Nupe people

Last updated
Nupe people
Nupe woman.jpg
Watercolour drawing of a Nupe woman by Carl Arriens (1911)
Total population
c. 3.5 million [1]
Regions with significant populations
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria
Languages
Nupe
Religion
Predominantly Sunni Islam [2] [3]
Related ethnic groups
Gbagyi, Igala, Yoruba, Ebira, Kambari, Kamuku, Bariba, Dukawa

The Nupe (traditionally called the Nufawa by the Hausas and Tapa by the neighbouring Yoruba) are an ethnic group native to North Central Nigeria. They are the dominant ethnic group in Niger State and an important minority in Kwara State. The Nupe are also present in Kogi State and The Federal Capital Territory. [4] [5]

Contents

History

The Nupe Kingdom emerged in the 14th-15th century, nestled between the Niger and Kaduna rivers. However, Nupe as a group and polity have a rich history dating back to 9,000 B.C. or 40,000 years ago in the Middle Niger and Niger-Benue confluence areas. Most accounts of the ancient kingdom were verbally transmitted legends. Notably, King Jibiri adopted Islam around 1770, marking a significant milestone. In the 1800s, Ma'azu's rule saw the Nupe Kingdom flourish, becoming the most powerful in Central Nigeria.

Today, the Nupe people speak over 5 dialects: Central Nupe, Nupe Tako/Bassa-Nge, Kupa, Kakanda, and Dibo/Abawa/Gana-Gana. Nupe is the largest ethnic group in the Middle Belt, they are at the heart of Nigerian art and culture. The proximity of Nupe to the Yoruba Igbomina people in the south and to the Yoruba Oyo people in the southwest led to cross-fertilization of cultural influences through trade and conflicts over the centuries. [6] In his book The Negro , African-American scholar W.E.B. Du Bois wrote that Nupe trade may have extended as far as Sofala and the Byzantine Empire, with the latter of which, according to what he termed "credible legend", there was even an exchange of embassies. [7]

Population and demography

There are probably about 4.5 million Nupes, [8] principally in Niger State. The Nupe language is also spoken in Kwara, Kogi and Federal Capital Territory. They are primarily Muslims, with some Christians and followers of African Traditional Religion. The Nupe people have several local traditional rulers. The Etsu Nupe (Bida) is not pure Nupe, his great-grandfather from his father's side is Fulani, while the family of his mother was completely Nupe. His great-grandfather from his father's side came to Rabba then later Bida in 1806 during the Sokoto jihad. [9]

Nupe part in Nigeria Nupe.jpeg
Nupe part in Nigeria

Traditions, art and culture

The Nupe people have various traditions. Many practices have changed as a result of the movements started by Sokoto jihad of the 19th century, but they still hold on to some of their culture. Many Nupe people often have tribal marks on their faces, some to identify their prestige and the family of which they belong as well as for protection, and adornment as jewellery. However, these traditions are dying out in certain areas. [10] [ page needed ]

Their art is often abstract. They are well known for their wooden stools with patterns carved onto the surface. [10] [ page needed ]

The Nupe were described in detail by the ethnographer Siegfried Nadel, whose book, Black Byzantium, remains an anthropological classic.

Examples of Nupe art

Music and entertainment industry

A Nupe cavalryman wearing lifidi (padded armour). Drawn in 1911 by Carl Arriens. Nupe Cavalry wearing lifidi.png
A Nupe cavalryman wearing lifidi (padded armour). Drawn in 1911 by Carl Arriens.

Nupe traditional music is sung by the Ningba, or musician(s), while the Enyanicizhi beats the drum. Legendary Nupe singers of memory include Hajiya Fatima Lolo [11] Alhaji Nda'asabe, Hajiya Nnadzwa, Hauwa Kulu, Baba-Mini, Ahmed Shata and Ndako Kutigi.

