Yauri Emirate

Yauri (or Yawuri) is an emirate in Nigeria's Kebbi State, occupying the Yauri Local Government Area. Today, Yauri is one of the smallest historical emirates in Northern Nigeria. In 1972, the population was about 112,000 people inhabiting a land area of about 1,306 square miles (3,380 km²) and scattered over six major districts.

History

The area was first settled by an eastern group around early 1000-1200 AD, predominantly by a Benue–Congo linguistic group, the Kamberis. Then for a brief period of time, Yauri was invaded by Mali and it incorporated a few Songhai invaders into its social structure. The increasing agricultural surplus exhibited by the early settlers and the availability of fertile land near a river brought in a diverse and malleable group of migrants seeking fertile land to farm, and the groups were initially dominated by the Gungawas. This became the second wave of migration into Yauri. Around the seventeenth century, this group waged a war over the Kamberis and became the dominant political group in the area under the first Emir of Yauri, Sarkin Yauri Garba.

However, by the eighteenth century, slave raiding had clipped the political and economic structures of the area. The need for a much more powerful political entity became necessary in order to strengthen the emirate against slave raiders from without. A movement by the ruling and malleable Gungawas to assimilate with the dominant Hausas in the region led to a gradual inter-ethnic political relationship with Hausas. However, in early nineteenth century, the success of the Funlani jihad made Yauri a tributary state of Gwandu.^[1]

Independent rulers

Following were the independent rulers (Sarkin Yawuri) in the 19^th century.^[2]

Start	End	Ruler
March 1799	November 1829	Muhammadu Dan Ayi dan Ahmadu Jerabana Albishir)
November 1829	June1835	Ibrahimu dan Muhammadu Dan Ayi
June 1835	March 1844	Jibrilu Gajeren Sarki dan Muhammadu Dan Ayi (1st time)
March 1844	September 1848	Abu Bakr Jatau dan Mustafa Gazari (d. 1848)
September 1848	1849	Jibrilu Gajeren Sarki dan Muhammadu Dan Ayi (2nd time) (d. 1849)
1849	September 1850	Ya`quba dan Jibrilu Gajeren Sarki
September 1850	January 1871	Sulaymanu Dan Addo dan Ibrahimu (d. 1871)
January 1871	January 1888	Abd Allahi Gallo dan Muhammadu Dan Ayi (d. 1888)
January 1888	February 1904	Abd Allahi Abarshi dan `Ali dan Yerima (d. 1904)

Colonial and post colonial rulers

P.G. Harris was a colonial administrator in Nigeria and Cameroon. He was born in Liverpool and studied at St Bees School, Cumberland. In 1916, he was made lieutenant of the Infantry, Nigeria regiments. In 1919, he joined the Nigerian administrative service. In 1935, he was made the senior resident Sokoto, a position which included Yauri.

Sarkin Abdullahi was a native ruler of Yauri after the disastrous rule of Aliyu, a fulani ruler. He was quite educated and was a teacher before his coronation as Sarkin. He was known for his meticulous dedication to education, health and generally most services under his emirate. He was born in 1910, and was educated at the Provincial School Kano.^[3]

Following were the independent rulers (Sarkin Yawuri) in the colonial and post-colonial period.^[2]

Start	End	Ruler
February 1904	June 1915	Jibrilu dan Abdullahi Abarshi
1915	March 1923	Aliyu dan Abdullahi (regent to 1917)
1923	1955	Abdullahi dan Jibrilu (b. 1901 - d. 1955)
1955		Muhammad Tukur dan Abdullahi (b. 1923)
1981	26th march 1999	Shuaibu Yakubu Abashi
17 June 1999		Muhammad Zayyanu Abdullahi

References

1. ^ Salamone, Frank A., Gods and goods in Africa: persistence and change in ethnic and religious identity in Yauri Emirate, North-Western State, Nigeria.
2. ^ ^{a b} "Traditional States of Nigeria". World Statesmen. http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Nigeria_native.html. Retrieved 2010-09-05. 
3. ^ Frank A. Salamone, Indirect Rule and the Reinterpretation of Tradition: Abdullahi of Yauri. African Studies Review > Vol. 23, No. 1 (Apr., 1980)

Coordinates: 10°44′56″N 4°46′40″E / 10.74889°N 4.77778°E / 10.74889; 4.77778