History of Kuranko People of Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Kuranko People can be found in Sierra leone and Guinea they are part of the Mande speaking branch and they are related to the Susu and Mandinka people.

 They occupied a mountainous region on the northeastern Sierra leone highlands which stretches to Present day Guinea andtheir language is similar to the Mandinka people.   

According to Kuranko Anthropologist, They moved into Present day Sierra leone migrated from Fula regions of Present day Guinea, under the leadership of Mansa Kama from what is now Guinea and settled in Present day Sierra leone between 1650 and 1720.

 It is said Mansa Kama founded Kamadugu which is located in Segbe chiefdom of Koinadugu district, Kholifa , he migrated across the Kuranko area with Islamic alfa in the late 1600s he was a great warrior who led the first major push of the Koranko to Present day Sierra leone and he founded chiefdoms such as Kamadu, Sengbe, Kholifa and he lived around the mid 16th Century.

 

It is believed he was a descendants of Sundiata Keita and a member who belong to the Kargbo clan the name Kama simply means Elephants, he was given the name Kama because he was a great hunter who killed elephants and other wild animals he even caught Antelopes with his bear hands.

 It is believed he was called Mansa Yira during the end of the 16th Century he moved into the northeastern part of Present day Sierra leone and throughout the Sankaran in Present day Guinea, he settled in Morifindugu before he moved southwards and crossed north of the rokel river and he founded the town Kamadugu he had fought his way reaching to the coast and went northwards he ruled Koranko area called Kamadugu his son was called Momori Kalko the founder of Kalkoya established around the 19th Century later the Temne People took over Kholifa.   

Mansa Kama and his people encountered military battles during their sojourn.

 it is believed the town called Kamadugu was named after him and he later settled in Present day Rowala he lived there until he passed away.

 In their Culture men undergo Intiations they are taught how to do certain things such as farming, wearing certain clothes and after Intiation men are free or given the permission to marry and pay their bride prices to the family of the chosen woman.

 They pratice pologamy having more than one wife a long with cultivating crops such as Groundnut known as Peanuts, Sweet Potatoes, Papaya, Yam, Cassava and other crops each household In their traditions owns fruit around their towns and villages, they produce different kinds of fruits.    

Among Kurankos a child is not considered to be a completed person, so children are considered as impure so they undergo Intiations called Birye, which is purification Ceremony when a child entered adulthood.

Adults are honored and respected followed by Segere which supports and defend the rights of Kuranko women and Gbansogoon is self inflicted pain as a way to show bravery, Others claimed they migrated from Present day Southwest Ethiopia and settled in Present day Ivory Coast, Dahomey Present day Benin and crossed throughout Present day Nigeria under the leadership of Mansa Kama later they crossed southwards to Gao in Present day Mali before settling in Present day Sierra leone.

  They have their own rice, corn, cotton potatoes farms each village is led by a Chief and a group of Elders in the 1970s Anthropologist Michael D. Jackson shared the folklore and literature of the Kuranko People he is a poet as well it is said Bambara People of Mali, Dyula speaking people of Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso also the Kuranko, Vai People are part of the manding people and it is believed the expression Ma Dengn derived from the Kuranko dialect.  

The Bondo Society of Kuranko celebrate many festivals they sing and dance, people from all areas come together during the three days of the Intiation Festival for young girls paraded about village showing off their finery.

It is believed they Originally came from Futa Jallon with both Fulanis from Present day Guinea to Present day Sierra leone, Both Limba and Kuranko do weaving and make embroidered caps and clothing.

 The Koinadugu district is made up of five ethnic groups such as Kuranko, Mandingo, Limba and Yalunka they also perform dances such as Bondo dance, Digba dance and other dances.  

According to Lasanaka Kamara it is said the first group migrated to Present day Northern Sierra leone under the leadership of Mansa Morifin Maranch hence settlement has been called after him the word " Morifindu" meaning the land of Morifin.

 futhermore, written history confirmed that it was a natural iron work must have been introduced by Kuranko. Iron was found at the surface of the earth around Korwaranfeh hill at Serekolia Village located in Morifindu it was heated in the furnace for further uses, the wooden furnance also referred as Obsolete played an Important role in Socio- economic well being activities were carried out yet visible in the Southwestern part of Serekolia along the thombonro road, Morifundu section, Mongo chiefdom, and Koniadugu in Present day Sierra leone .   

Almamy Samory Touré was a great warrior who fought the French and British he reunited the Kuranko, Koniaka, Vai, Dyula under his Empire called Wassolou which extended to throughout Present day Guinea, Present day Mali, Present day Liberia, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast these ethnic groups such as Kuranko, Kono, Vai occupied Faranah, Kissidougou, Geukedou later Samory and his fighters migrated and settled around a place called Binumani Mountains located in Koinadugu he left some of them and their family and later moved with his other fighters to Tingi Hills in Kono districts the Kuranko warriors defended Tingi Hills in Kono district.

 it is believed he told them "Ma Kono" meaning wait and it word was mispronounced by the Kono People others referred as Ma Kono People which became the name Kono and the people were now referred as Kono People which became the name of the ethnic group. 

 Samory went throughout Present day Liberia , Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast his other fighters settled in this modern day countries during the rise and expansion of the Empire and during rice harvesting some men play drums clapping their hands and sing songs.

Source: Selikem Okatakyie