What is a "People Group"? - On Ethnicity by Dr. Orville Boyd Jenkins {Re: 120-Words Nigerian Languages Project
Mobolaji ALUKO
What is a "People Group"?
Dr. Orville Boyd Jenkins
See another version of this topic:
What is an Ethnic Group?
A "people group," also called an ethnic group or a people, is a group of human individuals distinguished by their ethnolinguistic uniqueness, sharing a common self-identity. The two parts of that word each indicate something of what we intend to indicate: ethno and linguistic.
Linguistic, of course, refers to the facility of language, which is one prominent aspect of culture and ethnic identity. Language is a primary and dominant identifying factor of a people group.
But there are other factors that determine or are associated with ethnicity. The first term, ethno-, refers to a complex of additional cultural factors that make up ethnicity.
Usually there is a common self-name and a sense of common identity of individuals identified with the group. A common history, customs, family and clan identities, as well as marriage rules and practices, age-grades and other obligation covenants, and inheritance patterns and rules are some of the common ethnic factors defining or distinguishing a people. What they call themselves may vary at different levels of identity, or among various sub-groups.
There are many factors involved in the concept of “ethnicity.” Each social group of humans weighs various aspects of interpersonal relationships and social order.
Each entry in an ethnolinguistic listing of peoples contains a name as an ethnic identifier. Ideally this name is based on the self-name of the group. Because of phonetic similarity of names or differences in language name forms of different languages, a representative construct name may be used for an ethnic entity.
That name would represent the largest cohesive group of individuals considering themselves related through biological kinship, shared history, customs and self-identity and speaking one or more languages.
Language and Location
All persons and every ethnic group speak a language and live in identifiable locations. Thus a people group description includes at least one language and at least one location.
The Registry of Peoples (ROP) of Harvest Information System, for instance, provides tables linking each ethnic entity to the main languages spoken by that group in all countries where they are known to exist. The ROP code for each ethnic entity provides a common identification across languages and locations.
Religion
One or more religions are also associated with any ethnic identifier. Religion is one primary ethnic characteristic that may be so strong as to determine a definitive boundary within a group of otherwise identical persons, thus constituting a sufficient reason for a separate ethnic entry in a listing. Some databases include the name or other descriptive information on the religion of entities listed.
See also
Ethnicity and Religion
National Boundaries
Sometimes political, social or economic factors associated with nation-state borders introduce sufficient differences to distinguish two otherwise related groups, leading to a listing as two separate ethnic entities. (Some listings are totally by country, so even the same ethnic group across a border is listed as a separate entity.)
Segments and Strata
Smaller sub-groupings (segments) may be identified in any of the ethnic entities defined in any listing of peoples, or ethnic groups. Additionally, social strata or categories (sometimes called social segments) may include segments of various people groups and be useful for communication and cultural access strategies.
Complex Considerations
In the Registry of Peoples, a distinction between two ethnic groups, given a separate entry and assigned a separate code, derives from a long list of cultural characteristics that vary in importance among human cultures and societies. Further detail on these characteristics may be found in wide circulation in various academic disciplines.
Thus various ethnic factors must be considered in addition to language for a full ethnolinguistic profile.
Multi-Lingual Ethnic Groups
There are numerous examples of people who speak multiple languages but still consider themselves one ethnic group. There are several in the China-Nepal-India area.
The Dinka of Sudan speak a range of dialects comprising five separate languages, yet clearly consider themselves to be one people.
The Beja in Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt are another example. Among the various groups that all consider themselves to be Beja, different groups of them speak three languages: Tigre, To Bedawie (Beja) and Sudanese Arabic. Some are bilingual or trilingual, while some are monolingual in one of the three.
Multi-Ethnic Language Groups
At the same time there may be different peoples who speak the same language but distinguish themselves because of different histories, an endogamous marriage pattern, differing political alliances, various factors causing enmity, a separate self-name, loyalty to different common ancestors or different leaders of a common parent group in history.
An example of this in the East African area are the many peoples who speak mutually intelligible varieties of the Swahili language, like the Arabs and the Shirazi (Afro-Asians).
