Krahn
Encyclopedia
Krahn is an ethnic group
of Liberia
; it is also the language traditionally spoken by these people.
.
It is thought that the Krahn were traditionally farmers, growing food, and keeping a few animals. Hunting and fishing was also practiced. In terms of religion, many Krahn believe that objects have spirits or souls (animism
).
When the Krahn leader Samuel Doe
came to power in Liberia (through a military coup in 1980) many Krahn speakers moved from the inland areas to the capital Monrovia. It is thought though that many ethnic Krahn brought up in the city will have not used the language.
Following the removal of the Samuel Doe
regime in 1990, and the onset of civil war, refugees have fled from Liberia to Côte d'Ivoire, some taking the Krahn language with them.
In 2003, members of the Krahn tribe founded a rebel group, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia
(MODEL), which promised to disarm the same year.
Western Krahn is spoken in parts of Côte d'Ivoire
and Liberia. The Western Krahn do have some roots from the Ivory Coast and are influenced by both French and English. The Krahn are originally from Northern Africa, a very small group who moved to the west coast of Africa shortly before the slave trades began. They settled in what is now known as Ivory Coast and Liberia. From research from 1991 and 1993, there were an estimated 47,800 speakers in Liberia and 12,200 in Côte d'Ivoire.
Eastern Krahn tends to be spoken natively only in Liberia, with a 1991 estimate of the number of speakers at about 47,000.
There are many dialect
s of both of these languages. Dialects in Côte d'Ivoire tend to have a French influence.
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
of Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
; it is also the language traditionally spoken by these people.
History
The Krahn Arrived in the area known as Ivory Coast and Liberia from Northern Africa shortly before the slaves trade. Most of these people were taken as slaves to the United States and the Caribbean. Some were already present in the area known as Liberia before the formation of the country, and are traditionally based in Grand Gedeh CountyGrand Gedeh County
Grand Gedeh is a county in the eastern portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has three districts. Zwedru serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring...
.
It is thought that the Krahn were traditionally farmers, growing food, and keeping a few animals. Hunting and fishing was also practiced. In terms of religion, many Krahn believe that objects have spirits or souls (animism
Animism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
).
When the Krahn leader Samuel Doe
Samuel Doe
Samuel Kanyon Doe was the 21st President of Liberia, serving from 1986 until his assassination in 1990. He had previously served as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council from 1980 to 1986. He was the first indigenous head of state in Liberian history.Doe was a part of a rural tribe in inland...
came to power in Liberia (through a military coup in 1980) many Krahn speakers moved from the inland areas to the capital Monrovia. It is thought though that many ethnic Krahn brought up in the city will have not used the language.
Following the removal of the Samuel Doe
Samuel Doe
Samuel Kanyon Doe was the 21st President of Liberia, serving from 1986 until his assassination in 1990. He had previously served as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council from 1980 to 1986. He was the first indigenous head of state in Liberian history.Doe was a part of a rural tribe in inland...
regime in 1990, and the onset of civil war, refugees have fled from Liberia to Côte d'Ivoire, some taking the Krahn language with them.
In 2003, members of the Krahn tribe founded a rebel group, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia
Movement for Democracy in Liberia
The Movement for Democracy in Liberia was a rebel group in Liberia that became active in March 2003, launching attacks from Côte d'Ivoire...
(MODEL), which promised to disarm the same year.
Language
Krahn is a Kru language. There are two variations of the language, Eastern and Western Krahn.Western Krahn is spoken in parts of Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
and Liberia. The Western Krahn do have some roots from the Ivory Coast and are influenced by both French and English. The Krahn are originally from Northern Africa, a very small group who moved to the west coast of Africa shortly before the slave trades began. They settled in what is now known as Ivory Coast and Liberia. From research from 1991 and 1993, there were an estimated 47,800 speakers in Liberia and 12,200 in Côte d'Ivoire.
Eastern Krahn tends to be spoken natively only in Liberia, with a 1991 estimate of the number of speakers at about 47,000.
There are many dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s of both of these languages. Dialects in Côte d'Ivoire tend to have a French influence.