The major tribes in Taraba State which was created out of the former Gongola state on 27 August 1991, by the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida were not so many but they share historical backgrounds with the glory of the state.
Taraba is a state in North Eastern Nigeria, named after the Taraba River, which traverses the southern part of the state. Taraba state’s capital is Jalingo.
The main ethnic groups are the Fulani, Mumuye, Mambilla, Wurkuns, Jukun, Kuteb, Yandang, Ndola, Itchen, Tigun and Jibu. The northern parts is mainly dominated by Fulani of Muri emirate. The southern parts are dominated by the Jukun Jukun, Chamba, Tiv, Kuteb and Ichen.
The central region is mainly occupied by the Fulani, Mambilla and the Jibu peoples. There are over 77 different tribes, and their languages in Taraba State. Taraba state is bounded in the west by Nasarawa state and Benue state, northwest by Plateau state, north by Bauchi state and Gombe state, northeast by Adamawa state, and south by Northwest Region in Cameroon.
In terms of weather, Taraba state is marked by an annual average temperature of 33°C but high level of cold in January and an increased rainfall in August. The percentage of rainfall in Taraba state is 40.35% with 54.98% relative humidity. The state is usually very warm in March with 40.44°C, and an average wind of 8.84km/h.
The major language of the state is Fulfulde.
The Major Tribes in Taraba State
Being one of the top tribes in Nigeria, below is a list of some collected information on the major tribes in Taraba state as they are found in the Federal Republic of Nigeria:
Jukun Tribe
The Jukun tribe residing in Taraba state is termed as the minority tribe in the state. The Jukun people are believed to have originated from the ancient Kwararafa kingdom. The major occupation for this tribe is farming just like other northern tribes, however, the people of this tribe are known to practice both Christianity and Islam as their religion.
The Jukun tribe’s mode of dressing seems a bit different as both the men and women of the Jukun tribe are known to tie wrappers. Going to the aspects of meals, they prefer to take Tuwo and soup.
Kanuri Tribe
If you have been reading our other articles on tribes in a state, then the Kanuri tribe should not be new to you. The Kanuri tribe as a whole is known for their love and affection for horsemanship and horses.
Speaking of origination, the Kanuri tribe people are known to originate or come from the ancient Bornu-Empire. In the Kanuri tribe, Islam is a dominating religion of the Kanuri tribe. When it comes to occupation, the Kanuri tribe is known for farming and they are known to feed on meal made and processed from crops like maize and millet.
Idoma Tribe
The Idoma tribe found in Taraba state is similar or let’s say related with the Idoma tribe present in Benue state. The Idoma people are known to be peaceful, following up their history, although, back in the pre-independence days, the Idoma people are known well for their brave warriors.
Speaking of roots, nothing much has been recorded of their root or origination. However, the Idoma people are spread wide-reaching Cross river state. When it comes to the population the Idoma tribe has the total headcounts of about 3.5 million people and them notably very rich in culture and values which was not in any way affected by the comings of the Europeans.
When it comes to dressing, the men and women of this tribe are noted to tie wrappers, not just ordinary wrappers, their wrappers are spectacular wrappers with unique patterns and are of replicate with the Benue state Idoma. When it comes to religion, Christianity and Islam are widely practiced in this tribe. The Idoma tribe embraces farming as their main occupation and the main source of living.
Karimjo Tribe
This tribe is found or located in Karim Lamido parts of Taraba state. They are known to be neighbors with the Fulani tribe, but always and constantly have conflicts with the Fulani tribe.
In this tribe, virtually every one of them practices Islam, and just about a percent of them is a traditionalist. The Karimjo tribe are known for farming and rearing of cattle.
Mumuye Tribe
The tribe we have right here tends to e the largest tribe in Taraba state as a whole and are known to occupy the Gashaka, Lau, Ardo-Kola, Zing, Gassol, Bali, Yorro, and Jalingo local governments in Taraba state.
The people of this tribe are known to speak a language called Mmuye as this language can be mistaken for the Hausa language by non-northern indigenes. However, the people of this tribe are known for farming, and they are virtually all Muslims.
Kuteb Tribe
Kuteb tribe is known to be virtually everywhere in Taraba state and has a total headcount of about 600, 000 people.
This tribe possesses a lot in common with the Hausa tribe, and despite this fact, the two tribes still confront each other to date, which has led to so many deaths and unending movements. The Kuteb tribe chose to farm as their main occupation; meanwhile, speaking of religion, the Kuteb people are predominantly Muslims.
Hausa Tribe
Of course, you were expecting to see this tribe and here you have it, the Hausa tribe is known as the one of the most influential tribe in Nigeria and the most influential in the northern region.
The Hausa tribe is very large in number of which some of them occupy and reside in some of the driest lands in Nigeria. More also, the Hausa tribe is known to have the highest number of poor people and just a few rich people. When it comes to education, you know the deal, most of these people are uneducated or probably do not require education to earn a living.
Getting to the land they occupy in Taraba state, they are considered the only tribe there presently. Their mode of dressing is nothing other than the flowing gowns worn by the men of this tribe which is termed the Babban Riga dress and the women of this tribe put on blouse and tie wrappers alongside head covers known as hijabs, but when it comes to special occasion, the men of this tribe are known to tie turbans around their heads and wear expensive clothes rather than their normal flowing Babban Riga gowns.
Tiv Tribe
The Tiv tribe according to head counts makes up about 7% of Nigeria’s population and has the total counts of about 3.5 million people. However, Majority of the Tiv tribe people are located in Benue state, while a handful of the Tiv tribe occupies some parts of Taraba state.
The people of this tribe are mostly farmers and traders by occupation, and when it comes to religion, most of them are Christians. The people of this tribe in terms of dressing put on a peculiar cloth pattern sown into different varieties of styles. When it comes to meals, the Tiv people prefer to be served Tuwo and Soup.
Fulani Tribe
The Fulani tribe are mainly known to originate from somewhere in the Middle East, and no precise location, but they are known to spread across West Africa and the Sahel. The Fulani tribe is one of the biggest tribe in Taraba state.
The Fulani people are known to e violent, following their history of violence in leading a jihad movement across Africa and their interest in overpowering territories, which still exist till date. The Fulani tribe from time past have been involved in clashes with other tribes even far away from them, which is also the same thing happening in the country today, they are known to be trespassers. The Fulani tribe speaks a language termed as the Fulfude language. These people are majorly nomads and are deeply into cattle rearing.
Nyandang Tribe
The Nyandang tribe is a tribe in Taraba state noted for peace. The people of this tribe are small in number, they are in population terms a people of about 106, 000.
The Nyandang tribe are majorly Christians and they all live in a hilly environment I Taraba state, more also, they cherish farming and hereby chose it as their means of livelihood. For the feeding aspect, these people are known to feed on meals gotten from processed maize and millet.
