The Afar people live primarily in Ethiopia and the areas of
Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa.
The Afar are also known as the Danakil, an ethnic group in
the Horn of Africa. They primarily live in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and in
northern Djibouti, although some also inhabit the southern point of Eritrea.
Afars speak the Afar language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the
Afro-Asiatic family.
The Anlo-Ewe people are today in the southeastern corner of
the Republic of Ghana. They settled here around 1474 after escaping from their
past home of Notsie.
The Anlo Ewe are a sub-group of the Ewe people of
approximately 6 million people, inhabiting southern Togo, southern Benin, southwest Nigeria, and
south-eastern parts of the Volta
Region of Ghana; meanwhile, a majority of Ewe are located in the entire
southern half of Togo and southwest Benin. They are a patrilineal society
governed by a hierarchal, centralized authority. Their
language (self-name Anlogbe) is a dialect of the Ewe
language, itself part of the Gbe language
cluster. The
Ewe religion is centered on a supreme god Mawu and several
intermediate divinities.
The Amhara are the politically and culturally dominant
ethnic group of Ethiopia. They are located primarily in the central highland
plateau of Ethiopia and comprise the major population element in the provinces
of Begemder and Gojjam and in parts of Shoa and Wallo. The Amhara (Amharic: አማራ?, Āmara; Ge'ez: አምሐራ,ʾÄməḥära) are
an ethnic group inhabiting the central highlands of Ethiopia. According
to the 2007 national census, they numbered 30,870,651 individuals, comprising
30.89% of the country's population. They
speak Amharic, an Afro-Asiatic language of the Semitic branch,
and are one of the Habesha peoples.
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Ashanti
The Ashanti live in central Ghana in western Africa approximately 300km. away from the coast. The Ashanti are a major ethnic group of the Akans in Ghana, a fairly new nation, barely more than 50 years old. Ashanti, or Asante (pronunciation: /ˈæʃɑːnˈtiː/ a-shahn-tee), are a nation and Akan people who live predominantly in, and native to Ashanti, Asanteman, and in Ghana and Ivory Coast. They speak the Akan language and the Asante dialect, and are of Akan origin. Prior to European colonization, the Ashanti people developed a large and influential empire in West Africa. The Ashanti later developed the powerful Ashanti Confederacy or Asanteman and became the dominant presence in the region. The Asantehene is the political and spiritual head of the Asantes.
The Ashanti live in central Ghana in western Africa approximately 300km. away from the coast. The Ashanti are a major ethnic group of the Akans in Ghana, a fairly new nation, barely more than 50 years old. Ashanti, or Asante (pronunciation: /ˈæʃɑːnˈtiː/ a-shahn-tee), are a nation and Akan people who live predominantly in, and native to Ashanti, Asanteman, and in Ghana and Ivory Coast. They speak the Akan language and the Asante dialect, and are of Akan origin. Prior to European colonization, the Ashanti people developed a large and influential empire in West Africa. The Ashanti later developed the powerful Ashanti Confederacy or Asanteman and became the dominant presence in the region. The Asantehene is the political and spiritual head of the Asantes.
The Bakongo people (aka. the Kongo) dwell along the Atlantic
coast of Africa from Pointe-Noire, Congo (Brazzaville) to Luanda, Angola.
The Bakongo, or the Kongo people (Kongo:
“hunters”),
also referred to as the Congolese, are a Bantu ethnic
group who live along the Atlantic coast
of Africa from Pointe-Noire(Republic
of Congo) to Luanda, Angola. They are primarily defined by the
speaking of Kikongo,
a common language. They are the largest ethnic group in the Republic of Congo.
In the late 20th century, they numbered about 10,220,000.
The Bambara are a large Mande racial group located mostly in
the country of Mali but also in Guinea, Burkina Faso and Senegal, west Africa. They are considered to be amongst the largest Mandé ethnic groups, and are the dominant Mandé group in Mali, with 80% of the population speaking the Bambara language, regardless of ethnicity.
The Bemba are located in the northeastern part of Zambia and
are the largest ethnic group in the Northern Province of Zambia.
