Human world
Helmet Mask, somo-wui
Follow the links in the navigation panel to see some of the Sierra Leone collection.
Many of the artefacts on display in the Sierra Leone section of the gallery were made by the indigenous Temne, Mende and Sherbro, who are still mainly rural farmers. Many were donated by Creoles (Krio).
Krio is a diverse, mainly Christian culture founded by freed African slaves from Britain, Northern America and Jamaica who settled at Freetown in the late 18th century. These first settlers were joined by thousands of Africans liberated from slave ships by the British Navy from 1808-64.
Freetown was a focus for European missionaries and the Krio were better educated as a whole than the British population at the time. Successful in commerce, they also held many positions in the British West African administration. Krio often looked down on neighbouring indigenous cultures but trade and interaction with their neighbours helped to enrich Krio culture.