IGWEBUIKE: African Journal of Arts and Humanities

Language constitutes one of the most enduring repositories of cultural heritage, serving as the primary medium through which societies preserve and transmit their histories, identities, values, beliefs, and indigenous knowledge across generations. Despite growing concerns about language endangerment and cultural homogenisation, relatively little scholarly attention has been devoted to the historical role of the Kilba (Həba) language in safeguarding the cultural heritage of the Kilba people of Northeastern Nigeria. This study examines how the Kilba language has functioned as a repository of cultural heritage from the emergence of the Kilba Kingdom around c. 1250 AD to the present. Employing qualitative and historical research methods, the study draws on oral interviews, historical records, and published and unpublished scholarly works to explore the relationship between language and cultural continuity. The findings reveal that the Kilba language has remained central to the preservation of indigenous knowledge through oral traditions, personal naming systems, folklore, proverbs, riddles, songs, ritual performances, traditional governance, festivals, religious expressions, and community-based language initiatives. The study further demonstrates that, despite the transformative influences of colonialism, Christianity, Islam, migration, urbanisation, and globalisation, the language continues to reinforce cultural identity, social cohesion, and intergenerational transmission of cultural values among both homeland and diaspora communities. However, increasing language shift, intergenerational decline in mother-tongue transmission, and inadequate institutional support pose significant challenges to its continued vitality. The paper argues that sustained documentation, educational integration, community participation, and supportive language policies are essential for preserving the Kilba language as a living repository of cultural heritage and for strengthening indigenous knowledge systems in Nigeria.

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