Gurma
Encyclopedia
Gourma redirects here. For the Burkina Faso province, see Gourma Province.
Gurma (also called Gourma or Gourmantché) is an ethnic group
living mainly in Burkina Faso
, around Fada N'Gourma
, and also in northern areas of Togo
and Benin
, as well as southwestern Niger
. They number approximately 1,150,000.
They might include the Bassaries who live in northern Togo and the Northern Volta of Ghana
.
Gurma is also the name of a language spoken by the Gurma (or bigourmantcheba - as they call themselves) people, which is part of the Gur
language family. All nouns within this language are classified into eight noun classes, identified by their prefixes and suffixes in both singular and plural. All mass nouns, states of existence, languages, for example, begin with the prefix mi- and end with the suffix '-ma,as in blood (misuama), water, minyima, sand (mitambima), fire (mifantama), existence (miyema), state of being crazy (migadima), Gourmantché language (migourmantchema). All trees have a bu-bu and i-di set of prefixes and suffixes in singular and plural, as in busaabu (shea tree) or isaandi (shea trees).
A book about these people was written in 1985 by Dr. Richard Alan Swanson: 'Gourmantché Ethnoanthropology: A Theory of Human Being'. The book presents Gourmantché perception of 'human being' from the perspective of the people themselves, using their own language texts to illustrate concepts. Concepts of Otienu 'God', destiny (licabili), the body (gbannandi), life (limiali), death (mikuuma)and all known terms for human body parts are also discussed.
Gurma (also called Gourma or Gourmantché) is an ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
living mainly in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
, around Fada N'Gourma
Fada N'gourma
Fada N'gourma, also written Fada-Ngourma, is a city in eastern Burkina Faso, lying east of Ouagadougou, in the Gourmantché area. It is the capital of the Gourma province. It was founded by Diaba Lompo as Bingo. It is known for its blanket and rug manufacturing. It is also famed for its honey...
, and also in northern areas of Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
and Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
, as well as southwestern Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
. They number approximately 1,150,000.
They might include the Bassaries who live in northern Togo and the Northern Volta of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
.
Gurma is also the name of a language spoken by the Gurma (or bigourmantcheba - as they call themselves) people, which is part of the Gur
Gur languages
The Gur languages, also known as Central Gur, belong to the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 70 languages belonging to this group. They are spoken in Burkina Faso, southern Mali, northeastern Côte d'Ivoire, northern Ghana, northern Togo, northwestern Benin, and southwestern Niger.Like most...
language family. All nouns within this language are classified into eight noun classes, identified by their prefixes and suffixes in both singular and plural. All mass nouns, states of existence, languages, for example, begin with the prefix mi- and end with the suffix '-ma,as in blood (misuama), water, minyima, sand (mitambima), fire (mifantama), existence (miyema), state of being crazy (migadima), Gourmantché language (migourmantchema). All trees have a bu-bu and i-di set of prefixes and suffixes in singular and plural, as in busaabu (shea tree) or isaandi (shea trees).
A book about these people was written in 1985 by Dr. Richard Alan Swanson: 'Gourmantché Ethnoanthropology: A Theory of Human Being'. The book presents Gourmantché perception of 'human being' from the perspective of the people themselves, using their own language texts to illustrate concepts. Concepts of Otienu 'God', destiny (licabili), the body (gbannandi), life (limiali), death (mikuuma)and all known terms for human body parts are also discussed.