Relating the Hebrew Story and the Journey of the Tiv to the Benue Valley (A Series) A Pastor Tom Igyah Evangelism Books Publication
Part 1: The Hebrews
i. The Land of Canaan
The land of Canaan was given to the Israelites through a covenant God made with their forefathers. God brought Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldeans to the land of Canaan, where He promised to give the land to Abraham’s descendants (Gen. 12:7; 13:15; 17:8). When the Israelites left Egypt and returned to Canaan, they reclaimed the land from the Canaanites by the power of God. The land was divided among the twelve clans through casting lots, and each family had a portion. Boundary markers were set, and it was an offense to move these markers (Deut. 19:14; 27:17; Prov. 27:28; 23:10). The Israelites buried their dead on their own land, and when a father died, his land was passed to his son (1 Kgs. 21:3). In cases of poverty, a person could sell their inheritance in the presence of witnesses (Gen. 23:7-20). The seller would give one of their footwear to the buyer as a sign of the transaction. However, this sale was not permanent, as during the year of Jubilee, everyone returned to their ancestral land (Lev. 25:13-28). God declared that land should not be sold permanently since it belonged to Him and the people were merely visitors and workers on His land (Lev. 25:23).
ii. Features of the Land of Canaan
The land of the Hebrews was fertile and abundant. Moses described it as “a fine country, a land of streams and springs, of waters that well up from the deep in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines, of figs, of pomegranates, a land of olives, of oil, of honey, a land where you will eat bread without stint, where you will want nothing, a land where the stones are iron and where the hills may be quarried for copper” (Deut. 8:7-10).
The River Jordan runs through the middle of Canaan, originating from the Sea of Galilee and emptying into the Dead Sea, which lies to the east of Canaan. The Mediterranean Sea bounds the land from the south to the west and east. Between the Jordan and the Mediterranean are highlands, with plains on the Mediterranean side and mountains in between. Notable mountains include Carmel, Lebanon, Hermon, and Gilboa. Canaan experiences two seasons: the dry season (April – October) and the wet season (October – April). There is moderate rainfall during the wet season, although the eastern and northern regions are relatively arid.
Part 2: Tivland
The Tiv people descended from the mountains in the east, settling in the Benue Valley due to growth and competition in their former location, in search of tillable land. When Tivland was sparsely populated, people would move closer to their farms to reduce travel time. By the time of the arrival of Europeans, the Tiv had already spread across their current region, occupying many previously uninhabited areas.
Unlike the Hebrews, who divided the land of Canaan through casting lots, the Tiv did not initially claim land ownership. Instead, land ownership was established by farming or through ancestral inheritance. A Tiv man would claim a piece of land as his “tsa” or his father’s, and no one could use it without permission. Unclaimed land could be settled or farmed by any Tiv man within the clan, after which it would become his property.
2. The Geography of Tivland
The River Benue divides Tivland, placing some Tiv people north of the river and others to the south. The Katsina-Ala River, a tributary of the Benue, further divides Tivland on the southern side. This tributary originates from the eastern mountains. Tivland mainly consists of plains and lowlands, with a few mountainous areas such as Turan, Shitire, and Shangev-ya. Around Gboko are several hills, with the Mkar hills being the tallest, reaching up to 4,000 feet.
Tivland enjoys ample rainfall, which supports abundant vegetation, attracting pastoralists from the north. In earlier times, the region was heavily forested, but increasing population has led to deforestation for firewood, farming, and settlement. The land once had a rich diversity of wildlife, including elephants, but hunting and human expansion have reduced their numbers. Tivland’s rivers are teeming with fish.
The climate in Tivland is divided into the dry season (November to March) and the rainy season (March to November). The dry season is characterized by harmattan winds from the Northeast, carrying dust and little moisture, making it an ideal time for drying and harvesting crops. During the rainy season, moist winds from the south bring rains, although there is typically a short dry spell in July. This period is crucial for crop maturation, especially for early-planted crops like millet, corn, sesame, and groundnuts.
The Tiv population is over 5 million, with major towns including Makurdi, Gboko, Vandeikya, Katsina-Ala, Adikpo, and Zaki-Biam, along with many smaller towns.
