Chamba


Chamba

 

a people living in the region of the headwaters of the Benue River in Nigeria and Cameroon and in the Republic of Chad. With the related Duru, Li (Bali), Vere (Werre), Fali, Mbum, and Mumuye peoples, the Chamba number approximately 400,000 in Nigeria, approximately 200,000 in Cameroon, and more than 200,000 in the Republic of Chad (1970 estimate). Their language, which has been little studied, belongs to the group of languages spoken in the central and eastern Sudan. The Chamba profess Islam, although the traditional practices of nature and ancestor worship have been preserved in some areas. The principal occupation is cattle raising.