Bajju people

Ethnic group in Middle Belt, Nigeria Ethnic group The Bajju people (Jju: Ba̱jju; exonyms: Tyap: A̱jhyuo; Hausa: Kajje, Kaje), are an ethnic group found in the Middle Belt (central) area of Nigeria. The word Bajju stems from Ba̠nyet Jju, literally "people who speak Jju". The Jju language is spoken in Ka̠jju, the homeland of the Bajju people. They are primarily found in the southern part of Kaduna State, chiefly in Kachia, Zangon Kataf, Jema'a and in Kaduna South Local Government Areas. Bajju people are also commonly known as "Kaje" which is a pejorative name used to refer to both the Bajju people and their language, Jju, by the larger Hausa people who mispronounced "Kajju" (meaning the land of the Bajju people). The people are predominantly farmers, hunters, blacksmiths and small traders. Origin and history Migration According to oral history, the origin of the Bajju 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 the "Mountains peoples" (Jju: ba̱nyet tsok, Hausa: mutanen duwatsu. It was believed that their migration was for the search of better hunting grounds. They m