Demystifying the ‘MUNCHI’ Mythology in Tiv Historiography

Tor Solomon Gba BA, MA

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Researcher on Tiv-Fulani

Relationship since 1900The “munchi” myth is supposedly the concept that projects the nicknaming of Tiv people as the Munchi by the Fulani that gained notoriety during the colonial era. According to it, the Fulani gave Tiv a cow for keep and tendering but on return the Tiv responded the question of the where about of the livestock that “I have eaten” implying “Munchi”. This concept is mythical just like other legends of origins of people and establishment of kingdoms. The task before the current crop of budding historians is identifying the deficiencies in such historiography ameliorating the distortion in the interpreting, writing and teaching of Tiv History.

In providing a lead into the Munchi myth Kwaghkondo Agbe who referenced Sagent says the name of Tiv as either ‘Munchi,’ ‘mitshi’ or ‘mitchi’ was derogatory but was delightedly adopted by Europeans in contact with and subjugation of Tiv.

Linguistically, is this Munchi or whatever is called a Hausa or Fulani name? When did Hausa language come dominant among the Tiv for the latter to commonly respond to a Fulani that “I have eaten” your cow? From available expositions, Fulani influence on Hausaland had developed gradually but its domineering effort was in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. By the time the Sokoto Caliphate had   been established, there was minimal contact with the Tiv to talk about any such relationship. If Tiv had been so conversant with Hausa language, why were the colonialists having some Hausa as interpreters in Tiv land?

Early contacts between Tiv and Fulani in the earliest times did not depict such exchange of gifts or friendliness. Eugene Rubingh says Tiv – Fulani relationships then were characterized by slave a raid which indicates that this was during the era of slavery and slave trade. Be that as it may, the cordiality might have not existed to warrant the offer of cow to the Tiv for rising.

Moreover, the Tiv have as well been engaged in animal husbandry. Indeed, the people kept their zebu cow, goats, chicken, Pigs among other animals as investment in realization and demonstration of wealth. But then Tiv did not have much zeal for consumption of domesticated animals except for ceremonial occasions, entertainment of special guest or marriages. Indeed, an excessive appetite for meat was an aberration as it epitomized foresight or fear of death. And as great hunters, Tiv derived more meat from wildlife during big hunting event (ibiem) or small exploits other than domesticated livestock. Thus the theory of Tiv eating Fulani cow is baseless in lieu of the above consideration.

Eugene Rubingh further embellishes that the Munchi naming of Tiv is the superimposing by the Hausa/Fulani of the Jukun’s name of the Tiv as Mbitse or Mbichi which means a stranger. This appears for more real than the other considerations because, the Jukun were among the earliest people Tiv met from their earliest migrations to and from Swem. The Jukun who in the heyday of the Kwararafa Kingdom had an extensive in influence across the savannah covering eastern, central and western parts of Northern Nigeria. They are said to have raided slaves among other tribes for both the trans-saharan and trans-Atlantic slave trade. Normally when you meet unknown person, you identify him as a stranger to a third party and since they met Tiv amidst language barriers, it was easier to introduce Tiv as mbitse or Mitsh that was abridged as ‘Munchi’ by the Hausa/Fulani apologist. Since the Jukun, Hausa and other tribes firstly came into contact with the Europeans, it was possible that they introduce them as it is being contested. They propagated the existence at the banks in the river Benue, a hostile tribe, the Munchi that the British had to be weary of.

The adoption of Munchi as derogatory designation portrayed the Tiv as cannibalistic, unproductive and untrustworthy surrogates of the Hausa/Fulani. In essence, this symbolized domination, alienation and discrimination of irresponsible subordinates the Tiv by, Hausa/Fulani. However never has anywhere in the annals of Tiv history does evidence buttressed that Hausa/Fulani took over Tiv land. Even attempts by the Jihadist proved abortive. Such explores the efficacy of the Munchi myth. Besides, it is an ordinary truth that a cattle keeping is a tedious venture that requires apprenticeship but there is no evidence that the Fulani engaged Tiv in the training to have entrusted their cows to them.

Obviously, the Munchi myth was borne out of prejudices and stereotypes against the Tiv by their hostile neighbours. As noted earlier of the munshi name emanating from the Jukun and not Hausa/Fulani’s the former sold the name to other tribes in the kwararafa kingdom as well as the Hausa/Fulani in their early inter-group relations. Having dispersed these people of the Kwararafa  extraction during the great dispersed in the Benue valley, the Tiv became fearful as the Munchi name spread. And as these people would not speak Tiv, they only called by what the Jukun told their Mbitsi or Mitsi.

Equally, these smaller tribes nursed serious grudges against the Tiv for defeat, dispersal and deprivation of land in the process.

According to Terlumun Avav, these tribes that included Idoma, Jukun, Alago and Udam allied with the Hausa/Fulani were not only worried about expanding Tiv conquest out felt threatened of their control of emerging trade with Europeans from the coast. In the end, there embittered tribes sought revenge against the Tiv in which every way it came and struck friendship to malign      the Tiv thereby promoting the Munchi concept.

The colonialist accepted and exasperated the Munchi myth, especially by Fredrick Lugard whose task was to ruled the north. Lugard detested Tiv courage and sense of purpose. Following series of contacts with the Tiv and the inability of the Royal West African Frontier Force to subdue Tiv land, Lugard was angry, frustrated and vengeful. He was set to convince the colonial office to sanction punitive expedition against the Tiv. Tiv bare-footed archers had overcome the Royal Troops, the sappers, living Lugard helpless and humiliated while the colonial office was surprised over failure to extend telegraph line across Tiv land from Lokoja to to Ibi.

Akpenpuun Dzurgba embellishes that Lugard out of desperation adopted the name “Munch” for Tiv in colonial transactions, documentation and correspondences whether on military, civil service or businesses in which he depicted Tiv as savage and warlike. Yet his effort for approval of ferocious Champaign of subjugating Tiv under colonialism proved abortive.

Invariably, it is worthy to submit that further scholarly exploits that mitshi name of Tiv stems from the Jukun but denigrated as Munchi by the Hausa/Fulani out of hatred and blackmail to be favoured by the British. The colonialist used it as a biased basis to repress, suppress and dehumanize Tiv with the adoption of the name Munchi instead of authentic of the people. Conclusively, Dzurgba say the scholars in the field of history, anthropology, political science, psychology and sociology among others had to use Munchi for the Tiv people. It was a physical, mental, or intellectual, moral or social oppression of the Tiv. Their ethnic good qualities, image and name had to be tarnished, obscured, distorted or spoiled. The mockery, scorn, derision, contempt, disdain and abusive laughter the Tiv receive today from fellow Nigerians across the nation arise from an understanding that the Tiv are called Munchi.

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