The Bemba (or 'BaBemba' using the Ba- prefix
to mean 'people of', and also called 'Awemba' or 'BaWemba' in the past) belong
to a large group of Bantu peoples mainly in
the Northern, Luapula and Copperbelt Provinces of
Zambia who trace their origins to the Luba and Lunda states of the
upper Congo basin, in what became Katanga Province in
southern Congo-Kinshasa (DRC). They are the largest ethnic group in
Zambia. Bemba history is a major historical phenomenon in the development of
chieftainship in a large and culturally homogeneous region of
central Africa.
Berbers have lived in Africa since the earliest recorded
time. References date back to 3000 BC. There are many scattered tribes of
Berber across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt.
The Berbers (Berber: Imazighen/Imaziyenin plural, and Amazigh in singular) are the ethnicity indigenous to North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are distributed from the Atlantic Ocean to the Siwa Oasis in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Niger River. Historically they spoke Berber languages, which together form the "Berber branch" of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Since the Muslim conquest of North Africa in the seventh century, a large portion of Berbers have spoken varieties of Maghrebi Arabic, either by choice or obligation. Foreign languages like French and Spanish, inherited from former European colonial powers, are used by most educated Berbers in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia in some formal contexts such as higher education or business.
The Berbers (Berber: Imazighen/Imaziyenin plural, and Amazigh in singular) are the ethnicity indigenous to North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are distributed from the Atlantic Ocean to the Siwa Oasis in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Niger River. Historically they spoke Berber languages, which together form the "Berber branch" of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Since the Muslim conquest of North Africa in the seventh century, a large portion of Berbers have spoken varieties of Maghrebi Arabic, either by choice or obligation. Foreign languages like French and Spanish, inherited from former European colonial powers, are used by most educated Berbers in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia in some formal contexts such as higher education or business.
The Bobo people have lived in western Burkina Faso and Mali
for centuries although the area occupied by the Bobo extends north into Mali.
They are known for their masks which are worn with elaborate outfits for
celebrations. Primarily agricultral people they also cultivate cotton which
they use to trade with others.
In much of the literature on African art the group that
lives in the area of Bobo-Dioulasso is called area of Bobo-Dioulasso is called
Bobo-Fing, literally 'black Bob.' These people call themselves Bobo and they
speak the Bobo language, a Mande Language.
The 'Bushmen' are the oldest inhabitants of southern Africa,
where they have lived for at least 20,000 years. Their home is in the vast
expanse of the Kalahari desert.
The San people (or Saan), also known as Bushmen,
or Basarwa – all considered pejorative to some degree – are members of
various indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples
of Southern Africa, whose territory spans Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South
Africa. There is a significant linguistic difference between the northern
people living between the Okavango
River in Botswana and Etosha National Park in northwestern
Namibia, extending up into southern Angola; the central people of most of
Namibia and Botswana, extending into Zambia and Zimbabwe; and the southern
people in the central Kalahari towards
the Molopo River, who are the last remnant of the
previously extensive indigenous San of South Africa.
The Chewa, also known as the Cewa or Chichewa is an African
culture that has existed since the beginning of the first millennium, A.D. They
are primarily located in Zambia, Zimbabwe, with the bulk of the population in
Malawi.
There are two large Chewa clans, the Phiri and
the Banda, with a population of 1.5 million
people. The Phiri are associated with the kings and aristocracy, the Banda
with healers and mystics.
Dogon
The Dogon are a cliff-dwelling people who live in Southeastern Mali and Burkina Faso. Among the people groups in Africa they are unique in that they have kept and continued to develop their own culture even in the midst of Islamic invasions which have conquered and adapted many of the current people groups |
The Fang are especially known for their guardian figures
which they attached to wooden boxes containing bones of the ancestors. The
bones, by tradition, are said to contain the power of the dead person, in fact,
the same amount of power that the person had while still alive.
The Fon of Benin, originally called Dahomey until 1975, are
from West Africa. The Fon are said to have originated in the area of Tado, a
town in Tago, at approximately the same latitude as Abomey, Benin.
