Kuteb people
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The Kuteb (or Kutep) people are an ethno-linguistic group in
West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...
, who speak Kuteb, a
Jukunoid language The Jukunoid languages are a branch of the Benue-Congo languages spoken by the Jukun and related peoples of Nigeria and Cameroon. They are distributed mostly throughout Taraba State, Nigeria and surrounding regions. Their asymmetrical nasal ...
. Most of the Kuteb people reside in
Taraba State ) , image_map = Nigeria - Taraba.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location of Taraba State in Nigeria , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
.


Background

According to tradition the Kuteb migrated from
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
about 1000 AD, eventually reaching their present location around 1510. The Kuteb people are made of the following clans which is believed to be Children of Kuteb; Lumbu, Ticwo, Rufu, Askaen, Bika (Zwika), Ticwo, Rubur, Tswaen, Acha, Likam, Cwumam, and the Rucwu. Traditionally they engaged in farming, hunting and fishing in the fertile lands of the Benue River basin. The people worshiped family idols, but also believed in a supreme being who created the world and brings health, rain and the harvest. They were ruled by a paramount priest king, the Kwe Kukwen, selected by a council of elders representing the different Kuteb clans. A 2007 report estimated the number of Kuteb people as approximately 100,000. Most live in what is now
Takum Takum is a Local Government Area in Taraba State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Takum, it is created out of Wukari local government in June 1976, at . Takum borders the Republic of Cameroon in the south, Ussa Local Government to the ...
Local Government Area of
Taraba State ) , image_map = Nigeria - Taraba.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location of Taraba State in Nigeria , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, although there are a few Kuteb villages in
Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
. Under the British, who took control around 1900, the Kuteb were subject to the first-class Jukun ruler, or "Aku Uka" of the
Wukari Federation The Wukari Federation is a traditional state in Nigeria, a successor to the Kwararafa state of the Jukun people. The state is based in the town of Wukari in Taraba State, in the south of the Benue River basin. The ruler takes the title "Aku Uka ...
. In 1914, the British made the Kwe Kukwen the only graded and third class chief in the Takum part of the confederation, with the title of Kwe Takum. He was made paramount over other peoples in the area. This change was resented by other ethnic groups of Hausa, Tiv, Chamba, Kukuns and Ichen, who forced the Ukwe Ahmadu Genkwe to leave Takum and reside elsewhere. The last Ukwe Takum was Ali Ibrahim, ruling from 1963 to 1996.


Politics

The earliest direction for every activity in Kuteb land revolve round the theocratic role of the Kwe Kukwen, Akwen and Council of elders called Ndufu who represent the major known sub clans and extended families. Kukwen is the Chief-Priest located in Mbarikam, Ikam or Teekum and the Akwen are the minor priests who are heads of the other clans. This practice started with Kuteb himself as the paramount chief priest / King of the Kutebs. The Kwe Kukwen may be chosen from any clan. However, he must, on his election, come to reside in Teekum (Mbarikam Hill) being the ward of Likam and the Headquarters of the Kuteb Nation. The traditional Kuteb political system is thus federal in nature. Even though the Kutebs recognised the seniority of Likam, the other clans had some autonomy to exercise powers of maintaining peace, protecting and achieving the interest of their respective clan members. However, such power ended where collective interest and programmes of the entire nation was to begin and where the settlement of disputes between individuals and clans were brought before the Kwe Kukwen. In addition to the political role the Kukwen and Akwen have a spiritual role, responsibility and authority. The roles are rooted in the religious belief of the Kutebs.


Chieftaincy stool issue

In the 1970s Takum was part of the old Benue Plateau State. The local government gazette recognized three main chieftaincy stools in the Wukari Federation for the
Wukari Wukari is a Local Government Area in Taraba State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Wukari on the A4 highway. The Donga River flows through the area and the Benue River forms a boundary with Nasarawa State to the northwest. It has an ...
, Donga and Takum local government areas, each to be elected by their indigenous people. This law was changed by the governor Joseph Gomwalk in 1975, withdrawing the sole right of the Kuteb to select the holder of the Ukwe Chieftaincy stool of Takum from one of their two royal families. The Likam Tribe/clan and the Akente tribe/clan. These are two sons who are charged with the traditional paramount rulership of the Kuteb Nation. This is a traditional agreement by the twelve tribes of the Kuteb Nation. All the twelve/Clans have their own UKwe. However, the Likam Tribe and Akente tribe are allowed to rotate the paramount seat of Kingship among themselves. The maintain of the two tribes for rule in the paramount rule was a strategic Kuteb ancient formulation to protect the Kuteb Kingdom and maintain her sovereignty from other invaders and the change and usurpation of tradition, culture and customs unique Heritage of the Kuteb people. This is in line with protecting every indigenous tribe from extinction and incursion by imposters. The new law allowed for election of a
Chamba Chamba may refer to: People * Gilberto Chamba (born 1961), Ecuadorian serial killer * Jessica Chamba (born 1981), European activist Places Ghana * Chamba, a town in the Northern Region India * Chamba (Vidhan Sabha constituency), Himachal Pradesh ...
chief, while making a Jukun man chairman of the selection committee and altering the composition of the committee to include Jukun and Chamba as well as
Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...
and Kuteb. This is a violation of the ethnic right and traditional right to self-determination and the right to the cultural heritage as a people. The justification was the changing demographics of Takum, but the result was disturbances that caused the government to ban the traditional annual Kuchichebe festival when the land is blessed to ensure the next harvest will be fertile. Later, similar festivals were banned in other Wukari Federation areas due to the trouble they caused. In October 1997 the Taraba State military administrator
Amen Edore Oyakhire Prince Amen Edore Oyakhire (born 21 October 1945) was the Military Administrator of Taraba State, Nigeria between August 1996 and August 1998 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha. He was then administrator of Oyo State during the tran ...
sent a paper called ''Comprehensive brief on the Chieftaincy Stool of Takum Chiefdom Taraba State'' to the Armed Forces Ruling Council. That month seven people were killed and seven houses razed in communal violence, and 31 people were arrested. Oyakhire said anyone suspected of involvement in the communal violence would be treated as detractors of the transition to civil rule. In 1998 the Taraba State Government also set up a Peace Committee which managed to negotiate a truce between the ethnic groups.


Ongoing conflict

The Kuteb have been involved in ongoing violent conflicts with their neighbors. An ethnic crisis between the Jukun and Kuteb broke out in 1991. On 27 December 2008 another crisis erupted in Takum over an alleged killing of a Jukun youth by Kuteb youths. Perhaps 20 people died and thousands took refuge in the local military barracks. In 2000 there was fighting between the Jukun/Chamba and Tiv people, with over 250 villages burned. In 2006 violent clashes again began between the Kuteb and the Tiv, in which many people died. In a December 2008 press conference the Taraba State Governor, Danbaba Suntai, said he could see no end to the conflict.


References

{{authority control Ethnic groups in Nigeria Ethnic groups in Cameroon