ABSTRACT
The area commonly referred to as Ningi, “ the Ningi bush ” or “ the Ningi plateau/' comprises an area of some 1,950 square miles, including the one-time independent districts of Ari, Burra, Ningi, and Waiji,1 in the north-west of Bauchi Province (Bauchi Division). Ningi is sparsely populated (total population 33,032, or 17 per square mile, in .1935, according to G. H. Payton),2 and is covered with a thick tree growth, harbouring much game. The label " plateau ” derives from the cluster of fortress hilltops dominating the region at its heart, where until very recently the population seems to have been concentrated, though the very remote ness of Ningi from both Kano and Bauchi towns no doubt permitted bush-farming even in slave-raiding times.3 The altitude ranges from .1,600 ft. to well above 3,000 ft. at the centre of the area; Limi Hill, near Kurmi, Burra District, has been measured at 3,869 ft.; the greater part of Ningi lies well over 2,000 ft.
