The Kupto people of Nigeria may be small in number, but many still retain their traditional language of Kutto. The Kupto people claim to have migrated from Yemen to the Gongola River area in the 19th century. They originally settled on the eastern bank and then moved to the western bank after an outbreak of illness. They moved further away from the river after flooding of the Gongola reservoir by the Gongola Jama'are River Basin Development Authority in 1987.
Today, the Kupto ethic group has settlements on both sides of the Gongola River located in Bajoga LGA (Local Government Area) in Bauchi State, Nigeria.
The Kupto people are divided into clans. They have a centralized political organization, with a king, who is said to have sacred traits. Other officials hold the titles of chiefs and courtiers.
Agriculture is the main occupation of the Kupto people. They raise cattle and other stock and grow crops, including cotton, ground nuts, millet, tomatoes, and yams. The government has introduced advance irrigation schemes to increase production.
A small minority of the Kupto people have become Christians. Their primary religion is Folk Islam. This syncretistic belief system combines traditional elements of Islam with superstitious practices such as warding off spirits with incantations and magic amulets, and reciting verses of the Qur'an to bring about miraculous healings.
The Kutto language is thought to be used as a first language by a decreasing number of young people. It is not taught in schools. More detailed research would be helpful to give a clearer picture of the language situation and assess the multilingualism of the Kupto people and in what domains Kutto, English, Hausa, and neighboring languages are being used. Many ethnic groups in Nigerian are switching to the use of Hausa in various domains. Audio-visual Bible lessons can be found at globalrecordings.net under the name Kupto. These include short audio Bible stories and some basic Christian teaching. Community leaders interested in further language development to preserve their language might consider attending workshops, as they become available, that expose participants to language vitality and potential short-term development and translation projects.
Pray Kupto Christians will access the Bible stories available online to share their Christian faith with family and neighbors.
Pray further research can be conducted to help assess the vitality of the language and assist community leaders in deciding if they wish to pursue language development.
Pray Kupto speakers will engage with Scripture that is available in other languages to assess their level of understanding of those Scriptures to determine their translation needs.
Scripture Prayers for the Kupto in Nigeria.
Kutto language - Wikipedia
Copilot chat: Bible translation needs of the Kutto people - Search (bing.com)
Kutto | Ethnologue Free
Kupto language. Evangelism tools, church planting resources, Christian songs and audio bible study materials. D
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
