Mythologies of the Bassa Tribe
The Bassa tribe are a West African ethnic group primarily native to Liberia. The Bassa people are a subgroup of the larger Kru people of Liberia and Ivory Coast. They form a majority or a significant minority in Liberia's Grand Bassa, Rivercess, Margibi and Montserrado counties. In Liberia's capital of Monrovia, they are the largest ethnic group. With an overall population of about 1.05 million, they are the second largest ethnic group in Liberia (18%), after the Kpelle people (26%). Small Bassa communities are also found in Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. The Bassa speak the Bassa language, a Kru language that belongs to the Niger-Congo family of languages. They had their own pictographic writing system but it went out of use in the 19th century, was rediscovered among the slaves of Brazil and the West Indies in 1890s, and reconstructed in early 1900 by Thomas Flo Darvin Lewis. The revived signs-based script is called Ehni Ka Se Fa. In local languages, the Bassa people are also known as Gboboh, Adbassa or Bambog-Mbog people.
The Bassa (also spelled Basa or Basaa and sometimes known as Bassa-Bakongo) are a Bantu ethnic group in Cameroon. They number approximately 800,000 individuals. The Bassa speak the Basaa language. Depending on the sources, we can encounter multiple variations of the ethnonym: Basaa, Bassa, Betjek, Bikyek. The term Bassa is the plural of nsa which can be translated as sharing or remuneration. Legend has it that an argument took place between the sons of a common Bassa ancestor called Mban. This dispute concerned the sharing of a game after returning from hunting to the village, it was a snake. At the end of this dispute, the protagonists were nicknamed Bassa, which translates as “the kidnappers”. However, the oldest term Bassa comes to us from Egypt under the term Umm usuda. Subsequently, Portuguese texts subsequent to this period use the terms Mascha, Easha, Biafra, Biafaré to designate the Bassa. The Bassa were displaced by Duala and early European traders, suffering exploitation and marginalization during the era of German Kamerun. Their fishing and farming efforts shrunk. During this German era, most Bassa were anti-colonialists, fighting against German expansion beyond the coast. However, they suffered a major defeat and were subjected to forced labor in the construction of the Douala-Yaoundé "Mittel Kamerun" railway.
The Bassa people are an ethnic group primarily native to the West African country, Liberia. They are the second largest ethnic group in Liberia, although small communities are also found in Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. They speak the Bassa Language, a Kru Language spoken in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Historically, the Bassa people originated from Western Sudan and later migrated to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo and other African countries. They used to be rice and cassava farmers in the 70s. The religion of the Bassa people is predominantly Christianity, which arrived during the colonial era. The Bassa have a proper and ethical foundation where they revere ancestors and supernatural spirits. Rich in culture and traditions, the Bassa people are known for body imprints and designs. Men and women decorate themselves with different items that can be seen on their hands, legs, backs and stomach. Elderly people who lost their teeth are also know to fill them in to appear more youthful. Immediately, after marriage women are expected to conceive, just like in every African culture. Male children are usually more favored than the female as they are thought to build other people’s homes, while the male are viewed as the protectors and the ones who will continue the lineage. Native to the Bassa people is yam, cassava, eddoes and plantain farming. They are an organized ethnic group who live in small communities and are usually governed by chiefs.
The Bassa (also spelled Basa and sometimes known as Bassa-Bakongo) are a Bantu ethnic group in Cameroon and Liberia. In Cameroon they number approximately 800,000 individuals. In Liberia they form a majority or a significant minority in Liberia's Grand Bassa, Rivercess, Margibi and Montserrado counties. In Liberia's capital of Monrovia, they are the largest ethnic group. With an overall population of about 0.57 million, they are the second largest ethnic group in Liberia (13.4%), after the Kpelle people (20.3%). Small Bassa communities are also found in Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. The Bassa speak the Bassa language, a Kru language that belongs to the Niger-Congo family of languages. In local languages, the Bassa people are also known as Gboboh, Adbassa or Bambog-Mbog people. The Bassa people are from Egypt in the 6th Century b.c. who later migrated to and lived in coastal West Africa and other parts including Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo and Nigeria, Senegal while others settled in central African region of Cameroon and Congo. Geographically separated groups evolved their separate culture, language and society. The Bassa people are related to the Basari people of Togo and Senegal, the Bassa-Mpoku people in Congo regions, the Bassa people of Cameroon. The linguistic evidence and oral traditions of these geographically diverse, small yet significant group suggests that their name Bassa may be related to Bassa Sooh Nyombe which means "Father Stone's people". Early European traders had trouble pronouncing the entire phrase, and the shorter form Bassa has been used in Western literature ever since.
