Bakota


Bakota

 

or Kota, a group of tribes inhabiting the basin of the upper reaches of the Ogooué River in Gabon and in the People’s Republic of the Congo. Together with the related tribes of Bambao, Bandasa, and Bawumbu, their overall population was estimated in 1967 in Gabon at 70,000 and in the Congo at 70,000. The language of the Bakota is Kota, which belongs to the northwestern group of the Bantu family. The majority of Bakota are Catholics, although some (in the Congo) retain local traditional beliefs. Their basic occupation is agriculture (cassava, sweet potatoes, and peanuts); some Bakota work in lumberyards.