CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

Sierra Leone has eighteen tribes each with their own dialect customs, and traditions include speaking Krio, the national language that everyone speaks.  An example of one of the traditions for the creole tribe is called “Put Stop” an engagement ceremony. The parents of the groom visit the family of the bride with items such as kola nuts, a Bible with an engagement ring inside, calabash, and a bottle of liquor.  There is a ceremony performed by the groom’s family before they were let into the house

.  There are other traditions and customs in Sierra Leone according to one’s race or tribe.  There are a few tribes that have a very strong tradition such as “female mutilation or circumcision” for all females, a society for men that is called “Poro” and many other secret societies as they are called.  They also have a tradition of chieftaincy which is the individual that would be the chief or leader of a tribe.  Secret societies are based on one’s tribe and culture. With all the atrocities that went on in Sierra Leona, the citizens were not able to practice their cultures which was part of their lives.