Loko people
 | This article's lead section contains information that is not included elsewhere in the article. (May 2023) |
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (May 2023) |
English | |
| Religion | |
|---|---|
| Islam 70%, Christianity 20%, Indigenous beliefs 10% | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Mende, Loma, Gbandi, Kpelle, Zialo, Gola |
The Loko (
endonym for the people and language, but other groups refer to them as Loko. They speak a Southwestern Mande language that is also called Loko. The majority of the Loko people live in the Northern Province of the country, particularly in Bombali District , and around the capital city of Freetown in communities such as Regent. Important regional towns include Tambiama, Kalangba, Kagbere, Batkanu, and Gbendembu, though other groups such as the Mandingo, Fula and Temne
peoples live there too.
The Loko belong to the larger group of
secret societies
, such as the Kpangbani.
The Loko 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.[2][3][4]
Notable Loko
- Sheik I. Kamara, member of parliament of Sierra Leone
- Bai Kelfa Sankoh, paramount chief of Kambia District
- Ibrahim Sesay, member of parliament from Kambia District
References
- ^ "Sierra Leone 2015 Population and Housing Census National Analytical Report" (PDF). Statistics Sierra Leone. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
- ^ 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 Archived 2021-12-28 at the Wayback Machine
- from the original on 2021-12-28. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ "FMG in Sierra Leone" (PDF). 28TooMany, Registered Charity: No. 1150379. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- Fyle, C. (2006). Historical Dictionary of Sierra Leone.
- Babaev, K. (2010). Person Marking in South-West Mande Languages. A Tentative Reconstruction, 1–46.
- Babaev, K. (2011). On the Origins of Southwest Mande Ethnonyms, 1–3.
- Hyman, L. M. (1973). Notes on the History of Southwestern Mande. Studies in African linguistics, 4(2).
- Speed, C. K. (1991). Swears and swearing among Landogo of Sierra Leone: aesthetics, adjudication, and the philosophy of power.
