PUS JI: EVIDENCE OF OUR OWNERSHIP TO THE LAND AND A NEED FOR STRINGENT PRESERVATION

According to the old sayawa cultural set up, every administrative unit which is as big as a ward had a common grinding place known as “Vhn Tonga”. Vhn Tongha is an archeological fact found at the centre of present Tafawa Balewa town. Vhn Tongha's visibility revealed the reality of Zaar stone age activities and provides a substantial evidence to Zaar struggle to maintain the ownership of Tafawa Balewa town. “ Vhun tongha” was and still is a traditional grinding technique employed by Zaar women and young girls at every unit to mill millet, guinea corn, maize for family food and local gruels ('wul' in local dialect) or beer ('dhu' or 'jiko' in local dialect). Such manual mill was usually provided on a wide and solid rock big enough to accommodate several grinders working shoulder to shoulder at the same time and singing songs. The grinding points were usually hammered and carved in deep enough to accommodate one grinding stone at a time.

Before the Usman Danfodio Jihad and formation of any local authority in the area, there were two major “Vun Tongas”; one at the Eastern part of the town close to the chief priest’s house where the Zaar Shrines were located (around present Tafawabalewa Mosque) and one at Western part (close to Tafawabalewa main river). The presence of these grinding stones right in the heart of Tafawa Balewa is inconvertible archeological evidence that Tafawa Balewa belongs to Zaar (Sayawa).

In order to strengthen the preservation of our cultural heritage, our Gung Zaar should be the custodian to these archeological evidences as efforts are still in place by some people to drive us out of our ancestral homes to some other places. There has been several papers and materials by some enemies of the land to claim ownership by trying to eliminate the fact that they migrated to Pus Ji area for purpose of trade with locals or Jihad which natives were never conquered. There are still moves to relocate our chiefdom headquarters to some places outside our ancestral city. It is on this note I recommend that if community project on building a Gungzaar Palace will take place, Pus Ji (Black Stone) should be part of Gungzaar palace. It will serve to protect our history and proove our evidence to the ownership of the land to further strengthen our confidence.
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Minighom Ayuba
Concerned Khun Zaar

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