Sierra Leone Creole people
Encyclopedia
The Sierra Leone Creoles, or Krios, are an ethnic group
in Sierra Leone
, descendants
of West Indian slaves from the Caribbean
, primarily from Jamaica
; freed African American
slaves from the Thirteen Colonies
(Black Loyalist
s) resettled from Nova Scotia; and Liberated Africans
from various parts of Africa. They arrived in Freetown
between 1792 and 1855 (or possibly as late as 1860).
They make up about 5.4% of the Sierra Leone's total population (about 377,003 people), and they live primarily in the capital Freetown and its surrounding Western Area.
The Creoles speak English
and a distinctive creole language
, called Krio
, based on a blend of European languages, primarily English
but also including French, Spanish and Portuguese. The African influence on Krio is noted in its syntax, grammar as well as some of its vocabulary, mostly Yoruba and Igbo. The Krio language is used as a lingua franca
throughout Sierra Leone and is understood by 97% of the country's population. This is due to the history of the founding of this seat of the British Empire in West Africa. It is similar to Gullah
(and its variant Geechee) spoken in South Carolina and Georgia.
The Creoles are primarily Christians, at about 90% of the total Krio population. About 10% of the Krios are Muslim
. The Krio Muslims are predominantly found in the Freetown suburb
of Fourah Bay
, and the Western Area city of Waterloo
.
Like their Americo-Liberian
neighbors, Creole have varying degrees of European
ancestry because some of the African American
and West Indian settlers were descended from white
Americans and Europeans. There was also considerable intermarriage between the Europeans who settled in the colony of Sierra Leone and the various ethnic groups that coalesced into the Creole identity. Alongside the Americo-Liberians, they are the only recognised ethnic group of African American
, Liberated African, and West Indian descent in West Africa.
Historically, Krio was the name for the language and Creole was the name for the people. In modern usage, the term Krio is generally used to refer to both the language and people, although the term Creole is still a popular term for the people. There are also Creole populations in Nigeria, the Gambia, and Fernando Po. The Saros
in Nigeria, Fernandino
s in Fernando Po, and the Aku
in Gambia are descendants of Krio traders and colonial officials from Sierra Leone.
. Because many Sherbros interacted with Portuguese and English traders and even intermarried with them (producing Afro-European clans such as the Sherbro Tuckers and Sherbro Caulkers), like the Krios, the Sherbro have a more westernized culture than that of other Sierra Leone ethnic groups. The Creoles generally intermarried with their allies the Sherbros from as far back as the 18th century.
The Krios still observe traditional dating and marriage customs. Marriage is still viewed as a contract between two families. Relatives seek out prospective mates for their kin from desirable families. When a mate has been chosen, the groom's parents set a "put stop" day. After this day, the girl can no longer entertain other suitors. On the evening before the wedding, the groom's friends treat him to "bachelor's eve," a rowdy last fling before marriage.
Unlike the other ethnic group in Sierra Leone, Krios live in nuclear families (father, mother, and their children), but the extended family is important to them. Family members who do well are expected to help those who are less fortunate. They assist poorer relatives with school fees and job opportunities. Women typically shoulder the greatest domestic burdens. In most families, women care for the children, clean house, do the marketing, cook meals, wash dishes and clothes, and carry wood and water.
Historically Krio fashion consisted of a top hat
and frock coat
for men and a petticoat
for women. Like their Americo-Liberian neighbors, Creole men were said to adhere to the "Religion of the Tall Hat and Frock Coat". Today, teenage fashion—jeans, T-shirts, and sneakers—are very much in style among young people. However, older Creoles still dress conservatively in Western-style suits and dresses.
Krios typically eat three meals a day, the largest in the morning or near midday. The noonday meal of some creoles is fufu, a dough-like paste made of cassava
pounded into flour. Fufu is always eaten with a "palaver sauce" or plassas. This is a spicy dish consisting of leafy greens with tripe (sheep or goat stomach), fish, beef, salt pork, and chicken. A West African one-pot meal, jollof rice, is also popular. Other favorites include rice with various sauces, rice bread, and salad. Krios enjoy alcoholic drinks such as beer, gin, and palm wine.
When someone dies, pictures in the house are turned toward the wall. At the wake held before the burial, people clap loudly to make sure the corpse is not merely in a trance. The next day the body is washed, placed in shrouds (burial cloths), and laid on a bed for a final viewing. Then it is placed in a coffin and taken to the church for the service, and lastly to the cemetery for burial.
The mourning period lasts one year. On the third, seventh, and fortieth day after death, awujoh feasts are held. The feast on the fortieth day marks the spirit's last day on earth. The family and guests eat a big meal. Portions of the meal are placed into a hole for the dead. The pull mohning day—the end of mourning—occurs at the end of one year. The mourners wear white, visit the cemetery, and then return home for refreshments.
abolitionist Granville Sharp
. The land upon which their settlement rested was negotiated with a Temne
chief, King Tom.
