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The Sherbro Language and Culture of Sierra Leone

The Sherbro language, spoken on Sherbro Island and nearby coastal areas of Sierra Leone, is in rapid decline. Its speakers now number some 20,000 with its domains and functions decreasing. Sherbro speakers increasingly prefer the more widely spoken languages Mende, Krio, and Temne. In a few places, however, the language is used in daily interactions. One is within the Dema Chiefdom on the westernmost edge of the island. It is here the project will locate itself to fully document the language in grounded contexts and partner with the local community and university to produce materials valuable to these and scholarly communities. Speakers of Bullom languages (Bullom is the group to which Sherbro, Mani, Bom, Kim, and Kisi belong) once lived in the interior but were gradually pushed to the Atlantic coast by various Mande groups (Brooks 1993, Childs 2011), where they became fishermen. Sherbro has some typological interest not only because of its status as a member of the Bullom sub-group of South Atlantic, but also because of its dislocation as a result of the Mande Expansion (Childs 2002) and the subsequent intense interaction with European traders in slaves and other commodities. Undoubtedly, this contact affected the language (Childs 2002).

Submissions from 2016 2016

Fowl Basket, George Tucker Childs

Girls Pounding Rice, George Tucker Childs

Harvesting Groundnuts, George Tucker Childs

Harvesting Potatoes, George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Bahin wɔ bi gbakia (‘Jesus is the answer’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Che che yɛ rithi yai (‘Shelter in the storm‘), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Ha kweyɛ bahin (‘They led my lord away‘), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Introduction, George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Jizɔs a chɔŋ mɔ len (‘Jesus, I love you’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Kikith (‘Press down’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Kɔnɛ o bahin (‘Restore unto us’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Kraist wɔ hunɛ ‘Christ is coming’, George Tucker Childs

Hymn - La hini ha (‘What we are to do’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Lɛli hin atok (‘He is in control’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Man pɛn ke (‘Don't give up’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Mbɔs ma che (‘Peace prevail’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Nchi Mbɔs (‘Bring peace’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Nɔ gbi sini (‘No one knows’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Ooo aŋami itɔnka bahin yɛ oo (‘Oh my people, let’s celebrate’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Ooo bahin (‘Oh our father’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Tak bahin yɛ (‘The Son of God’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Tɛnɛni (‘Remember’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Velia mi jizɔs. (‘Rescue me, Jesus’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Woth disil (‘Heavy load’), George Tucker Childs

Hymn - Yaŋ ya si (‘For I know’), George Tucker Childs

Interview with Agnes Simbo, George Tucker Childs

Interview with Jalikatu Kumba, George Tucker Childs

Isatu Kamara - Palm Oil Processing, George Tucker Childs

Jibril Koroma Palm Fronds, George Tucker Childs

Lahai Turay Interview, George Tucker Childs

Mabel Lohr Interview, George Tucker Childs

Mabel Lohr on her experiences as a midwife, George Tucker Childs

Mfah Netteh Palm Head Trimming, George Tucker Childs

Momoh Kamara Interview, George Tucker Childs

Mosque Sermon (Part 1), George Tucker Childs

Mosque Sermon (Part 2), George Tucker Childs

Mosque Sermon (Part 3), George Tucker Childs

Mosque Sermon (Part 4), George Tucker Childs

Mosque Sermon (Part 5), George Tucker Childs

Muctar Bendu Rice Shoot Planting, George Tucker Childs

Mudskipper Traps, George Tucker Childs

Ndema Women's Music 1, George Tucker Childs

Ndema Women's Music 2, George Tucker Childs

Ndema Women's Music 3, George Tucker Childs

Ndema Women's Music 4, George Tucker Childs

Ndema Women's Music 5, George Tucker Childs

Ndema Women's Music 6, George Tucker Childs

Net Fishing in Swamp, George Tucker Childs

Palm Kernel Pounding, George Tucker Childs

Palm Oil Processing, George Tucker Childs

Pastor Kogba Plantain Island History, George Tucker Childs

Pastor Kogba Slave Pen, George Tucker Childs

Pounding Palm Kernels, George Tucker Childs

Processing Groundnuts, George Tucker Childs

Repairing Thatched Roof, George Tucker Childs

Rice Harvesting (Part 1), George Tucker Childs

Rice harvesting (Part 2), George Tucker Childs

Rice Harvesting (Part 3), George Tucker Childs

Rooting Rice, George Tucker Childs

Saidu Netteh Interview, George Tucker Childs

Sallu Tucker - Palm Nut Harvesting, George Tucker Childs

Samba Boima Interview, George Tucker Childs

Small Boys Brushing, George Tucker Childs

Stomping Palm Nuts in Canoe, George Tucker Childs

Suba Bendu Gari, George Tucker Childs

Suffian Koroma Interview, George Tucker Childs

Thaimu Bendu - Bondo, George Tucker Childs

Thaimu Bendu - Hunter and Monkey, George Tucker Childs

Thaimu Bendu - Song about wife, George Tucker Childs

Thatch Making, George Tucker Childs

Threshing Rice (Part 1), George Tucker Childs

Threshing Rice (Part 2), George Tucker Childs

Threshing Rice (Part 3), George Tucker Childs

Threshing Rice (Part 4), George Tucker Childs

Threshing Rice (Part 5), George Tucker Childs

Tilling the Swamp, George Tucker Childs

Titi Anshon Interview, George Tucker Childs

Tom Barnet Interview, George Tucker Childs

Transplanting Rice, George Tucker Childs

Transporting Rice Shoot Bundles, George Tucker Childs

Trimming Palm Heads, George Tucker Childs

Usman Charlie Interview, George Tucker Childs

Wasiatu Bundu processing palm oil, George Tucker Childs

Women Hauling Chaff (Part 1), George Tucker Childs

Women Hauling Chaff (Part 2), George Tucker Childs

Yusifu Bundu - Pepper Harvesting, George Tucker Childs

Yusuf Bundu cleaning burnt farm, George Tucker Childs

Yusuf Fofana Interview, George Tucker Childs

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