03 November 2026

Peoples of Tu...

AbaNtu (incorrect slang: "Bantu") directly translated means "the Ntu" (or Tu/Thu people).

The Khoi & San are also on the periphery of "Tu-ness" because some African historians refer to them as abaTh'wa in some circles. The word for 'person' in Khoi/Khoe is "Khwe" which sounds like the place prefix in Nguni language, "kwe-", while 'person' in San is "Tuu/Nu**" - similar with other Tu peoples but are always considered as not Tu ("bantu"). The Hausa & Igbo also use -tu-/-du- root in their words for people. They are also Abantu/Tu. 
**Nu is also used as a root word for person/people in the Lala Nguni dialect. 

In Yoruba, Wolof & Twi; they use the root word -ni- when say "a person". 

The word for "person" in Sandawe & Hadza uses ni/nu as a root word, similar to West Africans & not "Tu". 

So, simply put, West Africa (east Nigeria to Senegal) is Ni, Central & southern Africa (Sokoto to Kenya heading south) is Tu, "mo" (mu?) is used as a root word for person in some parts of the former Songhai Empire (Mandinka, Moorosi etc.) & the Khoe alone use "khwe" as a root word for 'person'. 

I have yet to decipher the Dinka, Sudanic, Somali, Oromo, Amhara, Mauritanian/Tuareg & Amazigh languages but they are all likely of Asian origin except for Dinka & other Sudanic languages. 

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