How then can we as Africans define ourselves as a people
when we don’t have a unified language of communication peculiar to us as
Africans and virtually depend on foreign culture and values for our existence.
This is one great challenge that the Author of Enyalò
(Nupe Arithmetic), Isyaku Bala Ibrahim, a business administrator and staffer of
the Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission has chosen and dedicated his energy and
resources to in order to avert the consequences of leaving behind a culturally
dearth generation. This book is neither the Author’s first or last work on Nupe
culture with already published book on Nupe Proverbs with English translations,
“Eganmaganzhi Nupe”, 2009 and many unpublished materials bordering on the Nupe
tribe; with this latest book “Enyalò”, the author is generally establishing
himself as a cultural rejuvenator and becoming famous among his people, the
Nupe people of Northern Nigeria. In recent times, he is perhaps one of the only
visible propagator of the Nupe intellectual prowess through his books.
Published by Gandzo Enterprises, Minna, the one
hundred and thirty-five page book is written in chapters, with both a glossary
that explains some of the terminologies that may elude the readers grip. There
is bibliography that cites the places where the Author might have researched
some of his facts from. The book printed at Leowealth Nigeria Limited in Minna
is of a high quality, a beauty to behold.
The Author’s dwelling on the Arithmetic of the Nupe
tribe was born out of the desire to reinvigorate amongst the people the need to
become conscious and conversant with their cultural history and values, this
perhaps was born out of the seeming decline among the populaces’ awareness of
the existence and imperativeness of the numerical tradition of the Nupe people.
Therefore, through this effort, the Author strives to reawaken the populaces’
awareness of the existence of the Nupe numerical system. In stressing the
objective of the work, the Author explains in the ”Kpikpé – Preface,” thus:
“This book is written to educate the general pulic and make right some
misconceived perspicacity in respect of the Nupe numerical system, and to
reawaken our collective consciousness on what we own as a people and what makes
our language uniquely rich among languages of the world,” says the Author.
Before the discussion on the Nupe numerical system
proper, the Author starts by treating the Nupe Alphabets, “Egimikazhi”, he
explains that, there are thirty-four letters in Egimikazhi presented in its small and capital forms.” The Author
equally opines that, “Nupe language does not have Q (q) and X (X) out of the
adopted roman letters”. The Author further treats the vowels and consonant
sounds as its effects or concerns Nupe language. there is also the treatment of
the Nupe tonal system. This perhaps is intended to create a solid background to
the linguistic and intellectual sophistication of the Nupe language.
The eight chapter book begins with an introduction,
“EGANTIKPÉ” the Author takes the reader through the history of the development
of the numerical systems generally, but particularizing his assertion on the
Nupe, he writes thus, “The history of written Nupe numeric system can be traced
back to the activities of the Christian Missionary in the late nineteenth
century. In 1864, Reverend Samuel Ajayi Crowther wrote a book, ‘A Grammar and
Vocabulary of the Nupe language.’ He wrote briefly on Nupe counting in the
piece. He specifically counted from one to sixty thousand. Though there were
some defects in the written version possibly due to language barrier, generally
his work was quite revealing,” P2, remarked the Author.
Chapter two engages GBÈRÈ NYÁ ENYABÀ (Number
Formation). The Author explains what number is in Nupe language, “A number
simply means ‘bàci’ in Nupe language while ‘bibàci’ stands for the adjective which
means countable. So, Enyabà technically means counting system. The whole
concept is rooted form the word ‘bà’…. Which means count,” p5 explains the
Author. The elucidation on number formation continues extensively throughout
the chapter. The chapter also contains examples on how formation occurs in
Nupe. Example 2: shini be guwò è tú gutsun – Ninety plus five: 90 + 5 = 95”
p.10 explains the Author. Chapter three deals with ‘ENYABÀ’ (Counting System)
and begins thus, counting system in Nupe language is as old as the Nupe people
themselves,” the chapter equally, extensively treats the counting system with
exercises intended to make the learning more feasible.
While in chapter four, ‘Enyabàkozhi (Mega
numeration)’ is treated. The Author dedicated a way special attention to this
topic and chapter as it contains the advance version of the numerical system.
He enumerates and elucidates the numerical
equivalents of mega numbers as obtainable in Nupe numeral. Throughout the other
chapters, the Author continues to explain in details the various numerical
system in Nupe language and the importance of this cannot be over emphasized.
The Author continues to succeed in accomplishing
heights many indigenous scholars have continuously negated or failed to
achieve, this achievement may not be readily celebrated but the future will
definitely crown the deserving prince king for up holding their traditional and
cultural values.
