Nigeria / Cameroon / Diaspora communities
The Tiv are a major people of Nigeria’s Middle Belt, known for the Tiv language, black-and-white anger cloth, strong kinship systems, farming traditions, bridewealth customs, music, dance, storytelling, communal values and respect for elders.
M sugh u
Hello · Tiv
M sugh u
Thank you · Tiv
The Tiv are a major people of Nigeria’s Middle Belt, especially associated with Benue State and neighbouring areas. Tiv identity is connected to language, family lineage, farming, respect for elders, marriage customs, communal responsibility, dance, music, storytelling and distinctive black-and-white cultural cloth.
Tiv customs vary by family, church, locality and generation, so public content should describe broad patterns while recognising variation.
Tiv traditional dress is strongly associated with black-and-white striped anger cloth, worn as wrappers, sashes, shirts, dresses or ceremonial garments. The cloth is a powerful visual symbol of Tiv identity and is used at weddings, festivals, funerals and cultural events.
Tiv marriage negotiations commonly include family introduction, bridewealth discussions, gifts, food, drinks, clothing and blessings. Details vary by family and area, so one list should not be treated as universal.
Tiv performance traditions include kwagh-hir theatre, drumming, singing, storytelling, masquerade-related performance, festival dances and communal celebration dances.
Common Tiv foods include yam, pounded yam, cassava, akpu, rice, beans, vegetables, sesame, soups, goat meat, chicken and local farm produce.
Tiv crafts include cloth production, carving, masks, pottery, mats, baskets, musical instruments and performance objects linked to theatre and festivals.
Tiv origins are preserved through oral traditions, clan histories and migration stories linked to the Benue valley and surrounding regions. Different Tiv lineages preserve their own histories.
Tiv history includes farming, clan organisation, migration, conflict and cooperation with neighbours, colonial rule, Christianity, Middle Belt politics and modern diaspora life.
Modern Tiv dating varies by family and religion. Serious relationships often move toward family knowledge, formal introduction and marriage negotiations.
Tiv marriage is family-centred and usually includes introduction, bridewealth discussions, gifts, family blessings and customary, church or civil ceremonies.
Traditional Tiv belief includes Aondo as Supreme Being, ancestors, moral order and community ritual life. Many Tiv people are Christian today while preserving selected cultural customs.
Leadership includes elders, clan heads, chiefs, traditional councils and family heads.
Sensitive areas include disrespecting elders, exposing private marriage discussions, misrepresenting Tiv religion and reducing Tiv culture only to anger cloth.