A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

Mallam Alkali is identified as a Kano spirit and patron of dyers. He belongs to Tremearne’s group of praying mallam spirits, associated with mosques and represented in white clothing, with beads and sticks. The group’s invocations seek assistance for complaints; the opening discussion does not assign Alkali a unique disease. The collector contrasts rites at trees in Hausaland with private household settings reported in North Africa.

At the dance the representative sits on a mat, counts beads, prays and moves both forefingers before his face. Alkali’s distinct ending places the right leg across the left and back three times, then repeats the action in reverse. His entry speech invokes the authority of judges, God and the Prophet. The song names Zara as his wife, praises just decisions, and links Kano prosperity with indigo. Elephant and bull praise names are retained as metaphors in the song, not a narrated change into either animal.

Judge roleKano dyers’ patronWhite clothingPrayer-beads and stickAlternating crossed-leg action
01

Origins & earliest records

A. J. N. Tremearne reports interviews and ritual performances during four months in North Africa, alongside comparisons to Nigeria. His foreword credits local assistance and photography but these passages do not identify an individual speaker for every statement.

02

Records & interpretation

The Ban of the Bori, chapters XXI–XXII, complete selected account pp. 299–301; foreword pp. 13–14 and catalog publication date checked.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    The Ban of the Bori: Demons and Demon-Dancing in West and North Africa

    A. J. N. Tremearne, collector and colonial-era interpreter · 1914

    Chapters XXI–XXII, pp. 299–301; role descriptions, performed representation and attributed explanations.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Digitized historical ethnographic account with interviews and performance descriptionsTremearne — Mallam AlkaliResearch access: 2026-10-05
  2. Library catalog metadataInternet Archive catalog — The Ban of the BoriResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

FT·3072 · RESEARCH EDITION 01Back to top ↑