The Mumuye Experience

THE NAME:- MUMUYE For most ethnic groups in this area and northern Nigeria, debate rages around their names. Professor Isichei in the book” studies in the history of Plateau state of Nigeria” observed that “most of the people … and many of the places, have two names: A Hausa and an indigenous, one”1 Thus the people named Yergam by the Hausa are indigenously know as Tarok, while Angas should be Ngas. Closer here, Jenjo is a Fulani name for the Dza. People of Jen. This phenomenon is reflected in the case of the name ‘Mumuye’. While there appears to be difficulty in the trace of its clear origin, the people themselves do confirm that the name is alien to them. No word of such nature occurs in any of their oral traditions. The problem begins apparently as a in the case of their Jukun neighbors to the south. Initially as Victor N. Low states the Jukun “ Themselves appear to have no general designation for all the people contained within this omnium Gatherum.”2 The Jukun according to ...

MUMUYE PEOPLE -ABOUT THEIR ORIGIN- By Haruna Yakubu Tolenyashong Narrating the past is known to be a part of human nature that is surrounded by controversies. This is borne out of the fact that most a times people do not strictly analyze the underlying facts in an impartial way. Rather either deliberately or inadvertently?, what is related of any given occurrence is subjected to distortions here and there. For instance, if several spectators are interviewed after a football match, it may be noted that instead of the ideal unanimous and equal reporting that may be expected it would not be surprising that several version of divergent nature would be recorded. Each person it appears would relate the story to his own interest, taste or level of perception. So it is with other more serious human endeavors like the writing of the history of various races, civilizations or groups. History they say is written by the victorious, hence the provision of witness of the past is one area in whi...