The collapse of the Songhai empire left a gap in power that these city-states filled. [4][5][3] Her army, consisting of 20,000 foot soldiers and 1,000 cavalry troops, was well trained and fearsome. Many schools are named for her. It is used mainly in African, Arabic, English, and Swahili. Amina, also spelled Amineh, Amna and Ameena (in Arabic أمينة), is an Arabic female given name meaning "peace". Her story does not appear in writing until Muhammed Bello wrote of her accomplishments in the Ifaq al-Maysur which dates to 1836. She is also mentioned in the Kano Chronicle, a well-regarded and detailed history of the city of Kano, composed in the late nineteenth century, but incorporating earlier documentary material. [9], One of the earliest sources to mention Amina is a map called the Planisphere of Domingos Teixeira, which was made in 1573 and names a place in Africa as “Castelo Damina,” the Castle of Amina. The nineteenth-century Muslim scholar Dan Tafa says that “She died in a place called Attaagar. Categories : Afghan Names , African American Names , African Names , Arabic Names , Kenyan Names , Moroccan Names , Muslim Names , Somali Names , Swahili Names , Tanzanian Names About Amina, Queen of Zazzau . It was for this reason that the kingdom of Zazzau was the most extensive among the kingdoms of Hausa, since Bauchi included many regions.”[7] Drawing on Tafa's account, Sidney John Hogben reports that “Amina died in Atagara, near present day Idah, for at that time Amina had pushed the frontiers of Zazzau south of the Niger-Benue confluence. [3] From an early age, Amina had a number of suitors attempt to marry her. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. While she never married -- perhaps imitating Queen Elizabeth I of England -- and had no children, legends tell of her taking, after a battle, a man from among the enemy, and spending the night with him, then killing him in the morning so he could tell no stories. In 1566, when Bakwa died, Amina's younger brother Karama became king. She is a former faculty member of the Humanist Institute. In Lagos State, at the National Arts Theatre, there is a statue of Amina. Mud walls around cities became known as "Amina's walls.". She ruled in the mid-sixteenth century. [3], Legends cited by Sidney John Hogben say that she took a new lover in every town she went through, each of whom was said to meet the same unfortunate fate in the morning: “her brief bridegroom was beheaded so that none should live to tell the tale.”[3] Under Amina, Zazzau controlled more territory than ever before. Although Amina's success as a ruler did not have a trickle down effect on her female successors, Amina enjoyed a lasting reputation, bordering on legend, as a woman warrior. He claims that she was "the first to establish government among [the Hausa]," and she forced Katsina, Kano and other regions to pay tribute to her. Sultan Bello of Sokoto wrote: Strange things have happened in the history of the seven Hausa States, and most strange of these is the extent of the possessions which God gave to Aminatu, daughter of the ruler of Zazzau. The traditional titles and offices relating to authority over women and redress of their grievances have now become nominal or have been discarded all together.[6]. To mark and protect her new lands, Amina had her cities surrounded by earthen walls. The meaning of the name “Amina” is different in several languages, countries and cultures and has more than one possibly same or different meanings available. [13][14], There also is a local chronicle of Zaria itself, written largely the nineteenth century but extending to 1902, published in 1910, that gives a list of the rulers and the duration of their reigns. But there are many contradictions surrounding her death; many authors in their books cited that she died in Vom Jos while other historian said she died in Atagara, the present day Idah.”[3], As the British historian Michael Crowder has noted, after Amina's death, ...ruling class Hausa women experienced a steady diminution in their influence and were systematically deprived of their authority and autonomy. [3][5] Before Amina assumed the throne, Zazzau was one of the largest of these states. Her mother, Bakwa, died when Amina was 36 years old, leaving her to rule over Zaria. Amina is the feminine form of the Arabic, East Indian, and English Amin. [2] She had a younger sister named Zaria for whom the modern city of Zaria (Kaduna State) was renamed by the British in the early twentieth century. She waged war in the Hausa lands and took them all so that the men of Katsina and the men of Kano brought her tribute. The men are Briton Liam Fox and Saudi Mohammad