In a country where a large percentage of its citizens are adopting the western culture, there is a tribe that has not given in to westernisation. The Koma ethnic group is located in the Atlantika Mountains of Adamawa state and it is made up of people who are dedicated to their traditional culture.
The Koma people were initially not recognised as a tribe in Nigeria until the year 1961- one year after Nigeria got her independence. This tribe shares a border with Cameroon and are broken down into three major groups:
i. The Verre lowlanders
ii. The Vomni
iii. The hill dwelling Beya and Nnamti
What outfits do the Koma people wear?
The men of this community wear loin cloths while their women make use of fresh leaves to cover themselves. Although, some of the youths in resettled areas wear modern clothes, however this is a very minute percentage compared to the number of people who still don the traditional attire.
What language is spoken among the Koma tribe?
According to Pulse Nigeria, the Koma people are estimated to have around 62,000 speakers of their language which is known as Koma. This language originates from the Niger Congo family
How is the day to day life of the Koma tribe?
The Koma people light a fire by rubbing stones together, and make use of mangul- a traditional salt gotten from the hills when cooking. To show acceptance and friendship, a Koma man can share his wife with his friends and visitors.
The birth of twins is regarded as evil among the people of Koma. According to Wikipedia, it was not until recently that babies of multiple births stopped being buried along with their mothers. Although this practice of burying twins is still there among the people whose settlement is deep in the hills, other Koma’s who dwell on the plains have stopped the practice
Source: Wikipedia, Pulse NG
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