Bajju people
The Ba̠jju are an ethnic group found in the Middle Belt area of Nigeria. The word Ba̠jju is a short for "Ba̠nyet Jju" which simply means "Jju People" and is used to refer to the speakers of the Jju language found in the Ka̠jju, the homeland of the Jju people. They are found in the Southern part of Kaduna State, chiefly in Kachia, Zangon Kataf, Jama'a and in Kaduna South Local Government Areas. Ba̠jju people are also commonly known as "Kaje" which is a pejorative name used to refer to both the Jju people and Jju language by the larger Hausa people who could not pronounce the name Ka̠jju well. The Ba̠jju people are predominantly farmers, hunters, blacksmiths and petty traders.
Origin and History
According to oral history, the origin of the Ba̠jju can be traced as far as Bauchi State where a group of people lived in hill caves and had watchers atop the hill to watch for enemies. These people were called 'mutanen duwatsu'. It was believed that their migration was for the search of better hunting grounds. They migrated from the Bauchi state part of the Jos-Bauchi high plateau and settled on a hill called 'Hurruang' in the Plateau state part of the area, in central Nigeria. The hill was already occupied by a tribe called the Afizere, but the Afizere people left and lived on another hill called 'Tsok-kwon', probably same as Shere hills.The Afizere also lay claims to migrating from the 'Miango' area, presently occupied by the Irigwe. The Ba̠jju, Irigwe, and Afizere tribes collectively called themselves 'Dangi' because they share cultural and linguistic similarities.
Two brothers named Zampara and Wai were said to have left ‘Dangi’ settlement and migrated South of the Plateau.
The Atsam people of today are the descendants Wai. Wai settled at a place and named it Chawai. Considering that the forefathers of both the Ba̠jju and Chawai people had family ties made both nations affiliated.
Zampara migrated further and settled at Hurbuang, which is now called Ungwan Tabo. Zampara had a wife named Adama and gave birth to two sons, Ba̠ranzan and A̠kad. When Zampara, their father died A̠kad left his elder brother Ba̠ranzan and stayed near the hills. He did so and became the ancestor of the A̠takat people. That was how the A̠takat tribe got associated with the Ba̠jju. It was because of this close relationship that the Atakat and Ba̠jju people made it a tradition and a religious law never to intermarry.
Descendants of Ba̠ranzan
Ba̠ranzan had five sons namely:
A̠NKWAK was the eldest son of Ba̠ranzan. He had the following children: Ka̠murum, A̠kurdan, Kpunyai, A̠za̠wuru, Ka̠tsiik, Gatun, Byet, Duhuan, A̠tachab, Rika̠wa̠n, Chenchuuk, Rika̠yakwon, Zi̠bvong, Ka̠masa, A̠nkpang, and Byena.
TUAN the second son had the following children:
Zankirwa, A̠tutyen, Kukwan, Vongkpang, Zat, Furgyam, Sansun, Ka̠mantsok, Dinyring, A̠mankwo, Kpong, Zantun, Dichu'a̠don.
A̠KA̠DON the third child had the following children:
Tsoriyang, Wadon, Rebvok, A̠bvong, Chiyua.
KANSHUWA the fourth child had the following children:
Jei, Dihwugwai, Zagwom, Ta̠bak, Baihom, Bairuap, Zambyin.
IDUANG the fifth and last born of Ba̠ranzan had the following children:
Zuturung, Zunkwa, Zansak, Dibyii, A̠bvo.
However, some stubborn Ba̠jju and A̠takat people intermarried, and this caused the widespread death of 1970, Gaiya. The Gado of Ba̠jju, along with his people, met with the Gado of A̠takat, along with his people, to discuss the crisis of frequent deaths of people of both tribes as a result of the intermarriages.
They reached a decision to abolish the law religiously and traditionally so that there would not be any consequence for the intermarriage. That was how the A̠takat and Ba̠jju people began to intermarry freely.
The previously mentioned Ba̠ranzan left Hurbuang and cleared a place by a riverside called 'Duccuu Chen'. He settled the Ka̠jju there. The name 'Ka̠jju' was derived from the name which Ba̠ranzan gave the new settlement, which was 'Ka̠zzu'.
Although it is unclear from oral history when the migration occurred, but evidence suggests that the Ba̠jju were in their current location since the early 1800s, Gaiya.
Culture
Bajju witchcraft and rites
There are many rites in Kajju land such as things like rain, farming, harvest, new house, pregnancy, and child-naming.Tyyi Tson : Tyyi Tson means 'to give hungry rice'. This practice involved offering an elderly woman poisoned hungry rice to end her suffering of physical infirmity. It was usually done by one of her children or her sister.
Nkut: This is the power to exert spiritual influence over another person. People who use Nkut are referred to as 'Akut', and are believed to have a second set of eyes. The first set allows one to see the physical, while the other is used to see into the spiritual realm.
