Baga (also Bagas) was a Berber king of Mauretania about 225 BC. He ruled the kingdom from his capital situated in Siga.
King Baga appeared during the events of the second Punic war. Upon Massinissa’s return to Africa he had to either pass through Massaesylian territory, his arch rivals, or through Mauretanian territory. Choosing the latter he was provided with a bodyguard by king Baga of Mauretania that stayed with Massinissa until he reached the borders of his own kingdom.
Baga may refer to:
Baga is a red Portuguese wine grape variety planted primarily in the Bairrada DOC. As a varietal, Baga produces tannic wines with high acidity.
Baga is also known under the synonyms Baga de Louro, Baguinha, Bairrada, Bairrado Tinta, Baya, Carrasquenho, Carrega Burros, Goncalveira, Morete, Moreto, Paga Dividas, Poeirinha, Poeirinho, Povolide, Preiinho, Pretinho, Preto Rifete, Rifete, Rosete, Tinta Bairrada, Tinta Bairradina, Tinta da Bairrada, Tinta de Baga, and Tinta Fina.
The Baga people live in the coastal lowlands of Guinea. They belong to separate tribes sharing extensive cultural characteristics (from north to south of present-day Guinea): the Mandori, the Sitemu, the Pukur, the Bulunits, the Kakissa (or Sobané), the Koba, and the Kalum. They are also closely related to the inland Landuma, to the Nalu of Guinea-Bissau and to the Temne of Sierra Leone with whom they share linguistical roots.
The name Baga is derived from the Susu phrase bae raka, “people of the seaside.”
In addition to the Baga languages, most of the Baga also speak the Mande language Susu, the regional trade language. Two Baga communities are known to have abandoned their language altogether in favour of Susu, namely the Sobané and Kaloum (needs citation).
According to Baga oral tradition, the Baga originated in Guinea's interior highlands and were driven by aggressive neighbors westward to the coastal swamplands. They were already settled there by the 16th century when a Portuguese trader described them as a "secretive, hostile people, best left alone." (needs citation) However, other traders such as William Settel Fernandez married the daughter of a Baga leader and eventually assumed a leadership position in their society.