BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BISSA (BUSANGA) PEOPLE.

By ABDUL-SATAAR

Ghana is a land of variety. Many ethnic groups add to our uniqueness not only as Zongo people, but as Ghanaians as a whole. One of the most popular ethnic groups in this regard is Bissa, known by most as Busanga. Did you know that the Bissa, who are part of the Mandinke group of languages, were therefore a huge part of the old Ghana and Mali Empires? Here is a brief history written by activist, Abdul Gaffar Salifu.

From Bissa gwaa to Busanga.
The name Busanga is use for a very long time as a name for a person from the Bissa ethnic group. The term “Busanga” is a corrupted form of the Lebbri or leri Bissa dialect expression “Bissa gwaa” (meaning Bissa man). This expression was an answer given to the question “who are you”? Asked by a Whiteman who was taking records of the Bissa people he first met in the Bissa area. The Bissa man upon seeing the Whiteman for the first time answered the question in a shaky voice so the Whitman took his answer to be Busanga instead of Bissa gwaa.

Bissa people in the Ghana Empire.
Bissa is said to be one of the oldest ethnic groups in the old Ghana Empire. The name was not Bissa or Busanga until they came to Burkina Faso. The ancient name for the Bissa according to research was “Sonike ethnic group” with their ancestor called Dinga who came from the Middle East. According to some Islamic narrations, it is said that Dinga came from a town called Aswarn in Egypt.

They further moved to Senegal in segments after the Ghana empire got collapsed. Some of the segments are as follows; the Bambara , the Mandinke, the Marka, the Wangara, the Samo, the Dogon etc.
From Senegal, a segment of the group known as Mandinka ethnic group moved to Mande which is now known as Mali to form the Mali empire.
The Mandinke group has similar culture and tradition as the modern Bissa, some of these traditions and culture are; cultural display, farming of peanuts and other food stuff etc.

From Mandinke to Bissano.
Years later segments were formed from the Mandinke group. One of the segments is the Mande group, which the Bissas are part. This group moved to settle in south central [sic] of Burkina Faso in Tankodogu as their oldest town. According to some oral traditions, Bissas met no ethnic groups in the virgin land of Upper Volta now known as Burkina Faso. When they got there, they settled by a river. Please note that river is call Bissa in the Bissa dialect. They settle near the river because of their agriculture activities. Bissas are known to be great farmers of vegetables, fruits, grains, cereals etc. Other relatives who visited them called them “Bissano” meaning people of the river, that is exactly where, and when the name Mandinke changed to Bissa as used today.

From Burkina Faso, the Bissas continued to move in search of fertile lands to do their farming . Some came to Ghana, others moved to Togo, Benin and still the search for fertile lands is on .

Those who came to Ghana settled in towns and villages in the Upper East Region. Some of the towns and villages they settled in are; Kultamsi, Kulungugu, Nwaare, Gumakurtar, Pusiga, Tampizua, Manga, Bado and many more places. The search of fertile lands continued and so some moved to the southern part of the country and that is the reason why we are here today.

Bissa clans
The Bissas are divided in several clans and the clans have their appellations. A clan is a group of people believed to have descended from a common ancestor or ancestress by birth. An appellation is a title, nickname, tag or a descriptive expression by which a clan is identified.

Ganne and the appellation is Samandulgu,
Kaare and the appellation is Dombodo,
Lerigu and the appellation is Ginko,
Tunugu and the appellation is Saari.
The Bissa ethnic group today is a revered and enviable tribe by many in Ghana. We have very prominent personalities who occupy various positions in Ghana. Mention any institution or a profession and you will find a Bissa there. This is because of our hardwork and truthfulness. The Bissa ethnic group is rich in culture. When we talk of culture we cant leave out our types of dances, foods and the way we dress. Some examples of the Bissa dance include;

Gaan-this is performed by our hunters.
Maa-this is also performed by our women,and this they use their hips and back side.
Jensa-this is a popular dance by all men and women
Some of our local foods are; Bambure Sansa Pulli Nyaasi Gawru And the list goes on.

Writer: ABDUL GAFFAR SALIFU
YOUTH ACTIVIST
salifugaffar@gmail.com