Gajimale : A gajimale comes out of rivers, or streams to seduce its victims by transforming into a good looking opposite sex of the victim. It was a belief that many rich people got their wealth from Gajimale, and in return, they gave children to it. Epilepsy was believed to be caused by the Gajimale.
Abvoi: The Bajju had a religious institution called the Abvoi. The leader of the Abvoi shrine was called the 'Gado Abvoi' or 'Dodo'. The 'Magajin Abvoi' is the one who translates the messages of Abvoi to the people. The celebrations involved masquerade dances.
Masquerades : They represented the spirits in Abvoi celebrations. The Abusak danced with women and disciplines them by beating them.
Taboos and Superstitions
Children were not to eat eggs, and they were not to eat meat offered to them at other households, for it may be Nkut meat neither were they to go out in the heat of the midday sun, for they may accept food from Akut.Women:
- Were not to eat eggs, for they would be 'eating' their own children;
- Were not allowed to eat chicken and birds in general;
- Were not to cook or carry out farm activities for 7 days following child birth;
- Were not allowed to hit the wall with their hands or feet, for they would be calling the Abvoi;
- Were not allowed to hit people with brooms, especially men, for they would be sweeping away all of his charms and power ;
- Pregnant women were not to eat sugarcane; for their babies would grow too fat;
- Women were not to eat animal heads.
- Were not to allow their hair shaved halfway, for a spirit would come to finish the job, and cause the man to go mad;
- Were not to eat food prepared by menstruating women, for they would be exposed to blindness or bad luck in hunting;
- Were not to share secrets of the ancestor cult with women.
General taboos
- Spirit snakes should not be killed. It may be the spirit of a person sleeping or having a fever;
- Do not whistle at night; for it would call a spirit;
- Do not whistle in the house of a hunter; for his charms would stop working;
- Do not blow food to cool it;
- A visitor must not eat food alone. A person from the visited household must eat with the guest to prove the food is not poisoned;
- People were not to talk while eating. Even though a stranger came in, they should not greet until they finished eating;
- One should not answer a call at night; for the person might die;
- One should not step over arrows;
- A cock that crows between dusk and midnight must be killed; for it calls the spirits.
Rules
- Men are buried facing east while women were buried facing west.
- Those who died as a result of falling off a tree, falling off the roof of a house, or shot during hunting, were buried where the incident took place, and do not receive a burial ceremony.
- Women who died during child birth were buried at the backyard of their home.
- Someone with small pox was isolated because they believed he was a wizard. They are not given a burial ceremony after dying.
- Before drinking, elders were to pour a few drops on the ground for the ancestors.
- The Bajju believed in reincarnation.
- The Bajju believed that when a shooting star passes across the sky, a great man has died somewhere and is going to land somewhere else for reincarnation.
Taking oaths
- Sshi a̠nok: To swear on one's hoe. The oath was 'If I did this, may the hoe cut my leg'.
- Sshi ka̠ta: To swear on one's bow.
- Sswa mbyin: To swear on a drum. A drum was kept with each village's gado and was used for matters affecting the entire village and used to settle local disputes.
- Sshi a̠byai: To swear on one's headboard. If her oath was false, her child birth would not be a safe delivery.
- Sswa a̠bubvo: To swear on one's skin. The skin is the piece of clothing used to secure a child on her back. If the oath was false, the child in the skin would die.
- Sswa ka̠tssong: To swear on one's axe. 'May her axe cut her if her oath is false'.
Life After Death
It is also believed that the elder must eat first before any other person and when taking drink, they have to pour some drops on the ground for the ancestors to take.
Language
The Bajju People, speak the Jju language, which is one of the Central Plateau languages, and seems to be a variant of Tyap, alongside Gworok, Fantswam, Takad, Tyuku, Tyap proper, Sholyio and Tyeca̠rak, whose speakers are ethnically distinct.Kingship Stool
The Ba̠jju people are governed by a traditional leader appointed by the Kaduna State government who governs the affairs of the people, whose headquarters is at Zonkwa.The Ba̠jju paramount Leader is called A̠gwam Ba̠jju. The first and current leader is His Royal Highness, A̠gwam Ba̠jju I, A̠gwam Nuhu Bature A̠chi.
Notable people
1. Col. Yohanna Madaki: military governor of defunct Gongola State, Nigeria ; military governor of Benue State.2. Maj. Gen. Ishaya Bakut: military governor Benue State ; businessman who became vice-chairman of Anjeed Innova Group.
3. Engr. Stephen Rijo Shekari: deputy governor of Kaduna State.
4. Katung Aduwak: Winner of Big Brother Nigeria.
5. Israel Kashim Audu. Catholic religions, Founder Kaduna international film festival