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Return to Investigation or Investigation/Language or Clues
Languages and Tribes, or Ethnic Groups
When the visitors went to
Boraba Lower Basic School they were presented to the leaders of
the different tribes. They each made a speech which had to be translated
because the different tribes do not always understand each other.
The children are taught in English when they go to school but many
of the adults did not go so do not understand English. |
Greetings
There are several tribes living in The Gambia
They are the Mandinka, Wolof, Fula,
Jola,
Acu, Serahuli, Manjago and Serer
Everyone in the
Gambia, whatever their tribe,
greet people with this phrase meaning
Peace be upon you (Asalaamaalleekum)
with the reply
and peace be upon you (Maaleekum salaam)
You will see it written in different ways!
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There are more Mandinkas than any other tribe. Clicking on each one of these phrases will open a new page
Listen to a song for Nursery children Another song about a journey to Keriwan
The Mandinkas There are more Mandinkas in The Gambia than any other tribe or
ethnic group. They are found in most areas of the country Although the Mandinkas may have a variety of occupations, traditionally
they are farmers (particularly peanut farming) or fishermen. As devout Muslims they willl wear their traditional African clothes
on a Friday and at any celebrations. The Fulas The Fulas are the people who look after the cattle. Some Fulas are more likely to travel around
If they are not nomadic then their houses will usually be round,
Click on the picture and look at these ladieis cheeks.
The Wolofs If you visit The Gambia as a tourist you are likely to stay on
the coast, in an area called The Kombos. You would most likely
hear the Wolof language. Wolofs here earn their living as business
men and traders.
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The Jolas
The Jolas are mainly found in southern
Gambia. They are thought to be the earliest settlers in the country.
President Jammeh is a Jola.
The area where they live favours growing rice. Also palm trees grow naturally here and they process oil from the trees. The sap from the trunk can be made into a drink for everyone. If it is fermented it makes a wine. Only Christians would drink this as Muslims do not drink alcohol.
The Aku
Freetown in Sierra Leone acquired its
name as a place where people who had been slaves were able to return as
free people and settle after the abolition of slavery. They could have
arrived from America, Nova Scotia in Canada or Britain.
The people who returned, or their ancestors, would have been from various
parts of West Africa, often The Gambia. They had been captured as slaves.
These people now spoke English and often only knew some words of their
own tribal language, passed down by their elders.
Some chose to return to The Gambia
They formed a new ethnic group known in The Gambia as the Aku. They still speak a form of broken English. They are mostly Christians because they might have been brought up as Chritians as slaves, or because missionaries went to Africa to teach about Christianity and could talk to this group of people more easily because of their language. They have English sounding surnames as slaves took on the surname of their owners.
There used to be a large group of Akus
in Janjanbureh
but now have moved to the Combos.
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