THE HISTORY OF BEROM/FESTIVALS

The Berom name of African people of central Nigeria. They are predominantly farmers and hunters, culturally rich with the population of about 2.5 million people scattered across the globe. The Berom constitute the largest of the indigenous ethnic groups on the Jos Plateau taking almost 47 percentage of the state population covering about four local government areas such as Jos North, Jos South, Barkin Ladi (Gwol) and Riyom local government area and some in southern Kaduna province. Berom are historically the largest, ethnic group in the former jos province which was created out of Bauchi province in 1927. The pre –historic and the historic period of the Berom people as the early settlers on the Jos has been clearly explained by  renowned archeologists and scholars such as Thurstan Shaw, R.C. Soper, Benard Fagg and some renowned Nigerian historians, Sa’adu Abubakar and M.Y Manvwat who linked their existence to the Nok civilization the oldest West-African civilization dated between 200BC to 1000AD, another evidence is the discovery of the artifacts of the Acheulian era, that clearly shows that the Berom people are linked with the pre-historic inhabitant of the Nok culture complex. The history of the Berom people cannot be completed without establishing facts on their migration into Jos, which a renowned Nigerian historian M.Y. Manvwat states the phases of migration of different ethnics into plateau as fallows.

“The peopling and the formation of groups on the Jos plateau area can be traced to                      several phases. The first phase, C 200BC to 1000AD was the pre-historic period. The                                         second was C. 1100 to C. 1700AD was occasioned most largely by developments in the Kanem-Bornu region particularly following the establishments of the second   Kanuri empire which occasioned the migration of groups of people who refused to                                be incorporated into the new Kanem policy to the Jos Plateau. The third C. 1600 to                          C. 1800AD was associated with the Jukun Kwararafa activities. The forth phase C.                             1800 to 1907AD was related to Fulani herders and Hausa traders cumulated  in the                              Sokoto jihad” (PIDAN. 2010).

Dr. S.D. Nyam recorded two major accounts on the origin of the History of  the Berom, which are the Kabong and the Riyom origin of migration, both ethno-graphic, linguistic and archaeological have proven with facts that the Berom were part of Bantu migration that originated from central Africa. Though their journey began from central Africa, many historians traced the journey from Ethiopia to Sudan to Chad republic then from Chad republic to Niger and settled in Gobir the boundary between Sokoto and Niger republic, the facts of their settlement in those places is always told in Berom folk tales as “ wot yin Bayer ku wot vok Babi yin Babi ku wot vok Baba” that is, we came from Niger (Bayer) to Bira Sokoto (Babi) to Riyom (Baba). The name Berom, was carved out of the name of a place in sokoto call Bira which was the settlement of the Berom people before moving to Kabong and Riyom. Most of the Berom people came from Shonong to Riyom in big wave of migration and settled in Riyom, Vwang, Forom, Zawan, Kuru, Gyel, Heipan, Fan and Gashish while the minority that settled in Kabong are Du part of Forom and some other few in Vwang. The Berom were the first to settle not only in Jos and environs but on the Jos Plateau these are some facts that were clearly revealed by a renowned Nigerian Historian, Sa’ad Abbubakar {1980:pp. 166-167} said this.

“undoubtedly some of the ethnic groups on the Benue basin and Bauchi plateau migrated from the north. However this does not mean that there had been no autochthons but only empty land  into which the various immigration move…   

THE FESTIVALS IN BEROM LAND

Some major festival in Berom land from pre-colonial to colonial era are as follows,

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S/N Name of festival	period	Time of celebration
1        Mandyeng 2        Nshok 3        Badu 4        Worongchun 5        Vwana/Bwana 6        Mado hunting festival 7        Behwol hunting festival 8        Nzemberom 9        Wusal berom	Pre-colonial Pre-colonial Pre-colonial Pre-colonial Pre-colonial Pre-colonial Pre-colonial Post colonial Post colonial	March/ April March/ April March/ April April/May August October/November February/March March/April November

The major aims of celebrating festivals in Berom land is for agriculture and hunting theses are the two paramount events worth  celebrating.

