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Usman Zamnagawa

sarkin Kano

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJun 12, 2026
Entity authorityQ96338184
Source-derived summary

Usman Zamnagawa Dan Shekarau, known as Usman Zamnagawa (also spelled Osumanu Zamnagawa) was the King of Kano from 1343 to 1349.

Ascension and reign

Usman became King after he usurped his half-brother Tsamiya and murdered him, which earned him the epithet "Zamnagawa". His reign was characterized by peace throughout the land. At the behest of the Rumawa whose town had become populated and prosperous, he made his son "Sarkin Rumawa". He ruled for seven years and was succeeded by his nephew, Ali Yaji Dan Tsamiya.

Biography in the Kano Chronicle

Below is a full biography of Usman Zamnagawa from Palmer's 1908 English translation of the Kano Chronicle.

The 10th Sarki was Zamnagawa, called Osumanu. The name of his mother was Kumyerku.

He was called Zamna-gawa because he killed Tsamia. He shut the doors of the palace and remained in his house for 7 days.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Usman Zamnagawa” as sarkin Kano. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Usman, Zamnagawa and sarkin.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1343, 1349, 1908—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Usman, Zamnagawa and sarkin providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Usman Zamnagawa”, the useful work is to connect “sarkin Kano” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q96338184. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1343, 1349 and 1908.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Usman Zamnagawa”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Usman Zamnagawa primary sources, Usman Zamnagawa archive and Usman research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

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  2. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Usman Zamnagawa” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.