Kwararafa

“In the 19th century the Jukun were the rulers of the most prominent successor state - the Kingdom of Wukari - which claimed continuity with the town Kororofa (remark the difference between the town Kororofa and the kingdom or empire Kwararafa).” ^[1]

[1]: Dinslage, S., & Leger, R. (1996). Language and Migration the Impact of the Jukun on Chadic Speaking Groups in the Benue-Gongola Basin. Berichte Des Sonderforschungsbereichs – Universität Frankfurt Am Main., 268(8), 67–75: 68. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/8TZKHY4E/collection

“Under the name of Kororofa, their capital, this once powerful tribe is often referred to in the history of Bornu and Kano.” ^[1] One reference to another capital city, as well as Kororofa/Kwararafa, but for ethnic group of Jukun so may not be relevant to this polity: “Relics and remains were observed at some of the historical sites visited. These sites include: Byepye and Kwararafa (which were earlier capital cities of the Jukun before they moved to Wukari), and other relevant places that bear on the research area.” ^[2]

[1]: Ruxton, F. H. (1908). Notes on the Tribes of the Muri Province. Journal of the Royal African Society, 7(28), 374–386: 378. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/2AXUQGFB/collection

[2]: Zhema, S. (2017). A History of the Social and Political Organization of the Jukun of Wukari Division, c.1596–1960 [Benue State University]: 12. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/U667CC36/collection

Have seen spelling Courourfa too: “JUKUN. (Kororofa.) Early history.- Under the name of Kororofa, their capital, this once powerful tribe is often referred to in the history of Bornu and Kano […] In d’Anville’s map of Africa, 1727, " Courourfa" is shown as occupying the country south of Bornu and Zanfara.” ^[1] Apa and Kwana also used, but it seems more as names of peoples than polities:“The identification of Jukun, Apa, Kwana and Kwararafa goes back to at least the mid-nineteenth century, but modern Jukun have no memory of Kwararafa or a supposedly martial past, and Kwararafa invasions ended mysteriously in the seventeenth century. In the nineteenth, the Jukun lived, not in a unified kingdom, but in a number of small communities in the Benue valley. It is possible that Kwararafa was a generic name for non-Muslim peoples from Dar al-Harb, the Land of Unbelief. It may well have been a multi-ethnic federation, which acted together for specific purposes and then disbanded.” ^[2]

[1]: Ruxton, F. H. (1908). Notes on the Tribes of the Muri Province. Journal of the Royal African Society, 7(28), 374–386: 378. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/2AXUQGFB/collection

[2]: Isichei, E. (1997). A History of African Societies to 1870. Cambridge University Press: 235. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/Z4GK27CI/collection

Have seen spelling Courourfa too: “JUKUN. (Kororofa.) Early history.- Under the name of Kororofa, their capital, this once powerful tribe is often referred to in the history of Bornu and Kano […] In d’Anville’s map of Africa, 1727, " Courourfa" is shown as occupying the country south of Bornu and Zanfara.” ^[1] Apa and Kwana also used, but it seems more as names of peoples than polities:“The identification of Jukun, Apa, Kwana and Kwararafa goes back to at least the mid-nineteenth century, but modern Jukun have no memory of Kwararafa or a supposedly martial past, and Kwararafa invasions ended mysteriously in the seventeenth century. In the nineteenth, the Jukun lived, not in a unified kingdom, but in a number of small communities in the Benue valley. It is possible that Kwararafa was a generic name for non-Muslim peoples from Dar al-Harb, the Land of Unbelief. It may well have been a multi-ethnic federation, which acted together for specific purposes and then disbanded.” ^[2]

[1]: Ruxton, F. H. (1908). Notes on the Tribes of the Muri Province. Journal of the Royal African Society, 7(28), 374–386: 378. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/2AXUQGFB/collection

[2]: Isichei, E. (1997). A History of African Societies to 1870. Cambridge University Press: 235. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/Z4GK27CI/collection

“the Jukun people were already established in the middle Benue basin and also in the Gongola valley during the period 1200-1600. It is even possible that their expansion into Kasar Chiki had already started in the sixteenth century. During the period under discussion they had established a powerful state, which by 1600 was approaching the peak of its military might. The early importance of the Jukun is also suggested by the fact that there are some ethnic groups which either claim descent from the Jukun or have copied many aspects of their culture, directly or through the Igala.” ^[1] “The Jukun-speaking peoples of Northern Nigeria are believed to be the descendants of the ruling stratum of the powerful Kororofa ’empire’ (probably a loose federation of tribes), which dominated the Benue Valley from about the fourteenth century to the middle of the eighteenth.” ^[2]

