Tubu, Teda in Nigeria

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People Name:	Tubu, Teda
Country:	Nigeria
10/40 Window:	Yes
Population:	4,400
World Population:	143,100
Primary Language:	Tedaga
Primary Religion:	Islam
Christian Adherents:	0.00 %
Evangelicals:	0.00 %
Scripture:	Translation Needed
Online Audio NT:	No
Jesus Film:	No
Audio Recordings:	Yes
People Cluster:	Kanuri-Saharan
Affinity Bloc:	Sub-Saharan Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

The Teda are desert warriors living in the eastern and central Sahara Desert. The majority can be found in the Tibesti Mountains on the Libyan-Chad border, though a smaller number live in Niger and Nigeria. Their harsh environment, extreme poverty, and remote location make them a very tough people, who have often had violent clashes with the neighboring tribes.

Traditionally, the Teda controlled the caravan trade routes that passed through their territory. They were known for plundering these caravans and trading slaves. Stealing and killing are fairly acceptable in their culture and are even respected in some ways. In fact, their legal system approves acts of revenge and restitution.

Teda culture has little respect for those who do agricultural work. Reluctant to rely on cultivation, they depend on a flexible nomadic system for survival. Their property system favors mobility and military strength over securing land and farming it.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Because of their lack of interest in farming, most of the Teda are herdsmen. About one third are nomads; the rest are semi-nomadic. The semi-nomads move from place to place for eight or nine months, then returning to their villages during the rainy season. The Teda who farm do not practice