The Bate, also known as Batta, are a Bantu ethnic group primarily located in northeastern Nigeria and also found in Cameroon and Chad. In the 19th century, Fulani jihads pushed many Bates upriver; some converted to Islam, while others became part of the non-Muslim Kirdi resistance that still shapes identity politics in northern Cameroon. They are one of the small “Kirdi” peoples who historically resisted Fulani Islamization in the Mandara–Benue corridor. The term “Kirdi” was applied to various peoples who had not converted to Islam at the time of colonization and was a pejorative, although some writers have reappropriated it. The term originates from the Kanuri word for “pagan”; the Kanuri people are predominantly Muslim. Since the eleventh century, Muslim Bantus, such as the Fulani, had begun migrating to Cameroon, where they had attempted to convert the pre-existing peoples. Therefore, the Kirdis exhibit fewer cultural and linguistic similarities than they do in their general geographic dispersal, primarily situated in the arid steppe and savannahs of the North and Far North regions of Cameroon.
The Bate live in the Bénoué Division – riparian villages opposite Nigeria, especially west of Garoua, in the Northern Faro Division – hamlets strung out along the Faro River. They are known to have migrated into the area in two main waves. Some settled along the Benue River valley, while others moved south to Demsa Pwa. They also established the town of Garoua with the Fali people in the 18th century.
Bates are mostly farmers and fishermen. The Bénoué and Faro river valleys give access to fertile alluvium for millet–sorghum farming and year-round fishing. Bates practice intensive flood-recession farming (sorghum, rice, groundnuts) plus year-round fishing. They grow millet, legume dry-farming, and practice small-stock herding. Bee-keeping and forest-product gathering supplement crops. Canoe building, smoked-fish trade with Fulani cattle herders are also part of their activities. The Bénoué River is only a political frontier; larger Bate populations live directly across in Adamawa State, Nigeria, and intermarriage and seasonal trade are common. Most adults are multilingual, adding Fulfulde (a regional trade lingua franca) and often Hausa for wider commercial purposes. Literacy remains a great challenge.
The Bate are predominantly Sunni Muslims; pockets still practice pre-Islamic rites. Sunni Islam is the public faith in most riverside villages; Friday prayer compounds sit beside older sacrificial groves. Traditional religion centers on clan shrines that mediate between river spirits and ancestral forces, which are tied to good catches and the fertility of farmland. The Bate pray to their ancestors, who they believe will intercede on their behalf.
There is a need to present the whole gospel to the Bate in their culture and in a language that they will understand and believe. Christian workers may use a dialogue around creator-creature relationships already embedded among the Bate to introduce them to the gospel.
Pray that God will reveal himself to the Bate people through their cultural and religious practices.
Pray that God will send believers from a similar cultural background to preach the gospel to the Bate people.
Pray that very soon Bate disciples will make disciples of many throughout West Africa.
Scripture Prayers for the Bate in Cameroon.
Beka Municipal Development Plan (www.pndp.org); www.peoplegroups.org;
Written by Moimpa Lamboini of Joshua Project.
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
