Tiv exchange relations in the nineteeth century: a study of commodities, markets, trade routes and currencies

Abstract

This paper is a study of the export and import economy of the Tiv people of central Nigeria in the nineteenth century. Its objective is to show how export and imports were organized. Attention is paid to the commodities that were exported outside Tivland, and those that were imported into the Tiv economy. The trade routes, internal markets and the currencies that were used are also examined. The paper notes that despite the limitations posed by insecurity of passage on trade routes and the fact that movement of goods depended largely on human porterage; the conclusion is that the nineteenth century was a period of high economic interaction that involved the exchange of a wide variety of goods and services.