This study investigates the oral traditions and cultural practices of the Tiv people of Benue State, Nigeria, focusing on their role in cultural transmission and identity preservation. Using qualitative ethnographic methods, the research employed participant observation, interviews, and oral narrative collection from 20 community elders and one cultural custodian across five Tiv settlements. Grounded in the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis of linguistic relativity, the study explores how Tiv language shapes cultural

perception through proverbs, dirges, folktales, and rituals. Findings reveal that Tiv oral traditions function as sophisticated epistemological systems that encapsulate communal values, historical consciousness, and indigenous knowledge while serving as mechanisms for conflict resolution, social

cohesion, and inter-generational knowledge transfer.

These traditions face threats from modernisation, urbanisation, and cultural erosion. The study recommends comprehensive strategies including community-based documentation, educational integration, intergenerational mentorship, and digital preservation to ensure sustainable cultural continuity whilst maintaining authenticity.