[1]: Niane, D. T., & Unesco (Eds.). (1984). Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century. Heinemann ; University of California Press: 283. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/ERZKPETN/collection

[2]: Young, M. W. (1966). The Divine Kingship of the Jukun: A Re-Evaluation of Some Theories. Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, 36(2), 135–153: 139. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/NTI9GQMF/collection

Start date from Stewart: "Kororofa. ca. 1600-1901." ^[1] (NB Stewart does not distinguish between Kwararafa and the succeeding Wukari polity)

Could date the start of Wukari to 1820 (based on an apparent dynastic shift mentioned by one source), or 1848 (based on dates taken from a king list found in another source).

"Kororofa. ca. 1600-1901. [...] Kings: [...] 1815-1848 Zikeenya; 1848-1866 Agbu Manu I" ^[1]

“By 1820, a Jukun dynasty based at Wukari, south of the Benue, had taken control of what was left of the Kwararafa state. With this transformation, the martial state of Kwararafa had finally come to an end. The Jukun inherited the political power of Kwararafa, but not its martial tradition. The far-flung confederacy had become the homogenous Jukun kingdom of Wukari. Kwararafa under the Jukun ceased to be a warrior state; extant accounts portray the new state as a pacifist and religious one, made up of a collection of unwarlike people solely and strictly devoted to the maintenance of their innumerable religious cults and the veneration of their sacred kings, a people whose prestige and continuing legitimacy depended on their successful performance of their main ritual function, which was to guarantee good harvest and good health for the people.” ^[2]

[1]: (Stewart 1989, 155) Stewart, J. 1989. African states and rulers : an encyclopedia of native, colonial and independent states and rulers past and present. McFarland. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/search/stewart/titleCreatorYear/items/AMCFGS6W/item-list

[2]: Shillington, K., ed. (2005). Encyclopedia of African History (1st Ed., Vol. 1–3). Fitzroy Dearborn: 248. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/AWA9ZT5B/collection

Dates vary a lot on the literature, but earliest date suggested seems to be sixth century: “According to a Jukun tradition popular amongst the Wapan of Wukari, Kwararafa was established in 596AD by Aku Awudu and lasted for about 1000years before its disintegration. The tradition has it that Aku Agbukenjo was the last ruler of Kwararafa state before it was relocated to Wukari under the leadership of Aku 73 Katakpa. Jukun, under the leadership of the ‘Wapan’ of present day Wukari, were believed to be the architect of the emergence and growth of the Kwararafa. In this regard, the Jukun people are believed to have played a significant role in the Kwararafa civilization, which today influences the history of most of the people, not only in the Benue valley, but other parts of Nigeria at large. This claim has continued to live with the Jukun people of Wukari till date.” ^[1] “C.K. Meek further notes that the earliest reference to Kwararafa within historical times is contained in the Kano Chronicle. In this regard, he asserts that in the reign of Yaji (1349-85), the Kwararafa people were the only pegan tribes from Biyri to Fanda who refused to submit to this authority.70 This story gives an impression that Kwararafa was an important State as early as the latter part of the fourteenth century.” ^[2] “The Jukun-speaking peoples of Northern Nigeria are believed to be the descendants of the ruling stratum of the powerful Kororofa ’ empire ’ (probably a loose federation of tribes), which dominated the Benue Valley from about the fourteenth century to the middle of the eighteenth. Wukari, the present home of the majority of Jukun, was founded as a new capital after the break-up of Kororofa, and represents its successor state on a considerably diminished scale.” ^[3] Existed in the sixteenth century: “The mysterious state of Kwararafa threads its way through Hausa and Borno history; it is a ‘pagan’ state of the south, full of symbolic significance in Hausa perceptions of their own past. Korau and Amina, among others, are said to have waged war against Kwararafa, which, in its turn, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries repeatedly invaded the Hausa kingdoms but, oddly, without any lasting political or cultural result. The mais of Borno fought similar wars with the ‘Kwana’. These traditions are generally associated with the Benue valley people known in written sources as Jukun (a Hausa ethonym), who call themselves Wapan and who are widely known as Apa. The Aku of the Jukun settlement at Wukari is one of Africa’s best known instances of sacred kingship.” ^[4] “By 1820, a Jukun dynasty based at Wukari, south of the Benue, had taken control of what was left of the Kwararafa state. With this transformation, the martial state of Kwararafa had finally come to an end. The Jukun inherited the political power of Kwararafa, but not its martial tradition. The far-flung confederacy had become the homogenous Jukun kingdom of Wukari.” ^[5] “Strange to say, no tradition exists to-day as to the fall of this city and empire; even the name Kororofa has disappeared, though it seems to have persisted down to about 1860.” ^[6]

