For example, one of the fetish items venerated in Kano before the Jihad was a Quran covered in goat or cow skin called "Dirki".
[citation needed] Farming was the leading occupation of Maguzawas but are known to engage in fishing, trading and rearing of domestic animals like goats and sheep.
During the dry season, when farming activity is low, the men engage in dyeing, iron working and basketry.
The female Maguzawa were known to show an independent streak in economic activity in contrast to an imported harem culture in many other households.
In terms of a socio-political organization, most Maguzawa communities are made up of scattered compounds and like their Hausa counterparts are led by a Sarki.