The Pyem people (Pyam;
Hausa: , ) are found mainly in
Mangu Local Government Area of
Plateau State
Plateau State is the twelfth-largest Nigerian state. It is in the centre of the country includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau, its capital, and the entire plateau itself.
Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and To ...
,
Middle Belt (central)
Nigeria. They speak the
Pyem language
Pyem (Pyam, Gye; Hausa: Fyam, Fyem) is a Plateau language of Nigeria. It is spoken by the people of Pyem Chiefdom with headquarters in Gindiri. Pyem is one of the indigenous languages spoken in Mangu LGA, Plateau State
Plateau State is ...
, a
Plateau language. Their headquarters are in the town of
Gindiri, about 51 km due southwest of the city of
Jos
Jos is a city in the north central region of Nigeria. The city has a population of about 900,000 residents based on the 2006 census. Popularly called "J-Town", it is the administrative capital and largest city of Plateau State.
During British ...
.
History
The Pyem people were said to have migrated from the
Gobir Kingdom when Bawa Jangwarzo (1777-1795) reigned as king. The people left in two groups. One group established a settlement in Tulai, located southeast of Gindiri, and the second group in an area located in
Bokkos.
In one of Ames' contexts, a part of the migrants migrated to Pengiji, founding the Pyem people. A part of the people then moved to Fier from Pengiji and intermarried with an offshoot of the
Ngas people. Furthermore, a large portion of them subsequently left for Lankan, in Mupunland, and again journeyed through . From there, through
Mwaghavulland and then settled finally in the Bokkos area where they became the Ron people.
Demographics
Distribution
The Pyem people today are mainly found in the Pyem Chiefdom in
Mangu Local Government Area,
Plateau State
Plateau State is the twelfth-largest Nigerian state. It is in the centre of the country includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau, its capital, and the entire plateau itself.
Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and To ...
, Nigeria. Some of their towns include
Gindiri, Chanso, Kaduna, Pyem, Dyere (also Pengiji) and Badni.
Religion
According to ''
Joshua Project'', the Pyem people are 50%
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
, 40%
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, with 10% practicing
ethnic religion
In religious studies, an ethnic religion is a religion or belief associated with a particular ethnic group. Ethnic religions are often distinguished from universal religions, such as Christianity or Islam, in which gaining converts is a pri ...
.
Language
The Pyem people speak a Plateau language related to
Horom.
In 2018, the Ba-Pyam Azonci Association with support from some
U.S. partners, commissioned the publication of books in Pyem to save it from going extinct. Examples of such books are ''Shalai na Waari na DePyam'', "Reading and Writing in Pyem"; ''Beer, Kwor, Na Cikam Arye'', "Relationship, Counting, Proverbs, Names, and Directions"; etc.
Politics
History
The Pyem people were initially led by a priest-king, the ''Hwali-bwangha''. The leadership Council had six members.
Present-day
Today, most Pyem people are located in the Pyem Chiefdom, with headquarters in the town of
Gindiri. The Chiefdom is led by the ''Sum Pyem'', who as of 2021 was Sum Charles Mato Dakat,
a second class chief.
Notable people
*
Ibrahim Mantu (1947 – 2021), Nigerian deputy Senate President (2001 – 2007).
*
Eliezer Paul-Gindiri,
U.S. amateur golfer
*
Ilijah Paul (b. 2002),
U.S. soccer player
References
{{Reflist
Ethnic groups in Nigeria
Nenzit