Turkwam in Nigeria

The Turkwam have only been reported in Nigeria
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

The Turkwam people live in two main villages, Turkwan Mission and Kanja, in the Wamba region of Nasarawa State in Nigeria. Their villages lie near Farin Ruwa Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in Africa. They call themselves and their language Atoro, but the dominant Hausa people refer to them as Turkwan or Turkpa. They value their language as a mark of their identity.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Most Turkwam are farmers, growing corn and millet, groundnut, yam, rice, beans, cassava, sweet potatoes, and palm oil. Other employment opportunities include mining, trade, and tourism.
The two Turkwam villages have primary and secondary schools. Available literature is written in either English or Hausa, which includes Bibles, hymnals, novels, magazines, and textbooks used by students. Muslims have copies of the Qur’an in Arabic. An Atoro dictionary can be found at Turkwan Mission, and some people can text in Atoro. However, no Scripture is available in the Atoro language.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The Atoro are predominantly Christian. Church denominations found among the Turkwam include the Baptist Church, the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ (ERCC), and the Roman Catholic Church. A small percentage of the Turkwam people are Muslims. Some hold onto a traditional religious system that believes that natural physical entities such as animals, plants, and even inanimate objects possess a spiritual essence.


What Are Their Needs?

The Turkwam need Scripture in the language that is most familiar to them. Teachers and pastors say they prefer to use their local language for teaching and preaching because their audience would understand the information better. Even a high proficiency in Hausa or English is insufficient for comprehensive communication of spiritual truth.


Prayer Points

Pray for translation to begin in the Turkwam language so people can gain a deeper understanding of the tenants of the Christian faith and learn to apply Scripture in their daily lives.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to prepare Turkwam hearts to receive the word.
Pray for financial and prayer provisions for Bible translation efforts.
Pray for the Lord to call people from the community to serve as Bible translators.


Scripture Prayers for the Turkwam in Nigeria.


References

A Sociolinguistic Profile of the Arum (Alumu-Tesu) [aab] and Atoro [tdv] Languages of Nasarawa State, Nigeria (JLSR2021_048.pdf)
peoplegroups.org (PeopleGroups.org - Turkwam)


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Turkwam
People Name in Country Turkwam
Alternate Names
Population this Country 3,600
Population all Countries 3,600
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 5
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 5  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed
PeopleID3 15656
ROP3 Code 110312
Country Nigeria
Region Africa, West and Central
Continent Africa
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 6  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Kaduna state: Sanga LGA; Nassarawa state: Wamba LGA, northeast of Wamba, Turkwam village.   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Country Nigeria
Region Africa, West and Central
Continent Africa
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 6  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Kaduna state: Sanga LGA; Nassarawa state: Wamba LGA, northeast of Wamba, Turkwam village..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016

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Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Christianity
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 15.00 %)
65.00 %
Ethnic Religions
25.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
10.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Atoro (3,600 speakers)
Language Code tdv   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Turkwam
Dialect Code 2304   Global Recordings Listing
Language Written Unknown
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Atoro (3,600 speakers)
Language Code tdv   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Turkwam
Dialect Code 2304   Global Recordings Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Atoro

Primary Language:  Atoro

Bible Translation Status:  Translation Needed

Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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