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Queen Amina of Zazzau: what the sources say and what tradition adds
Amina is the best-known woman in Hausa history. She is also a case study in how a historical figure becomes a symbol, and in how little can be proved about her.
A warrior-queen, walls that bear her name and a handful of written sources that disagree. This chapter lays out what is known, what is argued and what is told, so that readers can decide for themselves.
In this chapter
01The queen of tradition
Princess, general, builder of walls: the Amina of popular memory.
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02What the written sources say
A table of what each source says and what it leaves out.
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03When did she live?
Fifteenth century, early sixteenth or late sixteenth? Three positions.
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04Walls, conquests and kola
Ganuwar Amina, the campaigns against Nupe and the two stories about kola.
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05Amina in memory and culture
A statue in Lagos, a film and why legends need careful handling.
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