The Kuranko, also called Koranko, Kolanko, Kooranko, Koronko, Kouranko, Kulanko, Kurako, Kuronko, Kuranké, or Karanko, are a Mandeka (People from Mande) people that occupy a large section in a mountainous region within northeastern

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

and southern

Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

. Within this geographical region, different

dialects A dialect is a variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standardized varieties as well as vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardized varieties, such as those used in developing countries or iso ...

, as well as distinct social groupings can be found. In general, the Koranko are a peaceful people who have maintained a separate ethnic identity, despite years of tribal mixings. Each Kuranko

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

is led by a chief and a group of elders. The Koranko speak the Kuranko language (or Koranko), a dialect of the

Mande Mande may refer to: * Mandé peoples of western Africa * Mande languages, their Niger-Congo languages * Manding languages, Manding, a term covering a subgroup of Mande peoples, and sometimes used for one of them, Mandinka people, Mandinka * Garo p ...

branch of the Niger–Congo language family. The Kuranko are nominally an

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

people, but many people in this isolated area still follow traditional religious beliefs, identifying as

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

without adhering to all the strict protocols of that religion. The Kuranko speak a language similar to the

Manding languages The Manding languages (sometimes spelt Manden) are a dialect continuum within the Niger–Congo languages, Niger-Congo family spoken in West Africa. Varieties of Manding are generally considered (among native speakers) to be mutually intelligible ...

, and their language can be understood by their neighbours and close

allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

the Mandinka and the

Susu people The Susu or Soussou people are a Mande-speaking ethnic group living primarily in Guinea and northwestern Sierra Leone, particularly in Kambia District.

. The Kuranko occupy a mountainous region within the northeastern Sierra Leone

highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Africa * Highlands, Johannesburg, South Africa * Highlands, Harare, Zimbab ...

, extending into

. This region lacks adequate road systems and is not easily accessible, leaving the Kuranko socially isolated. This may explain why most Kuranko have held on to their traditional culture and

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

History

The Kuranko moved into the territory of present-day

from

in what is now

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

,after some leadership struggles in the Empire. The Kuranko's were the rulers and military leaders during the night of the empire. Due to the vastness of the empire, and their role in the military, they were deployed across East to West Africa. One of the most prominent military group led by warrior Mansa Kama, who lived approximately between 1650 and 1720. Was in charge of securing the west African trade route to the port in present day

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

. Mansa Kama founded Kamadugu, now contained within the Sengbe Chiefdom of Koinadugu District, as well as Kholifa, which is still a chiefdom to this day, and extended his rule across Sierra Leone, Foredugu to the port in Koya (Queen Elizabeth II Queue). Kama travelled widely across the area with an Islamic alfa in the late 1600s, encountering numerous military battles on the way. This included establishing the town of Kamadugu, which is named after him. Eventually he settled in Rowala, which became the centre of the new Kuranko country, where he remained the leader until his death.

Economy

The Kuranko are primarily a

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

and

trading Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market (economics), market. Traders generally negotiate throu ...

people, with these activities exceeding

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

as their primary employment. Since their origins were in the

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

lands, they have taken active measures to preserve their habitat as this type, including setting fires as part of the hunting process, to ensure that large plant life and

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

does not dominate. As the Kuranko have moved south over time, so they have maintained this savanna and burning lifestyle, leading to a gradual southward moving of the limit of the savanna lands. (This narrative is limited to the Mansa Kama era. However, the Kuranko history goes beyond the Kama, who was a newcomer to the scene at that time. this story needs to be told from the real Kuranko history perspective.)

Culture and customs

Men in the Kuranko culture undergo various initiation rituals on reaching puberty, becoming members of a secretive "club" when they do so. The initiation consists of a

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. T ...

, training sessions, and the right to wear certain articles of clothing. Once initiated, men are free to marry, paying a

bride price Bride price, bride-dowry, bride-wealth, bride service or bride token, is money, property, or other form of wealth paid by a groom or his family to the woman or the family of the woman he will be married to or is just about to marry. Bride dowry ...

to the family of the chosen woman. The Kuranko are polygamous, and some men have more than one wife. The Kuranko 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.

Religious and traditional beliefs

The Kuranko lands were one of the first areas of Sierra Leone to adopt

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

as its religion, and many Kuranko are nominally Muslim. However, the region is very isolated, and many of the more formal aspects of the Islamic faith are not adhered to. The people are also not politically Islamic, with the dichotomy between Catholic and Islamic African populations, not a major issue here. In place of formal Islam, the people continue to believe in many aspects of their ancient religion. The Kuranko believe that in the forests, the rivers, and the mountains live quasi-human beings known as Nyenne. These are "bush spirits," who are believed to influence Kuranko's life in different ways. Ancestral spirit and natural ecosystem forms the core of the Kuranko spiritual life

Kuranko patronyms

*Marah all the kuranko came from marah *Kagbo *Sanoh *Kaloko *Koroma *Dörrèh or Doré

Notable uranko people

* Mansa Kama, a great Kuranko warrior of northeast Sierra Leone *IBRAHIM FRANCIS MARAH SIERRA LEONEAN/Gospel musician and Developmental young man since the history of kurankoya contact him +23275012311 * Karefa Kargbo, Sierra Leonean politician * Kaifala Marah, former Minister of Finance of Sierra Leone *Aminata Kamissoko, Guinean musician * Augustus Kargbo, Sierra Leonean footballer * Ibrahim Kargbo, Sierra Leonean footballer * Kamso Mara, Guinean footballer * Mamoudou Mara, Guinean footballer * Mohamed Mara, Guinean footballer * Fantacee Wiz, Sierra Leonean musician * Bal Tamba, Sierra Leonean, King of Barawa Ferawa * Kalma Kumba Samba, Sierra Leonean, warrior and Hunter * Bolka Dan, Sierra Leonean,

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuranko People Indigenous peoples of West Africa Ethnic groups in Guinea Ethnic groups in Sierra Leone Mandé people Female genital mutilation