13 Interesting Facts About the People of Margi (Marghi) Ethnic Group in Nigeria

Have you heard about the Margi people before? Or it is possible that you might have come across one of them but do not know much about the people. It is a good thing then that you are reading this post. Today’s article will educate you on 13 Interesting Facts About the People of Margi (Marghi) Ethnic Group in Nigeria.

13 Interesting Facts About the People of Margi Ethnic Group

As Nigeria is a very diverse country when it comes to cultures and ethnicity, it is important that you become familiar with the groups. It will help you to understand as well as appreciate the different ethnic groups that make up the country.

13 Interesting Facts About the People of Margi (Marghi) Ethnic Group in Nigeria

You can learn interesting facts about the people of Margi (Marghi) ethnic group in Nigeria and also their resident states from the following.

1. Resident State

The Margi people occupy different states in the country. The majority of them live in Adamawa state and also in Borno state. There are some of them that also reside in Yobe State.

2. History

There are some records that show that the Margi or Marghi people came from Yemen to the Nile Valley with some other tribes. The tribes are Kilba, Bolewa, Mandara, Bura, Kanakuru, Karekare, Ngizzim, Ngamo and also Tera. They migrated to the Nile Valley due to certain frictions. Also, the people were forced to move to Lake Chad from Sudan in Central Africa.

There are also other historical records that show that parts of these tribes once settled in Kenya. These tribes migrated with the Marghi people to the Lake Chad area before reaching and settling in other places.

3. Language is One of the Interesting Facts About the People of Margi Ethnic Group

The Margi or Marghi language is a Chadic language. The Chadic language is a branch of the Afroasiatic language.

4. Occupation

The major occupation of the people is farming and also fishing. The people consider farming as a high-end job. They actually pride themselves to be great farmers. Another part of their occupation is hunting, crafting as well as trading as it adds to the society’s economy.

5. Settlement

The Margi people have ways they built their houses before the coming of the colonial masters. Their houses were round and rectangular mud buildings. Also, they were of thatch roof and the fences were built with corn stalks (Kadaka) as well as mud walls and stone piles (dziga). There are also some of them that fence their compounds with cacti or Widu.

6. Food is One of the Interesting Facts About the People of Margi Ethnic Group

The people have a food that they call “Marghi special”. It is popular amongst the Margi natives of Maiduguri in Borno state. The preparation of the food is with white zobo or yakuwa and also spinach (alayyahu). Margi people that reside in Adamawa state call the local food “Meltuble”.

7. Education

Records show that the Marghi people value education for themselves as well as for their young ones. The people have local schools and there are also state schools that they attend for educational purposes.

8. Military Life

The Margi people are great warriors. The men train their young boys how to use bows and arrows. There are records that show the Margi warriors using poisoned arrows to shoot games and also their enemies.

The men carry small knives around their arms and also big knives around their waist. Also, they have with them two spear bows as well as quivers full of bows. A typical Marghi man can fight on foot as well as on horseback. The Marghi people believe in self-confidence, self-reliance, independence and also self-sufficiency.

9. Marriage is Among the Interesting Facts About the People of Margi Ethnic Group

The people are one of the many ethnic groups that believe in marriage and the payment of bride price. A typical Marghi man in the old times, can marry many wives to work in the farmlands and bear many children.

10. Religion

The people practice different religions. The majority of them are Muslims but they are religion tolerant. They also have Christians and those who practice traditional beliefs.

11. Traditional Attire

In ancient times, the Marghi people have particular clothing. The women wore a goat skin fringe with the name dzar. Along with it, they wore a cloth covering their buttocks that is called gumbara. The gumbara was made of alternating strips of blue and white cotton.

The men would traditionally wear ram skin called pizhi. However, due to modernity, they wear Western clothes now as well as northern Nigerian Muslim wear.

12. Sociopolitical System is One of the Interesting Facts About the People of Margi Ethnic Group

Documented history shows that the different dialects of the people have chiefs in their villages. They call their chiefs “Ptil”. They also have a council of elders whom they call “Shilir pathla”. However, there is the Margi Putai tribe who call their chiefs “Mai”.

The people have a social stratum that consists of Chiefs, council of elders, chief priests, chief’s assistants as well as traditional police. Almost all Marghi settlements have organized chieftaincies.

13. Tribes

The Margi people although one are split into different tribes as well as dialects. This might be because they reside in different states. They have the Margi Babal and also the Margi Udzur’ngu. These two tribes have similar languages with dialectic differences.

The Margi people are not only indigenous to Nigeria. Some of them reside in Cameroon as well as Chad.

Conclusion

These facts help to understand more about the Margi people. It contains their origin, their traditional food, what they believe in as well as what their lives were like before the colonial rule.

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