Bali Yesterday_ Today and Tomorrow

8/14/2019 Bali Yesterday_ Today and Tomorrow

1/10

BALI YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW

To start with the word Bali (also known as Bibaali, Maya,

Ibaale, Abaali, Ibaale or Ibaali) is used to refer to the communities

that settled at these villages: Farabaune, Tashan Gurgu,

Geidam/Tamgum, Tagombali Center, Duwo, Tamwa, Badan,

Kwafara, Gidan-Rimi, Tamshe, Bali, and Bomni located on

Numan-Jalingo Highway about 20KMs from Numan. Others who

settled in the interior are: Janawuri, Salem (Babgye), Tagombali

Dutse, Tangshi, Guri, Guri Kasuwa, Dingle, Kwabak, and Ubgo(Dingle Dutse) who speak Congo-Ubanpi language as classified

by Blench and others. Presently, Bali is located in Demsa,

Numan, Mayo Belwa Local Government areas of Adamawa State

and Lau Local Government area of Taraba State. Majority of the

people are agriculturalist, though there are traders, herdsmen

and civil servants among them.

Like any other ethnic groups in Nigeria, the Bali claims that

they entered the Nigeria region from the east. The Bali, for

example claim that they entered the Nigerian region from

the Republic of Congo and through gradual process; they came

and settled in their present geographical location. The Yotti claim

that they came into the Nigerian region from Egypt. The

Kpasham and Bomni denied any knowledge of distance

movement. They claim that they came from Bachama land,

probably from Lamurde to the area they are now occupying.

However, linguistics evidence suggests that the people are of


2/10

Bantu origin. The evidence points to Republic of Congo as their

original homeland.

It is not known when the people left their original

settlement. Probably, the people must have left their original

settlement in the 17th Century by which time there was

population movement in the whole of the West, East and Central

Africa as a result of famine, fracidal wars and chieftaincy tussle.

The Bali might have formed part of the population that migrated

to the Lake Chad basin area and, later to the Upper Benue

Valley. Before the declaration of the Jihad in Fombina, in 1809,

Bali had already settled in their various communities and has

developed village governments or better still, community

governments, independent of each other.

Apart from these community governments set up by the

Bali, the people also had a well defined social and economic

system which rendered their societies stable. For example, one

aspect of the social life of the people is that the Bali had great

respect for life. In fact, the spilling of human blood was seen as

offensive to Kpan Biswi (Kpan Luh or Luwe, among the Yotti and

Kpasham respectively). Most Bali believed that it was Kpan

Biswi that guide and sustain their livelihood. To the Bali,

therefore, life was very sacred. The birth of a child was greeted

with joy not only by the parents but also by the community as a

whole. The growth and development of such a child was watched

carefully by the entire community.


3/10


4/10

The threats posed to the Bali by the slave raiders and the

menace of the Jihadists, led to restriction of Bali social,

economic and political activities. Consequently, poverty gradually

started to gain inroad into the society. A missionary, Ernest

Engskor who visited Bali village in the early 1930S had this to

bay:

Bali appeared to us to be one of the most wretched, primitive and

poverty stricken of African villages, enslaved as the people were

by ancient tradition and fear of evil spirit. Our had been on

exceptional and unique experience for it was almost as though

these people had awakened from their sleeping beauty

enhancement to discover the great world beyond their isolated

society (Enskor, 1983:179).

The Bali was gradually tackling the problems of slave raiders and

Fulbe Jihadists, when British colonial masters extended their

activities to Bali land. Eventually the people were conquered and

brought under the British colonial administration in 1903.

1903 to 1912, the whole area South of Numan Town was

regarded as closed territory. It was not until after 1912 that

Bali land, including those living in Mayo-Belwa and Lau was

opened to Christian missionaries.

By 1940S, colonialism and Christianity were deeply noted in

Bali villages. Indeed, while the Christian missions, especially the

United Sudan Mission (SUM) were busy softening the minds of

the people they saw as uncivilized, the British Colonial Masters

were taking their resources away for the development of their

home countries. The result is that Bali was left to face acute


5/10

starvation and hunger. In this[1] way, colonialism continued to

destroy Bali economy, technology and self-reliant development

just as the slave raiders and Jihadists had done.

This was how the whole of Baliland became a British

possession at the beginning of the 20th Century like any other

ethnic nationality in Nigeria. Indeed, slave trade and colonialism

were the major forces that set back Bali development. The slave

raiders dominated Bali homeland and the British exploited Bali

homeland and the British exploited Bali resources.

Throughout colonial period, the Bali struggled to free

himself from colonial domination. In 1913, for example, one of

the Bali men short and wounded a British Touring Officer who

had gone to Bali for head account. In reprisal, Bali village was

attacked and destroyed by the British punitive expedition. It took

the people years to build their village. But this did not stop the

people from opposing the British actively or passively. On 1st

October 1960, however, the Bali people together with the rest of

the ethnic groups in the country gained political independence

from Britain.

