The Dghwede (also known as Dughwede, Toghwede, or Azagvana) are an ethnic group primarily found in Nigeria. They are a “Montagnard” group, referring to mountain dwellers, and have a rich, distinct culture rooted in their high-altitude environment.

Here is a breakdown of key information about the Dghwede tribe in Nigeria:

1. Location and Geography

• Region: They are located in the Gwoza Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State, in the northeastern part of Nigeria.
• Settlement: The Dghwede occupy the central part of the southern Gwoza Hills, also known as the Gwoza Central District.
• Terrain: Their traditional homeland is a mountainous highland, with some living at the highest populated part of the Gwoza Hills, between 900 and 1,200 meters. The Gwoza Hills are part of the Mandara Mountains, which form a natural border with Cameroon.
• Major Settlements: Key administrative units are Kurana Basa (Vaghagaya) and Ghwa’a (the traditional name for the oldest settlement).

2. Population and Language

• Population: The global population of the Dghwede is estimated to be around 76,000 to 82,500 people (various 2023 estimates).
• Language: Their primary language is Dghweɗe (also spelled Dghwede), which is classified as a Chadic language within the Afro-Asiatic language family.
• Nomenclature: The name Dghwede is said to be the name of their founding ancestor. They are also sometimes referred to as ‘Ghwa’a’ or ‘Waha,’ which means ‘mountains’ in the Dghwede language.

3. Culture and Traditional Lifestyle

• Farming/Agriculture: The Dghwede are noted as one of the few remaining terrace farming societies in the Gwoza Local Government Area, where they practice their traditional terrace culture in the mountains.
• Economy: Their livelihood is traditionally based on cultivation, including growing guinea corn, millet, groundnuts, and beans, as well as raising goats and sheep.
• Architecture: Their traditional culture includes stone architecture and the complex terrace farming system, which is still very much functioning in a traditional manner in their mountainous area.
• Traditional Dress: Traditional features, though dying out in some surrounding groups, were notable among the Dghwede and their neighbors. These include a specific leather cap for the men and a calabash worn by the women to cover their heads.
• Ancestry: They, along with several other ethnic groups in the Gwoza Hills (including the Glavda, Gvoko, and Hide), trace their origins back to a common ancestor named Mbra (or Ngra/Gra), a tradition often called the Turu tradition.

4. Religion

• Traditional Religion: The primary traditional religion practiced by the Dghwede is ethnoreligion or animism. Ethnoreligion is deeply tied to a people’s ethnic identity. Animism is a worldview where natural entities (animals, plants, inanimate objects) are believed to possess a spiritual essence.
• Sacred Site: The most prominent summit in the Dghwede area, with its three remarkable domes called Durghwe, is considered a sacred center for the Dghwede, Guduf, and Chikide/Chinene peoples.

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Note on Recent History: Due to the security challenges and insurgency in the Borno State region, many Dghwede people have been displaced from their mountain homeland, with some living in resettlement areas or as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Ethnographic work has been done to record and preserve their oral history and cultural details in light of these changes.