MANSA KAMA(ca. 1650-1720)GREAT KORANKO WARRIOR - KING Mansa Kama was a great Koranko warrior who led the first major push of the Koranko people into the heart of present-day Sierra Leone. He was the founder of Kamadugu, formerly a chiefdom and now part of Sengbe Chiefdom in the Koinadugu District. and of Kholifa , which constitutes a chiefdom in todays Tonkolili District. Mansa Kama's dynamism is largely responsible for the Koranko influence found among the Temne of Tonkolili today. Mansa Kama lived from about the mid-16th to the early 17th century. He is said to have been descended from Sundiata Keita , a ruler of medieval Mali in central West Africa, and was a member of the Kargbo clan (another name for Keita). Manso in most Mandinka related languages means ruler; and the name "Kama", meaning "elephant", was given to him because he was a grcat hunter and killer of many elephants. His real name is believed to have been Yira. Towards the end of the 16th century, Mansa Kama moved into the extreme northeast of the Sierra Leone interior from Sankaran country in what is now the Republic of Guinea. He travelled with an alfa (Islamic scholar, charm-maker and teacher) of the Sesay clan. He stayed for a while with Mansa Morifing in Morifindugu before moving southwards with Morifing's blessings. He next stopped close to the northern reaches of the Rokel River where he founded the town of Kamadugu, named after him idugu is a suffix meaning "town", usually added to the name of the founder). By the end of the 10th century, Mansa Kama had fought his way from Kamadugu to reach the coast. He finally returned northwards to make a new base at Rowala at the centre of what became Kholifa country. There he stayed as ruler of this new Koranko country until his death. He is said to have returned periodically to Kamadugu where his son, Mornori Kalka, founder of Kalkoya, one of the oldest towns in Kamadugu, still ruled. When Mansa Kama died. he was buried at Rowala where he left all his charms and regalia of office. About the 19th century, the Temne took over Kholifa, and they have retained a strong Koranko strain in their culture at Kholifa to the present day. They have also retained the name of Mansa Kama as the title of their traditional ruler, whom they call Masakma a fitting tribute to this powerful and adventurous early leader of the Koranko. |
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Message from The New People Management Team
The scrolling images to your right are depictions of the heroes of Sierra Leone, Africa and their bios. We envision the day when Africans and Sierra Leoneans in particular will value and respect the great history of our ancestors enough for us to reach deep down and emulate their triumph in history. |
