The House of Many People and the Death of Baffa Mai Dogon Carbi
The family compound was a large house consisting of nearly twelve separate quarters—what could be described as an extended family home, sheltering grandparents, children, and grandchildren alike. The town of Dangwauro, one of the smaller villages nestled within Kano's basin, thrives on farming, cattle rearing, and its local markets. Among its most prominent homes was that of Malam Muhammadu, known as Mai Dogon Carbi (the one with the long stick). The house was so well-known that even strangers could direct you there just by asking. The place was so full of people that it had earned the nickname The House of Many Children.
The home of Mai Dogon Carbi was filled with people mourning his recent death. The entire village of Dangwauro felt the loss of this elderly patriarch. His wives, Yaya Babba and Inna Furai, were deeply affected by his passing.
According to Hausa tradition, the day of a death is marked by loud mourning and cries, though these wails usually subside after the burial. As was the custom, when the body was taken out for funeral prayers, both children and adults wept loudly.
In a quiet corner of the house, Hali Dubu sat silently, occasionally wiping away tears, though she was internally upset that no one came to console her. She felt like she grieved more deeply than the rest, despite her regular disputes with the late Baffa, who was her grandfather. Feeling ignored, she devised a plan to draw attention to herself.
She quietly left the room, then suddenly ran back in, screaming, "Oh God! I'm ruined! I'm destroyed!" Everyone turned to her, asking what was wrong. Dubu remained silent, watching the attention shift to her, hoping to be comforted like Yaya Babba.
Just then, Baba Munkaila entered. Seeing the commotion, he shouted at her, “What’s wrong with you screaming like that?” She looked at him like a new orphan, then turned toward the door and pointed silently. Again, he shouted, “What is over there?” She sobbed and replied, “It’s Baffa!”
People reacted in confusion—"Baffa? Which Baffa?"
Ignoring their questions, she threw herself on the ground, crying dramatically, "Baffa has left me!" Baba Munkaila, sensing trouble, knew something was wrong. He fetched a whip and lashed her. Feeling the sting, she ran away, ending up in Yaya Babba's room.
A Mischievous Plan: Hali Dubu’s Scare Tactic
Lying on the bed in Yaya Babba’s room, Dubu thought up a clever plan to drive everyone away from the house. She knew that according to custom, after the 40th day of mourning, visitors would begin to leave. But Baffa had never allowed extended stays in his lifetime, so she saw this as a perfect opportunity to “uphold his legacy” by scaring everyone off.
She left the room acting unusually cheerful, causing whispers among the crowd—some mocked her, others were just relieved. Secretly, she began packing her items discreetly at Maghrib, planning to execute her plan that night.
The house was silent that night except for the chirping of birds and snoring from different rooms. At around 2:30 a.m., Dubu, now in the quarters of Baba Rufa’i, woke up, put on Baffa’s robe, cap, and turban, took his signature long stick (Carbi), and snuck out.
By the moonlight, she went to the area where Baffa used to perform ablution and squatted like him. From a distance, she looked exactly like him. Clearing her throat, she mimicked his signature cough. Baba Sule, half-asleep, heard the familiar sound and sat up, eyes wide. She coughed again, this time adding Baffa's distinctive old-man wheeze.
Then, in Baffa’s voice, she declared, "Indeed, life in the afterlife is sweet." Baba Sule froze in fear, convinced his late father had returned.
Meanwhile, Inna Furai, holding a small pot on her way to the restroom, saw Dubu squatting in white garments and turban. She felt her heart pound and began reciting prayers. As she neared, she heard Baffa’s voice whisper, "The joy of the afterlife is visiting one’s old life... with one’s wife." Inna Furai panicked.
Dubu intensified her act, claiming to speak to “heavenly beings,” threatening to take anyone found with a shroud in their clothing. She told Inna Furai that if she wanted to be spared, she must breastfeed her adult children as she once did when they were babies.
Inna Furai, terrified, lost control of her bladder, dropped the pot, and leaned against the wall for support.
