This map shows pre-Mafa migratory traditions in and out of the DGB area.

The map refers to the Godaliy as the earliest inhabitants there and some Mafa assume them to be the builders of the sites. Godaliy is a synonym used by the northwestern Mafa for the inhabitants of the Gwoza Hills. The word is not used by the Godaliy themselves and they do not have any knowledge of the existence of the DGB sites. However, they do claim to have migrated a long time ago from a southerly direction into their current territory.

The map shows that the so-called Godaliy are the only group which left the DGB area while descendants of the Sakon (Sukur) and of the Gozla (Muktele) have all become Mafa. The Mafa are the most recent but largest group to settle in the region. The migratory movements suggested in the map have been elicidated from oral traditions and the study of ritual sequences as an encoding of local history typical for the Mafa. I have decribed this method in The Way of the Beer (Muller-Kosack, 2001 and 2003).