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

Overview

Mallam Duwatsu is described as a young, hot-tempered bori who nevertheless settles disputes. The account associates him with chest complaints and rapid breathing; Tremearne adds an uncertain diagnostic guess rather than a verified medical identification. He is a friend of Ja Gaude and Zakuwa, and songs give him the wizard title.

After announcing himself and praying, his representative receives a stone in each hand, clenches them and strikes his breast. The explanation recorded is a display of not being hurt; the collector adds his own interpretation concerning the victim’s pain. Songs request space and offerings and describe a seized soul. Directional wording also varies: East becomes South in Tunis, while the account gives Murzuk as his reported place of origin. That variation remains a located sung and geographical account, not a single inferred migration history.

Youthful quarrel-settlerHasty characterPrayerTwo chest-striking stonesDirectional song variants
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. 307–308; 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. 307–308; 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 DuwatsuResearch 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.

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