The N’zima People
The N'zima (Nzema) are an Akan people who dominated the Assinie and Grand-Bassam coast, in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana.
Who are the Nzema
The Nzema (also spelled N'zima) are an Akan people of Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, from the lagoon Akan sub-group. They speak Nzema, a Kwa language. The porcupine is their totemic symbol, and the source counts seven Nzema families, each with its own symbol and role in the group.
Their place on the coast
The Nzema dominated the Assinie and Grand-Bassam areas before expanding east into the lagoons and north-east. They are described as the first to occupy the coastline when contact with Europeans began from the 15th century. Grand-Bassam is said to have been founded by the Nzema and became the first capital of Côte d'Ivoire in 1893. King Peter signed a treaty with France on 19 February 1842.
Funeral rites and the Abissa
Funeral rites are described as a foundation of Nzema culture and an occasion for family gatherings: the dead are never truly dead, because their spirits watch over the living. The N'vavilé family is the custodian of the new-year festival, the Abissa.
A word on our sources
The main source is an encyclopedia article that is itself flagged as insufficiently sourced (banner of August 2018). We removed claims from the previous version of this page that we could not confirm: a matrilineal social organisation, a priesthood called komfobene, and visits to traditional villages. To go further, the study by Kouamé René Allou (2013) is cited as a reference by that article.
Sources
Go meet the N'zima people during a stay in Assinie.