page_title: Jukun people (West Africa)
section_title: Kwararafa
hierarchical_section_title: Jukun people (West Africa) / History / Kwararafa
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Kaart ligging historisch Kwararafa in Nigeria met nederlands opschrift
context_page_description: Jukun are an ethno-linguistic group or ethnic nation in West Africa. The Jukun are traditionally located in Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa, and Gombe States in Nigeria and parts of northwestern Cameroon. They are descendants of the people of Kwararafa. Most of the tribes in the north central of Nigeria trace their origin to the Jukun people and are related in one way or the other to the Jukuns. Until the coming of both Christianity and Islam, the Jukun people were followers of their own Traditional Religions, Most of the tribes, Alago, Agatu, Rendere, Goemai in Shendam, and others left Kwararafa when it disintegrated as a result of a power tussle. The Jukuns are divided into two major groups; the Jukun Wanu and Jukun Wapa. The Jukun Wanu are fishermen residing along the banks of the river Benue and Niger where they run through Taraba State, Benue State and Nasarawa State. The Wukari Federation, headed by the Aku Uka of Wukari, is now the main center of the Jukun people.
context_section_description: The Jukun-speaking peoples trace their ancestry to the rulers of the kingdom of Kwararafa, a state which existed in Western Africa from the 14th through to the 18th centuries. Traditionally, Jukun society was governed by a monarchy.
caption: An estimated approximation of the boundaries of the historical Kwararafa, the kingdom from which the modern Jukun claim descendence.
exif: {}