The Galinhas country forms the southernmost corner of modern Sierra Leone. Its inhabitants in 1650 probably belonged to the Vai people, who had reached the coast several centuries earlier as part of a Manding trade corridor from the Upper Niger. In the early seventeenth century Galinhas was ruled by a viceroy of the huge Kquoja kingdom, which extended about 250 miles along the coast; but after 1650 the kingdom declined. Until about 1750, Galinhas played only a minor role in European commerce. Thereafter the slave trade grew; and in the early nineteenth century a dramatic increase in slave exports helped Siaka (d. 1843) to create a Galinhas kingdom (much smaller than the Kquoja kingdom). Although few slaves were shipped after 1850, Siaka's political achievements were consolidated by his son Mana. The kingdom disintegrated after Mana's death in 1872, mainly because of the weakness of his successor and economic strains connected with the trade in palm produce. The coastline was ceded to the Colony of Sierra Leone in 1882 and a military expedition in 1888-9 imposed British rule over the Galinhas hinterland. Despite the influence of Europeans and of Muslims from the north, many elements of seventeenth century culture and social organization were retained almost intact.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:461050 |
| Date | January 1979 |
| Creators | Jones, Adam |
| Publisher | University of Birmingham |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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