The prime-movers of the Nupe cinema started film-making since the late 1990s into the early 2000s. Great Nupe personalities that birthed the idea of producing, acting and directing Nupe dramas/comedies on-screen are late Sadisu Muhammad DGN, [12] Prince Ahmed Chado, late Prince Hussaini Kodo, M.B. Yahaya Babs and Jibril Bala Jibril. They are the people who made the move for Nupe dramas to be on-screen and are the founders of the modern-day Nupe film industry [13] known as Nupewood. [14] Nupewood has since produced more than a thousand entertaining movies in Nupe space to the millions of Nupe audiences.

Notable Nupe people

Nupe Woman (1888) by Elisee Reclus AFR V3 D401 Nupe Woman.jpg
Nupé Woman (1888) by Élisée Reclus

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kogi State</span> State of Nigeria

Kogi State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti and Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, to the northeast by Nasarawa State, to the northwest by Niger State, to the southwest by the Edo and Ondo states, to the southeast by the states of Anambra and Enugu, and to the east by Benue State. It is the only state in Nigeria to border ten other states. Named after the Hausa word for river (Kogi). Kogi State was formed from parts of Benue State, Niger State, and Kwara State on 27 August 1991. The state is nicknamed the "Confluence State" due to the fact that the confluence of the River Niger and the River Benue occurs next to its capital, Lokoja.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lokoja</span> Capital city of Kogi State, Nigeria

Lokoja is a north-central city in Nigeria. It lies at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers and is the capital city of Kogi State. While the Bassa Nge, Yoruba (Oworo) and Nupe are indigenous to the area, other ethnic groups, including the Kupa-Nupe, Hausa, Ebira, Igala, Igbo, Bini/Edo, and Tiv have recently established themselves. Lokoja is projected to be the third fastest growing city on the African continent between 2020 and 2025, with a 5.93% growth rate. It was listed as a second class township by the 1917 township ordinance of the colonial administration, indicating that Lokoja is an old city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pategi</span> Town and LGA in Kwara State, Nigeria

Pategi or Patigi is a town and local government in Kwara State, Nigeria with the headquarters located at the town. The town is the headquarters of Pategi Emirate. It is inhabited by the Nupe people who speak the Nupe language. They are farmers, aquatic sellers/fishers and traders. They are known to be governed by a monarch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bida</span> LGA in Niger state

Bida is a Local Government Area in Niger State, Nigeria and a city on the A124 highway which occupies most of the area.

Nupe is a Volta–Niger language of the Nupoid branch primarily spoken by the Nupe people of the North Central region of Nigeria. Its geographical distribution stretches and maintains preeminence in Niger State as well as Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory. Nupe is closely related to Kakanda in structure and vocabulary. There are at least two markedly different dialects of Nupe: Nupe central and Nupe Tako.

Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu is a senior civil servant who was elected governor of Niger State, Nigeria in April 2007. He was reelected on 26 April 2011.

The Lapai Emirate, today in Nigeria, is a traditional state that lies near the Gurara River, a tributary to the Niger River, formerly originally inhabited where Gbari People, and presently came under the power of Nupe people, covering roughly the same area as the modern Lapai local government area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yahaya Abubakar</span> Etsu Nupe of Bida

Brig. Gen. Yahaya Abubakar (Rtd) CFR is a first class traditional ruler who has been the 12th Etsu Nupe, or King of the Nupe Kingdom, since 2003. With his royal stool situated in Bida, Niger state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bida Emirate</span> Traditional state in Niger State, Nigeria

The Bida Emirate is a traditional state in Nigeria, a successor to the old Nupe Kingdom, with its headquarters in Bida, Niger State. The head of the emirate is the Etsu Nupe, who is the leader of the Nupe people.

Muhammadu Kudu Abubakar Ubandoma III, Emir of Agaie was appointed Etsu (Ruler) of the Agaie Emirate, a traditional state based in Agaie in Niger State, Nigeria on 30 April 2004.