[1]: Zhema, S. (2017). A History of the Social and Political Organization of the Jukun of Wukari Division, c.1596–1960 [Benue State University]: 72–73. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/U667CC36/collection

[2]: Zhema, S. (2017). A History of the Social and Political Organization of the Jukun of Wukari Division, c.1596–1960 [Benue State University]: 74. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/U667CC36/collection

[3]: Young, M. W. (1966). The Divine Kingship of the Jukun: A Re-Evaluation of Some Theories. Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, 36(2), 135–153: 139. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/NTI9GQMF/collection

[4]: Isichei, E. (1997). A History of African Societies to 1870. Cambridge University Press: 235. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/Z4GK27CI/collection

[5]: Shillington, K., ed. (2005). Encyclopedia of African History (1st Ed., Vol. 1–3). Fitzroy Dearborn: 248. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/AWA9ZT5B/collection

[6]: Ruxton, F. H. (1908). Notes on the Tribes of the Muri Province. Journal of the Royal African Society, 7(28), 374–386: 379. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/2AXUQGFB/collection

“Around the seventeenth century one major change did occur, and that was the contracting of a peace pact between Kwararafa and the Mais of Borno. It followed the most massive incursion to date of Kwararafa into Hausaland and an equally resounding defeat of the insurgent invaders by Mai Ali of Borno with Tuareg assistance in 1668. There were probably a peace agreement immediately after this. Mr. John Lavers, quoting Vatican documents, identifies a peace agreement (renewed or re-establishment?) in 1701. The pact made with Borno was confirmed by an exchange of ambassadors and the Borno ambassador, the Zanna, remained in Wukari until the twentieth century.” ^[1]

[1]: Gavin, R. J. (1979). Some Perspectives on Nigerian History. Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria, 9(4), 15–38: 34. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/BPED9ADF/collection

“The importance of Wukari in the tradition of origin, migration and settlement of the Jukun people can well be understood from the background that it is now the successor of the Kwararafa State.” ^[1]

[1]: Zhema, S. (2017). A History of the Social and Political Organization of the Jukun of Wukari Division, c.1596–1960 [Benue State University]: 63. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/U667CC36/collection

(Relationship): “In the 19th century the Jukun were the rulers of the most prominent successor state - the Kingdom of Wukari - which claimed continuity with the town Kororofa (remark the difference between the town Kororofa and the kingdom or empire Kwararafa).” ^[1] “Strange to say, no tradition exists to-day as to the fall of this city and empire; even the name Kororofa has disappeared, though it seems to have persisted down to about 1860. The truth is that the state crumbled away before the insidious advance of the Fulani helped, as is always the case, by treachery from within. // “About 1815, frightened at the defection of one of their notables, Anju of Dampar, the Jukuns melted away before Buba Yero of Gombe and Abu Bakr, Alkali Dagara. They fled westward and settled in Kasan Chiki, the salt district round Awe, and amongst the Munshis to the south of the river. Later a remnant returned and founded or rebuilt Wukari, their present capital, 23 miles south of Ibi. Burba of Bakundi finally destroyed what remained of the city of Kororofa.” ^[2]
(Entity): Sometimes written as Kororofa. Early part of the nineteenth century saw the fall of Kwararafa, and by mid-nineteenth century it was Wukari, but the exact timeline is unclear. “The importance of Wukari in the tradition of origin, migration and settlement of the Jukun people can well be understood from the background that it is now the successor of the Kwararafa State.” ^[3] “After 1800, the Fulani also brought Jukun under their control.” ^[4] “In the 19th century the Jukun were the rulers of the most prominent successor state - the Kingdom of Wukari - which claimed continuity with the town Kororofa (remark the difference between the town Kororofa and the kingdom or empire Kwararafa).” ^[1] Referring to the 1804 Sokoto (Fulani) jihad: “As for Wukari, it too was threatened by the Fulani. It had seen its satrapies smashed by Buba Yero on the Gongola. The Emirate of Muri represented a potential threat. But the Jukun were also threatened by the Tiv on the other side and had to call on occasional Fulani assistance. Borno could be of little help in all this, especially after the collapse on the Gongola, but there would have been a certain nostalgia for the old, more peaceful times when Borno and Kwararafa had co-existed in a state of mutual forebearance and respect.” ^[5]