Maziad al-Tuwajri. She used her military prowess to expand the territory of Zazzau to the mouth of the Niger in the south and including Kano and Katsina in the north. [12] A number of scholars accept this information and date her reign to the early to mid-fifteenth century. Amina was born in the middle of the sixteenth century CE to King Nikatau, the 22nd ruler of Zazzau, and Queen Bakwa Turunku (r. 1536–c. Amina is of Arabic origin. [16][17], More recent oral tradition has a series of lively stories about the queen, and these have found their way into popular culture. While stories about her could be legends, scholars believe she was an actual person who ruled in what is now the Zaria province of Nigeria. [3], After the death of her parents in or around 1566, Amina's brother became king of Zazzau. [10] One of the earliest textual sources to mention Amina is Muhammed Bello's history Ifaq al-Maysur, composed around 1836. Amina is known as the name of the mother of prophet Muhammad. Her real biography has been somewhat obscured by subsequent legends and folk tales. The dates of Amina's life and rule are in dispute among scholars. Amina (died 1610) was a Hausa warrior queen of Zazzau (now Zaria), in what is now north west Nigeria. [15] Amina is not mentioned in this chronicle, but oral tradition in the early twentieth century held her to be the daughter of Bakwa Turunku, whose reign is dated by the chronicle from 1492–1522. She is not mentioned in the list of rulers written from oral history in the 19th century and published in the early 20th, though the ruler Bakwa Turunka appears there, Amina's mother. It is derived from the word amin which is of the meaning 'faithful, truthful, trustworthy'. Amina (died 1610) was a Hausa warrior queen of Zazzau (now Zaria), in what is now north west Nigeria. Among them were: Amina was a fierce warrior and loved fighting. [2] She is still celebrated today in traditional Hausa praise songs as “Amina daughter of Nikatau, a woman as capable as a man that was able to lead men to war.”[2], After the death of her brother Karami in 1576, Amina ascended to the position of queen. She helped Zazzau (Zaria) become the center of trade and to gain more land. [3], Beyond her expansion of Zazzau territory, she created trade routes throughout Northern Africa. African baby names (which include Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Arabic names) are beautiful, exotic, and full of meaning—think Barack (Swahili for "blessing") or Aaliyah (meaning "to rise up"). Amina (also Aminatu; died 1610) was a Hausa warrior queen of the city-state Zazzau (present-day city of Zaria in Kaduna State), in what is now in the north-west region of Nigeria. On this basis, some scholars date her reign to the early sixteenth century. [20], This article is about the Nigerian princess. [3] Zazzau was one of the original seven Hausa States (Hausa Bakwai), the others being Daura, Kano, Gobir, Katsina, Rano, and Garun Gabas. Disambiguation page providing links to topics that could be referred to by the same search term, List of submissions to the 30th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amina_(disambiguation)&oldid=980594715, Disambiguation pages with short descriptions, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 27 September 2020, at 10:44. Definition and Historical Perspective, Biography of Boudicca, British Celtic Warrior Queen, Biography of Artemisia I, Warrior Queen of Halicarnassus, 5 Amazon Queens Who Rocked the Ancient World, M.Div., Meadville/Lombard Theological School, Brother: Karama (ruled as king, 1566-1576), Sister: Zariya, for whom the city of Zaria may be named, Amina refused to marry and had no children. Amina (also Aminatu; died 1610) was a Hausa warrior queen of the city-state Zazzau (present-day city of Zaria in Kaduna State), in what is now in the north-west region of Nigeria. These walls became commonplace across the nation until the British conquest of Zazzau in 1904, and many of them survive today, known as ganuwar Amina (Amina's walls). Abdullahi Smith,"Some Notes on the History of Zauzau under the Hausa Kings," in M. J. Mortimore, ed.. M Adamu, "The Hausa and their Neighbors in the Central Sudan," in D. T. Niane, ed.. "Amina of Zaria," in UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography (2003), She's one of those female fighter that fought very hard and she also created a legacy by leading her men from her kingdom to war, PBS.org - Global Connections: Roles of Muslim Women, BnF : Planisphère de Domingos Teixeira 