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Naming the Baga: Problems in the Identity of a Guinean Cultural Amalgamation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2021

Frederick John Lamp Open the ORCID record for Frederick John Lamp [Opens in a new window]
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Abstract

Along the coast of the Republic of Guinea, the term “Baga” has been used to cover a large amalgamation of cultural groups, always previously misinterpreted. There are five dialect groups called Baga within the Temne language group. The question raised here concerns the etymology of the name Baga, as it has evolved in juxtaposition to the name Temne in Sierra Leone. It is an attempt to parse the intricate use of language to describe the historical and hierarchical relationship between these two segments of the same group.

Résumé

Résumé

Le long de la côte de la République de Guinée, le terme « Baga » a été utilisé pour recouvrir un large amalgame de groupes culturels, un phénomène toujours mal interprété auparavant. Cinq groupes dialectaux appelés « Baga » font partie du groupe linguistique « Temne ». La question soulevée ici concerne l’étymologie du nom « Baga », tel qu’il a évolué en parallèle avec le nom « Temne » en Sierra Leone. Cet article tente ainsi d’analyser l’utilisation complexe du langage pour décrire la relation historique et hiérarchique entre les deux segments d’un même groupe.

Type
Critical Historiography of Ethnicity in Africa and the African Diaspora
Information
History in Africa , Volume 48 , June 2021 , pp. 211 - 236
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the African Studies Association

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