VOLUME Ill 1970-1971 NUMBER 1 LIBERIAN STUDIES JOURNAL Edited by: Svend E. Holsoe, David M. Foley, University of Delaware University of Georgia PUBLISHED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE Cover photograph: Brass ring, use unknown. Called Dwit:i. Collected 1965 near Barclayville, Grand Cess Territory. 10 1/2" wide, 3" high, 27 lbs. Svend E. Holsoe Collection VOLUME III 1970-1971 NUMBER l LIBERIAN STUDIES JOURNAL EDITED BY Svend E. Holsoe David M. Foiey University of Delaware University of Georgia EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD John Blamo College of Liberal Arts University of Liberia Mary Antoinette Brown William V. S. Tubman Teachers College University of Liberia George E. Brooks, Jr. Warren L. d'Azevedo Indiana University University of Nevada David Dalby Bohumil Holas School of Oriental and African Studies Centre des Science Humaines University of London Republique de COte d'Ivoire James L. Gibbs, Jr. ]. Gus Liebenow Stanford University Indiana University Bai T. Moore Department of Information and Cultural Affairs Republic of Liberia Published at the Department of Anthropology, University of Del aw are Emphasizing the social sciences and humanities, the Liberian Studies Journal is a semiannual publication devoted to studies of Africa's oldest republic. ~ price of subscription is $5 . 00 a year (additional charges for overseas air mail). The views expressed herein are those of the individual contributors, and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors or The Liberian Studies Association in America. Copyright 1971 by The Liberian Studies Association in America, Inc. Manuscripts, correspondence and subscriptions should be sent to: Liberian Studies, Department of Anthropology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19711. The editors wish to express their gratitude to Catherine Johnston for typing the manuscript, Kenneth Miller for the map, and Cornelia Weil for the cover photograph. CONTENTS page A TRIBAL REACTION TO NATIONALISM (Part 4) by War ren L. d 'Azevedo l A HISTORY OF CROZIERVILLE, by Burleigh Holder 21 THE PROPHET HARRIS AND THE GR EBO RISING OF 1910, by Gordon Haliburton 31 CONTRIBUTORS TO TI-IIS ISSUE 40 EDWARD JAMES ROYE AND ' HIS PARENTS, by Svend E. Holsoe 41 LIBERIA'S POPULATION FIGURES, by William Kory 53 UTILIZING TRADITIONAL CO- OPERATIVES IN LIBERIA, by Jack Kolkmeyer 63 SECOND ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH IN LIBERIA, by William Siegmallll 67 BOOK REVIEWS Bowne, Elizabeth, Their Silent Message, hy Kathleen rl ' Azeve<io 69 Warner, Esther, The Crossing Fee, by Kathleen d 'Azevedo 70 Wold , Joseph Conrad, God 's Impatience in Liberia, by Jane Martin - 73 NEWS AND NOTES 76 RECE1'ffLY PUBLISHED MATERIAL ON LIBERIA 79 A TRIBAL REACTION TO NATIONALISM (Part 4)* Warren L. d'Azevedo THE NEW TRIBALISM During the 1930's the Gola had been divided into a number of distinct spheres of Liberian government administration in the western interior. The new situation constituted a drastically different one from that which had obtained in the fluid struggle for power and economic advantage among a multiplicity of small tribal chiefdoms before the turn of the century. The processes of sectionalization which had begun in the late nineteenth century, under pressure of the shifting balance of power brought about by increasing national Liberian control of the coast and of large interior sections, had now been coalesced into the firm administrative entitles of an expanding state. New paramount chieftaincies exercised jurisdiction over clusters of people that bad been, a few decades previously, autonomous chiefdoms ("clans") either at war with one another or allied in tenuous confederacies. Though paramount chiefs represented "tribal authority", their tenures in office depended entirely upon presidential approval and upon their responsiveness to government policy as expressed through the commissioners of their districts and provinces. 31 Thus, tribal and inter­ tribal alliances between widely spaced chiefdoms- - a phenomenon which had characterized the political relations in western Liberia during the nineteenth and early twentieth century--became virtually impossible. The paramount chieftaincy, itself, became the focus of tribal politics within the regional structure of government administration. ln the north the most isolated and ancient Gola areas had become the paramount chieftaincies of Kongba and Goje, each administered by the Bopolu district of the Western Province. Though the ancient trade routes connecting these areas to the Vai coast and the southern Gola chiefdoms continued to be used for travel and commerce, direct political relations among them were controlled •oue to limitations in space, the final section of this paper will be published in the following issue of the Journal . 