Natioro (Natyoro), or Koo’ra, is a
Gur language
The Gur languages, also known as Central Gur or Mabia, belong to the Niger–Congo languages. They are spoken in the Sahelian and savanna regions of West Africa, namely: in most areas of Burkina Faso, and in south-central Mali, northeastern Ivor ...
of
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...
[ spoken by a caste of ]blacksmiths
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gril ...
.
Geographical distribution
Natioro is spoken in four main villages to the west of Banfora
Banfora is a city in southwestern Burkina Faso, with a population of 117,452 (2019 census) making it the sixth most populous city in Burkina Faso. It is the capital of the Comoe province. The city lies south-west of Bobo-Dioulasso, on the Abidj ...
, in Léraba Province
Léraba is one of the 45 provinces of Burkina Faso, located in its Cascades Region.
Its capital is Sindou. Its highest point (and the highest point of the country) is Mount Tenakourou with an elevation of .
Departments
Leraba is divided into 8 de ...
. These four villages are Kawara and Timba, which are west of Sindou, and Sindoukoroni and Dinaoro, which are north of Sindou.
Sample vocabulary
Sample basic vocabulary of Natioro dialects:[Sawadogo, Tasséré. 2002. ]
Rapport d'enquête sur le natioro
'. SIL Electronic Survey Reports (SILESR), 2003-005. SIL International.
See also
* Natioro word lists (Wiktionary)
References
{{Languages of Burkina Faso
Wara–Natyoro languages
Languages of Burkina Faso