Arabs
In East Africa the Arabs have for over a century spoken Swahili as their sole mother tongue, as have the Shirazi in Mombasa for centuries. But the Arabs have maintained their self-identity as Arabs, both by name and culture, and maintained contacts with Arabs from Oman, Yemen and other Arab countries, some even learning Arabic as a second language.
Thus the Shirazi Swahili and the Arabs speak the same language, and compared to the traditional Bantu cultures of Kenya, Tanzania and Somalia, they are quite close in culture and religion. But they definitely distinguish themselves from each other. Part of the distinction is political, due to the discriminatory history of British colonialism, which tried to distinguish various groups of people as "native" or "non-native," placing the Arabs in the latter and the Shirazi in the former.
Monolingual Enemies
Some people groups find their worst enemies in other ethnic groups speaking the same mother tongue. Sometimes they are actual cousin peoples. One example demonstrating radical, inimical differences within one language group may be found in Bosnia. Three traditional enemies there, the Serbs, the Croats and the Muslims, all speak Serbo-Croatian. Yet clear boundaries of culture, history, religion and self-identity separate them.
Likewise the Tutsi and Hutu inhabitants of East Central Africa for centuries have had a common language and culture and yet have maintained distinct social identities for almost 2000 years.
Self-Identity
Specific determinations result from extensive research at various levels, and are intended to represent the self-identity of each listed ethnic entity. In addition, naming conventions and groupings are considered to take into account common terminology and conventions for descriptions of human culture from relevant disciplines.
Determining the ethnic entities of the world is a continual process of discovery, clarification and refinement.
For more on discovering and determining ethnicity, check these resources:
How We Determine Ethnicity
Assimilation: How People Groups Separate and Merge
Communication Strategy
For communication strategy purposes, a key principle is to define a strategy for the largest ethnolinguistic segment or affinity group within which the information and decision-making influences can spread through "natural" social networks. Where barriers are identified which would hinder or prevent the further spread of the technology or change, we have identified the effective boundary of the ethnolinguistic segment, or people group.
This is a worldview issue. A group's assumptions, expectations and decision-making procedures, as well as their core sense of common identity, arise out of their shared significant experiences. Find out who their key decision-makers are. Find out what the decision-making procedures are.
The closer your topic or proposed change is to their core beliefs and identity, the harder it will be to effect change.
Thus, a group of separate peoples who speak the same language might need to be identified separately for strategy purposes, because the other factors of self-identification and social organization for internal communication would keep a social movement, or technological change, or other group-decision aspects of society, from naturally being spread from one group to the other, even though they speak the same language.
In other cases, the self-identification of the specific people group might be flexible enough that they would freely exchange cultural knowledge across their other ethnic factors so that change could spread from one group to the other. To some extent that is the case with Swahili in the coastal regions of East Africa, because of the strong positive association with the language across otherwise separate peoples.
Nevertheless it is usually more effective to conduct any relations or programs involving worldview or social change in their own tribal language. It is in that deep, mother-tongue level where personal identity is developed and life decisions are made.
Multi-lingual ethnic groups maintain, or will develop, mechanisms or strategies for the transfer of information or cultural change across the language boundaries within their own ethnic groups, and perhaps for closely-related groups in the broader affinity groupings.
Ethnic Identity
In summary, ethnic identity does largely depend on a people's self-identity. This centers in relational and social groupings, not just naming systems. Further, language is a key factor in this group self-identity.
The Western communicator, teacher, innovator or strategist brings a cultural problem to this task. Because of the western cultural thought-forms, we take a "systems" approach, which is abstract in approach.
This proceedure takes a name for a people and proceed to define who can be called by that name. In investigating people group identities in the Horn of Africa, one Westerner was reporting some initial findings.
His comment read "the people themselves ... believe they are ...." The problem with that phrase is that it is a circular argument. This assumes already that they are a people by a certain name, so that we can refer to members of the predefined group.
Inductive Investigation
An inductive approach would be more valid, starting with the individuals to determine who they feel related to. This approach begins with the concrete relationships and natural social groupings of individuals, families and the larger society.