Although initially there was no hostility between the two groups, after King Tom's death the next Temne chief retaliated for a slave trader's burning his village. He threatened to destroy Granville Town. The Temne ransacked Granville Town and took some Black Poor into slavery, while others became slave traders. In early 1791 Alexander Falconbridge
returned, to find only 64 of the original Black Poor (which consisted of 39 black men, 19 black women, and six white women). The 64 people had been cared for by a Greek and a colonist named Thomas Kallingree at Fourah Bay (an abandoned African village). There the settlers reestablished Granville Town. After that time, they were called the "Old Settlers". By this time the Province of Freedom had been destroyed; Granville Sharp did not lead the next settlement movement.
; these Maroons came specifically from Trelawny Town, one of the five Maroon cities in Jamaica. These runaway ex-slaves numbered around 551, and they helped quell some of the riots against the British from the Settlers. The Maroons fought against the Temne during the Temne Attack of 1801..
The next migrations were smaller. West Indian soldiers from the 2nd and 4th West India Regiments settled in Freetown and in suburbs around it. Thirty-eight African Americans (consisting of nine families) immigrated to Freetown under the auspices of Paul Cuffe
of Boston. Black Americans immigrating to Freetown, included Perry Lockes and Prince Saunders from Boston, Abraham Thompson and Peter Williams from New York, and Edward Jones from Charleston.
The last and major group of immigrants to the colony were the Liberated Africans. Having been captured and put aboard slave ships for sale in the western hemisphere, they were liberated by the British Navy, which enforced the abolition of the international slave trade after 1808. The Liberated Africans, also called Recaptives, contributed greatly to the Creole culture. While the Settlers, Maroons, and transatlantic immigrants gave the Creoles their Christianity, some of their customs, and their Western influence; the Liberated Africans modified their customs and culture to that of the Nova Scotians and Europeans, yet kept some of their ethnic traditions. Initially the British intervened to ensure the recaptives became firmly rooted in Freetown society; they served in the army with the West India Regiment, and they were assigned as apprentices in the houses of Settlers and Maroons, as well. Sometimes if a recaptive's parents died, they would be adopted by a Settler or Maroon family. The two groups mixed and mingled in society. As the recaptives began to trade and spread Christianity throughout West Africa
, they began to dominate Freetown society. Soon the Settler and Maroon society began to collapse. The recaptives began to intermarry with the Settlers and Maroons, and the two groups became a fusion of African and Western society.
As a result of normal immigration patterns, the Sierra Leone Civil War
, and some discrimination at home, many Krios live abroad in the United States
and the United Kingdom
. What has been called the 'Creole Diaspora' is the migration of Krios abroad. Many Krios attend formal and informal gatherings. A Krio Heritage Society is based in New York City, with branches in places like Texas. Historically, Creoles spread Christianity and their lingua franca throughout West Africa, and because of this, Creole communities exist in Nigeria
, Ghana
, Cameroon
, Senegal
, Equatorial Guinea
and Liberia
. Many Creoles traded throughout West Africa, and some settled in new countries. Krios who settled in Nigeria were known as Saros
, and there is a thriving community there. Creoles who settled in the Gambia are known as the 'Aku
'; they make up an elite community in Gambia. Many recaptives returned to their original homes after being freed in Freetown. As most kept their Anglo names, they took partially new identities back to their homelands.
, and their descendants became known as Americo-Liberians such as the Case of Charles D.B. King.
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...
in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, descendants
Lineal descendant
A lineal descendant, in legal usage, refers to a blood relative in the direct line of descent. The children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc...
of West Indian slaves from the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, primarily from Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
; freed African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
slaves from the Thirteen Colonies
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
(Black Loyalist
Black Loyalist
A Black Loyalist was an inhabitant of British America of African descent who joined British colonial forces during the American Revolutionary War...
s) resettled from Nova Scotia; and Liberated Africans
Sierra Leone Liberated Africans
The Sierra Leone Liberated Africans were slaves freed by the British Royal Navy from slave ships on the high seas and brought to Freetown, now Sierra Leone's capital city. The Sierra Leone Creole Settlers and West Indian immigrants called the liberated Africans "Willyfoss niggers"....
from various parts of Africa. They arrived in Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
between 1792 and 1855 (or possibly as late as 1860).
They make up about 5.4% of the Sierra Leone's total population (about 377,003 people), and they live primarily in the capital Freetown and its surrounding Western Area.
The Creoles speak English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and a distinctive creole language
Creole language
A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that they have been nativized by children as their primary language, making them have features of natural languages that are normally missing from...
, called Krio
Krio language
Sierra Leone Krio is the lingua franca and the de facto national language spoken throughout the West African nation of Sierra Leone. Krio is spoken by 97% of Sierra Leone's population and unites the different ethnic groups in the country, especially in their trade and social interaction with each...