Panic Spreads and the House Descends into Chaos
Though Dubu wanted to laugh, she held it in. She continued in Baffa’s voice, instructing the “spirits” to prepare for the first soul harvest. She declared, “Anyone who wakes to find a shroud in their clothes will be our bride!”
Inna Furai collapsed from fear. Dubu panicked, thinking she might have died. She ran off, screaming in Baffa's voice, and rushed back into the house, hiding in Baffa's storage room.
Her loud scream startled Baba Sule, especially after hearing that he might be the next target. Afraid, he tightly held his wife Sahura’s hand. Half-asleep, Sahura protested, “Please, leave me alone!” He warned her in a whisper that they were being watched by “beings from the heavens.”
From the eastern quarters, Baba Auwalu lifted his curtain and shone his flashlight. His new wife, Yahanasu, sat up, asking where he was going. From afar, they saw Inna Furai unconscious. Alarmed, Auwalu said, “Is that Inna lying on the ground?” Sahura whispered, “Maybe your enemies are messing with your eyes.”
Auwalu couldn't abandon his mother. He went outside, splashed water on her, and she slowly regained consciousness. He called out for Baba Sule’s help. Inside, Sahura tried to get up, but Sule gripped her tightly, whispering again, “If you let go, they'll take you!”
Sahura, frustrated, snapped, “Are you possessed or something?” but Sule kept muttering, “They could snatch me at any moment.”
Meanwhile, Dubu listened from the shadows. She came out and, in Baffa's voice, whispered near Yahanasu’s door, “Indeed, the afterlife is sweet. Now, I must take the wife of this house.”
Yahanasu trembled and closed her eyes tightly. Dubu continued with eerie messages and added, “If you want to live, never open your eyes again!” Yahanasu agreed instantly.
Satisfied, Dubu grinned and said aloud, “Let’s see if her love for Auwalu can withstand this.”
She ordered Yahanasu to get up and hug the wall. Blindly, Yahanasu obeyed.
Description
The House of Many People and the Death of Baffa Mai Dogon Carbi
The family compound was a large house consisting of nearly twelve separate quarters—what could be described as an extended family home, sheltering grandparents, children, and grandchildren alike. The town of Dangwauro, one of the smaller villages nestled within Kano's basin, thrives on farming, cattle rearing, and its local markets. Among its most prominent homes was that of Malam Muhammadu, known as Mai Dogon Carbi (the one with the long stick). The house was so well-known that even strangers could direct you there just by asking. The place was so full of people that it had earned the nickname The House of Many Children.
The home of Mai Dogon Carbi was filled with people mourning his recent death. The entire village of Dangwauro felt the loss of this elderly patriarch. His wives, Yaya Babba and Inna Furai, were deeply affected by his passing.
According to Hausa tradition, the day of a death is marked by loud mourning and cries, though these wails usually subside after the burial. As was the custom, when the body was taken out for funeral prayers, both children and adults wept loudly.
In a quiet corner of the house, Hali Dubu sat silently, occasionally wiping away tears, though she was internally upset that no one came to console her. She felt like she grieved more deeply than the rest, despite her regular disputes with the late Baffa, who was her grandfather. Feeling ignored, she devised a plan to draw attention to herself.
She quietly left the room, then suddenly ran back in, screaming, "Oh God! I'm ruined! I'm destroyed!" Everyone turned to her, asking what was wrong. Dubu remained silent, watching the attention shift to her, hoping to be comforted like Yaya Babba.
Just then, Baba Munkaila entered. Seeing the commotion, he shouted at her, “What’s wrong with you screaming like that?” She looked at him like a new orphan, then turned toward the door and pointed silently. Again, he shouted, “What is over there?” She sobbed and replied, “It’s Baffa!”
People reacted in confusion—"Baffa? Which Baffa?"
Ignoring their questions, she threw herself on the ground, crying dramatically, "Baffa has left me!" Baba Munkaila, sensing trouble, knew something was wrong. He fetched a whip and lashed her. Feeling the sting, she ran away, ending up in Yaya Babba's room.
