Major ethnic groups in Benin and their peculiarities

Hello, welcome to BioGrateTV. If you're new here, please subscribe and turn on the notification so you don't miss our next video. Major Ethnic Groups in Benin and Their Peculiarities The Republic of Benin historically was the seat of a great empire, the Kingdom of Dahomey, and later became French Dahomey as a French colony. It was not until 1975 that the name was changed to Benin after the Bight of Benin. In the 17th century, the region was known as the Slave Coast due to the number of slaves shipped up from there. Benin is a melting pot of diverse ethnic groups which include the Fon, the Yoruba, and the Aja. These ethnic groups, along with others, give Benin its unique national outlook. Fon The Fon ethnic group is undisputedly the largest in Benin, constituting 39% of the total population. The Fon is also called Dahomey, which was also the name of the country until 1975. The Fon people built the city of Abomey, which was the historical capital of Dahomey. This city and others became major commercial centers for slave trade. Many slaves were shipped from those places to plantations in Haiti, Trinidad, and Dominican Republic. An interesting part of the history of Fon is the use of female soldiers in combat. For centuries, thousands of women trained and served as regular warriors in the military of the Fon. Stories of their war exploits traveled beyond Africa to Europe, where they were known as the Amazons of Dahomey. On religion, the Fon people traditionally practiced a religion known as Vodun or Vodou. Major elements of this practice include public gods, personal gods, ancestral spirits, and magic or charms. The supreme being to the Fon people is the female deity known as Nana Buluku. Nana Buluku created the universe and then retired handing over everything to her offspring, the Maulisa deity. Maulisa, in turn, created other lesser deities. The Fon believe that constant appeasement of these deities and ancestral spirits are required to make progress in life, so most traditional Fon compounds have an ancestral shrine known as Dixuxos where sacrifices are carried out. While many Fon people have embraced Christianity, the majority still practice the traditional religion. In the colonial era, several attempts by Christian missionaries to completely erase the traditional religion failed. Now, January 10 has been set aside as a national holiday in Benin for Vodun gods. The Fon people are primarily farmers, growing cassava, corn, and yams as staples. Usually, the men plow and prepare the fields while the women tend and harvest the crop. Some members of the Fon society are artisans, making pottery, metal utensils, and fabrics. Yoruba The Yoruba tribes of Benin trace their origin to Nigeria from where they came and settled along the eastern boundary of Benin. At over 1.7 million, they are more than 18% of the population, making them the second largest ethnic group in the country. The majority of the Yoruba people in Benin are descendants of Ileife, Nigeria. Besides Nigeria, Benin has the largest number of Yoruba people in Africa. They constitute a sizable number of Islamic faithful in the country. The Yoruba ethnic group reside in towns like Porto Novo, Keto, Ajawere, Pobe, Sabe, Onigbolo, and other places. Ajaa The Ajaa ethnic group occupies the southern part of Benin. They make up 15% of the population and are the third largest. They are believed to have migrated to Benin around the 12th century or thereabout. The primary language of the Ajaa is Ajagbe. Bariba The Bariba tribe dominates the northern side of Benin and constitutes 9% of the population. They are considered as the first inhabitants of Benin and are concentrated in their ancient capital city, Niki. One of their leading practices is horse riding, which is a practice that has been enjoyed from generation to generation. Horse riding is the prominent feature of the Ghanian festival, which is marked annually by the Bariba people. The Bariba society has a caste system which is made up of five distinct groups that include the Wasengari, the Bariba natives, the Gondo, the Fubei, and the foreigners. The Wasengari is the ruling class and held political power in the Niki Empire of old. This is the nobles' caste. The Bariba natives or Batonu natives are the next caste in hierarchy. They constitute the able people. The Council of Ministers, Grail, Artisans, several horsemen, musicians, and others are part of this caste. The next caste is the Gondo. When a child is born with disability, he or she is believed to bring bad fortune to the family so they are not allowed to stay and grow up with the family. Instead, they are entrusted to the Fubei caste which then raises the child until they grow up. Such children never return to their biological family. It is these children that make up the Gondo caste and have their neighborhood outside the city. The Fubei make up the fourth caste. While the Baribas are excellent farmers, the Fubei specialize in farming livestock. The Fubei rear their livestock on pastures provided by the Batonu who receive meat and milk in exchange. The last caste is the foreigners who are mostly Muslims from northern Nigeria. Bariba people, being predominantly farmers, produce many range of crops which include Their main religion is Islam although some of their communities hold on to indigenous beliefs. Besides these ethnic groups, there are other minor groups in the country which include the Kpe, Mahi, Gedevi, and Tkabie ethnic groups. What have we missed out of these ethnic groups? Let us know in the comment section. 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