There is a very salient issue raise in the book which
requires collective reasoning and probing. The contradiction is in the chapter
eight of the book sub-headed: ‘Enyabàzhi Nyá Edzomacizhi Be Yiri-Gobagizhi Nyá
Nupe (Nupe Dialects and their Neighbours’ Counting Systems),’ where the Author
names some dialects of Nupe which includes the Bassanges, Dibos, Kakandas,
Gana-gana,” etc all these tribes the Author groups as Nupe dialects and refers
to Nupe as their parent language.
In as much as resemblance in culture, tradition or
religion amongst the tribes can be genuine, there is hardly a language without
an affiliate, having very close similarities cannot be refuted as a feature of
most African language e.g. Igala, and Idoma. Some of these languages even borrow
the same dance steps from each other but despite their very close relation,
they are still not considered as the same. However, it is conspicuously
doubtful if the single reason of similarity generally entails sameness or
warrant the tag of a sub-tribe. When in actuality the so called dialect could
have be an independent language of its own but may have undergone some kind of
cultural-colonialism which then creates the illusion that such language is a
sub-tribe or dialect of a parent language.
Except earlier researchers like S.F. Nadel the
renowned professor of Anthropology and well respected voice on the Nupe tribe
didn’t do his homework well, he asserted emphatically in his about seventy
years old book on Nupe known as “A Black Byzantium, The Kindom of Nupe in
Nigeria,” with a foreword by Lugard, 1942, where he categorically states
repeatedly that the Kakandas have always being a country of its own and I
quote; “let me draw a tribal map of the part of Nigeria where Nupe country
lies. In the North the neigbours of the Nupe are Kambari, Kamuku and Hausa, in
the north east lies Gbari country, in the south, on the river, the country of
the Kakanda; and west of the river, Yagba (a section if the Yoruba) and Ilorin
Yoruba; and in the north west, finally, the people of Borgu and Bussa,” p.12
Nadel.
There is emphasis on the term ‘country’ which implies
sovereignty. There is also the term ‘neighbour’ which also implies
individualism. However, Isyaku Bala Ibrahim does not recognize the
individualism of the Kakanda as a language of its own, hence it been lumped
together with others as a dialect. In stressing the fact of the individualism
of the Kakanda tribe, S.F. Nadel further highlights thus, “the Nupe are known
as Nufawa among the Hausa, as Abawa among Gbari of Paiko and Birnin Gwari, the
Yoruba know them as Takpa and the Kakanda as Anupecwayi” problems of
definition, Nadel p12.
Now, if the Kakanda know the Nupe as ‘Anupecwayi’ as
claimed by S.F. Nadel, this automatically connotes that the Kakandas do not
consider themselves as Nupe hence their reference to them as ‘Anupecwayi’,
there is a no denying that for political relevance the Kakandas have identified
themselves as Nupe or have been adopted by Nupe because of its broad structure
as Nadel himself asserts in theis instance, “on the river, in the south, we
have another group which has for some times been under Nupe political influence
and has partly adopted Nupe language and culture. The Kakandas they are not
however regarded as part of the Nupe tribe,” Nadel p21.
“adopt in the above quote suggest that originally
Kakanda is not part of Nupe but because of certain reasons of gains, they
chosed to identify themselves as Nupes. This also clearly tells that Kakanda is
not a dialect or sub-tribe of Nupe. From this position, it can e deducted that
except there is perhaps a deliberate attempts at submerging Kakanda into a
subtribe or dialects of Nupe, it can be justifiably asserted that Kakanda is
not a dialect of Nupeas written by Isyaku Bala Ibrahim. And accept this divergent
views are accurately harmonized by contemporary researchers and writers on Nupe
language, the gap of inaccuracy or misrepresentation will always remain.
This argument is therefore drown with the hope that
it will fuel more researchers and writers to take to mind the issue of accuracy
in representing other in other not to distort an already established fact. If
not the future stands the risk of grappling with the issue of
misrepresentation, a similar fate that has continued to paint Africans negatively
across the globe.
Isyaku Bala Ibrahim’s Enyalò – Nupe Arithmetic is a
repository for every curious mind conscious of culture. The book will be most
useful to future generation of the Nupe kindred who will cherish it as a
reference point. Ibrahim has cooked a well sourced meal for the hundry mouth to
devour.
Paul T. Liam is a Member of ANA Niger
Gawama. Please how can I get the book?
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