Umaru Bago Tafida III is the 12th Emir, Etsu, or traditional ruler of Lapai in Niger State, Nigeria appointed in July 2002. He succeeded Emir Alhaji Muhammadu Kobo, who died at the age of 92 after ruling for 48 years, and was appointed to the stool by the Niger State governor Abdulkadir Kure.

Hajiya Fatima Lolo (MON), was a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and historian.

Alhaji (Dr) Umaru Sanda Ndayako, was the 12th Etsu Nupe from one of the ruling houses of Bida. His parents were Muhammadu Ndayako (CBE), the late 9th Etsu Nupe and Aisha Nuadoro.

Mohammad Yahaya Kuta is a Nigerian academic, writer and professor of Agricultural and Forestry, University of Ibadan. He serves as Secretary to the state government of Niger state by Governor Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu, and was also commissioner for information and agriculture in Niger State.

The Bassa Nge are an ethnic group in Nigeria that traces its history back to 1805. They originally inhabited Gbara which was formerly the capital of the Nupe Kingdom. The Bassa Nge migrated from their homeland in Bida due to a dynastic feud in about 1820. They are formerly the largest of Nupe groups, with a population of about 15,000 in 1820 before they dispersed throughout Nigeria.

Usman Baba Pategi, also known as Samanja Mazan Fama, was a Nigerian actor. Together with Yusuf Ladan, Mamman Ladan and Idi Jibril, an NTA staff introduced the Hausa comedy known now as Kannywood, Northern Nigerian films or Hausa films in the 1980s to the Northern audience.

Musa Bello (1919–1975) was the 11th Etsu Nupe in Nupe kingdom reigns from 1967 to his death in 1975 and was succeeded by the 12th Etsu Nupe Umaru Sanda Ndayako.

Muhammadu Kobo dan Aliyu Gana, OBE, CON was the 11th Etsu Lapai of Lapai Emirate, a traditional state from succeeded by his nephew Umaru Bago Tafida II the 12th Etsu Lapai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pategi Regatta Festival</span> Pategi Emirate boating event

The Patigi Regatta Festival was founded in 1949 but first took place in 1952. It is a Pategi Emirate boating event in Nigeria featuring the boating races, fishing and swimming.

Patigi Emirate is Nigeria traditional state founded 1898 by Idrissu Gana I the first monarch of the emirate, the name patigi means ' small hill ' the emirate situated in pategi local government of kwara State and the capital of Pategi.

References

  1. "Nupe" (PDF). National African Language Resource Center. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  2. Umaru Ndagi, Muhammad (January 2012). "Muslims of Niger State: A Survey" (PDF). University of Oxford. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  3. "Nupe", Britannica.
  4. Nadel 2018, chapter 1.
  5. Yahaya, Mohammed Kuta (2003). "The Nupe People of Nigeria". Studies of Tribes and Tribals. 1 (2): 95–110. doi:10.1080/0972639x.2003.11886489. ISSN   0972-639X. S2CID   158674479.
  6. Forde, Cyril Daryll. (1955). The Nupe. OCLC   35809832.
  7. Du Bois, W.E.B., The Negro , pp.28 and 49 (Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 2001) (retrieved Jan. 20, 2024).
  8. "AFRICA | 101 Last Tribes - Nupe people". www.101lasttribes.com. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  9. Katcha, Abubakar. (1978). An exploratory demographic study of the Nupe of Niger State: the case of Sakpe village. Australian National University. ISBN   0-909150-60-5. OCLC   5021109.
  10. 1 2 Nadel 2018.
  11. Umar, Aliyu. Hajiya Fatima Lolo (traditional singer). OCLC   39524822.
  12. "Nupe Film Industry".
  13. "Nupe film industry is currently heading for the rocks – Yikangi". BluePrint. 9 February 2015.
  14. Perani, Judith (2003). Nupe. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.t063036.

Sources