Lifestyle
The Berom people of Nigeria
Today we go all the way to the west African region, Nigeria in particular. With an estimate of over 600 ethnic groups many just know three; the Igbos, Hausas and Yorubas. Today we introduce you to the Berom.
Origin
Sometimes spelt as Birom, the Berom are found in present day Plateau State and Southern part of Kaduna. They speak the Berom language and are part of the Niger Congo family. The Berom are the largest ethnic group in Plateau State with a population of over 2 million people.
The Berom have been linked to the Nok civilization, a civilization that dates back between 200BC to 1000AD. The Berom are believed to have migrated from as far as Ethiopia, moving to Sudan, Chad then to Niger where they settled for a while before moving down to the Jos Plateau. They were the first to settle on the Jos Plateau.
Social stratification
The majority of Beroms are Christians and most of them are farmers. Hunting is said to have been a major activity and names in Berom reflect the hunting heritage. Names such as: Bot (frog) Tok (fish), Tsok (toad).
The Berom’s were ruled in their villages by council of elders who were led by a Chief Priest ‘Gwom Kwit’. The council of elders settled marital issues, matters concerning land and inheritance among other disputes.
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Around 1916, the stool of Gbong Gwom Jos was established by the colonial office in order to monitor and control the activities of indigenous people.
Festivals
The Beroms had festivals that dated from pre-colonial times. The festivals were meant to celebrate farming and hunting.
The Madyeng Festival takes place in March/April and it’s celebrated to usher in the rainy season. This was to ensure a good farming season.
Kandung. Photo: National Music Museum
The Nshok Festival is mainly to celebrate hunting. The festival involves drinking and dancing. The festival is held once a year during the month of April.
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The Nzem Festival was formed to protect the culture from the negative influence of western education and Christianity. The festival is held within the first week of April, and it involves the cultural display of different parts of Berom land.
Music
Musical instruments popular amongst the Berom include the Yom Nshi, a two string banjo made of calabash and skin as resonators. Yom is a straw string instrument.
Kwag or gwashak, a scraper made from dry cactus played with a stick slid across the sawed body of the dry cactus to produce a scrapping sound. Kundung is a xylophone made of cattle horns and cobwebs.