, based on a blend of European languages, primarily English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
but also including French, Spanish and Portuguese. The African influence on Krio is noted in its syntax, grammar as well as some of its vocabulary, mostly Yoruba and Igbo. The Krio language is used as a lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
throughout Sierra Leone and is understood by 97% of the country's population. This is due to the history of the founding of this seat of the British Empire in West Africa. It is similar to Gullah
Gullah
The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia, which includes both the coastal plain and the Sea Islands....
(and its variant Geechee) spoken in South Carolina and Georgia.
The Creoles are primarily Christians, at about 90% of the total Krio population. About 10% of the Krios are Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. The Krio Muslims are predominantly found in the Freetown suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Fourah Bay
Fourah Bay
Fourah Bay is a neighborhood in the West End of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Fourah Bay is known for its rich culture and deeply religious muslim people. Fourah Bay is largely muslim and is home to Sierra Leone's biggest and West Africa's oldest university, the Fourah Bay College ) to which it gives its...
, and the Western Area city of Waterloo
Waterloo, Sierra Leone
Waterloo is the second largest city in the Western Area of Sierra Leone and a suburb of Freetown. The population of Waterloo was estimated at 19,750 in 2006. Waterloo lies just 18 miles east of Freetown -Socio-historical perspectives:...
.
Like their Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberians are a Liberian ethnicity of African American descent. The sister ethnic group of Americo Liberians are the Sierra Leone Creole people who are of African American, West Indian, and liberated African descent...
neighbors, Creole have varying degrees of European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
ancestry because some of the African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and West Indian settlers were descended from white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
Americans and Europeans. There was also considerable intermarriage between the Europeans who settled in the colony of Sierra Leone and the various ethnic groups that coalesced into the Creole identity. Alongside the Americo-Liberians, they are the only recognised ethnic group of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, Liberated African, and West Indian descent in West Africa.
Historically, Krio was the name for the language and Creole was the name for the people. In modern usage, the term Krio is generally used to refer to both the language and people, although the term Creole is still a popular term for the people. There are also Creole populations in Nigeria, the Gambia, and Fernando Po. The Saros
Saros (Nigeria)
Saros or Creoles in Nigeria during the nineteenth century and early twentieth century were freed slaves who migrated to Nigeria in the beginning of the 1830s. They were known locally as Saros or Amaros: migrants from Brazil and Cuba. Saros and Amaros also settled in other West African countries...
in Nigeria, Fernandino
Fernandino
Named in reverence of the Portuguese explorer Fernão do Pó who is given credit for discovering their indigenous and adopted homelands, Fernandinos are creole, multi-ethnic or multi-race populations of Equatorial Guinea and former Spanish Guinea. Each population hails from a distinct ethnic, social,...
s in Fernando Po, and the Aku
Aku people
The Aku or Krio or Creole are a minority ethnic group of Gambia with roots among the Sierra Leone Creole. In Sierra Leone, Muslim Creoles are known as Akus or Marabouts, while in the Gambia, the term Aku refers to the entire Creole population...
in Gambia are descendants of Krio traders and colonial officials from Sierra Leone.
Modern culture
Krio culture is unlike that of all other ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, and it is typical of Westernized cultures and ideals. The only Sierra Leonean ethnic group whose culture is similar (in terms of its embrace of Western culture) are the Sherbro peopleSherbro people
The Sherbro people are a native people of Sierra Leone, who speak the Sherbro language; they make up 3% of Sierra Leone's population or about 201,000. They are also known as the Bullom people...
. Because many Sherbros interacted with Portuguese and English traders and even intermarried with them (producing Afro-European clans such as the Sherbro Tuckers and Sherbro Caulkers), like the Krios, the Sherbro have a more westernized culture than that of other Sierra Leone ethnic groups. The Creoles generally intermarried with their allies the Sherbros from as far back as the 18th century.
The Krios still observe traditional dating and marriage customs. Marriage is still viewed as a contract between two families. Relatives seek out prospective mates for their kin from desirable families. When a mate has been chosen, the groom's parents set a "put stop" day. After this day, the girl can no longer entertain other suitors. On the evening before the wedding, the groom's friends treat him to "bachelor's eve," a rowdy last fling before marriage.
Unlike the other ethnic group in Sierra Leone, Krios live in nuclear families (father, mother, and their children), but the extended family is important to them. Family members who do well are expected to help those who are less fortunate. They assist poorer relatives with school fees and job opportunities. Women typically shoulder the greatest domestic burdens. In most families, women care for the children, clean house, do the marketing, cook meals, wash dishes and clothes, and carry wood and water.
Historically Krio fashion consisted of a top hat
Top hat
A top hat, beaver hat, high hat silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat is a tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, predominantly worn from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century...
and frock coat
Frock coat
A frock coat is a man's coat characterised by knee-length skirts all around the base, popular during the Victorian and Edwardian periods. The double-breasted style is sometimes called a Prince Albert . The frock coat is a fitted, long-sleeved coat with a centre vent at the back, and some features...
for men and a petticoat
Petticoat
A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing for women; specifically an undergarment to be worn under a skirt or a dress. The petticoat is a separate garment hanging from the waist ....
for women. Like their Americo-Liberian neighbors, Creole men were said to adhere to the "Religion of the Tall Hat and Frock Coat". Today, teenage fashion—jeans, T-shirts, and sneakers—are very much in style among young people. However, older Creoles still dress conservatively in Western-style suits and dresses.
