Tiv people

Tiv
Total population
Approx. 5 million[1]
Regions with significant populations
Nigeria, Cameroon
Languages
Tiv, Tivoid languages, English, French
Religion
Predominantly Christian, Tiv Traditional religion
Related ethnic groups
Utanga, Bitare, Mesaka, Iceve, Evant, Eman, Ipulo, Caka, Other Tivoid peoples
Nigeria in the 19th century showing the Tiv lands

Tiv (or Tiiv)[2] are a Bantu ethnic group. They constitute approximately 2.4% of Nigeria's total population,[3] and number over 5 million individuals throughout Nigeria and Cameroon.[4] The Tiv language is spoken by over 5 million people in Nigeria, with a few speakers in Cameroon. Most of the language's Nigerian speakers are found in Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Plateau, Cross rivers, Adamawa, Kaduna, and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. The language is a branch of Benue–Congo and ultimately of the Niger–Congo phylum. In pre-colonial times, the Fulani ethnic group referred to the Tiv as "Munchi" (also sometimes written Munshi e.g. Duggan, E. de C. 1932),[5] a term not accepted by the Tiv people.

  1. ^ "Tiv - Minority Rights Group". Minority Rights Group. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  2. ^ Duggan, E. de C. (1932). "Notes on the Munshi ('Tivi') Tribe of Northern Nigeria: Some Historical Outlines". Journal of the Royal African Society. 31 (123): 173–182. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a101094. JSTOR 716707.
  3. ^ Nigeria, Good (2020-03-02). "TIV Ethnic Group". Good Nigeria. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  4. ^ Emmy and Shamiga Dominic, Itx (January 2019). "The History of the TIV People Published by Agula Terdoo Emmanuel". What's Next for Computer Science in the Coming Decades?.
  5. ^ Duggan, E. de C. (1932). "Notes on the Munshi ('Tivi') tribe of northern Nigeria". Journal of the African Soc. 31 (123): 173–182.