The Busa (Busagwe, Busanse) are part of the larger group of Bariba people.
They number approximately 95,000 people and live primarily in the Kwara State of Nigeria, especially in the Wawa, Busa, Babana, and Yaskikira districts of the Borgu and Gwandu divisions of Sokoto State.
Some can also be found in the Department of Borghou in the People's Republic of Benin.
The Busa have historically been a dominant group wherever they have lived. Neighboring Fulbe people have generally served the Busa by raising their cattle herds for them, while the Hausas* are usually merchants and traders, supplying the Busa with goods and services. Both the Fulbes and the Hausas acknowledge Busa political leadership where they live in cióse proximity to each other.
Al- though some Busa have moved to cities in Nigeria and Benin in recent years, taking jobs as civil servants, small businessmen, and craftsmen, most of the Busa are still farmers, who raise yams, sorghum, millet, and corn for their own consumption and rice, peanuts, cotton, and beans as cash crops.
The Busa usually live in concentrated villages; within those villages, they dwell in walled compounds that house several families related on a paternal line. They may also have a small farm house a few miles out in the countryside near their land and herds.
Approximately half of the Busa are Muslims, and, in recent years, they have become somewhat more devout in their commitment to Islam. The others are for the most part still loyal to their indigenous beliefs, which include de- votion to ancestors, shamanistic healers, and a belief in a variety of animistic forces.
Busa, or Bisã, is the Mande language of the former Borgu Emirate in northwestern Nigeria and northern Benin. It is called Busanci in Hausa, and has also been called Zugweya.
Busa language can be better known as Busa, but it is also known with the native name Bisã or with the Hausa name Busanci (also spelled Busanchi, Bussanci Or Bussanchi); This should not be confused with the Busa language of Papua New Guinea or the related Bissa language of Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo and Ivory Coast.
One person or speaker is called a Busa and more persons/speakers are called Busano and the language of the Busano/Bussawa people is called Bisã.
The Busa people are one of two subgroups of the Bissa people, the other being the Boko people, who speak the Boko language. They are not a clan but a subgroup. They are related to the Bariba people, who speak the Bariba language, which is a Gur language. The Bissa people proper speak the Bissa language, which is closely related to Busa.
n Nigeria, Busa is spoken in Borgu LGA of Niger State, in Bagudo LGA of Kebbi State, and in Baruten LGA of Kwara state. A number of Busa have migrated to other parts of Nigeria, including Abuja. The Busa people are referred to as Bussawa in Hausa.
The Bokobaru dialect also known as Bokhobaru is spoken mainly in Kayama and Baruten LGA's, Kwara state.
In Benin, Busa is spoken in Alibori and Borgou departments. The Bokobaru dialect is not spoken in Benin.
Busa language is spoken in cities like Bussa, New Bussa, Bagudo, Kosubosu, Kaiama, Segbana, and Kalalé, and Bokobaru is dominant in the city of Kaiama.
Bariba, which is a Gur language, is also spoken by the Bussawa.
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