Krios typically eat three meals a day, the largest in the morning or near midday. The noonday meal of some creoles is fufu, a dough-like paste made of cassava
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
pounded into flour. Fufu is always eaten with a "palaver sauce" or plassas. This is a spicy dish consisting of leafy greens with tripe (sheep or goat stomach), fish, beef, salt pork, and chicken. A West African one-pot meal, jollof rice, is also popular. Other favorites include rice with various sauces, rice bread, and salad. Krios enjoy alcoholic drinks such as beer, gin, and palm wine.
Krio cultural ceremonies
Krios practice certain African rituals in connection with rites of passage. One such ceremony is the awujoh feast, intended to win the protection of ancestral spirits. Awujoh feasts are held for newborns and newlyweds, and on other occasions.When someone dies, pictures in the house are turned toward the wall. At the wake held before the burial, people clap loudly to make sure the corpse is not merely in a trance. The next day the body is washed, placed in shrouds (burial cloths), and laid on a bed for a final viewing. Then it is placed in a coffin and taken to the church for the service, and lastly to the cemetery for burial.
The mourning period lasts one year. On the third, seventh, and fortieth day after death, awujoh feasts are held. The feast on the fortieth day marks the spirit's last day on earth. The family and guests eat a big meal. Portions of the meal are placed into a hole for the dead. The pull mohning day—the end of mourning—occurs at the end of one year. The mourners wear white, visit the cemetery, and then return home for refreshments.
Krio folktales
Krios have inherited a wide range of tales from their ancestors. They entertain and provide instruction in Krio values and traditions. Among the best loved are stories about the spider. The following is a typical spider tale:
Once the spider was fat. He loved eating, but detested work and had not planted or fished all season. One day the villagers were preparing a feast. From his forest web, he could smell the mouth-watering cooking. He knew that if he visited friends, they would feed him as was the custom. So he called his two sons and told both of them to tie a rope around his waist and set off in opposite directions for the two closest villages, each holding one end of the rope. They were to pull on the rope when the food was ready. But both villages began eating at the same time, and when the sons began pulling the rope, it grew tighter and tighter, squeezing the greedy spider. When the feasting was over and the sons came to look for him, they found a big head, a big body, and a very thin waist!
Black Poor and Province of Freedom 1787-1789
The first settlers to found a colony in Sierra Leone were the Black Poor (made up of African Americans and West Indians) and they numbered around 400 (Some of the Black Poor were Black Loyalists (who were African Americans) who went to England to petition for a land of their own, and at least half of the 400 Black Poor were African Americans). The journey from England killed many of them but enough survived to establish and build a colony. Seventy white women also came with the Black Poor to Sierra Leone and they were the black men's girlfriends, though they are traditionally depicted as prostitutes from Deptford. Their Colony was known as the 'Province of Freedom' and their settlement was called 'Granville Town' after the EnglishEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
abolitionist Granville Sharp
Granville Sharp
Granville Sharp was one of the first English campaigners for the abolition of the slave trade. He also involved himself in trying to correct other social injustices. Sharp formulated the plan to settle blacks in Sierra Leone, and founded the St. George's Bay Company, a forerunner of the Sierra...
. The land upon which their settlement rested was negotiated with a Temne
Temne
Temne can refer to:* A West Atlantic language, the Temne language is one of the most widely spoken indigenous languages of Sierra Leone, West Africa...
chief, King Tom.
Although initially there was no hostility between the two groups, after King Tom's death the next Temne chief retaliated for a slave trader's burning his village. He threatened to destroy Granville Town. The Temne ransacked Granville Town and took some Black Poor into slavery, while others became slave traders. In early 1791 Alexander Falconbridge
Alexander Falconbridge
Alexander Falconbridge was a British surgeon on four voyages in slave ships between 1780 and 1787 before meeting the anti-slavery campaigner, Thomas Clarkson and becoming a member of the Anti-Slavery Society . After meeting Thomas Clarkson, he published in 1788 An Account of the Slave Trade on...
returned, to find only 64 of the original Black Poor (which consisted of 39 black men, 19 black women, and six white women). The 64 people had been cared for by a Greek and a colonist named Thomas Kallingree at Fourah Bay (an abandoned African village). There the settlers reestablished Granville Town. After that time, they were called the "Old Settlers". By this time the Province of Freedom had been destroyed; Granville Sharp did not lead the next settlement movement.
