Kono people
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2014) |
Total population | |
---|---|
363,051 English • Krio | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Mandingo, Vai people |
The Kono people (pronounced koh noh) are a major
The Kono people speak the Kono language as their first language and is the most widely spoken language among the Kono people. Many youth from the Kono ethnic group use the Krio language as the primary language of communication with other Sierra Leonean ethnic groups.
Unlike many other Sierra Leonean ethnic groups, the Kono people rarely travel outside Eastern Sierra Leone; as a result only few Konos are found in the capital Freetown and in northern Sierra Leone.[citation needed]
History
The Kono people are the descendants of
Attacks from the related Mende people forced the Kono to seek refuge in the Koranko territory to the north, where they were allowed to farm the land. The Mende eventually moved further south, and the Kono returned to their own land in the east.
Religious and spiritual beliefs
Most Konos practice
The Kono people also utilize practices of the Bondo secret society which aims at gradually but firmly establishing attitudes related to adulthood in girls, discussions on fertility, morality and proper sexual comportment. The society also maintains an interest in the well-being of its members throughout their lives.[3][4][5]
Notable Kono people
- Foamansa Matturi, Sierra Leonean ruler and military strategist during colonial era
- Samuel Sam-Sumana, former vice-president of Sierra Leone
- Sahr Randolf Fillie-Faboe, former Sierra Leone's Ambassador to Liberia and former member of parliament
- Sia Nyama Koroma, Sierra Leone's first lady and wife of President Ernest Bai Koroma
- Samuel Komba Kambo, a retired captain in The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces and one of the leading members of the NPRC junta administration
- Tamba Songu M'briwa, prominent Sierra Leonean politician, formed Dao political Party and former paramount chief of Kono District
- Peter Vandy, former Sierra Leone's Minister of Lands and the Environment
- Alex Tamba Brima, former commander of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Rebel Forces and convicted war criminal
- Sahr Senesie, Sierra Leonean football star playing in Germany
- Solomon Yambassu, football star
- Komba Claudius Gbamanja, former member of parliament of Sierra Leone representing Kono District
- Komba Yomba, Sierra Leonean football star
- Komba Eric Koedoyoma, member of Sierra Leone's parliament representing Kono District
- Fuambai Ahmadu, Sierra Leonean-American anthropologist, author, gender activist
- Alex Tamba Brima, former rebel leader and convicted war criminal
- Trevoh Chalobah Chelsea FC football star[citation needed]
- Mustapha Sama
- Emmanuel Samadia
See also
References
- ^ "Sierra Leone 2015 Population and Housing Census National Analytical Report" (PDF). Statistics Sierra Leone. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
- ^ Coon C S (1968) Excavations at Yengema Cave, Expedition Magazine, vol 11 issue 1 September 1968, http://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/excavations-at-yengema-cave accessed 15/10/2014
- ^ Pemunta, N. V., & Tabenyang, C.-J. (2017). Cultural power, ritual symbolism and human rights violations in Sierra Leone. Cogent Social Sciences, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2017.1295549
- ^ Bjälkande, Owolabi, et al. Female Genital Mutilation in Sierra Leone: Who Are the Decision Makers? African Journal of Reproductive Health / La Revue Africaine de La Santé Reproductive, vol. 16, no. 4, Women’s Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC), 2012, pp. 119–31, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23485781.
- ^ "FMG in Sierra Leone" (PDF). 28TooMany, Registered Charity: No. 1150379. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2021-12-28.