BANDAWA LANGUAGE PROJECT — Shoo-Minda-Nye Scripture Portions
Overview
The Bandawa Language Project (abbreviation: BLP) is a scripture portions publication containing the Gospel of Matthew in Shoo-Minda-Nye (Bandawa), published by The Word for the World International and The Word for the World Nigeria (both organizations are co-credited) and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 4448). This translation provides the Bandawa people — a Muslim-majority community of northeastern Nigeria — access to the Gospel in their heart language for the first time. Joshua Project records that a complete New Testament is available, suggesting the YouVersion portions may represent an initial release or digitization of a larger completed project.
Language and People
Shoo-Minda-Nye (ISO 639-3: bcv; also known as Bandawa, Banda; Glottolog: shoo1247) is a Jukunoid language within the Niger-Congo family (Atlantic-Congo → Volta-Congo → Benue-Congo → Jukunoid → Central Jukunoid). It is related to the broader Jukun language cluster that traces political heritage to the historic Kwararafa Kingdom. Three main dialect varieties are documented: Shoo (Banda), Minda, and Nye.
The language is spoken primarily in Taraba State, northeastern Nigeria, concentrated in:
- Karim-Lamido LGA — primary Bandawa settlement area
- Lau LGA — Minda dialect speakers
- Yorro LGA and Wukari LGA
- Some speakers in Adamawa State (Numan area)
The language is spoken in the Benue flood plain of what was formerly Muri Division. The Bandawa people trace their ancestry to the Jukun and the Kwararafa Kingdom; their founding migration is traditionally associated with a leader named Shoo — hence the dialect name. Estimated speakers: approximately 37,000–37,500 (current Joshua Project / Peoplegroups.org estimate; the 1973 figure was ~10,000, reflecting significant population growth). Islam is predominant among the Bandawa; Evangelicals are estimated at 2–10% of the population.
Historical and Cultural Context
The name "Bandawa" preserves a striking piece of history. During the 19th-century Fulani jihad, when Usman dan Fodio's followers launched military campaigns across the Central Sudan, the Bandawa people did not resist — they did not fight back. The Fulani called them "Banda'en" (those who surrendered / those who did not fight). The Hausa then adapted this as "Bandawa" — in Hausa, the suffix -wa means "people of" (as in Kanawa = people of Kano). The name "Bandawa" thus means roughly "the people who [did not fight]," an exonym imposed by outsiders that became the primary identity marker. Within the community, the language is called Shoo-Minda-Nye after its three main dialects.
The Bandawa-Jen (Dza) were historically perceived as a single group but are actually two distinct communities; the Lau language community considers its speech mutually intelligible with Bandawa/Kunini/Jeshi varieties, placing them on a Jukunoid dialect continuum across the Benue flood plain.
Publishing and Organizations
Published jointly by The Word for the World International (UK) and The Word for the World Nigeria, a national partner organization. The dual attribution on YouVersion distinguishes this from other WFTW publications that credit only the international body. WFTW focuses on NT translation for smaller African language communities and has published NTs in multiple Nigerian languages including Alago, Shoo-Minda-Nye, and others.