The Nova Scotians and the Freetown Colony
The directors of the Sierra Leone Colony believed that a new colony did not need Black settlers from London. Instead, the directors decided to bring African Americans from Nova Scotia, despite the failure of the last colony. These settlers were Black Loyalists, American slaves who had escaped to British lines and fought with them during the American Revolution, to earn freedom. The British transported more than 3,000 freedmen to Nova Scotia for resettlement, together with white Loyalists. Some of the former African Americans were from South Carolina and the Sea Islands, of the Gullah culture; others were from states along the eastern seaboard up to New England. They had a profound influence on Creole culture; much of the Western attributes of Creole society came from the "Settlers" In Sierra Leone they were called the Nova Scotians or "Settlers" (the 1787 Settlers were called the Old Settlers). They founded the capital of Sierra Leone in 1792. The descendants of African Americans remained an identifiable ethnic group until the 1870s, when the Creole identity was beginning to form.Maroons and other transatlantic immigrants
The next arrivals were the Jamaican MaroonsJamaican Maroons
The 'Jamaican Maroons are descended from slaves who escaped from slavery and established free communities in the mountainous interior of Jamaica during the long era of slavery in the island. African slaves imported during the Spanish period may have provided the first runaways, apparently mixing...
; these Maroons came specifically from Trelawny Town, one of the five Maroon cities in Jamaica. These runaway ex-slaves numbered around 551, and they helped quell some of the riots against the British from the Settlers. The Maroons fought against the Temne during the Temne Attack of 1801..
The next migrations were smaller. West Indian soldiers from the 2nd and 4th West India Regiments settled in Freetown and in suburbs around it. Thirty-eight African Americans (consisting of nine families) immigrated to Freetown under the auspices of Paul Cuffe
Paul Cuffe
Paul Cuffee was a Quaker businessman, Sea Captain, patriot, and abolitionist. He was of Aquinnah Wampanoag and African Ashanti descent and helped colonize Sierra Leone...
of Boston. Black Americans immigrating to Freetown, included Perry Lockes and Prince Saunders from Boston, Abraham Thompson and Peter Williams from New York, and Edward Jones from Charleston.
The settling of Recaptives
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, they began to dominate Freetown society. Soon the Settler and Maroon society began to collapse. The recaptives began to intermarry with the Settlers and Maroons, and the two groups became a fusion of African and Western society.
Architecture
Creole families typically live in two-story wooden houses reminiscent of those found in the West Indies or Louisiana. This style of housing was brought by the "Settlers" from Nova Scotia, and as early as the 1790s, the Nova Scotians had built houses with stone foundations with wooden superstructures, and American-style shingle roofs. Despite their dilapidated appearance, Creole houses have a distinctive air, with dormers, box windows, shutters, glass panes, and balconies. The elite live in attractive neighborhoods like Hill Station, above Freetown. A large dam in the mountains provides a reliable supply of water and electricity to this area.Creole diaspora
The Creole homeland is a mountainous, narrow peninsula on the coast of west Africa. The whole of Sierra Leone covers some 72,500 square kilometres. At its northern tip lies Freetown, the capital. The peninsula's mountain range is covered by tropical rain forests split by deep valleys and adorned with impressive waterfalls. White sand beaches line the Atlantic coast.As a result of normal immigration patterns, the Sierra Leone Civil War
Sierra Leone Civil War
The Sierra Leone Civil War began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front , with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia , intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government...
, and some discrimination at home, many Krios live abroad in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. What has been called the 'Creole Diaspora' is the migration of Krios abroad. Many Krios attend formal and informal gatherings. A Krio Heritage Society is based in New York City, with branches in places like Texas. Historically, Creoles spread Christianity and their lingua franca throughout West Africa, and because of this, Creole communities exist in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
and 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...
. Many Creoles traded throughout West Africa, and some settled in new countries. Krios who settled in Nigeria were known as Saros
Saros (Nigeria)
Saros or Creoles in Nigeria during the nineteenth century and early twentieth century were freed slaves who migrated to Nigeria in the beginning of the 1830s. They were known locally as Saros or Amaros: migrants from Brazil and Cuba. Saros and Amaros also settled in other West African countries...
, and there is a thriving community there. Creoles who settled in the Gambia are known as the 'Aku
Aku people
The Aku or Krio or Creole are a minority ethnic group of Gambia with roots among the Sierra Leone Creole. In Sierra Leone, Muslim Creoles are known as Akus or Marabouts, while in the Gambia, the term Aku refers to the entire Creole population...
'; they make up an elite community in Gambia. Many recaptives returned to their original homes after being freed in Freetown. As most kept their Anglo names, they took partially new identities back to their homelands.
Creole Heritage
The average creole has a mixed heritage of Liberated African, West Indian, African American, and Black Nova Scotian descent. A number of Americo-Liberians also immigrated to Sierra Leone and their descendants were known as Creoles. Also some Creoles immigrated to LiberiaLiberia
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...
, and their descendants became known as Americo-Liberians such as the Case of Charles D.B. King.
Closely Related Populations
- Aku peopleAku peopleThe Aku or Krio or Creole are a minority ethnic group of Gambia with roots among the Sierra Leone Creole. In Sierra Leone, Muslim Creoles are known as Akus or Marabouts, while in the Gambia, the term Aku refers to the entire Creole population...