Mandyeng: is a major festival celebrated in Berom land to usher in the rainy season. The festivals normally takes place March/ April. In the past the Berom regard Mandyeng/Nshok the most vital festivals which ensured a good farming and hunting period and harvest. Although not all the Berom communities celebrate Mandyeng and Nshok, majority of the villages celebrates Mandyeng while a few Nshok. Villages that perform Mandyeng claims to have their root from Riyom or royal families claims to come from Riyom, such groups are as follows.Vwang, Kuru, Zawan, Gyel,Rim, Bachit, Bangai, Lwa,Sop,jol wereng Kwi, Gwo, Kakuruk, Kuzeng, Kurak, Kuchin others are Rahos and Tahoss. 

Nshok Festival :Nshok is a festival associated with hunting,  the festival is done once a year around the month of april/may to usher in the new season jus as the Mandyeng. In the pre-colonial era the Berom regards hunting as an occupation and sports. Hunting economically was not as important as farming, but in the pre-colonial era they regard hunting as a skill which tested a mans’ bravery, most Berom names are derived from animals most importantly antelopes, not only because they are smart, fast or strong but because they are beautiful. Names as Pam, Dung, Chuwang, Gyang, Badung etc for boys while girls answer Kaneng, Lyop, Chundung, Nvou, Kangyang.These are names for different species of antelops other names such as Bot (frog) Tok (fish), Tsok (toad) etc are names for animals. with these names, this clearly shows that one of the most important occupation in the pre-colonial Berom land is hunting. Though Nshok is not the only hunting festival in Berom land there were other festival such as, Mado and Behwol festival but they are not honored as the Nshok hunting festival.  Nshok festival involves drinking and dancing parties. The instruments used at the Nshok festival are as follows. “Yom Nshi” (a two string banjo made of calabash and skin as resonators) and “kwag” ( a rattle made from dry cactus played with a stick as it is being robed at the sawed body of the dry cactus to produce sound) after the festival people return to their houses to prepare for farming. Communities that perform Nshok are as follows Fan, Ropp and part of Gashish.

Nzem Berom: the influx of Christianity and western Education paved way for a lot of socio-cultural changes into Berom land. The changes devalued the rich culture of the people bringing serious predicament of a severe social and cultural crisis. In order to avoid the danger of losing the socio-cultural practice of the ancestor and the overall pre-colonial activities such as the Mandyeng, Nshok, worom chun, vwana, ceremonies were brought into a single umbrella festival call Nzem Berom. Nzem Berom festival is held within the first week of April to tally with the period when Mandyeng, Nshok and Badu Festival was held. The Nzem, is a period when different cultural display are exhibited from different part of Berom land, especially in the aspect of Music and Dance, arts and culture (Dr. S.D Nyam. 2005).

The Berom have a paramount ruler call the Gbong Gwom Jos, the idea of the stool was conceived in 1916 when the colonial administrators which the secretary northern province had via a circular No. 24p/1916[JOS PROF NAK 473/1916] dated 15^th August, 1917 addresses to the Resident Bauchi Province telling him to send names of people from various native authorities including districts and village head to be given chieftains by the His Excellency the Governor General. In response to the circular by the Resident Bauchi Province back to the secretary Northern Province Kaduna via memo No. 24/1916 JOSPROF NAK 473/1916 dated 27 october 19117 those not include the chiefs of Buje, Naraguta, Jos, Bukuru in his memo, but the government notice No. 22, publish in the Gazette of 7^th February, 1918, modified the list of Bauchi province to include Buje, Naraguta (pagans) Jos (pagans) and Bukuru (pagans). In the pre-colonial period the Berom were divided into autonomous political groups base on region until the colonial period that the paramount chief call the Gbong Gwom was constituted. The stool of the Gbong Gwom Jos was establish under the recognition of a colonial officer Mr. Synge the aim is to help coordinate the activites of the Native. The first chief Dachung Gyang assumed leadership in 1935 to 1741 as the first Gbong Gwom then followed by Da Rwang Pam 1947 to 1969, Fom Bot 1970 to 2002, victor Dung Pam 2004 to 2008 and Da Jacob Gyang Buba 2009.

Watch this African Tradtional Berom music. Click on this link Mi Si Mi Ra.