Masa people
The Massa people, also called Masana, Banana, or Yagoua are a Chadic ethnic group in Cameroon and Chad. They are often grouped together with several together ethnic groups, who are collectively referred to as the Kirdi people.[3]
Total population
266,000–318,000
150,000
The Masa have an estimated population of 266,000 to 469,000, with the majority residing in Cameroon. Most of them speak the Massa language.[4]
History[edit]
The Massa are said to be related to the Tikar and Bamileke peoples. Their oral tradition cites that they left Sudan and arrived in northern Cameroon before the Tikar people. When Muslims entered the region to convert locals, the Massa stayed, while the Tikar fled to the south. In 1881, Sheikh Hayatu Balda declared jihad upon the surrounding non-Muslim populations of Musgum, Massa, and Sumeya peoples. The Musgum claim a Massa origin through the union between a Kotoko prince and a Massa woman.[3]