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Gade people

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gade people, also known as Babye people, are one of the ethnic groups in Nigeria. They can be found in Niger State, Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) and Nassarawa.[1][2]

Origin

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The word "Gade" originated from the distorted version of Ngade, which means 'I said'. It was corrupted by the Hausa speakers who wanted to differentiate between Gade and Mazugawe.[3] Gade's people can be traced to a farming tribe called Adakpu. They migrated from the Congo-Niger Basin through Sudan to Kano in search for a fertile land to farm in 1068 AD during the era of Tsamiya (Emir of Kano). In Kano, they occupied Gadawur territory which is known as the present day Jigawa State.[1]

However, the death of their leader, Gakingakuma, led to the dispersal of the tribe to different territories. Currently, the Gade people are located in Abuja, Niger and Nasarawa States.[2]

Occupation

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Gade's men are known for farming and hunting while women are known for basket weaving and clothes making.[3]

Language

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Gade people speak Gade language.[1]

Annual Gade Cultural Festival

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This is an annual festival where the Gade people from far and near gathered to celebrate their culture and belief.[2]

The festival involves the display of cultural antiquities such as;

Adakpu Masquerade

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It is usually the first masquerade to be displayed because of its symbolic attribution to the historical migration of the Gade people from Congo-Niger Basin.[3]

Egede war dancers' masquerades

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Symbolic war dacing masquerades that are used to either announce a coming war or to celebrate war victory.[3]

Zurunuba Masquerade

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It is the strongest masquerade among the Gade people. His power is drawn from his energetic dancing display.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Onyeakagbu, Adaobi (2018-10-09). "A brief walk into the lives of this ethnic group". Pulse Nigeria. Archived from the original on 2022-06-05. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  2. ^ a b c "Gade culture resurrects at dazzling festival". Daily Trust. 2018-05-09. Archived from the original on 2022-06-05. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Gade festival: Mysticism, masquerades, culture on display". The Sun Nigeria. 2018-05-09. Archived from the original on 2018-08-09. Retrieved 2022-06-05.