The Kilba are an
ethnic group
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
in the
Hong Hong may refer to:
Places
*Høng, a town in Denmark
*Hong Kong, a city and a special administrative region in China
*Hong, Nigeria
*Hong River in China and Vietnam
*Lake Hong in China
Surnames
*Hong (Chinese name)
*Hong (Korean name)
Organiz ...
local government area of
Adamawa State
Adamawa state () is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Borno to the northwest, Gombe to the west, and Taraba to the southwest, while its eastern border forms part of the national border with Cameroon. It tak ...
(formerly
Gongola State
Gongola State is a former administrative division of Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the Adamawa and Sardauna Provinces of North State, together with the Wukari Division of the then Benue-Plateau State; it existed until 27 Augus ...
) in
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
.
History
In the past, Höba lived in large clan-based mountain communities. These mountain communities were
Pella
Pella ( el, Πέλλα) is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is best-known for serving as the capital city of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great.
On site of the ancient cit ...
, Gwaja, Hong, Kulinyi, Garaha, Bangshika, Miljili, Gaya-jaba, Gaya-maki, Gaya-skalmi, Gaya-gou, Gaya Fa'a, Gaya Jabba, Ndlang, Hyama, Kinking, Motaku, Kwapor, Za and Zivi, all in the present Hong Local Government. The Höba clan-based mountain communities were each ruled by a "Töl köra ma" (King of the mountain community). "Köra ma" means "mountain top". Töl is pronounced as "ttle", which means King. A particular Töl therefore, was known by his
clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship
and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...
name. Each of the mountain
communities
A community is a Level of analysis, social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place (geography), place, Norm (social), norms, religion, values, Convention (norm), customs, or Identity (social science), identity. Communiti ...
was made up of several villages. These
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
s had their method of communication. They had specific ways of doing everything, and life was very smooth and enjoyable. The Töl köra ma was a secular-cum-religious ruler. He had a cabinet made up of Yaduma, Midala, Bira'ol, Kadagimi, Kadala, Dzarma and Batari, depending on the community. Each had their designated cabinets. The cabinets of all the Töls still have the same character.
Höba was a tribe with a formidable army. They were articulate and had distinct ways of doing things and of getting things done. Höba was a tribe with formidable unity. After the 18th century AD,
Dr. Henry Barth (1965) (a German traveler) came across Höba during his voyage.
Political structure
One Furkudol was bringing Höba, in their various clan-based mountain communities under one central government at that time. In Dr. Barth's report of his voyage, he wrote that Höba was "a well organized pagan kingdom second to none in
Western Sudan
Sudan is the geographical region to the south of the Sahara, stretching from Western Africa to Central and Eastern Africa. The name derives from the Arabic ' (), or "the lands of the Black people, Blacks", referring to West Africa and northern ...
". In addition, he did mention that this kingdom "resembles that of ancient
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
or modern European kingdom. The kingdom was divided into units to which members of the ruling families were sent out to administer as governors". He also mentioned that "Every month, they (the governors and central ministers) sent in reports to the King for further directives or final decisions".
These governors were the Yirmas and the Shalls. There was only one Yirma from Udong. Since there was and is still just himself, he is simply called Yirma. The governors were in a hierarchy, with the Yirma being the highest of them all, Udong is the place we now call Udong. The government of Höba is divided into two, with the Töl as the overall ruler. The territorial administration is the responsibility of the Shalls and the Yirma. The central administration is the responsibility of the Töls cabinet members. The cabinet is made up of the following:
# Sabiya – Sabiya is the Prime Minister and Chief Adviser to the Töl.
# Bira'ol – Bira'ol is the Assistant Prime Minister
# Midala – Midala is the Defence Minister and War Commander
# Kadala – Kadala is the Inspector General of Police. He arrests and orders the arrest of criminals.
# Dzarma – Dzarma is the Minister in Charge of the Royal Stable
# Batari – Batari is the Head of Royal Ward
# Kadagimi – Kadagimi is the Courtier and an official of the King's Palace
# Yaduma - Yaduma is the speaker of the Council of Representatives of advisers
War between Höba and Fulanis
Long after the consolidation of the kingdom we know from general history that the 19th century was characterized by wars due to jihad and incessant skirmishes with the Fulanis in which records inform us that Höba was never ever conquered. Very many attempts were made to do so. Höba, though very war hungry at that time, were only going out to subdue Fulani settlements and take away their assets. Very similar to the
Israelites
The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan.
The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stele o ...
of the olden days, when they were moving into the Promised Land from Egypt. Höba never consolidated their war victory anywhere. The approach was very
spasmodic
A spasm is a sudden involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ such as the bladder.
A spasmodic muscle contraction may be caused by many medical conditions, including dystonia. Most commonly, it is a muscle c ...
too. When it became clear that there was never going to be a conquest between the
jihadists
Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...
and Höba, a truce had to be declared on market days at Pella and at Mbilla Kilba. The Fulanis and Höba attended these market days freely.
Location
The Kilba who live in Hong Local Government Area are situated in the area between five local governments: Gombi, Song, Mubi, Michika all in Adamawa State and Askira Uba Local Government in Borno State . Miss Nissen gives a good description of the location of Kilba area in her book,
[''An African Church is Born'', 1968.]
Notes
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Ethnic groups in Nigeria