So the operative question is "Who does this individual, family or social group feel related to?" What other families or groups do they consider themselves related to and in what ways?
It is necessary to ask (by observation, investigation and direct questioning where possible) how individuals or smaller communities commonly identify themselves. Then following that relational path, what is the largest such relational grouping within which ideas are exchanged and social obligations are maintained.
Find out what the group call themselves at each relational level. A clue to the primary grouping for self-identity and the larger affinity groups will be the various names that related sub-groups call themselves and each other.
This investigation of relational groupings will be the starting point for the strategic access person to determine the people group.
A major factor to keep in mind is the relationship of individuals who speak the language to the larger group identified with the language. Similarly, it is necessary to verify whether smaller groups speaking the same language share any supposed universal identity.
This is a simplified scenario of a very common and very complex pattern of human social ethnolinguistic identity.
Also related:
Another version of this topic: What is an Ethnic Group?
Cities and Peoples
Culture, Learning and Communication
Hamyan Bedouin: The Phantom People
Multi-Cultural People Groups
What is Worldview?
Related on the Internet:
Race, Ethnicity and Religion — Cornell University
Online Library: Ebooks and Links
Ethnicity — Encyclopedia of Religion and Society
Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups — Google Books
Originally written in 2000, revised 2004
Rewritten 19 December 2006
Rewritten 1 January 2008
Last edited 17 June 2008
Orville Boyd Jenkins, Ed.D., Ph.D.
Copyright © 2000, 2004, 2008 Orville Boyd Jenkins
Permission given for free download and use for personal and educational purposes. All other rights reserved.
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120-WORDS NIGERIAN LANGUAGES PROJECT
Dear Nigerian:
The table below is for your attention. There are actually 120 words to be translated into your favorite Nigerian language.
If you wish, kindly fill in - or correct existing entry - and ensure that you enter in your name as contributor at the end of the table. Language dialects are particularly welcome.
Kindly email the Html table – or preferably the Word Document - to me at alu...@gmail.com
Kindly cooperate and distribute to the ethnic and sub-ethnic nets – maybe an opportunity for your dialect to be in print for the first time!
And no rigging! :-)
Thank you.
Bolaji Aluko
October 5, 2009
http://www.nigerianmuse.com/images/prinicipal_linguistic_groups.jpg
Map of Principal Linguistic Groups in Nigeria
English Word
Yoruba
Ikwerre
Your
Favorite
Nigerian
Language
Or
Dialect
Parts of the body (26)
Hair
Irun
Rikirize
Head
Ori
Risi
Ear
Eti
Nshni
Mouth
Enu
Onu
Neck
Orun
Uli
Hand
Owo
Aka
Arm
Apa
Nkpornoaka
Cheek
Ereke
Agbna
Stomach
Ikun
Ruwhor
