13 Interesting Facts About the People of Saya (Sayawa Za’ar) Ethnic Group in Nigeria

This article will provide you with 13 Interesting Facts About the People of Saya (Sayawa Za’ar) Ethnic Group in Nigeria. Not much is on record about this people but this article aims to eliminate that. You will learn about the people, some of their beliefs as well as the state they reside in.

13 Interesting Facts About the People of Saya Ethnic Group

The people have unique cultures, beliefs as well as practices of their own. Learning about them will make you appreciate these customs. Not only will you be learning about the Saya people, but you will also learn a little about the state which they inhabit.

13 Interesting Facts About the People of Saya (Sayawa Za’ar) Ethnic Group in Nigeria

These are some interesting facts about the people of Saya (Sayawa Za’ar) ethnic group in Nigeria and also the state they inhabit.

1. State of Residence

The people reside in different states in Nigeria. They are Bauchi State, Plateau State, Kaduna State, Nasarawa State, Kogi State and also the federal capital territory, Abuja.

2. Language Population

From the number of states they reside in, it is safe that say that the people have a large population. A survey that took place in 2013 accounted the language speakers to be 300,000 in number. However, a recent survey has not been carried out.

3. Language is One of the Interesting Facts About the People of Saya (Sayawa Za’ar) Ethnic Group

The people speak the Sayawa language. It is a Chadic dialect cluster of Nigeria and it is not indigenous to Nigeria.

4. Language Family

The Saya language falls under the Afro=Asiatic family. The grouping is as follows;

  • Chadic
  • West
  • Barawa
  • Zaar
  • Saya

5. Language Dialects

The language has different dialects according to Ethnologue. They are

  • Sigidi (Segiddi, Sigdi, Sugudi)
  • Gambar (Gambar Leere, Kal, Lusa, Vigzar, Vikzar)

6. Etymology is Among the Interesting Facts About the People of Saya (Sayawa Za’ar) Ethnic Group

The people got the name Sayawa from the Hausa people. Saya in English means to buy so Sayawa in Hausa means buyer. To Sayawa speakers, their real name down from Chad to their present location is Zaar. The meaning of Zaar is a person of the land and it literally means a person of self relying on farming.

7. Migration History

Records show that the Sayawa people have come far from the East to the present Chad Republic between the 9th and 13th centuries. Also, it is believed that they migrated together with the Jarawa, Warjawa in Ningi local government area, Famawa, Angasawa, Suruwa, Mwagavul, and also Mupun in Plateau state.

They also migrated with the Kutumbawa in Kano State, Babur/Burra, Margi and Kilba in Borno as well as Adamawa State. Thus, they spread across the different states they inhabit presently.

8. Tradition

The Sayawa people have traditions and beliefs that are unique to them. Most of these traditions as well as cultural heritage are organized during festivals, marriage and also burial ceremonies.

9. Language Similarity; Interesting Facts About the People of Saya (Sayawa Za’ar) Ethnic Group

The Sayawa language shares great similarities with the languages of Warjawa, Babur/Bura, Kilba, Margi as well as Terawa. The Sayawa language is one of the Chadian group of languages.

10. Tribal Relationship

A popular belief is held that the Sayawa people had a strong relationship with the Gobir (Hausa) people. This is because of the similarity of tribal marks that both tribes share.

11. Settlement

The Sayawa were formerly living in various hills before coming down to low land. This was during the Jihad period and as a result of the peace treaty with the jihadist. From there, different settlements were formed as they moved.

Originally, there were about nine settlements but more have been established. In almost every settlement, the people had up to ten clans.

12. Occupation is Among the Interesting Facts About the People of Saya (Sayawa Za’ar) Ethnic Group

The main occupation of the people is farming. It can also be deduced from their name, Zaar. Aside from farming, they also kept animals like cattle, sheep as well as goats.

13. Alternative Names

The Saya people go by different names. They are also called Sayawa as well as Zaar. Sayanci is also a way the name can be spelt.

Conclusion

With these facts, you can learn a lot about the Saya people. These facts will also be of great help if you wish to do further research on the people.

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