One Adamawa, Many Tribes
The Adamawa Pulse Initiative
Among Adamawa’s many peoples, each carries its own way of life that makes it distinct. Through the “One Adamawa, Many Tribes” series, the Adamawa Pulse Initiative explores and documents these unique cultural patterns.
Today, we highlight the Lunguda people — a West African ethnic group whose social system is remarkable in Nigeria for being matrilineal.
The Lunguda People: Nigeria’s Matrilineal Community
The Lunguda (also called Longuda or Nunguda) are an ethnic group found mainly in Guyuk and Shelleng Local Government Areas of Adamawa State, as well as parts of Balanga Local Government Area in Gombe State.
They are recognized as the only known matrilineal ethnic group in Nigeria, a distinction that has shaped their society and cultural life for centuries.
Language and Identity
The Lunguda speak the Lunguda language, part of the Biu–Mandara branch of the Chadic languages (within the Afro-Asiatic family). The language remains widely spoken across their communities, despite the influence of Hausa, Fulfulde, and English.
Matrilineal Descent and Social Structure
What makes the Lunguda unique is their matrilineal descent system. Unlike most Nigerian ethnic groups, where lineage and inheritance follow the father’s line, the Lunguda trace family ties, clan identity, and many rights through the mother’s line.
Key features include:
Inheritance and lineage are reckoned through the mother.
Children belong to their mother’s clan, not the father’s.
Leadership and succession in some cases recognize matrilineal descent more strongly than patrilineal ties.
This system gives women a central place in Lunguda society and shapes their marriage, kinship, and political organization.
Economy and Livelihood
The Lunguda are primarily farmers, cultivating millet, guinea corn, maize, beans, and groundnuts. They also practice animal rearing, hunting, and local crafts.
Their communities are known for communal farming and strong inter-clan cooperation, reinforced by their matrilineal ties.
Religion and Belief
Traditionally, the Lunguda practiced an indigenous religion that combined belief in a Supreme Being with veneration of ancestral spirits. Christianity has spread widely among them today, with Islam also present in some areas, but traditional practices continue to influence festivals and social life.
Festivals and Cultural Practices
The Lunguda celebrate cultural events tied to agriculture, kinship, and ancestral memory. Drumming, dances, and masquerades are central to these festivals, which also reinforce the matrilineal ties within the community.
Geographical Distribution
Adamawa State – Guyuk LGA, Shelleng LGA
Gombe State – Balanga LGA
This distribution places them at a crossroads between the Benue Valley and the northern highlands, influencing their interactions with neighboring groups.
Conclusion: A Matrilineal Legacy in Nigeria
The Lunguda stand out in Nigeria as the only matrilineal ethnic group, where descent and identity flow through the mother’s line. This feature, alongside their language, farming traditions, and cultural resilience, makes them one of the most distinct peoples of Adamawa and Gombe.
Because one Adamawa, many tribes — one pulse.
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