Articles
The Living History of Archery and Horsemanship in Africa
David Wodi Tukura Ph.D
(Founding President of the Horse & Archery Association of Nigeria)
When was I first interested in archery? It goes so far back in my past I cannot remember! With roots among the Bassa people of North Central Nigeria, I guess acquaintance with archery was as natural as a fish getting to know water! I recall that as a ten year old, we went out shooting with people who were quite older on the outskirts of Dekina in Kogi State.
My father Chief Daniel Tukura was the Chief Education Officer of the Local Government (what is called municipal councils in some parts of the world). I recall my arrow going farther than that of even the adults in the group! I don’t know if anyone noticed. I did and I never forgot! I also recall having a dream in which I saw a bunch of arrows all made of metal! Now, arrows in Bassa have shafts made out of reeds. Only the arrow heads are made of metal.
But in this dream, shaft, head and all, were metal! I guess I was having a prophetic dream of the Easton aluminum arrows I was to encounter in Canada as a student! What am I saying? Bows and arrows have a place deep in our historical sub-conscious. The question has been asked. Where did it all begin? When was the first bow made? When was the first arrow shot? Only God knows. However, there are diverse cultural responses to this question. The Arabs believe the bow and arrow were revealed to their ancestors in a dream-revelation. Don’t forget Ishmael is described in the Bible as an archer. I don’t know what the Mongols say on the subject.
Some historians have described the Holmegaard bow as the oldest in
the world. True as this may be, that does not mean archery started in
Denmark! There are indications it may have started right here in Africa!
And we have pictures to prove it! Here is an Egyptian fresco depicting
a bowman in 7500 BC! 
Some historians have pointed to the discovery of ancient stone arrow heads in Bir El Atir in Tunisia as indicating Africans may have been using bows and arrows before any other groups of humans. An Egyptian stone painting found at Giza, estimated to have been drawn 2251-2494 BCE (4th Dynasty) between reigns of Pharaoh Khufu and Karfe only goes to confirm the ancient roots of African archery.
These pictorial depictions of African involvement in archery in ancient times are supported by a rich oral tradition passed on from one generation to another. Recall the traditions of Sundiata Keita in ancient Mali? Sumanguru of Susu, the tyrannical ruler of the Mandinka people was killed using a special arrow prepared using the spur of a cockerel! When African (as Nigerians, etc) form archery associations, they are only manifesting what has been lying latently dormant in their historical sub-conscious.
African Horsemanship
What about horses? History indicates Central Asians may have been the first horsemen. Ancient Africans soon discovered the wonderful advantages of using a mount. Do you know that some of the horsemen that invaded Europe were Africans? Ask the Romans about the horse skills of the Numidians (in present day Algeria) and they will tell you they were some of the best! In the Second Punic War (218-201 BC) Hannibal’ forces had one significant advantage over the Romans- the use of skilled Berber horsemen from the northern shores of Africa. Tariq ibn Zayid, a Berber, led a force across the Mediterranean in 711 AD through Gibraltar. His victorious forces moved into Europe and went as far as Western France, until stopped by the Frankish King, Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours in 732 AD.
Many African kingdoms and empires were founded on horseback. The rulers of Ghana, Mali and Songhai knew the advantages of using mounted troops. The Mossi of Yantenga in present day Burkina Faso were excellent horsemen. So were the founders of the Hausa City States of Katsina, Zaria, Kano, Gobir and others. In fact the Hausa had titles and royal positions based on ranks in the cavalry formations developed by the sarakuna (nobility of Northern Nigeria). Titles like madawaki, sarkin-yaki ; kaura were related to command of mounted forces. The rulers of the Jukun of North Central Nigeria and Old Oyo Empire in the South West had mounted troops. The Jukun fighting force was almost entirely mounted.
Ancient Kanem-Bornu was probably the earliest Nigerian kingdom to outfit large mounted forces. While people generally associated horsemanship with North West and North East Nigeria, most historians neglect to observe North Central Nigeria had its own horse traditions. The Jukuns represent North Central Nigerian horse traditions very well. Unknown to many, some communities of the North Central zone, especially those commonly described as “Middle Belt” were quite acquainted with horsemanship in historical times. The people of Southern Kaduna and Plateau groups like the Birom, Mughavul, Rukuba and Irigwe had mounted forces.
While the horses of the Northwest and Northeast may be classified generally as “Sudanese” and “Ba’are”, Middle Belt groups used what is described as the “Nigerian Pony” or dan-makwot. Being a “pony”, the dan-makwot is smaller than the Baare or Sudanese. The advantage the dan-makwot has is its speed, feistiness, courage and sense of independence. The value of the dan-makwot in warfare was proved by the Birom of Gyel in a famous battle fought in the outskirts of Jos to protect their land from the expanding Bauchi emirate in the 19th century.