Languages of Sierra Leone

Although English is the official language of Sierra Leone, there are many different languages that are used all across Sierra Leone, each having different dialects that fluctuate in similarity to one another.

Temne is one language that is commonly used in Sierra Leone. The language Temne, does in fact, belong to the ethnic group, Temne. Other names, used to refer to Temne include, Temen, Themne, Timene, Timmannee, and Timnee (globalrecordings.net). Temne is spoken with a number of dialects that vary in similarity to one another. According to ethnologue.com the eleven different dialects of Temne are Banta, Bonmbali, Kholifa, Konike, Koya, Malal, Masignbi, Ribia, Sanda, Pil, and Yoni.

Another language that is commonly spoken in Sierra Leone is Mende. Mende is the language of the Mende people, and much like Temne, there are a number of different names used to refer to the Mende language. These names include, Bompe, Hulo, Kossa, and Kosso (enthologue.com). Mende is used with several different dialects, each being closely comparable to one another with over 90% lexical similarity. Theses dialects include Ko, Kpa, Sewawa, and Waanjama (enthologue.com).

In the book Wild Flower Nina briefly mentions the language of the Temne people as being Temne, when she is explaining her experience in Makump, and her feelings regarding the Bondo society traditions that are commonly enforced by the Temne people.

" Then one day, I became alarmed when I heard rumors around grandma's house about the interest of the Bondo women in this 'Opoto' - that was the name they used for me. In fact, that Temne word is the equivalent of 'Oyinbo,' the Yoruba term for ' white person' by which I was often addressed during my stay in Africa" (Smart 77).

Mende Culture

The second most populous ethnic in Sierra Leone is the known to as the Mende, responsible for 31% of the total population of Sierra Leone (World Factbook). The Mende reside mostly in the south eastern portion of Sierra Leone in small communities with up to 250 people. Each residence usually consists of several men, along with their wives and kids. The eldest male in each household has complete jurisdiction over the rest of the family and is the primart decision maker. The Mende do most of their work by hand and don't typically rely on machinery to aid them with farming or hunting. Labor is split between the males and females. The Men are responsible for the "heavy work" such as preparing land for crops, while women are typically responsible for tasks that are not as labor intensive such as fishing, cleaning and ridding crops of weeds (everyculture.com) Two major societies that are present in the Mende culture are the Poro and Sande societies. These "secret societes edicate boys and girls, regulate sexual conduct, and concern themselves with agricultural fertility and military training..."(Encyclopædia Britannica).

Mask worn by the Sande Society
(Marc and Evelyne Bernheim/Woodfin Camp and Associates)

A group of Mende men

Temne Culture

There are a vast variety of culturally diverse ethnic groups across the country of Sierra Leone. Throughout all of Sierra Leone there are fifteen different ethnic groups that reside there. Each ethnic group has established their land that they call home. The largest ethnic group that has made Sierra Leone their home is the group known as Temne. Of all of the different ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, The Temne people take up 35% of the total population in Sierra Leone (The World Factbook), with 1.6 million members.The Temne can be found in a region that lies in the Northwestern/Central part of Sierra Leone. The Temne group is said to be mostly farmers, their main crop that they grow is "rice, supplemented by peanuts, cotton, cassava, and millet; cash crops are palm kernels and kola nuts." (Encyclopædia Britannica).

Ethnic Groups of Sierra Leone
(ecoi.net)

In the book Wild Flower Nina describes her reaction to a the Temne people when she visits Makump with her sister, even specifically mentioning cassava, a plant that is commonly used as a food source by the Temne. 

"The smell smell of the burning wood, the roasted cassava aroma, the crystal laughter of the children running barefoot on the red dirt without a care in the world - that was Makump, the land of the Temne people, the place where I first experienced the natural beauty of Sierra Leone"(Smart 71).