Plateau State is a land where culture dances on the hills, echoes in the drums, and speaks through symbols older than memory. From the leopard skin draped in honor, to the vibrant costumes that swirl in unison, to the age-old feasts that mark time itself, every tribe here tells its story not just in words, but in the way they live, celebrate, and endure.
And yet, for all their differences, the people of Plateau are tied together like threads in one woven cloth. They share farming roots, clan-based traditions, spirited festivals, ancestral pride, and a resilience that has carried them from rocky settlements of old into the modern day. It is this balance of uniqueness and unity that makes guessing their identities both fun and challenging.
So, here is your chance to play along. We have turned cultural clues into riddles symbolic, tricky, and full of hidden meaning. Can you read between the lines, connect the symbols, and guess that tribe?
● From the cradle of Nok I came, when swords drew near, I fled to the hills. My drums still thunder in Jos and Mangu, and even across into Bauchi’s lands. They call me by two names—one mine, one given. My dance is fire, my spirit unbroken. Guess that Tribe!
● I’m an old Plateau household name, large enough to shape the state’s story. My homes spread across four LGAs, with cousins tucked away in southern Kaduna. Sundays are loud with hymns and almost all of us attend. Our cloth once carried three colors; today the white is mostly set aside. What endures? Maroon and dark green—the green recalling the cactus that thrives where we do. Guess that Tribe!
● I remember the throne of Kwararafa, kin to the south and north alike. My king rules beside clan priests, and our fields rise with yam and millet. In the old plains where harvest drums call, some named me two other names, but I keep the one that is mine. Guess that Tribe!
● In the hills of Mangu I make my home, clothed in cotton, wool, and hide.My steps beat out a message, my costumes speak where words fall silent. The world studies the way I speak, for my tongue remembers the thinker of thoughts as clearly as the speaker of words. Guess that Tribe!
● I wear the leopard’s skin a sign of strength, a memory of battles fought and won. My home is known for raising many who march in rank,so often that the world calls it the land of generals. I till the soil, I honor my ancestors, I endure in faith and in unity. Guess that Tribe!
Think you’ve cracked these? Drop your guesses below and then peek at the comments for the answers.
(Answers: Afizere, Berom, Goemai, Mwaghavul, and Tarok).