The Nupe (traditionally called the ''Nufawa'' by the Hausas and ''Tapa'' by the neighbouring Yoruba) are an

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

native to North Central Nigeria. They are the dominant ethnic group in

Niger State Niger State is a state in the North Central (Nigeria), North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the east by Kaduna State and the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory, to the north by Kebbi State and Zamfara State, ...

and an important minority in

Kwara State Kwara () is a state in Western Nigeria, bordered to the east by Kogi State, to the north by Niger State, and to the south by Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, while its western border makes up part of the international border with Benin. Its ca ...

. The Nupe are also present in

Kogi State Kogi State is a States of Nigeria, state in the North Central Nigeria, North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti State, Ekiti and Kwara State, Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria, Fe ...

and The Federal Capital Territory.

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 The Ìgbómìnà (also colloquially Igboona or Ogboona) are a subgroup of the Yoruba people, Yoruba ethnic group, which originates from the north central and southwest Nigeria. They speak a dialect called Yoruba language, Ìgbómìnà or Igbonna, ...

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. 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 The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

, with the latter of which, according to what he termed "credible legend", there was even an exchange of embassies.

Population and demography

There are probably about 4.5 million Nupes, principally in

. The

Nupe language Nupe (also known as Anufe, Nupenci, Nyinfe, and Tapa) 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 preeminen ...

is also spoken in Kwara, Kogi and Federal Capital Territory. They are primarily

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

s, with some Christians and followers of

African Traditional Religion The beliefs and practices of African people are highly diverse, and include various ethnic religions.Encyclopedia of African Religion (Sage, 2009) Molefi Kete Asante Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural and are passed dow ...

. 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. Nupe

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 Jewellery (or jewelry in American English) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment such as brooches, ring (jewellery), rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the ...

. However, these traditions are dying out in certain areas. Their art is often abstract. They are well known for their

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

en stools with patterns carved onto the surface. The Nupe were described in detail by the ethnographer Siegfried Nadel, whose book, ''Black Byzantium'', remains an anthropological classic.

Examples of Nupe art

Museum of Ethnology Vienna 007.JPG, ''Burtu'' wooden mask, used during bird hunting; Museum of Ethnology, Vienna. The hunter would tie the mask around his head and imitate the bird's movement. Carved door, probably by Sakiwa, Nupe peoples, Nigeria, c. 1920-1940, wood, iron staples - Hood Museum of Art - DSC09183.JPG, Carved door; c. 1920 – 1940; wood with iron staples; Hood Museum of Art. Oval Stool with Incised Carving LACMA AC1993.218.11.jpg, Wooden oval stool with incised carving;

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 1961 ...

Music and entertainment industry

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 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, 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 known as Nupewood. Nupewood has since produced more than a thousand entertaining movies in Nupe space to the millions of Nupe audiences. * Shaikh Ahmad Lemu (OON, OFR) (1929–2020), Islamic scholar * Hon. Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi (OFR, GCON) (1939–2018), Nigerian lawyer and chief justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria *

Mohammed Umar Bago Mohammed Umar (born 22 February 1974) is a Nigerian banker and politician who is the current governor of Niger State since 29 May 2023. He was born in Minna, Niger State, to a Nupe family. He was a member of the House of Representative repre ...

(born 1974), politician, Governor of Niger State since 29 May, 2023 *

Muhammad Bima Enagi Muhammad Bima Enagi (born September 7, 1959) is a Nigerian politician, and the senator representing Niger South Senatorial District of Niger State in the 9th National Assembly. Education Enagi obtained his first degree in Quantity Surveying a ...

(born 1959), politician * Muhammad Umaru Ndagi, academic professor (born 1964) * Shehu Ahmadu Musa (1935–2008), politician * Dangana Ndayako, politician and Senator in the Third Nigerian Republic * Shaaba Lafiaji, politician * Suleiman Takuma, journalist and political leader (1934–2001) * Sam Nda-Isaiah (1962–2020), political columnist * Jerry Gana, scholar and politician. See cabinet of Olusegun Obasanjo * Isa Mohammed Bagudu (born 1948), third republic politician * Zainab Kure (born 1959), politician * Abdulkadir Kure (1956–2017), politician and former Governor of

in the Fourth Nigerian Republic * Aliyu Makama (1905–1980), Northern acting premiere * H.R.H. Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar (GCFR) (born 1952), Etsu-Nupe; traditional ruler * Mamman Jiya Vatsa (1940–1986) , intellctual, military officer and former FCT minister * Fatima Lolo (1891–1997), musician * Mohammed Baba Saba (1984 - 2024), Plant breeder

References

Sources

*Blench, R. M. (1984), "Islam among the Nupe." ''Muslim peoples''. (edn 2), Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. *Forde, D. (1955), "The Nupe". pp. 17–52 in ''Peoples of the Niger-Benue Confluence''. London: IAI. *Ibrahim, Saidu (1992), ''The Nupe and their neighbours from the 14th century''. Ibadan: Heinemann Educational Books. *Madugu, George I. (1971), "The a construction in Nupe: Perfective, Stative, Causative or Instrumental". In Kim, C-W., & Stahlke, H., ''Papers in African Linguistics, I'', pp. 81–100. Linguistic Research Institute, Champaign. * *Perani, J. M. (1977), ''Nupe crafts; the dynamics of change in nineteenth and twentieth century weaving and brassworking''. Ph.D. Fine Arts, Indiana University. *Stevens, P. (1966), ''Nupe woodcarving''. Nigeria, 88:21–35. * Yahaya, Mohammed Kuta, ''The Nupe People of Nigeria''. Nigeria, 95:1–2 {{DEFAULTSORT:Nupe People Ethnic groups in Nigeria Muslim communities in Africa Niger State Kwara State lt:Nupė ru:Нупе