Leg
Ire
Orchi
Feet
Ese
Rekporor
Toes
Ika ese
Rigbiniochi
Fingers
Ika owo
Rigniaka
Elbow
Igunpa
Nkpornoaka
Knee
Orunkun
Nkporn'ochi
Eyes
Oju
Anyia
Back
Ehin
Asnu
Penis
Oko
Emu
Vagina
Obo
Ehnu
teeth
Eyin
Ize
tongue
Ahon
Riro, or Rure
lip
Ete
Mgbeleonu
buttock
Idi
Mgbomgbo, or Ikeoutula
anus
Iho-idi, furo
Otula-usni, or
Otula-isni, or
Otula-orri
urine
Ito
Monyo
faeces
Igbe
Isni, or Nsni, or Orri
Nature & Living Things (20)
Earth
Ile-aye
Oleli. or Eluwa
Land
Ile
Eli or Ali
Sky
Orun
Oluigwe
Wind
Oyi
Ruwherewhere or Ruwhere
Sun
Oorun
Ahnave
Moon
Osupa
Enwa
Water
Omi
Mini
River
Odo, ison-omi
Osumini
Human being
Eniyan
Wadnu, or
Vadnu, or
Badnu
Animal
Eranko
Onohia
Tree
Igi
Usisi
Fly
Esisin
Ruzor
Fire
Ina
Weknu, or
Veknu or
Beknu
Cloud
Sanma
Olugwe
Leaf
Ewe
Okwukwo-ohia
morning
Aaro, owuro
Orsi, or Orsisi
afternoon
Osan
Ehnie
evening _
Irole
Ndnerne
night
Ale, oru
Aynasnu, or
Abali
dawn
Idaji
Orvochi
Family & Community (18)
Father
Baba
Ndah
Mother
Iya
Nnah
Brother
Arakunrin
Nnwondah or
Nwanarukna
Sister
Arabirin
Nwanarinya
Son
Omo okunrin
Nnwonerukna
Daughter
Omo obirin
Nnwonerinya
Male/Man
Okunrin
Nerukna
Female/Woman
Obirin
Nerinya
Young person (male, female)
Omode
Ikoro
Old person (male, female)
Agbalagba
Okne
Family
Idile
Egburu
Village
Ilu
Ohna
Town
Ilu
Ohna
Community
Agbole
Mgbu
King
Oba
Eze
Queen
Ayaba, obabirin
Eze-nerinya
Head (of Family)
Olori, asiwaju
Ne risi Egburu
World
Aiye
Oleli, or Eluowa
Religion and
World View/Relationships (25)
God
Olorun
Chiokike or Chineke
Heaven
Orun
Oluigwe
Hell
Orun apaadi
Uknumor
Life
Aye, igba aye
Wudnu, or
Vudnu, or
Budnu
Love
Ife
Orhunanya
Hatred
Ikorira
Orgwu
Husband
Oko
Nzi
Wife
Iyawo
Nwnerne
Marriage
Igbeyawo
Ogbonzi (for woman),
Orlunnwenre ( for man)
Death
Iku
Enwu
Murder
Ipaniyan
Ogbu-vadnu, or
Ogbu-wadnu, or
Ogbu-badnu
Sex
Ibasun
Orna-ehnu
Birth
Ibi, ibibi
Omunnwo
Agreement/Covenant
Adehun
Nkweri
Faith
Igbagbo
Nkweri
Wisdom
Ogbon
mmamihe
Knowledge
Imoye
Omuhia
priest
Alufa
Nenkpesihne, or
Nyekpegahna
prayer
Adura
Ekpere
fight
Ija
Orlu, or Ognu
war
Ogun
Ognu
weapon
Ohun ija
Ngwna-ognu
peace
Alaafia
Udno
victory
Isegun
Mmeri
sleep
Oorun or sun
Enyierna
Food & Living (20)
Yam
Isu
Iji
Beans
Ewa
Agwa
Rice
Iresi
Arusi
Pepper
Ata
Echiche
Salt
Iyo
Ara
Oil (Palm)
Epo
Orga
Water
Omi
Mini
Chicken
Adiye
Nwonu
Goat
Ewure
Wowu, or Owu
Cow
Maalu
Ehni
Pig
Elede
Esni
Snake
Ejo
Eriri or Agwor
Rat or mouse
Ekute
Ekereknu
Dog
Aja
Nkita
(Cooking) pot
Ikoko
Ite
Mat
Eni
Akpali or Etere
Cloth
Aso
Ukpe or Ikpe
Cap
Fila
Okpu
Footwear
Bata
Okorochi. or Akpaka
Bed
Ibusun
Bedi, or Mbejna
General (11)
Big
Tobi
Hnevu-ezi, or
Hne-vuruovu, or
Hne-karigwuakari
Small
Kekere
Hne-mmanti
Beautiful
L’ewa
Mma
Ugly
Obur’ewa
Njor
Mighty
L’agbara julo
Ovuruovu, or
Okarilem, or
Ovuezi
Wise
L’ogbon, l’oye, n’imo
Omagwuhne,
or Omahna
Foolish
Omugo, alailogbon
Iwhirinwno
Fast
Yara, yiyara
Esisor
Slow
Fale, semele
Otanta
Difficult
Lile, sisoro
Oraruehni,
or Oragaehni
Easy
Riro, rirorun
Oraehni
Informant
Bolaji Aluko
Emeka Reuben Okala
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