The Argungu fishing festival is one of the oldest and most famous festivals of its kind. Its origins go back to the 16th century during the reign Kanta of Kebbi, Nigeria, who was a great warrior and a ruler of the Kebbi kingdom. Kanta himself was known to have initiated the annual festival as a way of keeping a strong hold over his people. More than 10,000 competing fishermen run from their waiting spot to jump into the muddy Matan Fada River in pairs of two each, one person carrying the floating gourd and the second with a fishing net called HOMA with which they scour the water for huge freshwater fish. This four day festival has since grown to become a major tourist attraction for international visitors.