Gbandi people

Last updated
The Gbandi
Regions with significant populations
Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia 105,250 [1]
Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea 14,000
Languages
Gbandi
Religion
Gbandi religion, Islam, Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Loko, Mende, Kpelle, Loma, Zialo, Gola, Vai

Gbandi (or Bandi, Bande, Gbande, Gbunde) is an ethnic group of Liberia. It is also the language traditionally spoken by these people.

Contents

Famous Gbandi Personalities: Dr. Stephen A. Yekehson - Late ( professor and president of the University of Liberia). Dr. Harry Fombah Moniba Late (Vice President Unser Samuel K. Doe) Jackson Fombah Kanneh - Journalist ( for. Reporter for Voice Of America and Reuters News Agency.

People

The population is estimated at 107,000 people; of which many fled to Guinea during the Liberian Civil War. Gbandi people practice Islam and Christianity, as well as some traditional beliefs. [2]

Language

Gbandi is a Southwestern Mande language. There are six dialects of the language: Tahamba, Wawana, Wulukoha, Hasala, Lukasa, and Hembeh. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberia</span> Country in West Africa

Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. It has a population of around five and one-half million and covers an area of 43,000 square miles (111,369 km2). The country's official language is English; however, over 20 indigenous languages are spoken, reflecting the country's ethnic and cultural diversity. The capital and largest city is Monrovia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Liberia</span>

As of 2006, Liberia had the highest population growth rate in the world. This has declined since, however, and stood at 2.37 percent in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Liberia</span> Culture of the west african country of Liberia

The culture of Liberia reflects this nation's diverse ethnicities and long history. Liberia is located in West Africa on the Atlantic Coast.

Bandi may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nimba County</span> County of Liberia

Nimba County is a county in northeastern Liberia that shares borders with the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire in the East and the Republic of Guinea in the Northwest. Its capital city is Sanniquellie and its most populous city is Ganta. With the county's area measuring 11,551 square miles (29,920 km2), Nimba is the largest of Liberia's 15 counties. The county has six statutory districts. As of the 2022 Census, it had a population of 621,841, making it the second most populous county in Liberia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vai people</span> West African ethnic group

The Vai are Mandé peoples that live mostly in Liberia, with a small minority living in south-eastern Sierra Leone. The Vai are known for their indigenous writing system known as the Vai syllabary, developed in the 1820s by Momolu Duwalu Bukele and other Vai elders. Over the course of the 19th century, literacy in the writing system became widespread. Its use declined over the 20th century, but modern computer technology may enable a revival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikhul Bandi</span> Union council in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Sheikh ul Bandi is one of the 51 union councils (sub-divisions) of Abbottabad District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The Union council takes its name from a neighbourhood which is 3 km (1.9 mi) from the city of Abbottabad. It is located at 34° 8' 60N, 73° 13' 60E, in the valley toward the north-west of the Sarban Hills. It is considered as one of the oldest village of Abbottabad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Liberia</span> Religion in Liberia

Islam in Liberia is practiced by an estimated 12.2% of the population. The vast majority of Liberian Muslims are Malikite Sunni, with sizeable Shia and Ahmadiyya minorities. The primary Muslim ethnic groups are the Vai and Mandingo but also Gbandi, Kpelle and other ethnic groups. Historically, Liberian Muslims have followed a relaxed and liberal form of Islam that is heavily influenced by indigenous religions that were integrated into Islam when it came to Liberia in the 16th century with the collapse of the Songhai Empire in Mali. Islamic religious practices vary in cities and towns across the country. Younger Liberian Muslims, particularly in the cities along the coast, tend to be more secular but still practice Islam in everyday life. In rural areas, Liberian Muslims are more conservative in dressing modestly, performing prayers and attending religious studies. The practice of Islam in Liberia has been compared to Islam common in Senegal and Gambia, with strong orientation toward Sufism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loma people</span> West African ethnic group

The Loma people, sometimes called Loghoma, Looma, Lorma or Toma, are a West African ethnic group living primarily in mountainous, sparsely populated regions near the border between Guinea and Liberia. Their population was estimated at 330,000 in the two countries in 2010. They are closely related to the Mende people.

Bai Tamia Johnson Moore, commonly known by his pen name Bai T. Moore, was a Liberian poet, novelist, folklorist and essayist. He held various cultural, educational and tourism posts both for the Liberian government and for UNESCO. He was the founder of Liberia's National Cultural Center. He is best known for his novella Murder in the Cassava Patch (1968), the tale of a crime passionnel in a traditional Liberian setting. It became such a classic in Liberian literature that it is still taught in high schools.

Zialo is a language spoken by the Zialo people in Guinea.

The Bandi language, also known as Bande, Gbande, Gbandi and Gbunde, is a Mande language. It is spoken primarily in Lofa County in northern Liberia by the Gbandi people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kissi penny</span>

Kissi penny, also seen transcribed as kissy or kisi penny or known as guenze, koli, and kilindi, was an iron currency made in Sierra Leone that circulated widely in the immediate vicinity of its production among Gbandi (Bandi), Gola, Kissi, Kpelle, Loma, Mandinka and Mende and other people of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Conakry.

Mano knwon also as Mano-Dan, Dan, Yacouba is an ethnic group of Liberia. The group speaks the Mano language, which belongs to the Mande language family.

The Southwestern Mande languages are a branch of the Mande languages spoken in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. There are around 2.8 million total speakers. The largest languages by far are Mende of Sierra Leone, with 1.4 million, and Kpelle of Liberia and Guinea, with 1.2 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethnic groups in Sierra Leone</span> Ethnic groups living within the country of Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is home to about sixteen ethnic groups, each with its own language. In Sierra Leone, membership of an ethnic group often overlaps with a shared religious identity.

The Gallinas people is a name applied to an ethnic group in eastern Sierra Leone, which formerly existed as an independent kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Americo-Liberian people</span> Ethnic group of Liberia

Americo-Liberian people, are a Liberian ethnic group of African American, Afro-Caribbean, and liberated Africans. Americo-Liberians trace their ancestry to free-born and formerly enslaved African Americans who emigrated in the 19th century to become the founders of the state of Liberia. They identified themselves as Americo-Liberians.

A political scandal in Liberia developed in 2014 after the arrest of a group of South Korean businessmen and seizure of US$247,500 from them by the National Security Agency, a national level internal security agency of Liberia.

References

  1. "Liberia - World Directory of Minorities & Indigenous Peoples". Minority Rights Group. June 19, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Bandi: A language of Liberia". Languages of the World. Ethnologue. Retrieved October 17, 2011.