- Black Nova ScotiansBlack Nova ScotiansBlack Nova Scotians are people of Black African descent whose ancestors fled Colonial America as slaves or freemen to settle in Nova Scotia, Canada during the 18th and 19th centuries. According to the 2006 Census of Canada, there are 19,230 black people currently living in Nova Scotia, most of whom...
- Saros (Nigeria)Saros (Nigeria)Saros or Creoles in Nigeria during the nineteenth century and early twentieth century were freed slaves who migrated to Nigeria in the beginning of the 1830s. They were known locally as Saros or Amaros: migrants from Brazil and Cuba. Saros and Amaros also settled in other West African countries...
- Fernandinos
- Nova Scotian settlers (Sierra Leone)
- Sierra Leone Liberated AfricansSierra Leone Liberated AfricansThe Sierra Leone Liberated Africans were slaves freed by the British Royal Navy from slave ships on the high seas and brought to Freetown, now Sierra Leone's capital city. The Sierra Leone Creole Settlers and West Indian immigrants called the liberated Africans "Willyfoss niggers"....
- Sherbro peopleSherbro peopleThe Sherbro people are a native people of Sierra Leone, who speak the Sherbro language; they make up 3% of Sierra Leone's population or about 201,000. They are also known as the Bullom people...
Prominent Krio Descended Families
- Davis family (Sierra Leone)Davis family (Sierra Leone)The Davis family was one of the last of the Nova Scotian settler families and though the family has descendants in the United States and Europe. The Davis family was one of the original African American families of Sierra Leone, thus part of the Sierra-Leone Krio population; and they are mentioned...
- Ransome-Kuti family (Saros from Nigeria)Ransome-Kuti FamilyThe Ransome-Kuti family is a Nigerian family noted for its contributions to Nigerian art, religion, education, medicine and politics.*Olasu**Jamo m. Orukoloku***Likoye Kuti, m. Ekidan Efupeyin...
- Johnson Family (Sierra Leone)
Politicians
- Valentine StrasserValentine StrasserValentine Esegragbo Melvine Strasser served as head of state of Sierra Leone from 1992 to 1996. He had been a junior military officer but in 1992, he became the world's youngest Head of State when he seized power three days after his 25th birthday...
, Head of State of Sierra Leone from 1992–1996 - Abel Nathaniel Bankole StrongeAbel Nathaniel Bankole StrongeAbel Nathaniel Bankole Stronge is the current speaker of Parliament of Sierra Leone. He is a member of the ruling All People's Congress and represent the Western Area Urban District...
, current speaker of parliament - Adelaide Casely-HayfordAdelaide Casely-HayfordAdelaide Casely-Hayford, née Smith , was a Sierra Leonean Creole advocate, an activist for cultural nationalism, educator, short story writer, and feminist. She established a school for girls in 1923 to instill cultural and racial pride during the colonial years under British rule...
, Sierra Leonean advocate, nationalist, and educator - Abioseh Davidson NicolAbioseh NicolAbioseh Davidson Nicol was a Sierra Leonean academic, diplomat, physician, writer and poet. He has been considered as one of Sierra Leone’s most educated citizens of recent times, as he was able to secure degrees on the art, science and commercial disciplines.-Early life:Nicol was born as Davidson...
, author and diplomat - Herbert George-WilliamsHerbert George-WilliamsHerbert George-Williams is a Sierra Leonean politician and the current mayor of Freetown. He is from the All People's Congress political party On January 17, 2008 George-Williams replaced Winstanley Bankole Johnson who was sacked by his fellow members of the Freetown-city counciles...
, current mayor of Freetown - Henry Josiah Lightfoot BostonHenry Josiah Lightfoot BostonSir Henry Josiah Lightfoot Boston was a Sierra Leonean diplomat and politician. He was the first indigenous Governor-General of Sierra Leone...
, Governor-General of Sierra Leone from 1962 to 1967 - Ade Renner ThomasAde Renner ThomasAde Renner Thomas is the former Chief Justice of Sierra Leone. An ethnic Creole, Thomas was born and raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital. He later obtained a Ph.D. in land law. He was appointed to the position of chief justice by former president, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. In 2008 Renner-Thomas...
, former Chief Justice of Sierra Leone - Isaac Wallace-JohnsonIsaac Wallace-JohnsonIsaac Theophilus Akunna Wallace-Johnson was a Sierra Leonean and British West African workers' leader, journalist, activist and politician. Born into a poor Creole family in Sierra Leone, he emerged as a natural leader in school...
, journalist, activist and politician - Andrew Juxon-SmithAndrew Juxon-SmithBrigadier Andrew Terence Juxon-Smith was a politician and military official in Sierra Leone. He was briefly Chairman of the National Reformation Council and acting Governor-General, equivalent to head of the Sierra Leonean state...