Most Fon today live in villages and small towns in mud
houses with corrugated iron gable roofs. Cities built by the Fon
include Abomey, the historical capital city of Dahomey,
and Ouidah on the Slave Coast.
These cities were major commercial centres for the slave trade.
The Fon founded the Kingdom of Dahomey around 1600. During
the early 17th century, the King of Dahomey, Agaja (reigned 1708-1732),
conquered most of the current area of southern Benin (except Porto-Novo), to
establish direct contact with European traders.
 Fulani The Fulani people of West Africa are the largest nomadic
group in the world, primarily nomadic herders and traders. Through their
nomadic lifestyle, they established numerous trade routes in West Africa. They played a significant role in the rise and fall of the
Mossi states in Burkina and also contributed to the migratory movements of
people southward through Niger and Nigeria into Cameroon. |
The Ibos do not wear any clothing until they reach puberty
and adults begin to wear pieces of cloth and loose cotton shirts. Women
often wear cloth wrapped around their heads as well.
In rural areas of Nigeria, Igbo people are mostly craftsmen,
farmers and traders. The most important crop is the yam; celebrations are
held annually to celebrate its harvesting. Other staple crops
include cassava and taro.
Having migrated to their current location about four
centuries ago, the Kikuyu now make up Kenya’s largest ethnic group.
The Kikuyu are of Bantu origin inhabiting Southeast Africa.
They constitute the single largest ethnic group in Kenya, and are concentrated
in the vicinity of Mount Kenya. The exact place that the Kikuyu's
ancestors migrated from after the initial Bantu expansion from West Africa is
uncertain.
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| Credit: wikipedia(Maasai warriors jumping) |
The Maasai, famous as herders and warriors, once dominated
the plains of East Africa. Now however they are confined to a fraction of their
former range.
The Maasai (sometimes spelled "Masai") are a
Nilotic ethnic group of semi-nomadic people inhabiting southern Kenya and
northern Tanzania. They are among the best known local populations due to their
residence near the many game parks of Southeast Africa, and their distinctive
customs and dress.
The Mandinka (also known as Mandinko or Mandingo) are
an ethnic group that live in West Africa, primarily Senegal, Gambia, and
Guinea-Bissau, but some also live in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Cote d'Ivoire.
They are the descendants of the Mali Empire, which rose
to power under the rule of the great Mandinka king Sundiata Keita. The
Mandinka in turn belong to West Africa's largest ethnolinguistic group, the
Mandé, who account for more than twenty million people (including
the Dyula, Bozo, Bissa and Bambara). Today, over 99% of
Mandinka in Africa are Muslim.
There are many different 'Pygmy' peoples – for example, the
Bambuti, the Batwa, the Bayaka and the Bagyeli ('Ba -' means 'people') – who
live scattered over a huge area in central and western Africa, in the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Congo (Brazzaville), Cameroon, Gabon,
Central African Republic, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.
A pygmy is a member of an ethnic group whose average
height is unusually short; many anthropologists define pygmy as a memeber of
any group where adult men are on average less than 150 cm (4 feet 11 inches)
tall.
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| Credit: flickr.com |
The Samburu are related to the Masai although they live just above the equator where the foothills of Mount Kenya merge into the northern desert and slightly south of Lake Turkana in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya.
The Senufo are a group of people living in northern Cote
d'Ivoire and Mali. They are known as excellent farmers and are made up of a
number of different groups who moved south to Mali and Cote d'Ivoire in the 15
and 16th centuries.
Tuareg The Tuareg people are predominently nomadic people of the
sahara desert, mostly in the Northern reaches of Mali near Timbuktu and Kidal.| Wolof |
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| Credit: forumbiodiversity.com |
The Yoruba people live in Southwest Nigeria and Benin. They
have developed a variety of different artistic forms including pottery,
weaving, beadwork, metalwork, and mask making.
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Zulu
The Zulu are the largest ethnic group in South Africa. They
are well known for their beautiful brightly colored beads and baskets as well
as other small carvings.
