The Kpelle people (also known as the ''Guerze, Kpwesi, Kpessi, Sprd, Mpessi, Berlu, Gbelle, Bere, Gizima,'' or ''Buni'') are the largest ethnic group in Liberia. They are located primarily in an area of central
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
extending into
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
. They speak the
Kpelle language
The Kpelle language (endonym: "Kpɛlɛɛ") is spoken by the Kpelle people of Liberia, Guinea and Ivory Coast and is part of the Mande family of languages. Guinean Kpelle (also known as ''Guerze'' in French), spoken by half a million people, con ...
,
which belongs to the
Mande language family.
Despite their yearly heavy rainfalls and rough land, Kpelle survive mostly on their
staple crop of rice. Traditionally organized under several paramount chiefs who serve as
mediator
Mediator may refer to:
*A person who engages in mediation
*Business mediator, a mediator in business
* Vanishing mediator, a philosophical concept
* Mediator variable, in statistics
Chemistry and biology
*Mediator (coactivator), a multiprotein ...
s for the public, preserve order and settle disputes, the Kpelle are arguably the most rural and conservative of the major ethnic groups in
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
.
The Kpelle people are also referred to as Gberese, Gbese, Gbeze, Gerse, Gerze, Kpelli, Kpese, Kpwele, Ngere, and Nguere.
History
The Kpelle or Guerze lived in North Sudan during the sixteenth-century, before fleeing to other parts of Northwest Africa into what is now Mali. Their flight was due to internal conflicts between the tribes from the crumbling Sudanic empire. Some migrated to Liberia, Mauritania, and Chad. They still maintained their traditional and cultural heritage despite their migration. A handful are still of Kpelle origin in North Sudan.
Kpelle are also located in Mali and maintain their heritage. Some Arabs in Mali enslaved the Africans and took women as their concubines, with those descendants being of Kpelle admixture.
The Kpelle also used to trade with the Muslim Vai and Mandingo who live in small numbers in the country and reside nearby. The Kpelle trade with Lebanese merchants, U.S. missionaries and Peace Corps volunteers.
There were
3 days of ethno-religious fighting in Nzerekore in July 2013.
Fighting between ethnic Kpelle, who are Christian or animist, and ethnic Konianke, who are Muslims and close to the larger
Mandinka ethnic group, left at least 54 dead.
The dead included people who were killed with machetes and others who were burned alive.
The violence ended after the Guinea military imposed a curfew, and
President Conde made a televised appeal for calm.
Location
The Kpelle are the largest ethnic group of the West African nation of Liberia and are also an important ethnic group also in southern
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
(where they are also known as ''Guerze'') and north western
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
. Most Kpelle inhabit
Bong County
Bong is a county in the north-central portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has twelve districts. Gbarnga serves as the capital. The area of th ...
,
Bomi County
Bomi is a county in the northwestern portion of the West African nation of Liberia. The county was established in 1984. The county's area is .
Bomi is one of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation ...
,
Gbarpolu County
Gbarpolu is a county in the northern portion of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has six districts. Bopulu serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring . As ...
, and
Lofa County
Lofa is a county in the northernmost portion of Liberia. One of 15 counties that constitute the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has nine districts. Voinjama serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring . A ...
.
They are major food suppliers of the capital cities.
The terrain in the area includes swamps, hills and, in lowland areas, rivers. May through October brings their rainy season with an annual rainfall from 180 to 300 centimeters. The Kpelle territory sees the lowest temperatures dropping to 19 °C with the average temp around 36-degree C.
[
It is supplemented by ]cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...
, vegetables, and fruits; cash crop
A cash crop or profit crop is an Agriculture, agricultural crop which is grown to sell for profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. The term is used to differentiate marketed crops from staple crop (or "subsistence crop") ...
s include rice, peanut
The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible Seed, seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small ...
s, sugarcane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...
, and nuts they also enjoy fufu
Fufu (or fufuo, foofoo, foufou ) is a dough-like food found in West African cuisine. In addition to Ghana, it is also found in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the ...
and soup, sometimes the soup is spicy but it depends on the way they want it. Soup may be eaten as an appetizer or in conjunction to the main dish.
Culture
Traditionally, the Kpelle have been farmers with rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima
''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
as the main crop.[''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 1982 edition, p. 907] The word Kpelle is often used as an adjective to refer to someone as hard working and very humble people in Liberia and Guinea.
Traditionally, a Kpelle family consists of a man, his wives and his children. The household has been the usual farming unit, and all the family members participate in daily farming work. Young children learn how to farm and help the older family members with farm activities.
In their social structure, leadership was very crucial. Every Kpelle tribe used to have a chief who oversaw their own interests as well as the interests of the society. These chiefs were recognized by the national government. They used to act as mediators between the government and their own tribes. Each town also had its own chief. The chiefs act as liaisons for different groups in the society. Anthropologists such as Caroline Bledsoe have characterized Kpelle social organization as one premised on wealth in people.
Their flight was due to internal conflicts between the tribes from the crumbling Sudanic empire.
Kpelle Surnames
Notable Kpelle people
* Félix Balamou, Guinean Basketball player
*Moussa Dadis Camara
Captain Moussa Dadis Camara (; born 1 January 1964), now called Moïse Dadis Camara (),''Le Populaire'', , N°3232, 31 August 2010, p. 2 is an ex-officer of the Guinean army who served as the President of Guinea from 23 December 2008 to 15 Ja ...
, former Guinean military officer
* Ousmane Doré, Guinean politician
*Daniel Goumou
Daniel Goumou (born 10 April 1990) is a Qatari-born Guinean footballer. A midfielder, he currently plays as a midfielder.
Career
Goumou began his career with Falcon College, before moving to the ASPIRE Academy for Sports Excellence in 2006. A ...
, Guinean footballer
* Boniface Haba, Guinean footballer
* Paul Haba, Guinean sprinter
* Édouard Nyankoye Lamah, Guinean politician
*Jean Kolipé Lamah, former Minister of Justice of Guinea
* Remy Lamah, current Minister of Health and Public Hygiene of Guinea
*Gnanga Loramou, Guinean musician
*Alexandre Cécé Loua
Alexandre Cécé Loua (born 1956) is a Guinean diplomat who served in the government of Guinea as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2009 to 2010. Previously he was an ambassador to various countries. , Guinean diplomat
* Isabelle Kolkol Loua, Guinean producer and director
* Joseph Loua, Guinean sprinter
* Sény Malomou, Guinean musician
*Siba Nolamou, former Minister of Justice of Guinea
* Claude Pivi, former Guinean military officer
*Paul Pogba
Paul Labile Pogba (born 15 March 1993) is a French professional footballer who plays for club Juventus and the France national team. He operates primarily as a central midfielder, but can be deployed as a left winger, attacking midfielder, de ...
, French footballer
*Mathias Pogba
Mathias Fassou Pogba (born 19 August 1990) is a Guinean professional footballer who most recently played as a forward for Championnat National 2 club Belfort.
Having started his career as a youth at Celta Vigo, Pogba played briefly for Quimper ...
, Guinean footballer
* Florentin Pogba, Guinean footballer
* Charles Fassou Sagno, Guinean politician
* Jean-Baptiste Zébélamou, Guinean writer
* Maurice Togba Zogbélémou, former Minister of Justice of Guinea
* Ilaix Moriba
See also
* Culture of Liberia
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kpelle People
Ethnic groups in Liberia