Raffia palms are members of the genus Raphia. The Malagasy name rafia is derived from fia "to squeeze juice". The genus contains about twenty species of palms native to tropical regions of Africa, and especially Madagascar, with one species also occurring in Central and South America. R. taedigera is the source of raffia fibers, which are the veins of the leaves, and this species produces a fruit called "brazilia pods", "uxi nuts" or "uxi pods".

The Nso people are from the Bamenda grass fields Northwest Region of Cameroon. Their traditional language is Lamnso and their capital is Kumbo – where the Palace of the Fon is found.