THE ETHNOGRAPHY AND HISTORICAL ORIGIN, MIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT OF THE PYAM PEOPLE OF JOS PLATEAU STATE

This paper examines the historical origin, migration and settlement of the Pyamethnic nationality of Jos Plateau statefrom the pre-jihad period to the colonial times. The purpose is to unveil and document the history of the people with the view to discountenance with baseless assertions surrounding the past, origin and settlement of the Pyam. The paper tries to look at the push and pull factors that contributed to the wave ofMigration and the subsequent outpouring of the Pyam in their present abode. The methodology adopted for the purpose of this study was a survey of the area through field trip to get acquitted with the areas and thereafter, a field work was carried out accordingly using structured questionnaires. The data generated through the oral interviews was carefully analysed using the narrative,analytic and descriptive approach. Furthermore, secondary sources and archival materials relevant to the study were also obtained from the national Archive Kaduna and the Department of History and International studies, University of Jos. The method adopted provided a good analysis base in this study thereby revealing its nature.