Kissi Kaba Keita was a Kissi warrior and chief in the 19th century who managed to unite many Kissi chiefdoms under his reign and resist French conquest for many years.

Accession to the throne

Kissi Kaba Keita was the son of Suleimani Leno, son of Fadaka. He adopted a Mandinka name to prove his legitimacy to the throne as a supposed relative of Sundiata Keita. Intrigues around the throne brought Kissi Kaba in direct conflict with his cousin Asana Leno, son of Sépé of Korodou. His success led to his coronation with the support of his adoptive father Soulemani Savané. Hence, he extended his control to the border with Soulemani Savané. During his reign, he rallied the Kurankos of Morige, and the

Leles Leles () is a village and municipality in the Trebišov District in the Košice Region of eastern Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Cen ...

Yombiro Yombiro is a town and sub-prefecture in the Kissidougou Prefecture in the Faranah Region Faranah Region is located in east-central Guinea. It is bordered by the countries of Sierra Leone and Mali and the Guinean regions of Kankan, Mamou, N ...

. When pressed into battle, he would assemble an army led by divisions according to their origin: The Kurankos under Kourani-Sori Mara, the warriors from the Faramayan, his place of origin, under himself and divisions from Buye and Nbelto. His general was Dawo Leno, and under him were Masa, Uri Mano from Bendu and Bampo Tenkiano from Nende Lane. With this army, he had mainly attempted to conquer Bendu, Fermesadou and Tenkin.

Resistance to French conquest

When the French arrived in 1892, he had to let the relatively autonomous chiefs of the respective areas defend themselves. Due to the French's technological superiority, Kissi Kaba resorted mainly to guerilla tactics: His warriors would wait for French troops while hidden close to rivers or in forests and would attack the French by surprise with the main goal of kidnapping or killing the French officers. Furthermore, they would cut down all liana bridges to slow down the French advance. However, by 1893, Kissi Kaba realized that his resistance would fail and subjected himself to them. As such, they recognized him as chief of the northern Kissi territory. However, he his relationship with the French gradually worsened, which first led to the French appointing his rivals in a number of his chiefdoms, until he was finally executed in Siguiri.

Return of his ashes to Kissidougou

In 1978, the ashes of Kissi Kaba were finally brought back to

Kissidougou Kissidougou ( N’ko: ߞߛߌ߬ߘߎ߯; pronounced like Kiss-eh-dow-goo) is a city in southern Guinea. It is the capital of in the Kissidougou Prefecture. Following intensified conflicts in Sierra Leone and Liberia during the fall and winter of ...

from

Siguiri Siguiri ( N’ko: ߛߌ߯ߙߌ߲߫ ; Arabic: سِجِرِ ِ) is a city in northeastern Guinea on the River Niger. It is a sub-prefecture and capital of Siguiri Prefecture in the Kankan Region. Its population was estimated at 28,319 in 2008. It is ...

where had been shot by the French colonial power. While known as a kissi (son of Suleimani Leno, son of Fadaka), Kissi Kaba had claimed kinship to Sundiata Keita, the emperor of Mali.Idrissa Camara, guineeconakry.info, 25.01.2006
/ref> During the ceremony of his ashes' return, this relationship was retold by some griots: According to those reports, Kissi Kaba was descended from

Mansa Mansa may refer to: Places In India * Mansa, Gujarat, a town in northern Gujarat, Western India; the capital of: ** Mansa, Gujarat Assembly constituency ** Mansa State, a princely state under the Mahi Kantha Agency in India * Mansa district, ...

Dankaran Touman Dankaran Touman (Manding languages: ''Dànkàràn Túmá'') was the first son of Naré Maghann Konaté (father of Sundiata Keita, founder and first Emperor of the Mali Empire in the 13th century) in the Malian epic of Sundiata. He was also th ...

, the first son of

faama Faama is a Mandinka word meaning "father," "leader," or "king". It was commonly used within the area of pre-imperial Mali. The title spread into areas conquered by Mali and was later used by the Bamana Empire and the Wassoulou Empire of Samori ...

Naré Maghann Konaté Naré Maghann Konaté (died c. 1218) was a 12th-century faama (king) of the Mandinka people, in what is today Mali. He was the father of Sundiata Keita, founder of the Mali Empire, and a character in the oral tradition of the Epic of Sundiata. ...

. Dankaran Touman was the older brother of Sundiata Keita.

References

History of Guinea History of Sierra Leone People of French West Africa Military history of Africa 19th-century monarchs in Africa Prisoners who died in French detention Guinean prisoners and detainees {{Africa-royal-stub