31. An Act of the Legislature in 1924 defined "Tribal Authority" as " • •• Paramount Chiefs and their Councillors composed of recognized Sub- chiefs and men of note. Recognized Sub- chiefs shall mean any chief not Paramount Chief, commissioned by the Government or temporarily appointed as such by the Paramount Chief, pending Government endorsement. Men of note shall mean the experienced and influential elderly men of the tribe who are usually called by their people 'Owners or Fathers of the land. ' Where land has been known and recognized as belonging to a Confederacy of tribes, then the expression 'Tribal Authority' shall mean the Paramount Chiefs of all the tribes with their Councillors and men of note acting jointly. " Charles H. Huberich, The Political and Legislative History~ Liberia (New York, 1947), II , 1230. - --- Liberian Studies Journal, Ill, l (1970- 71). AIJ.IINISTRATIVE ~ITS a= GcllA TRIBAL ~ITV IN 1l£ M10-TWENTIETH Cam.RY ~ Pararount Chieftai.ncy Tradit.ialal Ol,i.efdans, or "Clans" l. Tungele 2. Gboba Ne119e 3. Zui ~ ParanDUnt Chieftai.ncy Tradit.ialal Chiefdans, or "Clans" l. Sokpo 2. Kposo 3. Pokpa (incorporatinq old Semavula, Dagole, Dazamqbo & Dago chiefdOllls) Gola-Kone Parairount Chieftaincy Traditional Chiefdans, or "Clans" 1. Laa 2. Hana 3. Dablo <;,je ParCl"DOUnt Chieftai.ncy Traditional Chiefclans, or "Clans" 1. Y~aya 2. Gbama lofa-Gola Parairount Chieftai.ncy Traditional Chiefdans, or "Clans" l. Senje 5 . Gb:1 2. Mana 6. Gobla 3. Te 7. Kpo 4. hje RECENTLY ALIENATED TERRITCRIES ~Chiefdan (reverted to Kpelle control in early twentieth century) Den Oliefdan } (absorbed as Liberian townships in the 1950s and 1960s) ~Chiefdan ~Chiefdan (a section of Lof a-Gola territory transferred to Mandi1190 jurisdiction by the government in the 1940s) A-«:100 TERRnams CLAWED BY Go!.A TRADITION (a) '1he Glllla section of Liberia, ard lands in Sierra I.eooe districts between the Maro ard 1't:>a rivers, now occupied by the Mende. (b) Bandi ard Kisi sections northeast of Kongba. (c) '1he western sections of territories presently occupied by the BaRii. (d) '1he legendary I<'l::rqba area, also known as "Ancient Mana." (e) Territories east of Bopolu to FUama. (f) '1he territory northeast of Lofa-Gola to Bopolu. (g) Access to coastal saltpans ard tradin:J statioos at the rrouths of the I.ofa ard ~ rivers ~h old De chiefdans. LEGEND Present Gola territory Dense foreat sparsely inhabited - () Indicates areas of • ancient territory SANDI claimed by Gola tradition ----- Boundaries of Chieftoincies ·-·-·- Notional boundaries (d' Azevedo 1969) BELE ·x w s Kakata Chiefdom CAPE MESURADO ATLANTIC OCEAN 4 WARREN L. d'AZEVEDO by district headquarters at Bopolu. Between the Lofa and the Mano rivers, the old autonomous chiefdoms of Sokpo, Kposo and Pokpa were, in 1936, combined into one section under the Pokpa Paramount Chieftaincy. Similarly, in 1938, a number of old chiefdoms just north of the Lofa were combined into the Gola Kone Paramount Chieftaincy and a boundary was established separating this ancient area of Vai and Gola commerce into two administrative sections (Vai Kone and Gola Kone). 32 But the Pokpa and Gola Kone Paramount Chiefdoms were both placed under the administrative jurisdiction of the Tewo district of Grand Cape Mount county, thus orienting their political and economic relations almost exclusively to the Vai sections of the coast, separ ating them from closely related groups in Kongba as well as those immediately to the south of the Lofa river. 33 These changes were largely effected during Edwin Barclay's administration and demonstrated the vigor of the government's tribal reorganization program. Its application was not difficult in the northern Gola sections. The Kongba, Goje , and Pokpa areas had been devastated by the unsuccessful Gola uprisings of 1917-18. A major portion of the population had fled to Sierra Leone out of fear of reprisals from victorious Liberian government forces. Only a few returned later to their old lands, though most of the leaders who had supported the Kanga War remained among the Mende chiefdoms over the Mano river. Much of the animosity expressed for the administrations of Presidents Howard and King is associated with the events of this period. Military law was imposed periodically, and the region was exploited by vengeful officers and commissioners with little direct control from Monrovia. Farmlands and entire villages turned to bush. This s ituation con­ tinued with little change until the early 1930's when the government conducted reprisals against those believed to be cooperating with the League of Nations Commission of Inquiry. The uprisings among the Kru, at this time, were sufficiently serious to cause general alarm among Liberian officials in all areas where there had been tribal disturbances. Punitive actions were carried out in many sections of the interior, includi ng the Vai and northern Gola chiefdoms where antagonism toward the government was still strong. Though Bar clay was associated with these retaliatory measures early in his administration, as well as with the new laws against tribal slavery and pawning, he very quickly established himself as the originator of an era of constructive policy for the interior. He conducted presidential conferences in various troubled ar eas, rewarding loyal chiefs a nd r emoving from office those who had shown r esistence to government.