Bissa (people)
The Bissa (also: Boussanga) are an ethnic group whose settlement area is in the southeast of the West African state of Burkina Faso , in the northeast of Ghana , in the Ivory Coast and in Togo . The Bissa are alternatively called Bisa , Biza , Bokhobaru , Bokobaru , Busa , Busanga , Wiza , Zogbe . Around 413,000 Bissa live in Burkina Faso, around 176,000 in Ghana, around 99,000 in the Ivory Coast and around 4,700 in Togo.
The main difference between the Bissa and their neighbors is the language, Bissa , which, unlike the neighboring languages, is a Mande language . Apart from a distant linguistic relationship, they have no clear cultural similarities with the Mande peoples of the great medieval Mande kingdoms. The centers of the Bissa are the cities of Garango , Zabré and Tenkodogo in the province of Boulgou .
Settlement history
There are various hypotheses about the origin of the Bissa, none of which can be based on written historical evidence. The first written reports date from the time of the colonial conquest. In the oral tradition, the history of the Bissa is closely linked to that of the Mossi kingdoms and, in particular, to the history of the kingdom of Tenkodogo . Various hypotheses have been put forward about the origin of the bissa. Some authors take the view that the Bissa did not originally reside in the present-day settlement area, but only immigrated as followers of the Mossi. Others also see the origin of the Bissa in the former Dagomba area, which is considered the original settlement area of the Mossi. However, they assume a migration that is said to have taken place before the migration of the Mossi. Others do not rule out an initial settlement of the area by the Bissa, but assume that more recent settlements took place later.
Oral traditions report, in addition to the connection between Bissa and Mossi, of a relationship between the Bissa and the Samo in northwest Burkina Faso. The so-called “dog head story” reports on the separation of the two groups, and is told differently depending on the area. Both groups report how a dispute breaks out over the allocation of a dog's head, which traditionally belongs to the elderly as a delicacy. Then a group leaves the common settlement - according to the Bissa the Samo go and according to the Samo the Bissa. Clear conclusions about migration movements and former settlement areas cannot be drawn from this. However, the shared knowledge of the family relationships suggests that the time depth of the separation is probably less than that of the separation of Samo / Bissa from the related Boko / Busa.
Political organization
Different political structures exist side by side within the Bissa area. The eastern part, which corresponds to the area of the Barka dialect, is under the direct influence of the Mossi ruler of Tenkodogo. The western part, the Lebri area, consists of a large number of autonomous cantons that attach great importance to their independence from Tenkodogo and, in the event of a conflict, entered into changing alliances with other Bissa cantons. The most important unit is the village, which is headed by its own village chief, Ki . In almost all villages, the inhabitants belong to a single clan. In larger settlements, such as B. Zabré, several clans live together, but here there is a subdivision into "quartiers", which in turn are only inhabited by one clan. The cantonal organization becomes clear, for example, when appointing new village chiefs, since legitimation by other chiefs is necessary for an appointment.