The Jukun and their Neighbours since the Pre-colonial Period

Abstract

This article examines the patterns of inter-group relations in the middle belt region of Nigeria and focuses on Jukun’s historic relations with other ethnic groups such as the Tiv, the Hausa-Fulani, the Chamba, the Kuteb, the Nupe and the Igala from the purview of modern conflict theory and the ethno-consensus theory of inter-group relations. It argues that the Jukun right from the pre-colonial period succeeded in maintaining vibrant inter-group relations with their numerous neighbours and that though the patterns of these relations were sometimes violent and conflictual, at the same time there were periods of co-operation and mutual cohesion. The paper underscores the fact that socio-economic relations were the major pivots upon which pre-colonial inter-group relations and diplomacy revolved in the middle belt region.