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People of Africa

This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while now and I didn’t get the chance...until now. You see, I speak about Africa, write about Africa, been to Africa, yet I still have a lot more to learn about the 'Motherland'. I have read several books about the continent and have acquired knowledge on the subject more than the average person. However I feel as though I need to do some research on the people (you may refer to them as tribes) of Africa because Africa is a big continent with different people, customs, cultures and traditions and for a person who’s heritage starts in Africa I feel I need to do more research on this.

Every time I update this piece, I will do so by featuring about a different people (tribe) on the continent.

Today I will feature the Amhara tribe, who you may find very interesting...well if you research a bit more on the group...

The people that I will feature today are the Amhara people, who are a group of people from Ethiopia with a population of about 20 million. The word Amhara simply means gracious or beautiful, it is derived from the word Amari. They speak the Amharic language.

The Amhara people is noted for their aristocracy in Ethiopia both in politics and wealth. The Amhara mostly practice orthodox Christianity.

According to Wikipedia, a priest will visit a young infant just after birth to bless the child and circumcise the baby if it’s a boy. The mother and baby boy will stay in the house for 40 days after birth and 80 days if it’s a girl before they get baptized.

I quickly researched some info on the Fante people and came up with the following. Go figure!

The Fante people are one of the Akan people and are located in the region of Ghana. There are also Fante people in the Ivory Coast.

The Fante people were known to prevent the Portuguese from travelling inland during the time when Europeans first travelled to West Africa to 'trade'. Instead they (the Fante people) leased properties to them (the Portuguese). According to Wikipedia, when the Portuguese did not follow Fante regulations, they were expelled by the Fante. The Fante served as the middlemen between the British and Dutch traders, hmmmm. There has been several wars between the Fante and Ashanti. The Fante of the Akan believe in a supreme deity. According to Akan mythology, this god freely interacted with man. People believe that they can make direct contact with him without the aid of priests. There are several other gods who receive their power from the supreme god and are connected to the natural world. Nearly everyone participates in daily prayer, which includes the pouring of libations as an offering to both the ancestors, who are buried in the land, and to the spirits who are everywhere. The earth is seen as a female deity and is directly connected to fertility.

Here is some info on the Yoruba people

The Yoruba ethnic group is one of the largest in Africa. The Yoruba people live in Benin, Nigeria, and Togo with Nigeria having the largest amount of the proud tribe’s people. It is reported that the Yoruba produce 90 percent of the cocoa of Nigeria. The men work as traders and craftsmen. Agriculture is very important. From my readings I found out that the Yoruba in Nigeria cannot clearly unearth their roots accurately. IT is difficult to tell the origins of the Yoruba. IT is believed that their descendants (Odudua) came from Egypt. The only evidence for this assumption is the resemblance of the sculptures found in Egypt and the ones found in the city of Ife (Yoruban city). The belief systems of the Yorubans change over time from traditional beliefs to the most common religions. Most of this ethnic group is either Christian or Muslim, still many retain their traditional beliefs such as Shango and Odudua.

I briefly researched the Tutsi people of Rwanda and Burundi and came up with the information below.

The Tutsi people are natives from Rwanda and Burundi in Central Africa. They represent a traditional aristocratic minority, which controlled the majority of the population the (Hutu) people.

From the 15th century to 1961 the Tutsi's had a monarchy and was ruled by a king (the Mwami) until the Belgians got rid of the monarchy following a referendum in 1961. After 1961 the Tutsi's lost their dominant position to the Hutu’s after the end of the Tutsi monarchy. Tensions between these two tribes continued after around 10, 000 died (mostly Hutu’s) in a futile Hutu revolt. Clashes continued in Burundi and Rwanda until 1993-1994 when the Hutu’s waged genocide war on the Tutsi’s and their Hutu allies.

To determine a Tutsi was a complicated story and difficult task and the Belgian and German regimes could not tell the difference between the Tutsi’s and wealthy people from other tribes. As a result the German colonialists classified anyone with more than ten cows as Tutsi's or even using racial theories such as the features of a Tutsi (if they have any European features such as the shape of their nose then they are a Tutsi).

It is said that the Tutsi people were assisted by Belgian and German colonial regimes which helped to create a tense relationship with the Hutu’s. There is little difference between the Tutsi's and the Hutu cultures as they both speak the same language and share similar traditional and Christian beliefs. The Tutsi and the Hutu have recently integrated on a large scale and have many similarities. To an outsider these two tribes may be similar but in Rwanda and Burundi, everyone knows who is from which tribe.

Here is some brief info on the Ashanti Tribe

The Ashanti people is the largest (tribe) in Ghana. This is a matrilineal society which means that a member of the Ashanti tribe can only trace their Ashanti ancestry through the women of the tribe. This is important and when it comes to decisions such as land rights, inheritance and titles the mother will have the right to decide these.

Although not considered as important as the mother, the father provides the soul of the child, who’s character and behavioural traits will come from the father.

The Ashanti was known for the brilliance and wealth of their rulers, however they are now mainly known for their craft work and Kente cloth, which is usually made from cotton. The Ashanti is also known for weaving, wood carving and ceramics which are mainly done by men.

An Ashanti village is an economic unit as well as a social unit. At the major ceremonies every member will participate.

BTW the R&B singer Ashanti named herself after this tribe. If you'd like to know anything else about the Ashanti then...Google it!

Today I will start by doing research on the Fulani people (tribe).

The Fulan

The Fulani people of West Africa are said to be the largest travelling people in the world. The Fulani people consist of a varied group of people who were conquered and became part of the Fulani as Islam spread through Africa. The Fulani people can be found in; Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Benin, Sudan, Ghana, Togo and other countries across Africa.

The Fulani are a proud people. Originally they are traders and as they travel so much, they set up several trade routes in West Africa and are known for travelling to local markets, interact with the people and spreading what they know throughout West Africa. I also found out that the Fulani have a lot of respect for beauty, which is very important to them.

People have different views about where exactly the Fulani people are from. Many believe that they are from North Africa or Arabic origin due to their ‘light skin and straight hair’. Nonetheless recent studies show that the Fulani are descendants of Nomads from both North and Sub Saharan Africa.

As a result of Jihads and holy wars, the Fulani were the first group of people in West Africa to convert to Islam. They took over much of West Africa and became not only a religious group but a political and economic force.

So there you have it, this is all I could find out about the Fulani people. There may be many other important info I missed out about the Fulani but hey.. If you would like to find out more you can ‘Google it’.

Come back next time when I will feature another African tribe (people).

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