I am Gbagyi by tribe, the indigenous people of FCT Abuja. We are known to be majorly farmers and hunters. Till date, farming is a heritage we still hold onto, but with development, our people have abandoned hunting for civil businesses. Tribes from the North and North Central may be familiar with the Gbagyi people, but those in the Southeast and Southwest may be hearing about us for the very first time, if not for the benefit of the internet that showcases vast cultures across the world. The Gbagyi people live in Niger State, Kaduna State, and part of Nasarawa, but the majority are found in the FCT.
We speak Gbagyi. From history, we were told that objects and events were named based on their use, their shapes, events surrounding their discovery, and what they looked like. Items and events that came after that era were named following the Hausa tribe. Like "spoon"—we don't have a name for it in my tribe; we call it as the Hausa people do, "chokoli". So I'll say my tribe is a combination of theirs and that of the Hausa people, since they share history from way back when they dominated most of the Northern States like Kano and Sokoto but had to move down to Abuja to avoid conflicts with the northerners.
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My tribe isn't difficult to learn. I know most tribes believe the same for their languages, but this isn't because I assumed it. Most tribes that lived with the Gbagyi people learn to speak the language within a year or two. People who stay longer often understand the language and speak it as well. Maybe it's because the tonation is short and interesting, haha. I know a lot of people believe theirs is also interesting; however, not everyone may find it easy to speak and understand, but most people do, and I'm judging from the number of people who have lived among the Gbagyi people and can speak the language after a while.
Even though the language is easy to learn verbally, reading and writing it is difficult. In fact, just a very few people can read and write the Gbagyi language. We have the Gbagyi Bible, but only a few can read it, and it's very rare. I myself can't read the written language and can't write it. It's easier for me to write other languages compared to mine. I learned that most translations written in my language were done by the missionaries who lived among us. They interacted with the Gbagyi people for years until they were able to understand and speak the language, then they wrote a translation in the language.
It would take years for me to be able to read and write the language, even as one born into the tribe. The language is easy to speak and understand, but it's difficult to read and write. It doesn't come with the usual vowels used in the English language; it combines consonants and vowels all together within words. With such mixed sounds, it's difficult to read, and if one has to write the language as easily as they pronounce it, they'll definitely spell the words wrongly. My verdict is: the Gbagyi language is easy to speak but difficult to read and write. Only a few Gbagyi people can actually do that.
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