Song to the Gumsu

J.R. Patterson's translation of "The Song to the Gumsu" is one of the most interesting praise songs in Kanuri Songs. Said to have been a wife of Ali b. Umar (r. 1639-1677), one cannot help but wonder if this is the same gumsu mentioned in a 17th century source dated to 1658 by Palmer. According to this document, the Gumsu during the reign of Ali b. Umar was powerful, with up to 20,000 slave soldiers available to her, which is probably an exaggeration. Nonetheless, it does attest to the power and resources of this gumsu, who may have been the Amina praised in this song. She was even said to have under her employ 500 gunmen, again likely an exaggeration as Borno in the 17th century appears to have stopped using large numbers of musketeers in its military operations.

Of course, other possibilities exist. For instance, according to standard sources (Nachtigal, Ali Eisami, Nur Alkali), the gumsu's authority was usually restricted to the royal family, her own fiefs, and, indirectly, her influence on her husband, the mai. But, if the Gumsu was often the daughter of the talba, then her family may have wielded far more power than we realize. After all, according to Nur Alkali, the talba was part of the central government council and acted as a magistrate in the capital. If Amina was indeed the daughter of the talba, then her father may have been involved in the coronation and accession of Ali b. Umar in the first place. Another question to answer is if the gumsu was invariably the daughter of the talba, since Nur Alkali referenced a gumsu who became the mother of mai Brem Gumsumi while Ali Eisami likewise referred to a gumsu Amina who was the daughter of the talba (although Koelle may have mistranslated Eisami). 

As the daughter of a prominent official, and the senior wife which gave her additional status, it is perhaps understandable why Amina, according to this song, tried to control her husband's military policy ("prevented Sultan Ali son of Umar from riding"). If the praise singer's message to the sultan about ignoring his wife's wishes to focus on horses is a reliable indicator, perhaps this gumsu was either too fond of pleasure or wanted to influence Ali b. Umar's policy on matters of state. This even led to Ali b. Umar divorcing Amina, but later reconciling (remarried?) with her, he gave her a gift of 1000 slaves. Even if exaggerated, as are the figures for the slaves held by the gumsu in a 1658 document, it shows the access to wealth and resources the Sayfawa court could draw from during the 17th century. One only wishes to know what military conflict Amina wanted her husband to not engage in. Was it conflict with Kwararafa, or the Tuareg?

Gumsu, the whole earth is yours

Ruler of Islam (may you be) always happy

Owner of a thousand thrones

And five hundred gunmen

Chief of all women (may you be) always happy

You distribute slave children as you would food (to your followers)

If you camp at a single hut in the middle of a farm, even,

Your present of welcome is a camel

Yours Dugumaram, and the land of Bamma

Yours the large town of Banna, whose maidens are well-known

Gumsu, you are the queen of women

Owner of the town of Asaga whose orders are 

accomplished by no days of grace

Of the slave Bitku, the Yiroma who looks after

your riverain towns, you are the owner

Water in a place covered with wild rice never dries up

You are the mother of the (Yiroma) who looks after the riverain towns

Yours the towns on the river, and the town of Dillawa,

and the water holes of Gizawa

It is you who own a ‘yambal’ sword made in the North country

Gumsu, chieftainess of women

You are (like) flour made from the ‘Rogondimi’ snake,

(like) porridge made from a python

The man who cooks (that) porridge) will not drink it

Queen Gumsu, owner of Maradi town, never looks behind her

Owner of the city of Yam, and the land of Yemen

And of N’gasargamu and Njimi town

Your mortar is made of the scented Guinea-pepper wood

You own a pestle of polished silver

Gumsu Amina, daughter of Talba

A descendant of the great

The great and the blessed

Good morning, Good morning

You are (like) the moon at its full

(Like) the morning star

Precious as gold, daughter of a bush cow, you a bush cow among women

Gumsu daughter of a lion

She is a lion as precious as gold among all women

(Like) silver, Amina daughter of Talba

May God give you the long life of a frog, and the dignity of an eagle

(It was you Gumsu) who prevented Sultan Ali son of Umar from riding (to war)

The Babuma said to him (the Sultan) ‘Do not do as your wife wishes

You who own Watera and Rugaya,

Rugaya which lies at the further side of both rivers

Sultan leave behind the pleasures your wife wishes for

Look at this market of fine horses’

And Mai Ali divorced her

And after he had divorced her he reconciled Gumsu Amina, daughter of Talba, with one thousand slaves.