A Mischievous Plan: Hali Dubu’s Scare Tactic
Lying on the bed in Yaya Babba’s room, Dubu thought up a clever plan to drive everyone away from the house. She knew that according to custom, after the 40th day of mourning, visitors would begin to leave. But Baffa had never allowed extended stays in his lifetime, so she saw this as a perfect opportunity to “uphold his legacy” by scaring everyone off.
She left the room acting unusually cheerful, causing whispers among the crowd—some mocked her, others were just relieved. Secretly, she began packing her items discreetly at Maghrib, planning to execute her plan that night.
The house was silent that night except for the chirping of birds and snoring from different rooms. At around 2:30 a.m., Dubu, now in the quarters of Baba Rufa’i, woke up, put on Baffa’s robe, cap, and turban, took his signature long stick (Carbi), and snuck out.
By the moonlight, she went to the area where Baffa used to perform ablution and squatted like him. From a distance, she looked exactly like him. Clearing her throat, she mimicked his signature cough. Baba Sule, half-asleep, heard the familiar sound and sat up, eyes wide. She coughed again, this time adding Baffa's distinctive old-man wheeze.
Then, in Baffa’s voice, she declared, "Indeed, life in the afterlife is sweet." Baba Sule froze in fear, convinced his late father had returned.
Meanwhile, Inna Furai, holding a small pot on her way to the restroom, saw Dubu squatting in white garments and turban. She felt her heart pound and began reciting prayers. As she neared, she heard Baffa’s voice whisper, "The joy of the afterlife is visiting one’s old life... with one’s wife." Inna Furai panicked.
Dubu intensified her act, claiming to speak to “heavenly beings,” threatening to take anyone found with a shroud in their clothing. She told Inna Furai that if she wanted to be spared, she must breastfeed her adult children as she once did when they were babies.
Inna Furai, terrified, lost control of her bladder, dropped the pot, and leaned against the wall for support.
Panic Spreads and the House Descends into Chaos
Though Dubu wanted to laugh, she held it in. She continued in Baffa’s voice, instructing the “spirits” to prepare for the first soul harvest. She declared, “Anyone who wakes to find a shroud in their clothes will be our bride!”
Inna Furai collapsed from fear. Dubu panicked, thinking she might have died. She ran off, screaming in Baffa's voice, and rushed back into the house, hiding in Baffa's storage room.
Her loud scream startled Baba Sule, especially after hearing that he might be the next target. Afraid, he tightly held his wife Sahura’s hand. Half-asleep, Sahura protested, “Please, leave me alone!” He warned her in a whisper that they were being watched by “beings from the heavens.”
From the eastern quarters, Baba Auwalu lifted his curtain and shone his flashlight. His new wife, Yahanasu, sat up, asking where he was going. From afar, they saw Inna Furai unconscious. Alarmed, Auwalu said, “Is that Inna lying on the ground?” Sahura whispered, “Maybe your enemies are messing with your eyes.”
Auwalu couldn't abandon his mother. He went outside, splashed water on her, and she slowly regained consciousness. He called out for Baba Sule’s help. Inside, Sahura tried to get up, but Sule gripped her tightly, whispering again, “If you let go, they'll take you!”
Sahura, frustrated, snapped, “Are you possessed or something?” but Sule kept muttering, “They could snatch me at any moment.”
Meanwhile, Dubu listened from the shadows. She came out and, in Baffa's voice, whispered near Yahanasu’s door, “Indeed, the afterlife is sweet. Now, I must take the wife of this house.”
Yahanasu trembled and closed her eyes tightly. Dubu continued with eerie messages and added, “If you want to live, never open your eyes again!” Yahanasu agreed instantly.
Satisfied, Dubu grinned and said aloud, “Let’s see if her love for Auwalu can withstand this.”
She ordered Yahanasu to get up and hug the wall. Blindly, Yahanasu obeyed.