The Dagaaba people (singular Dagao, and, in northern dialects, Dagara for both plural and singular)) are an ethnic group in the West African nations of Ghana, Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire. They speak the Dagaare language, made up of the related Northern Dagaare dialects, Southern Dagaare dialects, a number of sub dialects. In northern dialects, both the language and the people are referred to as Dagara. They are related to the Birifor people and the Dagaare Diola. The language is collectively known as Dagaare (also spelled and/or pronounced as Dagare, Dagari, Dagarti, Dagaran or, Dagao) and historically some non-natives have taken this as the name of the people. One historian, describing the former usage of "Dagarti" to refer to this community by colonials, writes : "The name 'Dagarti' a