The vast majority of residents of Jigawa State are Muslim, and so are the major tribes in Jigawa State. It also is one of the twelve states in the country to be governed by Sharia law. Jigawa State is famous for the Dutsen Habude cave paintings in the town of Birnin Kudu, which have been dated back to the Neolithic period.
Created in 1991 from the northeastern-most region of Kano State, Jigawa State is located on the border with Nigeria’s national border with the Republic of the Niger. The state capital and largest city is Dutse. Jigawa state has 27 local governments
The eighth largest state by population, residents of Jigawa State are predominantly of Hausa or Fulani background. The socio-cultural situation in Jigawa State could be described as homogeneous: it is mostly populated by Hausa/Fulani, who can be found in all parts of the state.
Economically, the Jigawa State economy remains largely dependent on agriculture. Due to state’s semi-arid climate, outward migration by workers to neighboring states such as Kano State in search of off-season work is common.
However, the existent scarcity of arable land within the state has become increasingly problematic in recent years, with arable farmland increasingly vulnerable to national disasters like flooding, which will become more prevalent due to climate change.
The Major Tribes in Jigawa State
With about 3.6 million people that inhabit the place, there are only a few of the major tribes in Jigawa state that will be listed here. At least, out of the many tribes in Nigeria, the state is proud of some of the majors and not minors.
Kanuri Tribe
The Kanuri Tribe is quite popular in the northern region, although, nothing much is known of the Jigawa residing Kanuri tribe apart from the fact that they originated from the ancient Bornu-Kanem Empire. Speaking of appearances, the people of the Kanuri tribe are easily mistaken for the Hausa people due to the facts that they have a lot of similarities with the Hausa tribe.
However, the Kanuri people are known for horse riding or horsemanship and they as well cherish their horses, apart from the fact they maintain the love they have for horses and horse riding, these people have seemingly adopted the Hausa culture and traditions.
The Kanuri tribe is dominated mainly by Muslims. When speaking of occupation, these people are mainly known for farming and fishing. These people are highly known for their strength and power in the Northern region of Nigeria, and they are almost as influential and popular as the Hausa and Fulani tribe in the north, moreover, the Kanuri people have been discovered in various nearby countries which include the Niger Republic, Cameroon, and Chad.
The language spoken by the Kanuri people is known as or called the Kanuri language. They prefer to be served meals made from millets and rice. However, the Kanuri men are known to wear a flowing gown termed as the Babban Riga while their women tie wrappers and wear blouses, also covering their heads with hijabs.
Hausa Tribe
On the Contrary, the majority of the Nigerian citizens think that only the Hausa tribe and probably the Fulani Tribe is the only Tribe present in Jigawa state, but it is not. Although, the Hausa tribe is the biggest tribe in Jigawa state and it is believed that they are linked to the Middle East. The Hausa tribe people are majorly Muslims, and they are into farming and trading, which are their major occupations.
The Hausa Tribe men are known to put on a flowing gown called or known as the Babban Riga dress while the women of the Hausa tribe tie wrappers and wear blouses, alongside hijabs worn on their heads. The Hausa tribe has kept on maintaining their cultural values and tradition with no changes attached to it. More also, their culture and tradition are influenced strongly by their religion.
The Hausa tribe is known to possess a higher population of poor masses and they are as well influential due to the fact that most of the leaders present in Nigeria today are of the Hausa tribe, and they are also the dominating tribe in the military sector.
Kurama Tribe
The people of Kurama Tribe is believed to be the first tribe to settle in the Lere local government area of Jigawa state which was formerly known as Kasar Kurama, more also, it was recorded that the Kurama people have been present in their current location since the 14th century (1350AD), while the recent dominating tribes of the Hausa and Fulani in Lere on the economic and political affairs of the local government only arrived the location around 1773.
Meanwhile, historic records have made known that the Lere local government area came up as two Kurama dominated districts of Garu and Kudaru alongside the Hausa and Fulani dominated district of Lere were merged together in the year 1936.
Fulani Tribe
The Fulani tribe is in doubt the most religious Islamic people in Nigeria, but at the same time, the northern tribe mostly known for violence. Diving down to their origination, the Fulani people are believed to be linked or come from the Middle East, but there is no precise location of where they are rooted.
The Fulanis are known to have led the violent jihad movement across Africa and are also known to engage in constant conflicts with other neighboring tribes and even far away tribes. More also, the Fulanis have been noted for dominance in Nigeria’s political affairs ever since independence, also, they have been noted to be majorly rulers or leaders in the northern region. These people are also known for rearing cattle and termed as nomads.
When it comes to the meals eaten by the Fulani people, we talk about meals made from Sorghum, rice, and millet which are often processed through local means to make the Tuwo meal. The Fulani men are known to put on the normal flowing gown as other tribes which are known as the Babban Riga gown and the women tie their wrappers alongside blouse and cover their heads with hijabs.
Angas Tribe
The Angas Tribe in Jigawa state and other states are widely referred to as the Afro-Asiatic tribe due to their intimate relationship with Chad. It is widely believed that there are over 640,000 local speakers of the Angas language; meanwhile, the late General Yakubu Gowon is believed to be of this tribe.
The Angas are widely known for their Christianity practice, and these people are majorly located or found in Plateau state in Central Nigeria, but over the years, the Angas tribe people have been noted to have migrated and spread wide to places such as Kaduna, Bauchi, Taraba, and Nassarawa states.
Legends believe that the Angas tribe people originated from somewhere around Borno State (The Northeastern part of Nigeria) and later migrated to Plateau state and that they are related to the Kanuri Tribe people. They have a similar culture with most of the African tribes.