[1]: Dinslage, S., & Leger, R. (1996). Language and Migration the Impact of the Jukun on Chadic Speaking Groups in the Benue-Gongola Basin. Berichte Des Sonderforschungsbereichs – Universität Frankfurt Am Main., 268(8), 67–75: 68. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/8TZKHY4E/collection

[2]: Ruxton, F. H. (1908). Notes on the Tribes of the Muri Province. Journal of the Royal African Society, 7(28), 374–386: 379. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/2AXUQGFB/collection

[3]: Zhema, S. (2017). A History of the Social and Political Organization of the Jukun of Wukari Division, c.1596–1960 [Benue State University]: 63. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/U667CC36/collection

[4]: Davidson, B. (2014). West Africa Before the Colonia Era: A History to 1850. Taylor and Francis: 120. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/XNXIN893/collection

[5]: Gavin, R. J. (1979). Some Perspectives on Nigerian History. Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria, 9(4), 15–38: 37. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/BPED9ADF/collection

(Relationship): “There is every indication of the existence of a quite extensive settlement on the Niger in the vicinity of Idah, long before the advent of the Atas which at some early date came under the influence of, and paid tribute to, the Jukun king of Wukari.” ^[1] “[T]here is little reason to doubt that it had its origins in the migratory movement from Wukari led, initially, by Abutu Eje, which covered a period of several generations in its gradual westerly percolation through the Agatu country to the vicinity of Amagedde on the Benue. Again, it is reasonable to assume that throughout this period the movement was reinforced by contingents of kinsmen, friends and malcontents from Wukari and by local adherents following inter-marriage. Its actual motive is obscure; by some it is said that Abutu was an unsuccessful candidate for the kingship and took himself off in disgust; by others, that he was banished from the Court for misconduct (a common penalty) or, yet again, that he was sent to Idah as Governor by the Jukun King, the Aku Uka. // “Whichever of these may have been the true reason it is generally conceded that the migration was attended by continuous armed friction with the Jukun state which, it is said, disapproved strongly of Abutu’s secession and his ideas of setting up an independent kingdom in what was regarded by the former as one of its spheres of influence.” ^[2] “So began the regime of the Atas at Idah. It is not possible to fix any reliable date for this event, but we shall not be very far wrong in assigning the colonisation of the Agatu-Ocheku-Amara area to the early part of the 17th century, and Ayagba’s arrival at Idah towards its close.” ^[3]
(Entity): Kwararafa was generally a Jukun-led polity centred on Wukari: “There is every indication of the existence of a quite extensive settlement on the Niger in the vicinity of Idah, long before the advent of the Atas which at some early date came under the influence of, and paid tribute to, the Jukun king of Wukari.” ^[1]

[1]: Clifford, Miles, and Richmond Palmer. “A Nigerian Chiefdom.” The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 66, 1936, pp. 393–435: 395. zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TF7MM698/collection

[2]: Clifford, Miles, and Richmond Palmer. “A Nigerian Chiefdom.” The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 66, 1936, pp. 393–435: 396. zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TF7MM698/collection

[3]: Clifford, Miles, and Richmond Palmer. “A Nigerian Chiefdom.” The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 66, 1936, pp. 393–435: 397. zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TF7MM698/collection

