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.