The origin of the Babur Bura people can be traced back to the 6th century. Interestingly, the ancestors of Babur Bura together with other tribes like Luguda are believed to be among those who migrated from Yemen.
Local tradition asserts that Yamta was the son of a Mandara woman who already carrying him in her womb at the time she was taken into the Mai of Borno’s household. Yamta was brought up as a Kanuri.
Yamta established a sizeable kingdom for himself in the area bounded by the Gongola and the village of Kopchi, with his first capital at a place called Limbur between Chikorkur and Mandaragrau. Yamta’s grave is still identified at Limbur.
The Babur people are mostly, the inhabitants of Biu and its Immediate environment while the Bura people are the rural inhabitants of the Babur Bura land.
Bura has a way of marriage policy when a female child is born, a suitor may propose by throwing a leafy branch of a certain tree into the mother’s hut. If he is accepted, he gives gifts as the girl grows up.
He works on her father’s farm and makes Zana matting for them when she reaches marriageable age, he organizes his friends to capture her and bring her to his house.
Then the remaining part of the bride price is settled, which is not a insists amount and arrangements for the marriage ceremony are concluded.
Also, some of the things that are normally given in the ceremony include kola nuts, salt, and white linen.
The bride is usually expected to produce a white cloth stained with the proof of her virginity and it may be displayed with pride. Her parents will be ashamed if she is not a virgin.
However, as a sign of respect, a man does not eat with his parents-in-law.
Before the introduction of Islam and Christianity in the 1920s, the Bura had their traditional religion known as Hyel or Hyel- taku.
The gods are represented by various objects such as water, stones, mountains or forests. And most sacrifices to gods are made on Saturday, so it is a special day, the chief priest is called Mythmaker Haptu
