Peoples of The Forest Region
The Kissi
The Kissi are concentrated in the Guéckédou and Kissidougou administrative regions. There are some Malinké and Kouranko in the north and northwest of Kissidougou Administrative Region, but the dense forest farther south is inhabited only by the Kissi. Some Kissi live on the other side of the borders of Sierra Leone and Liberia.
In the seventeenth century the Kissi were driven out of the southeastern part of the Fouta Djallon by the Dialonké. Originally they raised fonio (a variety of millet), resulting in widespread deforestation as they shifted their fields. In the eighteenth century they adopted the practice of rice cultivation (for which they use the Malinké word malo) from their eastern neighbors. When Asian varieties were introduced from Sierra Leone during the second half of the nineteenth century, the Kissi fully launched into the cultivation of rice. They planted their rice in the bottom of marshy valleys or on deforested hillsides. Since then they have become famous as expert growers. The Malinké call them "people of the ricefields."
Although their region borders on the savanna, the Kissi are people of the forest. The young go to work in the cities, banana plantations, or other enterprises in Lower Guinea in order to earn money, but they remain attached to their village and almost always go back there to live.
They are culturally and linguistically closely related to the Mmani of the coast of Lower Guinea. The northern Kissi are in regular contact with the Malinké and increasingly adopt their language and customs. One of the principal Kissi families has taken the name Keita, which is traditionally associated with a ruling Malinké family.
The Toma
In Macenta Administrative Region to the east of the Kissi live the Toma, who call themselves Loma. A greater number of Toma live in Liberia, where they are known as Busi or Buzi. The Toma in Guinea are geographically divided into two sections by a number of Malinké villages. The Toma are said to have been in the country before the arrival of the Kouranko, Kissi, and Guerzé. The northwestern section is being assimilated by Malinké.
The Guerzé
East of the Toma live the Guerzé (Nguerze, Ngere). They are mainly concentrated in Nzérékoré Administrative Region, but just as many live across the border in Liberia, where they are known under the name Kpelle (Pele). Most of the Guerzé are cultivators, but they rely less on rice and more on root crops, food gathering, and hunting than do the Kissi. They are said to live in the region that their ancestors chose in the seventeenth century in order not to be troubled by the Malinké.
Other Forest Groups
To the east of the Guerzé are two smaller groups, the Mano (Manon) and the Kono. Both speak Mandé languages. The majority of the Mano live in Liberia. The Konianké (Konuak) constitute a small subgroup of the Malinké, in whose midst they live in the north of Beyla Administrative Region. They came as conquerors to this area in precolonial times and have since lived peacefully as cultivators and merchants, usually in administrative centers and important markets. The Kouranko (Koranko) live in the northern part of Kissidougou Region amid the Malinké, to whom they are distantly related. Around the city of Macenta lives a small mixed group, the Toma-Manian, who are the descendants of Toma women and immigrant Malinké men. They speak Toma.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
