The Loko (
IPA: Lɔkɔ) are one of the indigenous
ethnic groups in Sierra Leone. Landogo is used as an
endonym
An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ...
for the people and language, but other groups refer to them as Loko. They speak a
Southwestern Mande language that is also called
Loko. The majority of the Loko people live in the
Northern Province of the country, particularly in
Bombali District, and around the capital city of
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 ...
in communities such as Regent. Important regional towns include
Tambiama,
Kalangba,
Kagbere,
Batkanu, and
Gbendembu, though other groups such as the
Mandingo,
Fula and
Temne peoples live there too.
The Loko belong to the larger group of
Mande peoples who live throughout West Africa. The Loko are mostly
farmers and
hunters. Loko believe that most humanistic and scientific power is passed down through the
secret societies, such as the Kpangbani.
The Loko 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.
Notable Loko
*
Sheik I. Kamara, member of parliament of Sierra Leone
*
Bai Kelfa Sankoh, paramount chief of Kambia District
*
Ibrahim Sesay, member of parliament from Kambia District
References
* Fyle, C. (2006). Historical Dictionary of Sierra Leone.
* Babaev, K. (2010). Person Marking in South-West Mande Languages. A Tentative Reconstruction, 1–46.
* Babaev, K. (2011). On the Origins of Southwest Mande Ethnonyms, 1–3.
* Hyman, L. M. (1973). Notes on the History of Southwestern Mande. Studies in African linguistics, 4(2).
* Speed, C. K. (1991). Swears and swearing among Landogo of Sierra Leone: aesthetics, adjudication, and the philosophy of power.
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Ethnic groups in Sierra Leone
Female genital mutilation