The Bole people (also known as Bolewa or Biya Pikka) are an ethnic group primarily located in northeastern Nigeria, known for their historical significance and the Fika Emirate.

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Location and Demographics

• Geographic Area: The main Bole-speaking area is situated between Potiskum (the largest city in Yobe State) and Gombe (the capital of Gombe State). They are predominantly found in southern Yobe State and northern Gombe State. They also have communities in parts of Bauchi and Plateau States.
• Traditional Capital: The town of Fika in Yobe State is the traditional capital of the Bole people. The Bole people refer to themselves as Biya Pikka (People of Fika).
• Population: They have an estimated population of 250,000 to 300,000 speakers.

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History and Origin

• Origin: Bolewa oral tradition suggests their ancestors migrated from Yemen in the Middle East around the 10th century AD, moving westward until they reached the shores of Lake Chad.
• Settlement: They eventually settled in the Fika region, where they established their distinct culture and administrative structures.
• Traditional Rule: The Bole people have a prominent traditional ruling structure headed by the Emir of Fika, known in Bole as Moi Pikka. This is one of the preeminent traditional royal positions in northern Nigeria. The Emir’s court was originally in Fika but was moved to Potiskum by the colonial administration in 1924, where it remains today.

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Language and Religion

• Language: The people speak the Bole language (autonym: Bòo Pìkkà, or “Language of Fika”), which belongs to the West Chadic sub-family of the Afro-Asiatic language family.
  • It is part of the Bole-Tangale (A.2) branch of West Chadic.
  • Major dialects include Bara and Fika.
• Religion: Most Bole people are Sunni Muslims, often practicing a form of Folk Islam that incorporates elements of traditional beliefs and spiritism. Traditional beliefs included a rain-making cult attributed to ancestral spirits, which involved rituals and sacrifices during cultural festivities.

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Cultural Practices

• Traditional Festivals: Historically, some cultural festivals observed by the Bolewa people included:
  • Gamdo or Ngwando: A cultural festivity involving rituals and sacrifices to pay tribute to ancestors or great kings, particularly in times of drought. It involved circumbulations of graves.
  • Dengti or Dengtide: A unique annual festival among the Bolewa of Kafarati where men wore women’s clothes and women, in turn, wore men’s clothes.