activity - legacyjr.net cities of north africa and farming in niger... · name class date west...
TRANSCRIPT
Activity: Choose one of the cities from the map. Create a travelogue (guide) of places to stay, things to do, and foods to try when you visit. This one page guide should include 4-5 pictures and some details about the city you chose.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
18 West Africa
Name Class Date
West Africa Critical Thinking
Farming in Niger and Nigeria
The Hausa are a people who live in Nigeria and in parts of southern
Niger. Many Hausa have moved to big cities such as Lagos and Kano
in search of jobs that pay cash wages. However, most Hausa remain in
small villages, where they grow food crops and raise livestock on
nearby lands.
Hausa farmers time their activities according to seasonal changes in
rainfall and temperature. The chart below shows the Hausa farming
schedule and contains a glossary of farming terms in the Hausa
language. Use the chart to answer the questions that follow.
HAUSA FARMING SCHEDULE
• March–May: Winds from the Sahara blow dust into the region.
The land is brown, and there is little vegetation. Farmers fertilize
their fields and work at activities such as home construction and
repair and the cutting of firewood.
• Mid–May: Intense activity in the fields begin as the first rains
soften the soil. Guinea corn and millet are planted for an early
harvest. Not long after, groundnuts (peanuts) are planted among
the guinea corn and millet.
• June–July: Because of daily rains, crops must be weeded frequently.
• August: Cowpeas are planted. The harvesting of the millet begins,
with stalks left in the ground for later use. Cassava is planted for
the following year.
• October–November: When rains have stopped, groundnuts are
harvested and dried. Guinea corn is harvested.
• December–Mid-February: Cowpeas are harvested. Groundnut
leaves are collected for animal fodder; millet and corn stalks
are cut for home construction; grad is cut for thatching and
mat-making.
HAUSA FARMING TERMS
adda: the cutlass or machete used in clearing wooded land
firi: the first weeding of a grain farm
garma: the hand plow used for ridging
girbe: reaping completely, such as cowpeas after millet
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
19 West Africa
Name Class Date
girbi: the reaping of grain
gwarzo banza: making ridges for sowing
huda dawa: to bank up grown guinea corn after completion of firi and maimai
kafce: hoeing the whole plot deeply
maimai: the second weeding of a grain farm, perhaps adding fresh soil to the base of the plants
massassabi: a short-handled hoe for clearing land or reaping grain
rora: to harvest a crop that has to be picked separately from each plant, such as beans and groundnuts
sassabe: clearing the land of bushes to make a farm
sassarya: the third weeding
shuka: sowing
sungumi: a long-handled hoe used when sowing corn
toyi: when clearing farms, setting fire to the bush before it rains
Adapted from “The Agricultural Calendar” by Merry Merryfield. Copyright © 1983 by Merry Merryfield. Reproduced by permission of the author.
1. What crops do the Hausa raise?
2. How do the Hausa use the parts of crops that they do not eat?
3. What farming tools do the Hausa use? What are their names in the Hausa
language?
4. During what time period(s) does each of the following take place?
Farming in Niger and Nigeria, continued Critical Thinking
a. firi, maimai, and sassarya
b. gwarzo banza and shuka
c. rora
d. sassabe and toyi
5. How does this farming schedule show that the Hausas’ lives are shaped by their
environment?
Activity: Most of these crops are unknown in the west. Create an information page on how it is farmed, what it looks like when growing, and some of the foods it is used to make. Please include 4-5 pictures to show what you are talking about.