Origin of Nupe

ORIGIN OF NUPE

By Prof. Ndagi Abdullahi
Amana Nupe

The Nupe people originated from KinNupe.

In the earliest available documentary record on the origin of the Nupe people, the Nupe people said they originated from the River Niger banks in KinNupe.¹

But Arab Islamists and European Christian explorers came and changed our origin to outside KinNupe – Nubia², Egypt³, Arabia⁴, Persia⁵ etc.

However, the first documented place of origin of Nupe is the Aza-Dibo-Ganagana-Kakanda area of Lapai – particularly the Budan-Muye area.⁷

Professor Constanze Weise’ works also show that a proto-Nupe people may have originated further southeast to the Niger-Benue confluence area⁸, Lokoja.

From the Budan area Nupe spread to their second place of origin, Biniland.⁹

The Central KinNupe area of Lemu-Bida-Zhima-Doko through Tafian-Gbara-Nupeko-Nku to Eggan-Katcha-Baddegi-Kataeregi axis defines Biniland proper.¹⁰

In Biniland was located a prehistoric Katsina Nupe kingdom.¹¹

From proto-Katsina in Biniland, Nupe expanded northward to their third place of origin, Kwiambana.¹²

Kwiambana as Katsina Laka¹³, in today’s Kambari-Kamuku land¹⁴, was the capital of the prehistoric Kotorkoshi-Kogo¹⁵ or Kotonkoro Nupe province the southern half of which is today’s Kontagora.¹⁶

From Kwiambana Nupe spread westward to their fourth place of origin, Old Gbara.¹⁷

Old Gbara, also known as Old Yauri¹⁸ or Old Gbajibo but now submerged in today’s Kainji Dam¹⁹, was the capital of the Atagara Nupe kingdom that encompassed the Borgu-Yauri-Zugurma area. ²⁰

It was at Atagara that Tsudi (Tsoede) rose to power.²¹ His father was the king of Atagara and his mother was a princess in Biniland.²²

From Atagara, Tsudi headed some Nupe people in exodus to their fifth place of origin, Gudu.²³

Together with its precursory Mulia-Jebba-Mokwa axis, Gudu now in Kwara North is the final origin of the Nupe people.²⁴

The Nupe people did not originate from Igala, from Nubia or from Arabia.