What jobs did the Hausa tribe do?

Answer 1

The Hausa people (a larger ethnic group comparable to Anglo-Saxons, who might object to being called a tribe) have inhabited the northern part of Nigeria for centuries. Prior to colonization, the Hausa were an advanced society with organized governments a large degree of division of labor.

Hausaland's political organization was centered around seven city-states: Kano, Rano, Biram, Zaria, Katsina, Daura and Gobir. The economies of each city state -- and, thus, the most common jobs -- were determined by the geography of the surrounding area.

Kano and Rano were adjacent to fertile plains that produced a lot of cotton, so they engaged in a lot of large-scale agriculture and textile production. Biram was centrally located, so it was the seat of Hausaland's government. Zaria was in a border region, and served as a hub for the slave trade (with Arabs and other Africans, long before Europeans). Katsina and Daura became cosmopolitan centers commerce because they were far north and so could participate in the trans-Saharan trade. Gobir was the farthest west, and so served as the main point of defense against larger West African kingdoms like Ghana and Songhai.

The Hausa city states arose in the 5th or 6th century A.D. and retained dominance in the region until they fell to a jihad from Fulani Muslims in the early 1800s. The Hausa, as an ethnic group, still exist and still play a prominent role in public life in Nigeria and Niger.

Answer 2

The Hausa tribe traditionally engaged in agriculture, trade, and craftsmanship. They were known for their skills in weaving, leatherworking, and blacksmithing. Additionally, some Hausa people were government officials or clerics in Islamic societies.