ABSTRACT

Hausa control of long-distance trade in kola and cattle in Nigeria has required the formation of a network of highly stable Hausa communities in the towns and villages of Yorubaland. When a Hausa man from the North comes to live in Sabo he does not automatically become a citizen of the Quarter. Settlement in the Quarter is a complex process which involves passage through a series of roles, ranging from that of the stranger to that of the permanent settler. As the migrant becomes more settled, by being drawn into active participation in the social life of the Quarter-economically, politically, morally, and ritually-he becomes increasingly more 'retribalized'. The strangers are accommodated in the scores of 'houses for strangers' that are run by settlers, where they are also provided with food. Other strangers stay in the houses of relatives, or friends, if these are available.