Haruna Muhammad Suleimuri, PhD

Haruna Husseni Shumo

&
Justina James Maisamari

Abstract
An account of the traditional economic activities of the Wurkun people in the Upper Benue Valley,
is very important in the study of the Wurkun history. Though, many writers have written about the
culture of the Wurkun people, very little has been written about their economic activities. Thus, the
paper examines the economic activities of the Wurkun people from the precolonial to post-colonial
periods. Placing this historical analysis side-by-side enables us to understand the Wurkun people.
It equally shows the economic contributions of Wurkun people to the development of Taraba State,
in particular, and Nigeria at large. Issues about the progress made within the study area are brought
to fore. This paper identifies the areas where the government and private organizations can
contribute to promote modern economic activities among the Wurkun as well as enrich studies in
the history of Nigeria by analyzing past economic activities of the various Nigerian groups. The
method adopted for data collection consists of both primary and secondary sources. The primary
sources rely on oral interviews and use of archival documents, in addition to secondary sources
which rely on use of written documents such as textbooks, journals, government records and other
relevant written documents.

Introduction
The term Wurkun is a generic term covering a number of groups that consist of the Kulung, Piya,
Kwonci, Pero and Kode who are mainly living in the hilly region of Wurkun District. Not all
Wurkun can speak and understand all Wurkun dialects. It is important to outline that, the word
“Wurkun” means…

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