“By 1820, a Jukun dynasty based at Wukari, south of the Benue, had taken control of what was left of the Kwararafa state. With this transformation, the martial state of Kwararafa had finally come to an end. The Jukun inherited the political power of Kwararafa, but not its martial tradition. The far-flung confederacy had become the homogenous Jukun kingdom of Wukari.” ^[1] “The identification of Jukun, Apa, Kwana and Kwararafa goes back to at least the mid-nineteenth century, but modern Jukun have no memory of Kwararafa or a supposedly martial past, and Kwararafa invasions ended mysteriously in the seventeenth century. In the nineteenth, the Jukun lived, not in a unified kingdom, but in a number of small communities in the Benue valley. It is possible that Kwararafa was a generic name for non-Muslim peoples from Dar al-Harb, the Land of Unbelief. It may well have been a multi-ethnic federation, which acted together for specific purposes and then disbanded.” ^[2] “Saad Abubakar contended that the Jukun were possibly part of the legendary Kwararafa which was an ancient kingdom or possibly an empire which flourished in the Benue region several centuries before it was succeeded by the kingdom of Wukari. This position was further established by J.M. Freemantle when he asserted that the Jukun kingdom of Kwararafa at one time or the other extended from the 12th meridian to the Niger, South to the Cross River and North to the borders of Bornu and the varying limits of the central Hausa State. At various times, its suzerainty extended over Kano, the Alago Kingdom of Doma, the Igbira Kindom of Kwatto and the dominions of the Ata-gara. These claims suggested that “Kwararafa” existed as an empire, or at best a confederation, in which groups of semi-independent chiefdoms were knitted together.” ^[3] “Abubakar further observes that while the external activities of the Jukun are well known, virtually nothing is known about their internal organization before the 19th century. He therefore suggest that prior to the 16thcentury, the Jukun lived not under a central authority but in small communities, each independent of the other. He surmises that probably as from that century, a powerful military class emerged among them, possibly to counter Borno’s expansionist policy. Consequently, with a highly efficient cavalry, (horses being obtained from Hausa land,) the various independent Jukun communities were unified under the control of military men. The Jukun began a career of distant military raids against Hausaland to the North-west and Borno to the North-east. Over time, the Jukun were opened to new alien influence and were, consequently, compelled to migrate. Abubakar suggests that the coming of new immigrants, the Pabur in the west and Chamba in the east, completed the process of Jukun decline. With the collapse of the military that had previously held sway over the various groups, the Jukun reverted to their previous arrangement as autonomous communities. This process started probably from the 17th century when Aku Katakpa founded Puje in 1660.” ^[4]

[1]: Shillington, K., ed. (2005). Encyclopedia of African History (1st Ed., Vol. 1–3). Fitzroy Dearborn: 248. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/AWA9ZT5B/collection

[2]: Isichei, E. (1997). A History of African Societies to 1870. Cambridge University Press: 235. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/Z4GK27CI/collection

[3]: Zhema, S. (2017). A History of the Social and Political Organization of the Jukun of Wukari Division, c.1596–1960 [Benue State University]: 72. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/U667CC36/collection

[4]: Zhema, S. (2017). A History of the Social and Political Organization of the Jukun of Wukari Division, c.1596–1960 [Benue State University]: 27. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/U667CC36/collection

WALS classification is Niger-Congo, though some sources suggest Benue-Congo. “[T]he Jukun speak a Benue-Congo language, with its linguistic relatives in central Nigeria and the Cross River area” ^[1] “Many central Nigerian peoples have a tradition of an ancient migration ‘from Apa’, but in some of these cases, linguistic evidence makes a historic relationship very unlikely. The Idoma speak a Kwa language, related to Igala and Igbo, whereas Jukun is a Benue-Congo language.” ^[1] “According to K.Williamson, the Jukun belong to the Niger-Congo group of languages whose homeland, proto-language and primary dispersal centre all fall within the area of Nigeria.” ^[2]

[1]: Isichei, E. (1997). A History of African Societies to 1870. Cambridge University Press: 235. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/Z4GK27CI/collection

[2]: Zhema, S. (2017). A History of the Social and Political Organization of the Jukun of Wukari Division, c.1596–1960 [Benue State University]: 60. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/U667CC36/collection

“[T]he Jukun speak a Benue-Congo language, with its linguistic relatives in central Nigeria and the Cross River area” ^[1] Many central Nigerian peoples have a tradition of an ancient migration ‘from Apa’, but in some of these cases, linguistic evidence makes a historic relationship very unlikely. The Idoma speak a Kwa language, related to Igala and Igbo, whereas Jukun is a Benue-Congo language.” ^[1]

[1]: Isichei, E. (1997). A History of African Societies to 1870. Cambridge University Press: 235. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/Z4GK27CI/collection