, former commander of the Armed Forces - Christiana ThorpeChristiana ThorpeDr. Christiana Thorpe is the current chief of the Sierra Leone National Electoral Commission, an independent agency created by the Sierra Leone government and is in charge of organising and supervising national, regional and local elections in Sierra Leone. When Captain Valentine Strasser seized...
, current chief of the National Electoral Commission - Abdul Tejan-ColeAbdul Tejan-ColeAbdul Tejan-Cole is a Sierra Leonean legal practitioner and the Commissioner of Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Commission. He was awarded the 2001 Human Rights Watch award....
, current Commissioner of the Anti Corruption Commission - Brigadier-General Arthur Nelson-Williams, current Chief of the Defence Staff
- David Omoshola CarewDavid CarewDavid Omashola Carew is a Sierra Leonean economist and politician. He is currently Sierra Leone's Minister of Trade and Industry. He had also served as Sierra Leone Minister of Finance from October 2007 to February 2009...
, current Minister of Trade and Industry - Ogunlade DavidsonOgunlade DavidsonOgunlade Davidson is Co-chair of the Working Group III, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change since 1997. From 1996 until 2000, he held the post of Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone.He is the current Minister of Energy and Water Resources of...
, Current Minister of Energy and Power - Victor Chukuma Johnson, member of Parliament of Sierra Leone from the Western Area (APC)
- Winstanley Bankole JohnsonWinstanley Bankole JohnsonWinstanley Bankole Johnson is a Sierra Leonean politician and served as mayor of Freetown from July 2004 until he was sacked by his fellow members of the Freetown-city Council on January 17, 2008. Johnson was appointed mayor in July 2004 and is a member of the opposition All Peoples Congress...
, mayor of Freetown from 2004–2008 - Cecil Osho Williams, member of Parliament from the Western Area (APC)
- Victor Reider, member of Parliament from the Western Area (APC)
- John Henry Malamah ThomasJohn Henry Malamah ThomasJohn Henry Malamah Thomas was a Sierra Leonean entrepreneur and a long serving mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone.-Early life:John Henry Thomas was born in Hastings, a suburb of Freetown of Creole recaptive parents, and his father died when he was three years old. John Henry Malamah Thomas is an...
, mayor of Freetown from 1904–1912 - Eustace Henry Taylor CummingsEustace Henry Taylor CummingsEustace Henry Taylor Cummings CBE qualified as a doctor at Liverpool University and then served as a medical officer in Sierra Leone. He served as Mayor of Freetown from 1948 to 1954...
, mayor of Freetown from 1948–1954 - Christopher Cole, former Governor-General and Chief Justice
- Prince HardingPrince HardingDr. Prince Alex Harding .Harding was the Minister of Safety and Security from February 2001 - May 2002, when he became the Minister of Transport and Communications. He was also the secreteary general of the Sierra Leone People's Party...
, minister of transportation and communication from 2002–2007 - Dennis BrightDennis BrightDennis Bright is a former Sierra Leonean cabinet minister. He served as Sierra Leone's Minister of Youth and Sports from 2002-2007. Dennis Bright taught French at university and was director of the Franco-Sierra Leonean Pedagogical Centre in Freetown...
, sport minister from 2002–2007 - John 'Johnny' TaylorJohn 'Johnny' TaylorJohn 'Johnny' Taylor was a Creole merchant based in Port Loko who killed during the Hut Tax War by Bai Bureh's war boys...
, Creole trader during colonial era - Dr. John Augustus Abayomi-ColeJohn Augustus Abayomi-ColeDr. John Augustus Abayomi-Cole was a Sierra Leonean medical doctor and herbalist. He is widely considered as one of the best doctors to ever come out of West Africa.-Early life and education:...
, medical doctor, herbalist and politician. - Sir Samuel Lewis, first mayor of Freetown
- Herbert Bankole Bright, medical doctor and politician
- William John CampbellWilliam John CampbellWilliam John Campbell was a Creole mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone of Egba and Ife descent. His family was a prominent one amongst the Creoles in the early 1900s. His mother, Sarah Campbell was a Egba, his father, John Campbell, was an Ife. His brother John William Campbell was a herbalist at...
, former mayor of Freetown - Tom CarewTom CarewTom Carew was a Brigadier, possibly later promoted to Major General, in the Sierra Leonean army and Chief of Defence Staff of the Government of Sierra Leone from April 2000 to November 2003, at which point Sierra Leone President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah re-assigned him to non-military duties.-External...
, Chief of Defence Staff, April 2000 to November 2003 - Edmund CowanEdmund CowanEdmund K. Cowan is a Sierra Leonean politician. He was the speaker of Parliament of Sierra Leone until 2007. He represented the Sierra Leone People's Party. He was subsequently appointed as the country's Ombudsman.-References:...
, former speaker of Parliament
Writers and activists
- Sylvia BlydenSylvia BlydenSylvia Blyden, full name: Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Walmina Oreshola Blyden is the only female news publisher in Sierra Leone, and "one of the most recognisable names in the country." Blyden is a social and political commentator, rights activist, newspaper publisher and philanthropist...
