Encyclopedia of World Cultures (In Print)
This is an excellent place to look for background information on cultural and ethnic groups. Includes a VERY USEFUL Ethnonym Index. The entries often include bibliographies.
The Ethnonym index helps you identify alternate names of ethnic groups. For example, when I looked up Ashante (one of your possible topics) I discovered that the Ashante are also referred to as the Akan, Asante, Akuapem, Akwamu, and Akyem.
