One Adamawa, Many Tribes
The Adamawa Pulse Initiative
In Adamawa, every people carries a story — stories of migrations, settlements, survival, and the shaping of culture. Through the “One Adamawa, Many Tribes” series, the Adamawa Pulse Initiative continues to preserve these voices of heritage.
Today, we turn to the Yandang (Nyandang) people — a mountain-rooted community whose history stretches back to ancient migrations and whose homeland remains a beacon of peace and resilience.
The Yandang People: From Ancient Journeys to Mountain Homeland
The Yandang (Nyandang) people are an ethnic group primarily found in Adamawa and Taraba States of Nigeria. Their ancestral homeland is identified as Gorobi in Adamawa State, an area defined by mountainous terrain and fertile valleys.
Though spread today across multiple communities, the Yandang remain united by their language, traditions, and strong identity as a people of the hills.
Origins and Migration
According to oral history, the Yandang trace their origins to ancient Egypt, alongside their close neighbors, the Mumuye people. Together, they are said to have migrated southward, settling briefly in Yoro before moving to their present locations in Adamawa and Taraba.
The choice of Gorobi as their ancestral homeland was strategic — its mountains provided both security and fertile ground for farming. This migration story remains a strong part of Yandang identity and is preserved in their songs, oral traditions, and clan histories.
Language and Identity
The Yandang speak the Yandang language, part of the Niger-Congo family, with several dialectical variations across different settlements. Despite external influences from Hausa, Fulfulde, and English, the Yandang language is still widely spoken, particularly in rural communities.
Language, alongside ancestral memory of Gorobi, remains a unifying factor for all Yandang people.
Livelihood and Economy
The Yandang are known for their peaceful farming communities. Agriculture is the backbone of their society, with families cultivating millet, guinea corn, maize, groundnuts, and beans. Farming is often communal, with extended families working together during planting and harvest seasons.
Alongside farming, the Yandang also engage in hunting, pottery, weaving, and local crafts, which contribute to both household use and trade with neighboring communities.
Religion and Belief System
Traditionally, the Yandang believed in a Supreme Being, while also honoring ancestral spirits and natural forces associated with mountains, rivers, and sacred sites. Rituals, sacrifices, and community ceremonies maintained harmony between the living and the spiritual world.
Today, many Yandang people practice Christianity or Islam, but traces of traditional religion still survive, especially in festivals and rites of passage.
Festivals and Cultural Expressions
Festivals are central to Yandang cultural life, often tied to agriculture and ancestral remembrance. These include:
Harvest festivals celebrating fertility and abundance.
Initiation rites that mark the transition of youth into adulthood.
Ancestral commemorations, where the community honors its roots in Gorobi and the journeys of their forebears.
Dances, drumming, and masquerades accompany these events, bringing the community together in celebration and continuity.
Society and Family Life
The Yandang are organized into clans and lineages, each led by elders who play roles in governance, conflict resolution, and preservation of traditions. Family is central, and marriage is viewed not only as a union of individuals but also of extended kin networks.
Bridewealth often includes livestock, farm produce, or symbolic gifts, and weddings are celebrated with feasting, music, and dance.
Modern Yandang Identity
Today, the Yandang people balance tradition with modernity. Many are Christians or Muslims, many have embraced education and public service, yet the pull of Gorobi and the pride in their history remain strong.
From Adamawa to Taraba, they are remembered as a people of peace, resilience, and unity.
Conclusion: People of the Mountains, People of Peace
The story of the Yandang is one of journey and settlement, of mountains that became home, and of a people who carried their ancient memory into modern life.
They remind us that Adamawa’s strength lies not only in its diversity, but in the unique histories of its tribes — each one a pulse in the heartbeat of the land.
Because one Adamawa, many tribes — one pulse.
Tags:
Culture