Nupe Kingdom

Origins

Nupe tradition credits Tsoede, also called Edegi, a son of the Attah of the Igala Kingdom by a Nupe mother, with uniting the Nupe chiefdoms in the early 16th century. Travelling up the Niger in a bronze canoe, he founded the capital at Gbara and gave the kingdom its royal regalia.

Rule and society

The Etsu Nupe ruled over farmers, fishermen and skilled craftsmen whose glass beads, brassware and cloth were traded widely. Nupe controlled the river between Hausaland and Yoruba country and fought the Oyo Empire, sometimes paying it tribute and sometimes defeating it. Islam spread among the elite from the 18th century.

Decline and legacy

In the early 19th century rival claimants Majiya and Jimada fought for the throne, and the Fulani cleric Mallam Dendo exploited the conflict. His descendants took power, and Nupe was absorbed into the Sokoto Caliphate, later as the Bida Emirate. The Etsu Nupe still reigns at Bida.