Bade (also spelled Bede or Bedde) is a West Chadic language spoken by the Bade people. There are three major dialects of Bade, Western Bade, Gashua Bade, and Southern Bade. Speakers are shifting to Hausa. The Bade live in Yobe State and Jigawa State, Nigeria.
Most are farmers; however, they usually practice some other occupation during the dry season. Those who farm raise millet as their staple crop, and supplement it with sorghum, corn and peanuts. They raise sheep, goats, and some horses.
Their settlements vary in size; but most contain walled-in compounds surrounding several mud or grass houses with thatched, cone-shaped roofs. These houses are very cool during the hot months. Farmland surrounds each settlement. Towns serve as local markets and administrative centers. They contain a local school and mosque. Attached to the mosque are smaller schools for religious teachings.
The household (not the family itself) is an important economic unit. The greater the number in a family, the more prestige the family head has.
The Bade people mix traditional animism and Islam. They wear charms and amulets around the neck or in pockets for various reasons. For example, they have a charm to ensure a good pregnancy for a mother. There is also one to keep the ghost of the dead from haunting its descendants.
Though there are several hundred believers among the Bade, the churches in the area where they live worship in the Hausa language. There are no known evangelical organizations specifically focusing on the Bade with church planting strategies.
Ask God to win, equip and send Bade believers to disciple those who need the Savior.
Pray for a spiritual hunger among the Bade people that will lead them to Jesus Christ.
Pray for the gift of faith in the one who came that we may have life to the full.
Scripture Prayers for the Bade in Nigeria.
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
