The Kono People

The Kono people (pronounced koh noh) is a major ethnic group in Sierra Leone at about 7.6% of the country's total population. Their homeland is the diamond-rich Kono District in south-eastern Sierra Leone. They form by far the single largest ethnic group in the district at about 52% of the population. The Kono are primarily diamond miners.

The Kono people speak the Kono language as their first language and is the most widely spoken language in many parts of Kono District. Many youth from the Kono ethnic group use the Krio language as the primary language of communication with other Sierra Leonean ethnic groups. Unlike many other Sierra Leonean ethnic groups, the Kono people rarely travel outside eastern Sierra leone, as a result only few Konos are found in the capital Freetown and in northern Sierra Leone.

Kono District is found in the eastern region of Sierra Leone. Kono district comprises of 14 chiefdoms divided into 70 sections, nine (9) political constituencies and 24 wards. It shares boundary with Tonkolili district on the west, Koinadugu on the North - North West, neighbouring Republic of Guinea on the East; Kailahun district on the South East and Kenema district on the South-South western boundary. The district is named after the tribe ‘Kono’ whose heritage is traced to be the first settling migrants from Mali through Guinea as part of a wider Mande migration.

The Kono people are the descendants of Mali/Guinean migrants who are said to have settled in what is now Kono District in the mid-16th century, however there is archaeological evidence of settlement in Kono District as far back as 2200 B.C. Some sources claim that the Kono people were direct descendants of the Via, others the Mandingo. Both Narratives could be true as Kono migration can be seen in the wider context of migration of Mande speaking ethnic groups that was occurring during that period which save the break-up of large groups into smaller ones that formed their own identity and settled in various parts of Africa.

The Kono people were once a powerful people in Mali and Guinea. They migrated to Sierra Leone as peaceful hunters. The first three chiefdoms founded by them were: Lei, Sandor and Soa- these are the three largest Chiefdoms in Kono District to which most if not all ethnic Konos can trace their root in Sierra Leone. Kissi and Kuranko also have their origins traced to some border areas of the district.

Attacks from the related Mende people forced the Kono to seek refuge in the Koranko territory (another related group) to the north, where they were allowed to farm the land. The Mende eventually moved further south, and the Kono returned to their own land in the south-east.

The Kono people (pronounced koh noh) is a major ethnic group in Sierra Leone at about 7.6% of the country's total population. Predominantly, Kono is a cosmopolitan community. The Kono people speak the Kono language as their first language and is the most widely spoken language among the Kono people. The tribe was split during partitioning of Africa by European colonists and part of the tribe still exists in neighbouring Guinea. Eyewitness accounts also plot speakers of an almost identical language as far afield as Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.

Their homeland is the diamond-rich Kono District in south-eastern Sierra Leone. While the district is known to date to have the largest deposit of diamonds in Sierra Leone, the population is equally involved in agricultural activities. Kono district is the home of the largest deposit of both alluvia and kimber and alluvia diamonds mind in Sierra Leone. Added to this treasure, about 65% of the land mass of this district is richly endowed for agricultural productivity. Specifically, there are only six active mining chiefdoms (Gbense, Tankor, Nimikor, Nimiyama, Sandor and Kamaa) out of the fourteen chiefdoms. The rest have agriculture as the mainstay of their inhabitants. Additional to diamonds are large deposits of gold in the Nimini Hills that hover over Nimikor and Nimiyama chiefdoms, and the Kooe Hill dividing Soa and Gbane chiefdoms, has large deposit of uranium, also exist in these last two chiefdoms extending to surrounding chiefdoms. Although Tonkoli to have the largest deposits of gold in the county, much of it falls in the B - C grade; whereas Kono boasts of large quantities of grade A – B gold deposit.

With the amount of income generated from the district from medium and large-scale diamond mining companies, Kono is certainly a significant contributor to the national economy. A proportion of the inhabitants and other Sierra Leoneans from other parts of the country are also involved in small scale mining activities, mostly as illicit miners.

Comparative to most other parts of Sierra Leone, Kono is situated at a high altitude, enjoys cooler temperatures for most part of the year, a feature it shares with Kabala in the North of sierra Leone that is so similarly located. There are two main seasons - the dry season which starts in November through to May, and the rainy season from May to October. There have been seasonal shifts in recent years with rain being experienced in the country. Its average temperature is about 26 degrees centigrade ranging between 26 and 33 degree during the year. Kono district enjoys an average rainfall of approximately 2000 and 3000 millimetres. Its vegetation is mostly savannah and brush secondary growth with patches of evergreen forest. The vegetation dictates the kind of economic activity in the different parts of the district.

The Kono are primarily farmers and in some areas, alluvial diamond miners. They grow rice, cassava, corn, and beans as their main crops. They live in towns and villages and travel daily to their surrounding farm lands to work. They are a polite and hospitable people and even allow strangers to lodge with them or their chiefs.

The size of rural Kono villages varies from several houses to nearly one hundred dwellings. Kono houses were at one time round constructions made of mud, clay, and thatch. Although some of these houses still exist today, those recently built are rectangular and made of adobe blocks. The rectangular houses have verandas where the women cook and others can enjoy the shade.

After sunset, in the open compounds (courtyards) of the villages, the entire village may sing. The people dance in a single file circle to the beat of drums. Each person develops his own individual steps and movements in an attempt to stand out in the crowd.

The Kono year is divided into a rainy season and a dry season. The rainy season is a time for farming. Families leave their homes early in the morning, walk to their farms,or mining site and return home at dusk. Cooking, bathing, and other household chores are done at the farms by most of the women, while the men and other women perform the agricultural or mining tasks.

After the rice harvest, the heavy agricultural work is finished, giving way to the dry season. Most people remain in town every day during the dry season since many social events take place at that time of year. During this period, young boys are initiated into the Poro society, and young girls, into the Bondo or Sande society. These societies teach youth the Kono culture and habits. Training for these organisations bridges the gap between childhood and adult life.

The dry season is also a time when much courting and many marriages take place. A man's wealth used to be determined by the number of wives he could support. Most men had more than one wife, and those men with many wives were shown the greatest respect and honour. Nowadays most men have only one wife. Also during the dry season, women organise fishing expeditions and older men may be found outdoors weaving.

Kono After The AFRC Retreat, Sierra Leone, 1998

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(Part 2 of 2)