Both Muslim and non-Muslim Hausa have traditionally believed in iskoki, spirits (singular iska, also meaning “wind”) who live in trees, rocks, rivers and the bush. Salamone, citing Faulkingham’s study of a Nigerien village, reports a shared origin story: Allah called Adam and Eve to bring all their children, but they hid some, and Allah declared that the hidden children would belong to the spirit world.
The belief system is hierarchical like Hausa society. Spirits are ranked in levels beneath Allah, and ideas about them often fit into an Islamic framework: many are called aljannu (from Arabic jinn).
| Level | Beings | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allah | The highest, distant power |
| 2 | Mala’iku — angels | Islamic belief |
| 3 | Annabawa — prophets | Islamic belief |
| 4 | Rafani — “bookkeepers” | Called “the bookkeepers” in the source |
| 5 | Aljannu — close spirits | Directional spirits; local and distant evil spirits |
| 6 | Mushe spirits — “soldiers” | Called “soldiers” in the source |
| 7 | Inheritable spirits (Bori) | The spirits who possess initiated devotees |
Sources for this article
- Salamone 2010, ch. 1, pp. 5–6; ch. 2, p. 9; ch. 10, p. 106
- Unsigned overview (n.d.), section “Belief Systems: From Animism to Islamic Orthodoxy” (outline)