Temne people

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The Temne people are the largest ethnic group in northern Sierra Leone, Africa and they make up about 30 percent of Sierra Leone's total population. Temnes migrated from the North into what is now Sierra Leone in the late 15th or early 16th century, seeking access to new trade with the Portuguese that was developing along the Atlantic coast. They followed the Rokel River from its upper reaches to the Sierra Leone River, the giant estuary of the Rokel River and Port Loko Creek which forms the largest natural harbor in the African continent.

[edit] History

Historians believe the Temnes were involved in the long-distance kola nut trade during the period of the Mali and Songai Empires when West African trade was directed north across the Sahara Desert, and that they used their commercial expertise gained during that earlier period into the new coastal trade when the Europeans arrived. The English word "cola" (as in Coca-Cola, which originally contained extracts of the kola nut), is said to derive from the Temne word aŋ-kola (kola nut). The Temne speak a language in the Atlantic sub-family that closely resembles the Sherbro language spoken in Sierra Leone and the Baga language spoken in the Republic of Guinea .

Today, the Temne are rice farmers, marine fishermen, and traders. Temne culture revolves around the paramount chiefs and the secret societies, especially the men's Poro society and the women's Bondo society. The most important Temne rituals focus on the coronation and funerals of paramount chiefs and the initiation of new secret society members. Most Temnes are staunch Muslims though, like other West Africans, they combine their Islamic faith with a strong adherence to traditional African religious beliefs and practices.

Sierra Leone's national politics centers on the competition between the north, dominated by the Temne and their neighbors and allies, the Limba, and the south dominated by the Mende and their political allies, the Sherbro, Kissi, Gola, etc. Temne culture places great emphasis on individualism, hard work, and personal initiative. Indeed, Sierra Leoneans sometimes refer to their Temne neighbors affectionately as "Germans" because of their reputation for aggressiveness.

Bai Bureh was a great Sierra Leonean ruler and military strategist who led the Temne uprising against the British in Sierra Leone in 1898.

[edit] References

Brooks, George (1993) "Landlords and Strangers: Ecology, Society, and Trade in Western Africa, 1000-1630" Boulder: Westview Press.
Rodney, Walter (1970) "A History of the Upper Guinea Coast, 1545-1800" Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Wylie, Kenneth (1977) "The Political Kingdoms of the Temne: Temne Government in Sierra Leone, 1825-1910" New York: Africana Publishing. Company.