Bariba

Of as many as 42 ethnic groups in the Republic of Benin, the Bariba tribe holds an important place in the history of the country. Benin was known as Dahomey before gaining independence from France on August 1, 1960. The three other major ethnic groups are Fon, Yaruba, and Dendi. Benin lies between Nigeria and Togo. Portuguese, French, Dutch, and British all came to this land for the slave trade and to explore. They left behind many influences, which have shaped the life of the natives.

The Bariba tribe mostly occupies the central and the northern part of Benin. They form the largest group in the north. During the late 19th century, Bariba was known to be independent states with Kingdoms in cities like Nikki and Kandi that were on the northeast of the country. The Bariba group makes one twelfth of the nations population. Bariba has a lengthy history of prominence in the northern region. In the town of Pehunko there are approximately 200,000 Bariba people out of 365,000 inhabitants.

The Bariba society consists of a higher-ranking official as chief of the town and their subordinates’ chiefs. All of these social standings are passed down with the family tradition, and the status of a person is given by the families’ nature of work. Thus, we can find the grouping as follows: the ruling Wasangari nobles, commoners Baatombu, slaves of varying origin, Dendi merchants, Fulbe herders, and other ethnic groups.

Religion is also an important part in Bariba tribes. They are mostly Muslims. Muslin religion was introduced to Bariba people due Dendi traders who were preaching in the northern region. A Majority of the ruling upper class Bariba communities have their own indigenous beliefs.

Men are held to be dominant in the family whereas women are considered housewives who assist their husbands in work. The occupation of most of the Bariba community is agriculture. They grow corn, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, rice, cotton, palm oil, peanuts and sometimes raise poultry and livestock.

Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on the Bariba.

If you are Bariba, your feedback is much appreciated.

References:

Sargent, Carolyn Fishel: The Cultural Context of Therapeutic Choice, D. Reidel        Publishing Company, Holland 1982.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/bn.html

Author: Sushil Gurung