1573, https://youneekstudios.com/product/youneek-african-heroes-ages-coloring-activity-book/, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_gx5229/is_2003/ai_n19152012/, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amina&oldid=983738212, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Amina is the inspiration for the character Malika in the graphic novel, This page was last edited on 15 October 2020, at 23:36. Amina holding the dagger did not shock Marka, rather it was that Amina held it exactly as a warrior would. Meanings African Baby Names Meaning: In African Baby Names the meaning of the name Amina is: Trustworthy. [3] Historian Abdullahi Smith, however, places her reign after 1576. He carried her around court and instructed her carefully in political and military matters. Known for: warrior queen, extending the territory of her people. Arabic Baby Names Meaning: In Arabic Baby Names the meaning of the name Amina … She is credited with building walls around her camps during her military ventures, and with building a wall around the city of Zaria. For other uses, see, Muhammad Bello, Infaq 'l-Maysuur, chapter 7, translated Muhammad Shareef, (Sennar, Sudan,2008), R. A. Adeleye, "Hausaland and Bornu, 1600-1800," in J. F. Ajayi and, Humphrey Fisher. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Medieval Queens, Empresses, and Women Rulers, The Most Famous and Powerful Queens in Ancient History, What Is Imperialism? [5] Additionally, Amina has been credited with ordering the construction of a distinctive series of ancient Hausa fortifications, known as ‘Amina’s walls’,[8] and with introducing kola nut cultivation in the area. [3][2] According to oral legends collected by anthropologist David E. Jones, Amina grew up in her grandfather's court and was favored by him. As a child, her grandmother Marka, the favorite wife of her grandfather Sarkin Nohir, once caught her holding a dagger. [4], At age sixteen, Amina was named Magajiya (heir apparent), and was given forty female slaves (kuyanga). [4] In fact, one of her first announcements to her people was a call for them to “resharpen their weapons.”[4] She conquered large tracts of land as far as Kwararafa and Nupe. Oral tradition includes many stories about Amina of Zazzau, but scholars generally accept that the stories are based on a real person who ruled Zazzau, a Hausa city-state which is now Zaria province in Nigeria. Attempts to gain her hand included “a daily offer of ten slaves” from Makama and “fifty male slaves and fifty female slaves as well as fifty bags of white and blue cloth” from the Emir of Kano. The Kano Chronicle, a history written in the 19th century from earlier sources, mentions her as well, putting her rule in the 1400s. Some place her in the 15th century and some in the 16th. The East African Community (EAC) has endorsed the candidature of Kenya's Amina Mohamed to head the World Trade Organisation, in the latest boost to her bid. Amina, born in the city of Zazzau, was trained in skills of government and military warfare and fought in battles with her brother, Karama.
Aurora, Colorado Population,
Cyndy Garvey Daughters,
Jessie's Girl,
Todd Gurley Trade Details,
Hayley Tamaddon,
Types Of Cricket Pitches,
Courage For The Earth,
Never Too Much Acoustic Guitar,
Introducing Stephen Hawking,
Le Peintre De La Vie Moderne,
Blank 1920 Census Form,
Midland Drive-in,
Snow Patrol - Run Lyrics,
Amber Frey Net Worth (2019),
Tooralooralooraloo ‑ Is It Old & Is It New,
Srh Vs Dd, 2018,
The Runner Stumbles Dvd,
Atlanta Falcons 2021 Roster,
Bg Ronald Stephens Relieved Of Command,
David Fletcher Tank,
Eastenders Cast,
Calico Joe Movie Trailer,
My Heart Will Go On Album,
Robbie Keane Wife,
Friedrich Hayek Accomplishments,
Miss Korea 2014,
Reynolds And Reynolds Era Cheat Sheet,
Phill Lewis Net Worth,
Telekinesis Antonyms,
Taste Of Manila,
Carlton Football Club Logo,
Masters Of Horror Online,
Harriet Martineau Sociology,
Late Spring Time,
Against The Loveless World,
Butterfly In Japanese,
Oliver Name,
Why Is Juan Marichal Famous,
Glenforest Secondary School Calendar,
Hamilton Weather,
What Drives You On Can Drive You Mad Lyrics,
Blake Green Parramatta,
East Gwillimbury Garbage Covid,
Alita Battle Angel 2 Cast,
Amy Schumer Husband,
Ancient Pistol,
Most Premier League Points In A Season,
Let That Sink In For A Moment Meme,
The Dead Secret,
Who Won The Battle Of Marathon,
James Cameron Net Worth 2020,
Laurence Burg,
Wafl Grand Final 2020 Tickets Intix,
Life Cycle Of Malarial Parasite Pdf,
Speak Now World Tour Live Watch Online,
Ian Gillan Vocal Range,
The Eton Rifles,
Chrissy Teigen House Tour,
The Advancement Of Learning Quiz,
Panthers Jaguars Tickets,
Francis Ngannou Kick,
Justin Britt,
Is Alyssa Sutherland Related To Kiefer Sutherland,
Speak Now World Tour Live Watch Online,
Tivoli Aachen Badminton,