Balanta people

Balanta

Kumba Ialá, former Balanta President of Guinea-Bissau
Total population
323,948[1]
Regions with significant populations
Guinea-Bissau  Senegal  The Gambia
Languages
Balanta, Kriol
Religion
Traditional African religion, Roman Catholicism, Islam

The Balanta (Guinea-Bissau Creole and Portuguese: balanta; French: balante; lit. “those who resist” in Mandinka) are an ethnic group found in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Senegal, and The Gambia. They are the largest ethnic group of Guinea-Bissau, representing more than one-quarter of the population. Despite their numbers, they have remained outside the colonial and postcolonial state because of their social organisation. The Balanta can be divided into six clans: Nhacra, Ganja (Mane), Naga, Patch, Sofa and Kentohe. The largest of which are the Balanta Kentohe.

Archaeologists believe that the people who became the Balanta migrated to present-day Guinea-Bissau in small groups between the 10th and 14th centuries CE. During the 19th century, they spread throughout the area that is now Guinea-Bissau and southern Senegal in order to resist the expansion of the Kaabu kingdom. Today, the Balanta are found in the modern-day countries of Senegal, and Gambia but mostly reside in the southern and central regions of Guinea-Bissau.