The Bariba people, self designation Baatonu (plural Baatombu), are the principal inhabitants of Borgou and Alibori Departments, Benin, and cofounders of the Borgu kingdom of what is now northeast Benin and west-central Nigeria. In Nigeria, they are found spread between western Kwara State and the Borgu section of Niger State. There are perhaps a million Bariba, 70% of them in Benin, where they are the fourth largest ethnic group and comprise approximately 1/11 of the population (9.2%).[3]
The Bariba are concentrated primarily in the north-east of the country, especially around the city of Nikki, which is considered the traditional Bariba capital.[4] At the end of the 18th century (1782), they became independent from the Yoruba of Oyo and formed several kingdoms in the Borgou region.[5] The colonization of Benin (then Dahomey) by the French at the end of the 19th century, and the imposition of an Anglo-French artificial border, ended Bariba trade in the region.
One of their noted festivals is the annual Gani festival of which horse riding is a prominent element.[4]
The Bariba people hold an important place in the history of the country. During the late 19th century, Bariba[clarification needed]was known to constitute independent states[clarification needed]and dominate with kingdoms[clarification needed]in cities like Nikki and Kandi in the northeast of the country. In the town of Pehunko, there are approximately 200,000 Bariba people out of 365,000 inhabitants.[6]
Agriculture is the dominant occupation for the Bariba. They grow corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts and some poultry and livestock.[7] Religion plays an important role in the Bariba tribe and they are primarily Islamic. However, a number of Bariba communities have their own indigenous beliefs.[7]
^[1] "National statistical institute of Benin: 7.9% of a Projected 2017 Beninois population of 8.7 Million belonging to Bariba speaking groups" (2010 estimate)
^ abButler, Stuart (2006). Benin. Bradt Travel Guides, The Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, Connecticut. p. 21.
^Houngnikpo, Mathurin C.; Decalo, Samuel (2013). Historical Dictionary of Benin. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-8108-7171-7. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
^Asante, Molefi Kete; Mazama, Ama (2009). Encyclopedia of African Religion. SAGE. p. 107. ISBN 978-1-4129-3636-1. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
^ abSargent, Carolyn Fishel (1982). The Cultural Context of Therapeutic Choice. D. Reidel Publishing Company, Netherlands.
The Baribapeople, self designation Baatonu (plural Baatombu), are the principal inhabitants of Borgou and Alibori Departments, Benin, and cofounders...
Bariba, also known as Baatonum, is the language of the Baribapeople and was the language of the state of Borgu. The native speakers are called Baatombu...
Ruler. Benin Bariba Bariba (Borgu) states Rulers of the Bariba state of Kandi Rulers of the Bariba state of Nikki Rulers of the Bariba state of Paraku Lists...
Bariba may refer to: BaribapeopleBariba language This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Bariba. If an internal link led you...
with the Yoruboid Itsekiri to the south-east in the northwest Niger Delta, Bariba to the northwest in Benin and Nigeria, the Nupe to the north, and the Ebira...
claimed he was a descendant of the Kingdom of Bourgou's royal family. His Bariba mother and Voltaic father raised him in the Islamic faith. His education...
century. The proximity of Nupe to the Yoruba Igbomina people in the south and to the Yoruba Oyo people in the southwest led to cross-fertilization of cultural...
numerous being the Fon (39.2%), Adja (15.2%), Yoruba (12.3%), and Batombu/Bariba (9.2%). The population of Benin was estimated in 2022 to be around 13,750...
north-central area (they came from what is now Mali in the 16th century); the Bariba and the Fula (or Fulani) (Fula: Fulɓe; French: Peul) in the northeast; the...
subgroup. They are neighbors to the Baribapeople, who speak the Bariba language, a Gur language. The Bissa people proper speak the Bissa language, which...
Britain and France by the Anglo-French Convention of 1898. People of Borgu are known as Bariba or Borgawa. According to the Kisra legend known all over...
Venda, Xhosa, Zulu) Aja-Gbe: Benin (a national language along with Anii, Bariba, Biali, Boko, Dendi, Fon-Gbe, Foodo, Fula, Gen-Gbe, Lukpa, Mbelime, Nateni...
army greatly swelling his military. They were mostly from (Hausa, Nupe, Bariba, Aja and Fulani). Solagberu, brought under his leadership, Mohammendans...
also including Yoruba and Gbe peoples) and tribal regions inland (composed of Bariba, Mahi, Gedevi, and Kabye peoples). The Oyo Empire, located primarily...
The Ukwuani people (also called Ndokwa people are a subgroup of the Igbo people located in the southern part of Nigeria in the western part of the Niger...
local French administrator Roger Péperty. Maga gained support from his Baribapeople, and won one of the two Dahomey seats in the French National Assembly...
Tammari are especially found in towns such as Nikki and Kandi that were once Bariba kingdoms and in Parakou in mid-eastern Benin. However, there is also a significant...
north there are half a dozen regionally important languages, including Bariba (a Gur language) and Fulfulde. Education for the deaf in Benin uses American...
Akpaki Dagbara II was the king of the Bariba State of Paraku, in eastern Benin, until his death in 2004. The throne remained vacant for almost eight years...
African people Indigenous people of Africa Ethnic groups in Chad List of ethnic groups in Rivers State List of ethnic groups in Tanzania European people Classification...
Bariba Country to the north, French Porto-Novo to the west. British explorer Alvan Milson under the Royal Geographical Society writes of the people within...
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