The Brief History of The Ga Peoples - INTRODUCTION

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Category: History

Created on Sunday, 29 September 2013 00:00

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INTRODUCTION

There had been [reoccurring] reported sorry state of the Ga State and the feared scenario of its bonafide Ga Language, on the ebb of extinction due to massive occupation of various ethnic groups, especially, the Akan peoples- many of whom their preferred spoken languages in Accra, to the dismay of the “puritan traditional Ga”, had always been the Akan Languages, instead of learning the indigenous Ga Language. So who could actually be called a pure Ga? In the words of Professor Odotei, “oral traditions collected by various authors indicate that most of the Ga peoples trace their origins to the east of the Accra plains. A section of Osu trace their origin to Osudoku in the Adanme area. Sections of Ga Mashie trace their origins as Far East as the southern part of modern Nigeria, though so far no confirmatory evidence has been established for this. According to oral traditions, the migration of the various groups of Ga-speakers into the Accra plains took place at different times. Before the Ga speakers moved into the Accra plains, there were people living there in scattered farmsteads. These people were absorbed by the Ga-speaking people. The Kpehi of Tema and other Guan groups are said to be among the earliest groups who lived in the Accra plains.” Others posit they are one of the cherished lost sheep of Israel. The Gas are yes, diverse peoples. So why worry if settlers, without offence, decide to communicate in a language they feel comfortable?