Sierra Leone Creole Settlers

The Sierra Leone Creole Settlers are the North American, Caribbean, and European freed slave ancestors of the Sierra Leone Creole people and included the African American residents of London), African Americans (from the American South) relocated from Nova Scotia, Maroons (from Jamaica), West Indians (mainly from the West India Regiment who were disbanded in Sierra Leone in 1819), and 38 African Americans who were taken there by Paul Cuffe. The Elizabeth (Mayflower of Liberia) also left New York Harbor and took 86 African Americans to Freetown, Sierra Leone and they also settled there. The Sierra Leone Settlers are the transatlantic immigrants from the Caribbean, Europe, and North America. Many of these freed colored people were of European and/or Native American descent.

Background

These ancestors of the creole are the descendants of slaves and in the beginning they only intermarried among themselves and not among the Sierra Leone Liberated Africans who came later than the settlers. Though the 'settlers were roughly around 1200, their influence over Freetown and the modern day Sierra Leone creole was enormous considering their small population. The Settlers comprised a little over ten percent of the overall Krio population. The settlers were the first creoles to be an elite society in Freetown and looked down on the 'recaptives'. Eventually the 'settlers' began to lose their influence as the Liberated Africans became successful traders. As the recaptives and settlers mixed, the fusion between the two distinct groups became the essence of creole society; education, trade, Christianity, and important government posts. Most of the settlers lived in Settler Town, Sierra Leone, [Cline Town, Sierra Leone, and Maroon Town, Sierra Leone. The Liberated Africans settled in the Mountain, Eastern or River District in towns such as Wilberforce, Kissy, Hastings, Wellington and Waterloo. Because of the movement of people throughout Freetown, many descendants of the Settlers and Liberated Africans can be found in different parts of Freetown.

History

The Early Settlers

The Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor transported the Black Poor to Sierra Leone and the Sierra Leone Company transported the Nova Scotians and Maroons.The first wave of settlers were the Black Poor and they arrived and established 'Granville Town' (now known as Cline Town, Sierra Leone) in the modern day Eastern area of Freetown in 1787 in what was then called the 'Province of Freedom'. The African American settlers(also known as the Nova Scotians) established Settler Town, Sierra Leone in the modern day Eastern area of Freetown (near the original settlers) in 1792. The Jamaican Maroons (who like the 1792 Settlers came en route to Sierra Leone from Nova Scotia) arrived in 1800 and established Maroon Town, Sierra Leone in the modern day western area of Freetown. The Black Poor settlers who arrived in 1787 are known as the 'Original Settlers' and the Nova Scotians are known as just the 'Settlers'. The Jamaican Maroons were known in Sierra Leone as just the 'Maroons'. They built St. John's Maroon Church and they are only group of settlers to have an establishment bearing their name in Sierra Leone.

Later Settlers

Later arrivals were

The experience of Creole settlers in Sierra Leone compared to that of Americo-Liberians in Liberia

The history of the Sierra Leone Creole settlers is quite similar to that of the Americo-Liberian in the sense of they are all Repatriated Africans and descendants of slaves from Europe and North America. Both ethnic groups did not mingle or mix with the indigeneous people, who generally lived in the interior. Both valued education and both exercised their influence over their respective countries' economies. Both groups also eventually intermarried with liberated recaptive slaves who were brought to their lands (in the case of the creole settlers the 'recaptives' and in the case of the Americo-Liberians the 'congos'). The main difference between the Creole and the Americo-Liberians is that Liberia was never a colony and was dominated in the political scene by wealthy Americo-Liberian families, while Sierra Leone was colonised by the British and the Krios never exercised full control over the country. While Americo-Liberians were 'the cream of the crop', creoles were only considered elite when in comparison with other groups. The creoles never gained control in government, except in the case of Andrew Juxon-Smith and Valentine Strasser. Status among the creole community had nothing to appearance but with education; in Americo-Liberian society there were divisions among ethnicity and appearance.

ources

*http://assets.cambridge.org/97805216/62345/excerpt/9780521662345_excerpt.pdf