Pictures of Mende and Temne People

Mende People

The image above shows Mende women. Most women of the Mende tribe work on farms.

http://www.undp.org/content/dam/sierraleone/img/undp_sle_Moyamba%20market%20women.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.web.540.390.jpeg

Men are the tribal hunters of the Mende people. The boys in the picture above are hunters. Most boys learn and start to hunt at a young age.

http://www.mendeleone.com/the-oath-for-mende-people/

Temne People

The image above shows Zainab Hawa Bangura, Sierra Leone's foreign prime minister, with a tribe of Temne women.

The image above shows men from the Temne tribe before a ritual. Their clothing has similar patterns and styles.

Ethnic Map of Sierra Leone

The map above shows the regions in which the tribes are most common. The Temne tribe is located in the middle and northwest of the country. The Mende tribe is south of the Temne tribe and in the southern region of the country. Mende people make up around one third of the population in Sierra Leone. Since both groups are so close, it is common that they have been found in conflict with each other.

“Nature was welcoming, but what happened in its silence intrigued us.  The 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 74).

http://www.slideshare.net/KillianForde1/workshop-presentation-final-54076225

Temne Tribe

Temne Tribe

By Madeline Haas

          They are the largest ethnic group currently in Sierra Leone, and make up 35% of population.

They speak the Temne language, which is a division of Niger-Congo "Mel" syntax. Tribe members are commonly found in the North-Western corners of Sierra Leone. The name “temne” is derived from the root “otem” meaning “old gentleman” in Mel, alluding to the collective tribe. Men and women are divided into their secret societies: Poro and Bondo for men and women, respectively. There are a large number of rituals for each of these societies, with the largest focus on coronation and funerals for popular chieftains as well as the initiation of new members. The term Coca Cola was derived from an-kola, or the “cocoa nut” in Mel. Temne is the specific dialect of Mel that is commonly used by those in the Temne tribe. Temne and Krio are the main languages used in trading throughout Sierra Leone. Children of varying tribes are considered Temne if their father is of the Temne tribe.

“It was at school that year where I first witnessed the inherited rivalry among members of various tribes in Sierra Leone… Some girls were eager to insult the strange traditions practiced by their classmates, a childish behavior that allowed me to learn about the horrific experiences of some girls who joined the Bondo” (Smart 94).

"Temne People: The Resilient and Influential Aboriginal People of Sierra Leone." Trip Down Memory Lane. Blogspot, 17 July 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.

Mende Tribes
By Kimy Weierke

The Mende tribeslive in the southern and eastern parts of Sierra Leone, and there is a small group in Liberia.  This tribe makes up one-third of the population in Sierra Leone.  Because of fertile hills, rice farming is an essential staple in their economy.  All members of society help with the farming.  It is common that a man has a “senior wife” and other “junior wives.”  This is a practice where a man has several wives, but one is in charge of what the other wives do.  The tribe practices birth ceremonies, which often have sacrifices; marriage ceremonies, which are a community event; and poro and sande initiation ceremonies, which provide maturing individuals with education.  They have a “medicine man and medicine societies.”  These members are responsible for finding the cause of an illness as well as preparing natural substances or providing charms that will act as protection for the person.  

Aguwa, Jude, "Mende." Encyclopedia of World Cultures. 1996, and "Mende." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.. 2015. "Mende."Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 2002. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.