BALITODAY

Bali land today is a shadow of its pre-colonial setting. Both

the settlements and the traditional institutions have lost their

glory. It will appear that Bali became famous on account of its
http://us.f345.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?YY=18185&y5beta=yes&ymv=0http://us.f345.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?YY=18185&y5beta=yes&ymv=0http://us.f345.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?YY=18185&y5beta=yes&ymv=0


6/10

preeminence in farming and military powers. The existence of

fertile soil, abundant rainfall and iron ore enabled the people of

Bali lands to produce more food crops and military equipment

than the neighbouring Yandang, Bwatye and, possibly, many

other inhabitants of the surrounding area. But this fame for food

crops production and military powers was completely lost by the

beginning of the 20th century with the result that today not only

is military powers no longer displayed by the people but even the

agriculture which is the mainstay of the economy of the people

has declined greatly.

Nevertheless, the Kpaneship is still in existence. But even

then, the Kpane (District and village heads) no longer performs

traditional functions which are largely spiritual in nature. These

include directing religious festivals of Tamtale among the Bali

and Pille among the Yotti, held in November and Yale held

between October and December. These festivals hitherto served

as unifying factors where the young people in the society come to

meet and make friends with each other. Not only that, it was

during Tamtale (pille) that the age-grade system among the

people was perfected. These social gatherings have virtually

vanished without any attempt to revive them, thereby reducing

the people into inconsequential elements in Adamawa and

Taraba States.

One would have taught that what Bali may have lost in the

colonial period they have more than made up for in the

postcolonial Nigeria. But on the contrary, the people did not

make for anything they lost during colonial period. In spite of the


7/10

fact that the Bali were given opportunities by other ethnic

nationalities to make up for by electing and appointing them as

Chairmen of Local Government Councils, Vice-Chairmen

members of the State Assemblies, Directors in States and

Federal Ministries, they could not make up for what they lost

during the colonial period. The people wasted the opportunities

and are now at the mercy of hunger, starvation prevalence of

diseases like HIV/AIDS and Malaria.

A people faced with these myriad of problems are bound to

be indolent and reserved. This make the people to become like a

mud fish always eating its tail during dry season when it is

severed from water and food.

Thus, a man from Bali will prefer to vote a non-Bali into the

elected position than to vote for his brother from Yotti, Dem and

so on. Those who are interested in the backwardness and lack of

progress of the Bali people have always use this disunity among

the Bali for their own advantage. No one among the Bali seems

to understand this dangerous trend.

Worse still, respect for elders in the Bali society has since

become a thing of the past. Instead, indiscipline among the

youths is the order of the day. There is no doubt that the society

is seriously dislocated socially. Perhaps, we need another set of

Danish missionaries or missionaries from Israel or elsewhere to

assist these youth to locate their bearings in the scheme of

things in Bali society. But that is a wishful thinking. We must

wake up ourselves.


8/10

BALI TOMORROW

In spite of the fact that Bali society is at the cross road of

total decay and collapse, this situation can be reversed for the

better in the years ahead. The Bali leaders should as a matter of

urgency adopt what we may call grave-yard strategy in tackling

their socially political and economic problems.

The grave-yard strategy entails giving the sense of direction

and purpose through the provision of basic social amenities. This

will take the form of portable water supply, electricity, network of

roads, fertilizer, functional educational system, especially

vocational education. This will then call for intensive lobbying of

the stakeholders in the education industry, economic sector and

political endeavour. The Bali personalities both in Tagombali,

Kwafara, Yotti, Bomni and Bali etc should put their contacts and

diplomacy to play in order to secure some share of states

(Adamawa and Taraba) and Federal Government facilities for the

entire Bali society. The personalities that are better placed to do

this job include politicians, academics, soldiers, polite, seasoned

Bali administrators, religious dignitaries and women folk.

But meeting the basic needs of the people in terms of water

supply, good roads, schools etc is not enough. The people,

especially the youths should be empowered politically

and economically. As regards to economic empowerment, one

would advocate for Bali economic summit. It is during the

summit that economic problems facing the Bali nation will be

discussed. This summit should be followed by education summit

where the issue of vocational and technical education will feature


9/10

prominently. This forum will also discuss the ways and means

through which Bali culture will be reviewed.

The destiny and future of Bali society lies in the hands of

its citizens. The Bali society will be for better if we discourage

disunity among ourselves. United we stand, divided we fall,

says on English adage.

In conclusion, we have seen how Bali as a people started

their journey in Nigeria, the intrigues and hussles they passed

and are still passing through. In the process of their journey into

the Nigerian troubled waters, they have acquired a lot of

experiences whether bad or good, the Bali society will be for the

better in the years to come if they take their destiny and future

into their own heads.

By Isaac Pamni

Reference:

a) Keynote Address Delivered byJ. P. Dada (NHSN) during Maya first

Anniversary CelebrationIn Abuja, on 10th November, 2007.

b) Earnest, Engskor (1983). Adamawa Province: Reflections andGongola State London: Rooting Publicly Company.

c) Bali Oral Tradition and Custom.d) Personal Interviewed of some elderly persons in the community.


10/10

[1]Earnest, Engskor (1983). Adamawa Province : Reflections and Gongola State London :

Rooting Publicly Company. P. 179.

__________________________________________________
http://us.f345.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?YY=18185&y5beta=yes&ymv=0http://us.f345.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?YY=18185&y5beta=yes&ymv=0

Documents

Bali Yesterday_ Today and Tomorrow