Ham people

The Ham people (exonyms: Tyap: A̱daa) are an ethnic group found in the southern part of Kaduna State in the northwestern region of Nigeria,[1] predominantly in Jaba, Kachia and Kagarko Local Government Areas of southern Kaduna State, Nigeria. They speak the Hyam language and refer to themselves as Ham. They are known as the 'Jaba' in Hausa, but a recent study by a linguist who is a native of the area (John 2017) has definitely proven that the label 'Jaba' was derogatory and should be rejected.[2][3] Some estimates place the Ham as numbering 400,000.[4]

Ham
Total population
300,000 (2014 NBTT)[5]
Regions with significant populations
Nigeria
Languages
Hyam
Religion
Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Gwong, Anghan, Adara, Koro (Tinor), Atyap, Berom, Jukun, Efik, Tiv, Igbo, Yoruba, Edo and other Benue-Congo peoples of Middle Belt and southern Nigeria
  1. ^ Ibrahim, James (1986). The Ham in history : the Ham and their neighbours. Jos University Press. ISBN 978-166-038-4.
  2. ^ John, P. H. (2017). Narratives of identity and sociocultural worldview in song texts of the Ham of Nigeria: A discourse analysis investigation (Doctoral dissertation, Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University).
  3. ^ "Hyam". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
  4. ^ "Hyamic".
  5. ^ "Hyam". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2017-04-30.