Why Hausa eat in group

A group of Hausa men eating togetherHassan Ibrahim and Adamu Amadu write on the culture of dining in group round a bowl among the Hausa, a method people believe enhances mutual trust and harmony among the people..

In many parts of Nigeria, a family consists of only the parents and their children except in special cases where close relations come to stay during holidays or live with them. Thus, life is patterned along the line of Western nuclear family set-up which limits expenses and other economic commitments to the parents and their kids.

However, the situation in Hausaland varies as signs of communal living still exist where families not only consist of far relations often enjoying equal welfare packages, but also neighbours who also enjoy mutual benefits from one another, thereby bridging the social divide in a typical Hausa community.

This can be seen in one aspect of the Hausa culture that spanned several hundred years in which people, irrespective of class or age, meet at meal times to eat in group. Usually, the food and other delicacies available are spread in a big bowl or wooden dish, Akushi, and all present eat around it.

Many people feel this is a way of building mutual trust, love and harmony among the people. Although, people’s opinions vary on why the Hausa eat in such manner, most of the views sampled generally hold that since only the Almighty God ensures a good harvest, it would not be proper for one to eat with his close ones alone while other people in the neighborhood remain without food. Therefore, the satisfaction of one family cannot be fully felt until when the family next door is also satisfied.

To Mallam Muhammad Inuwa, eating together with others is a thing of joy, especially after a day’s hard work on the farm. He said due to many years of eating together with others, he had developed the habit of never getting the desired satisfaction anytime he ate alone.

“Traditionally, in a Hausa community, we have extended families where households consist of the family head living together in the same compound with his wives, sons, grandchidren and many other relatives. It is a communal living where the affair of any member of the family is considered as the affair of the general family.

“More so, they are all working on the same farmland which we call Gandu or in any local trade owned by the family. The protection, education, discipline and moral training of young ones lie on all family members. “In this family unit, there is also division of labour were each member is expected to contribute his or her own quota towards the general sustenance of the larger house. Most of the duties are categorised based on each family member in accordance to his or her ability and age,” he added.

Inuwa is of the belief that this aspect of Hausa culture is like a rope that ties and helps in integrating family through mutual love and compassion. The habit of eating together in one dish by the Hausa is another way of promoting unity, cooperation and love among the people, especially family members. In larger Hausa communities with many houses or number of families, elders or heads of households bring out varieties of food prepared in their various houses to the zaure or any other place that is conducive.

After taking the dinner, elders use this material time to discuss issues arising from their community and proffer solutions to them. At such meal times where people of different social or economic status eat together, it would be easy to understand if anyone of them is in need of assistance, while the able ones would not hesitate to offer help.

Similarly, the youth also use such forum to discuss or plan how to mobilise themselves towards carrying out community works and engage in practices expected of them as future leaders.

This culture of eating together has gone beyond family bonds or communal living as whoever happens to be around during such meals is normally invited to have a fill, even if he or she is not a Hausa.

Tanimu Ibrahim said that it was common for Hausa people whenever they were eating inside or outside their houses to invite anybody around them, irrespective of tribe or religion, to come and join them if such a person was interested.

“This culture, in addition to identifying, loving and accepting one another in the family or community, ensures that people do not stay hungry. It gives collective assistance to those who cannot afford food to eat. Where elderly ones or parents leave children behind, they too would join other kids in the family or community to eat without leaving anybody hungry.

“But in situations where one is identified to have an ailment of which his eating in group could be detrimental to the majority, such is politely given a reasonable share separately so that others would not be affected by his infirmity,” he said.

When asked if this act of eating in group has any religious implications, Alhaji Bayero Maiturare simply said it was not a must that one ate with others in group, but that it was a good thing to feed a mouth, especially that of the poor.

According to him, “what you eat will only go to the toilet, but the reward of the food you give a fellow man will ever be recorded.” Perhaps, that could be why, for a long time to come, the idea of eating in groups round a bowl among the Hausa will continue to flourish since they are a people who strongly believe that those who share a loaf will never stay without flour in their houses.