# Pyem people > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pyem_people > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pyem_people.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyem_people > Source revision: 1341075180 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Ethnic group in Middle Belt, Nigeria}} {{infobox ethnic group |group= Pyem |image= | population = 25,000{{cite web|url=https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11784/NI|title=Fyem in Nigeria|website=Joshua Project|access-date=June 6, 2024}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/pym/ |title=Pyam |website=Ethnologue |publisher=SIL International |access-date=January 7, 2024}} |popplace= [Nigeria](/source/Nigeria) |languages= [Pyem](/source/Pyem_language) | religions = [Islam](/source/Islam), [Christianity](/source/Christianity), [Ethnic religion](/source/Abwoi_religion) |related = [Afizere](/source/Afizere), [Irigwe](/source/Irigwe_people), [Berom](/source/Berom_people), [Ron](/source/Ron_language)}} The '''Pyem people''' (Pyam; [Hausa:](/source/Hausa_language) {{Lang|ha|Fyam}}, {{Lang|ha|Genawa}}) are found mainly in [Mangu Local Government Area](/source/Mangu%2C_Nigeria) of [Plateau State](/source/Plateau_State), [Middle Belt](/source/Middle_Belt) (central) [Nigeria](/source/Nigeria).{{cite web|url=https://www.plateaustate.gov.ng/government/lgas/mangu|title=Mangu Local Government Area|website=Plateau State Government|access-date=June 18, 2024}} They speak the [Pyem language](/source/Pyem_language), a [Plateau language](/source/Plateau_languages).{{cite web|url=https://www.peoplegroups.org/explore/GroupDetails.aspx?peid=13784|title=People Groups: Pyem|website=International Mission Board|access-date=June 6, 2024}} Their headquarters are in the town of [Gindiri](/source/Gindiri), about 51 km due southwest of the city of [Jos](/source/Jos). ==History== The Pyem people were said to have migrated from the [Gobir Kingdom](/source/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](/source/Bokkos).{{cite news|url=https://dailytrust.com/pyam-nation-moves-to-revive-language-publishes-books-in-mother-tongue/#google_vignette|title=Pyam Nation Moves To Revive Language, Publishes Books In Mother Tongue|last=Adama|first=Dickson S.|date=November 8, 2018|location=[Jos](/source/Jos)|access-date=June 6, 2024|newspaper=[Daily Trust](/source/Daily_Trust)}} {{Block quote|text=The Pyem came from Gobir while a splinter group went to Lankan and later left again to Bokkos and founded the Ron.|author=C.G. Ames.|title=Reconstructing The Origins Of The Peoples Of Plateau State: Questioning The "We Are All Settlers" Theory.|source=Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41857137 | jstor=41857137 | title=Reconstructing the Origins of the Peoples of Plateau State: Questioning the "We Are All Settlers" Theory | last1=Fwatshak | first1=S. U. | journal=Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria | date=2005 | volume=16 | pages=122–140 }}}} 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](/source/Angas_people). Furthermore, a large portion of them subsequently left for Lankan, in Mupunland, and again journeyed through . From there, through [Mwaghavul](/source/Mwaghavul_language)land and then settled finally in the Bokkos area where they became the Ron people.{{cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Ron-Migration-Map-adopted-from-C-G-Ames-Anthropological-Map-of-Migration-of-ethnic_fig3_357769822|title=An Archaeological Survey of Mangor in Ronland on the Jos Plateau, Nigeria|last=Mangut|first=Macham|date=January 2015|access-date=June 18, 2024}} ==Demographics== ===Distribution=== The Pyem people today are mainly found in the Pyem Chiefdom in [Mangu](/source/Mangu%2C_Nigeria) Local Government Area, [Plateau State](/source/Plateau_State), Nigeria. Some of their towns include [Gindiri](/source/Gindiri), Chanso, Kaduna, Pyem, Dyere (also Pengiji) and Badni. ===Religion=== According to ''[Joshua Project](/source/Joshua_Project)'', the Pyem people are 50% [Muslim](/source/Islam), 40% [Christian](/source/Christianity), with 10% practicing [ethnic religion](/source/Abwoi_religion). ==Language== {{Main|Pyem language}} The Pyem people speak a Plateau language related to [Horom](/source/Horom_language).{{cite web|url=https://www.webonary.org/pyam/overview/introduction/|title=Pyam Dictionary|website=[SIL International](/source/SIL_International)|access-date=June 18, 2024}} In 2018, the Ba-Pyam Azonci Association with support from some [U.S.](/source/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](/source/Gindiri). The Chiefdom is led by the ''Sum Pyem'', who as of 2021 was Sum Charles Mato Dakat,{{cite news|url=https://dailytrust.com/comprehensive-college-gindiri-86-years-and-still-standing/|title=Comprehensive College Gindiri: 86 Years And Still Standing|date=December 4, 2021|access-date=June 18, 2024|newspaper=[Daily Trust](/source/Daily_Trust)}} a second class chief.{{cite web|url=https://viewpointnigeria.org/gov-lalong-approves-the-creation-of-new-chiefdoms-in-plateau/|title=Gov Lalong approves the creation of new chiefdoms in Plateau|last=Nanmwa|first=Golok|location=[Jos](/source/Jos)|website=Viewpoint Nigeria|access-date=June 18, 2024}} ==Notable people== * [Ibrahim Mantu](/source/Ibrahim_Mantu) (1947 – 2021), Nigerian deputy Senate President (2001 – 2007). * [Eliezer Paul-Gindiri](/source/Eliezer_Paul-Gindiri), [U.S.](/source/U.S.) amateur golfer * [Ilijah Paul](/source/Ilijah_Paul) (b. 2002), [U.S.](/source/U.S.) soccer player ==References== {{Reflist}} Category:Ethnic groups in Nigeria Category:Nenzit --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pyem people](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyem_people) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyem_people?action=history)). 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