African Tribe List

Introduction

On this page is a list of a few of the estimated three thousand African tribes. On this African tribe list we have included some of the largest, most interesting, and best known tribal groups. There is a brief description of each tribe. If a name is highlighted you may click on it for more detailed information. This information, written for kids and adults, includes where these tribes live and what some of them are best know for.

Major African Tribes

We will periodically be adding more information about the people of Africa.

Afar

This tribe can be found on the horn of Africa in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Somalia. They traditionally have been organized into separate kingdoms, each ruled by its own Sultan. They are pastoralists.

Amhara

The Amahara are Ethiopia's dominant ethnic group. They are mainly found in the central highland plateau of Ethiopia.

Anlo-Ewe

These people can be found in the Republic of Ghana. Before Europeans began their colonization of Africa the Ashanti developed an influential empire in West Africa.

Ashanti

These people of Africa also go by the name Asante. They are found mostly in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Before the colonization of Africa by the Europeans the Ashanti people created a large empire in West Africa.

Berber

The Berber are the indigenous inhabitants of North Africa (west of the Nile) and have existed in Africa since at least 3000 BC. They are scattered across Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt.

Dogon Tribe

These people live in the cliffs of Southeastern Mali south of the Niger near the city of Bandiagara. The Dogon are a major tourist attraction for Mali. This tribe is known for their mask dances, architecture, and wooden sculptures.

Dinka

These people who refer to themselves as Muonyjang are the largest ethnic tribe in South Sudan. They live in the Bahr el Ghazal region in the Nile basin, Jonglei, southern Kordufan and the Upper Nile region.

Fang

The Fang people live in forest clearings in the humid rainforests of Gabon. They are perhaps best known for the guardian figures which they attached to wooden boxes holding their ancestor’s bones.

Maasai

This ethnic group once occupied large areas of East Africa. They are known as great warriors and herders.

Pygmies

These people, known for their small size, live in central and western Africa. There are many pygmy tribes including the Bambuti, Bayaka, Batwa, and the Bagyeli.

San

An African tribe list would not be complete without including the San who are also referred to as Bushmen, Barwa, Sho, Kung, or Khwe. They live in the Kalahari desert and are the oldest inhabitants of South Africa. This group of people were traditionally hunters and gathers but in modern day have become farmers.

Tutsi

This tribe is also referred to as the Watutsi or Watutsi. In Rwanda and Burundi they are the 2nd largest caste. The largest caste is the Hutu and the smallest is the Twa.

Zulu

They are the largest ethnic group in South Africa, numbering about 10 million. Most of the Zulu live in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

We hope you found this African tribe list interesting. Check back periodically for more information about the people of Africa that we will be adding to this page.