, journalist and publisher of Awareness Times - Thomas DeckerThomas Leighton DeckerThomas Alexander Leighton Decker or Tommy Decker OBE, was a Sierra Leonean linguist, poet, and journalist. He is best known for his work on the Krio language and for translating Shakespeare's Julius Caesar into the Krio language. Decker argued forcefully that the Krio language was not merely a...
, writer, poet, journalist, and linguist - Syl Cheney-CokerSyl Cheney-CokerSyl Cheney-Coker is a poet, novelist, and journalist from Freetown, Sierra Leone. Educated in the United States, he has a global sense of literary history, and has introduced styles and techniques from French and Latin American literatures to Sierra Leone...
, poet, novelist, and journalist - Clifford Nelson FyleClifford Nelson FyleProfessor Clifford Fyle was a linguistics professor who authored the Sierra Leone National Anthem. He was the first Sierra Leonean to produce school books for the teaching of Sierra Leonean languages.- Biography :...
, journalist and composer of the Sierra Leone National anthem - Jeillo EdwardsJeillo EdwardsJeillo Edwards was a Sierra Leonean actress. She began performing at the age of four, reading from the Bible at her church. She was well known for her distinctive voice and imperious enunciation. She featured on the BBC World Service for Africa which was broadcast in the UK...
, actress - FannyAnn EddyFannyann EddyFannyann Viola Eddy was an activist for lesbian and gay rights in her native Sierra Leone and throughout Africa. In 2002, she founded the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association, the first of its kind in Sierra Leone. She traveled widely, addressing the United Nations and other international groups...
, gay rights activist.
Footballers
- Obi MetzgerObi MetzgerSam Obi Metzger, Jr. is a Sierra Leonean footballer who plays as a striker for Finnish second division side FC Viikingit and the Sierra Leonean national team.- International :...
, footballer - Rodney StrasserRodney StrasserRodney Strasser is a Sierra Leonean professional footballer who plays as midfielder for Serie A club Lecce, on loan from Milan.- Club career :...
, footballer - Ahmed DeenAhmed DeenAhmed Deen is a Sierra Leonean international footballer who plays for Cambridge City. He is the first choice left back for the Sierra Leone national football team....
, footballer - Albert JarrettAlbert JarrettAlbert Ojumiri Jarrett is a Sierra Leonean international footballer who plays his football in England. A winger, he has played in all of the top five levels of English football....
, footballer - Albert ColeAlbert ColeAlbert Cole is a Sierra Leonean international footballer.He currently plays as a midfielder. He began his career with local club Mighty Blackpool in the Sierra Leonean Premier League....
, footballer - Umaru RahmanUmaru RahmanUmaru Rahman commonly known as Gallon Pan is a Sierra Leonean international footballer, who is a striker and currently plays for East End Lions.-Early life:...
, footballer - John KeisterJohn Keister (footballer born 1988)John Keister is a Sierra Leonean footballer. He is an offensive midfielder and plays for PK-37 in the Finnish third tier of football, Kakkonen....
, footballer
Entertainers
- Daddy SajDaddy SajJoseph Gerald Adolphus Cole better known by his stage name Daddy Saj is a Sierra Leonean rapper and arguably the biggest and most famous musician from Sierra Leone. He uses his music to address political corruption in Sierra Leone. His rap is a blend of hip hop and traditional goombay music...
, rapper - Dr. OlohDr. OlohOloh Israel Olufemi Cole o better known by his stage name Dr. Oloh was a Sierra Leonean afropop and Jazz musician....
, musician - S. E. RogieS. E. RogieS. E. Rogie was a highlife and palm wine guitarist and singer from Sierra Leone. He was born in 1926 and began performing early, while supporting himself as a tailor. In the 1960s, he became a professional musician, singing in four languages. His hits include "Koneh Pehlawo", "Go Easy with Me"...
, musician - Frederick McCormackAdetokumboh McCormackFrederick Adetokumboh McCormack is a Sierra Leone Creole actor, known for his roles in the television series Lost and Heroes.-Personal life:...
, actor - Delpaneaux(Delpano) Adetunji Wills, actor
- Bunny Mack, musician
From other sports
- Eunice BarberEunice BarberEunice Barber is a Sierra Leonean athlete competing in heptathlon and long jump. Barber initially competed for Sierra Leone and then for France from 1999 onwards...
, athlete competing in heptathlon and long jump. - Horace Dove-EdwinHorace Dove-EdwinFrancis Horace Dove-Edwin is a retired Sierra Leonean sprinter who specialized in the 100 metres.Participating in the 1988 Summer Olympics, he failed to make it through to the second round. In 1990 Dove-Edwin migrated to London together with his mother...
, a retired sprinterSprint (race)Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
who specialized in the 100 metres100 metresThe 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896... - Madieu Mohammed Williams, is an American football safety for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League.
- Gibril Donald Wilson, is an American football safety for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League.