User:ArgunguMike/sandbox

As a child I went to the Argungu fishing festival and have many photographs of the colourful events between the period 1954 to 1963, my father was a keen fisherman and often caught Niger Perch weighing 75 to 112 lbs, which towed his boat for many hours up and down the Niger River until the fish was exhausted and the gleaming silvery grey blue fish was able to be hauled up onto the boat. At Argungu the native fishermen would use Kalabashes to hold the caught fish, huge large gordes hollowed out with a hole cut in the top to store their catches. Nets were used as well as trident shaped wooden hand held spears to catch fish. In those days the Housa Emirs were powerful tribal leaders and answerable to the Sultan in Kano, who after the Agar Khan was the second most senior Muslem leader in Africa. On one occasion, The Sultan went to the Argungu festival, with his Court in tow, Sir Abu Baka was dressed in a white rega and white silk turban and his courtiers shielded him from the sun under a huge four or five foot cerimonial umberella, my father and the district commisioners and Govenor General were all seated in chairs under a canopy to prevent them from getting heatstroke, as per usual wearing white uniforms, looking like toy soldiers, their to represent the Crown as Nigeria was a Colony up until 1963. The native fisherman who caught the largest weight of fish had to honour to supply the Sultan with Fish for the year. Sir John Sommerville the Governor with his white plumed hat and trusty dress sword sat awaiting the arrival of the Sultan's party. The Sultan had been educated at Eton and spoke perfect English yet when in the company of Foreign diplomats or officals, he always spoke through his interperators, I expect giving him a chance to weigh up their questions and replies. A very knowledgable and extreamly wealthy man with at least 350 plus wives or concubines. I know I was educated with his children and had to learn the Koran, the alternative was to be taught by Roman Catholic missionaries and learn virtually nothing except religious knowledge. I was rather privalaged to be taught along with the children of heads of industry at the Palace, children from the tabacco, oil, groundnuts to name but a few companies who imported and exported to Nigeria and their children who originated from all over Europe were gathered in classes to learn and the spin off was the Royal children learnt to speak many different languages.