The Bassa people are a West African ethnic group primarily native to Liberia. They form a majority or a significant minority in Liberia’s Grand Bassa, Rivercess, Margibi and Montserrado counties. In Liberia’s capital of Monrovia, they are the largest ethnic group. With an overall population of about 0.57 million, they are the second largest ethnic group in Liberia (13.4%), after the Kpelle people (20.3%). Small Bassa communities are also found in Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. The Bassa speak the Bassa language, a Kru language that belongs to the Niger-Congo family of languages. They had their own pictographic writing system but it went out of use in the 19th century, was rediscovered among the slaves of Brazil and the West Indies in 1890s, and reconstructed in early 1900 by Thomas Flo Darvin Lewis. The revived signs-based script is called Ehni Ka Se Fa. In local languages, the Bassa people are also known as Gboboh, Adbassa or Bambog-Mbog people.
Bassa is a member of the Western Kru branch of the Niger-Congo language family. It is spoken mainly in cenral Liberia, and also in western Sierra Leone, by about 740,300 people (in 2020). In Liberia Bassa is spoken by about 733,000 people in the counties of Grand Bassa, Margibi, Bong and Montserrado. In Sierra Leone there are about 7,300 speakers of Bassa mainly in Freetown in the Western Area Urban District of the Western Area Province. Bassa is usually written with the Latin alphabet. Several spelling systems were created during the 20th century by missionaries and the Liberian Ministry of Education. The one shown below was developed in the 1960s by a missionary called June Hobley and was based on an orthography devised by the Rev. Percy E. Clubine in the 1930s. It has been used to print numerous works of Christian literature. The Bassa Vah script is also used to some extent, particularly by older men.
The Bassa speak the Bassa language, a Kru language that belongs to the Niger-Congo family of languages. They had their own pictographic writing system but it went out of use in the 19th century, was rediscovered among the slaves of Brazil and the West Indies in 1890s, and reconstructed in early 1900 by Thomas Flo Darvin Lewis. [5] [6] The revived signs-based script is called Ehni Ka Se Fa. In local languages, the Bassa people are also known as Gboboh, Adbassa or Bambog-Mbog people. The linguistic evidence and oral traditions of these geographically diverse, small yet significant group suggests that their name Bassa may be related to Bassa Sooh Nyombe which means "Father Stone's people". Early European traders had trouble pronouncing the entire phrase, and the shorter form Bassa has been used in Western literature ever since. The Dan people, neighbors of the Bassa in Liberia, were especially attracted to brass jewelry. Dan women wore significant amounts of brass jewelry, as the amount of brass was directly correlated to their husband's wealth. Many Dan women would wear several pairs of anklets and bracelets that could weigh up to 8 pounds each. Until brass jewelry was banned in the late 1930s by Liberia's minister of health, Rudolf Fuszek, that claimed the brass jewelry was the cause of chafing infections and orthopedic problems. The sudden surplus of brass would be melted down and recast for other purposes. The Bassa people are likely responsible for producing some of these new uses for brass among the Dan. they were miniature brass cast masks called ma go, or "small head". The Bassa people are traditionally settled farmers who grow yam, cassava, eddoes and plantain. They are a lineage-linked independent clans who live in villages, each with a chief. The Bassa people, before colonial occupation, had populations with occupational categories of farmers, barterers / traders, and lagoon fishermen. As well as a set of categories that had hierarchies based on practitioner skill, consisting of blacksmiths, carvers, weavers, potters, and other craftsmen.
The Bassa are a native Bantu people of Cameroon, extending right into West Africa, where they constitute numerous families. Their scattered location derives not only from the migratory movements which led to the fanning out of certain large tribes, but also from the effects of colonization. The Asiko is a traditional Bassa dance. It is a sacred dance which some believe requires that the individual follow a “spiritual initiation” to be able to perform the dance. It is a very difficult and complex dance. The rhythm speaks to its complexity. It is also considered a mystical dance which only a hand full of people are allowed to perform. We have discussed how other African countries share similar food, however, I would argue that of all the dances we have researched, this is one of the most if not the most difficult to dance. Perhaps Brazilians, Ethiopians or South Africans might have reason to disagree?
The Bassa Nge are an ethnic group in Nigeria that traces its history back to 1805. They originally inhabited Gbara which was formerly the capital of the Nupe Kingdom. The Bassa Nge migrated from their homeland in Bida due to a dynastic feud in about 1820. They are formerly the largest of Nupe groups, with a population of about 15,000 in 1820 before they dispersed throughout Nigeria. They speak two languages: The Nupe-Tako dialect of the Nupe language of the Volta-Niger languages and the Bassa Nge (or Bassa Nupe) dialect of the Basa language in the Kainji languages (all of the Niger-Congo and Benue-Congo group of West African languages). In 2017, Bassa Nge Community North America (BNC) held an annual convention in Philadelphia which discussed progress of the community with more than 54 members and guests attending the convention. Their history came on when the BNC made a donations of over the counter (OTC) medicines in their headquarters clinic in Gboloko. In an interview with Ma’ade Yaila, a Bassa-Nge daughter stated that her language has its roots from Nupe. They belongs to the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo family, the Bassa Nge traditional ruler is called Etsu unlike the Etsu Nupe called in Nupe too, the language is not similar with the one Bassa Nkomo which they lived in the same geographical place. The Bassa-nge can be found in Niger river and conflict of river Benue, they lived in Bassa local government and majority in Lokoja.
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