Sierra Leone

Abstract

The ancestors of the Bulom, Nalou, Baga and Krim people are thought to have been the earliest settlers in coastal Sierra Leone. The Kissi and Gola lived inland to the east and the Limba inhabited the foothills of the Wara Wara mountains from at least the 10th century AD. Following the break-up of the Malian empire in the late 14th century much of Sierra Leone was settled by the Mande whose domination and interaction with the original inhabitants gave rise to new ethnic groups, including the Vai and Loko.