Kissi people

The Kissi people, are a West African ethnolinguistic group.[4] They are the fourth largest ethnic group in Guinea, making up 4% of the population. Kissi people are also found in Liberia and Sierra Leone. They speak the Kissi language, which belongs to the Mande branch of the Niger–Congo language family.[5] The Kissi are well known for making baskets and weaving on vertical looms.  In past times they were also famous for their ironworking skills, as the country and its neighbors possess rich deposits of iron. Kissi smiths produced the famous "Kissi penny,"

Not to be confused with Kisi people or Kisii people.
Kissi
Orchestra of Kissi conductors in 1900
Total population
961,843
Regions with significant populations
 Guinea582,000[1]
 Liberia204,000[2]
 Sierra Leone175,843[3]
Languages
Kissi, French, English
Religion
Christianity, Traditional
Related ethnic groups
Mende people, Loma people, Kpelle people, Mano people, Kono people, Vai people, Gbandi people

The Kissi people are also called Assi, Bakoa, Den, Gihi, Gisi, Gissi, Gizi, Kisi, Kisia, Kisie, Kisiye, Kizi, or Kalen[6][7]

History

According to the The Peoples of Africa, Kissi tradition considers that before the seventeenth century they inhabited the Upper Niger region. Supposedly they lived south of the Futa Jallon until the Yalunka people expelled them. After 1600, they migrated westward, expelling the Limbas in their march, but were under constant threat from the Kuranko's.[8]

Resistance to French conquest by Kissi Kaba Keita

In Guinea, the Kissi warrior Kissi Kaba Keita managed to unite many Kissi chiefdoms under his reign and resist French conquest for many years. Before French attacks, he had rallied the Kuranko's of Morige and the Lele's of Yombiro. When the French arrived in 1892, he had to let the relatively autonomous chiefs of the respective areas defend themselves. Due to the French's technological superiority, Kissi Kaba resorted mainly to guerilla tactics, thus delaying their conquest of his kingdom. Still, by 1893 he realized that his resistance would fail and subjected himself to the French, who then recognized him as chief of the northern Kissi territory. However, his relationship with the French gradually worsened, which led to them appointing his rivals in a number of his chiefdoms, and eventually to his execution in Siguiri.

Economy

The Kissi are primarily farmers. Rice, their staple crop, is grown on most hillsides and in low, swampy areas. Other crops include peanuts, cotton, corn, bananas, potatoes, and melons. Beans, tomatoes, onions, and peppers are grown in small vegetable gardens, and coffee raised as a cash crop. Most of the farmers also raise some livestock.

Agricultural work, such as sowing, weeding, and harvesting, is shared equally by the men and women. Additional responsibilities for the men include hunting, fishing, and clearing land. The women's duties involve caring for the small vegetable gardens, tending to the chickens, trading in the local markets, and doing some fishing. Boys tend to livestock, which is usually cattle and goats. Cows are considered valuable animals, not for their milk, but as religious sacrifices.

Social systems
Kissi children in Kissidougou (2019)

For many generations, Kissi are well known as hard-working people. They are very age-oriented, dominated and led by the chief and the elderly people. The Kissi live in small, self-governing villages that are tucked inside groves of mango or kola trees. Each village is compact, containing no more than about 150 people. Houses are usually raised slightly above the ground and are round with mud walls, cone-shaped thatch roofs, and verandahs. In the center of the village is a public square with a dwelling place for the village headman. He offers sacrifices at the village shrine and acts as judge over the community.

To the Kissi, a child is not considered "complete" and is thought of as dirty and impure. Therefore, when a boy or girl reaches puberty, a purification ritual is held. This ceremony, called a biriye, "cleanses" the child and ushers them into adulthood. Afterwards, the young adult is expected to take on adult responsibilities.

Music plays a unique role in the Kissi culture. Sometimes, it is used for certain types of communication. The music does not necessarily have a melody, but rather a rhythmic sound with much drumming and whistling.

Religion and spiritual beliefs

Although many Kissi have converted to Christianity, most of them continue to practice their traditional ethnic religion. Ancestor worship or praying to deceased relatives is a common practice among the Kissi. The Kissi believe that ancestral spirits act as mediators between them and the creator, god. Small stone statues are used to represent the spirits. They are worshipped and offered sacrifices by the village headmen. Many carved soapstone figures and heads were produced by the Kissi people in the past prior to colonial contact with the Europeans. It is not clear why they were made; some scholars argue that they form part of ancestor worship while others say they may represent gods to increase agricultural yields. A large number can be seen in the British Museum's collection.[9]

Kissi Surnames
  1. Balladouno
  2. Beindouno
  3. Bengoutieno
  4. Bolossiandouno
  5. Bongono 
  6. Bongouno
  7. Bouédouno
  8. Boundouno
  9. Bourouno
  10. Bramadouno
  11. Cécémadouno
  12. Danfagadouno
  13. Dembadouno
  14. Doufangadouno
  15. Dougbouno
  16. Dougouno
  17. Douno
  18. Doussandouno
  19. Fancinadouno
  20. Fangadouno
  21. Fangamadouno
  22. Feindouno
  23. Fouédouno
  24. Frangadouno
  25. Fremessadouno
  26. Gbandélno
  27. Iffono
  28. Irandouno
  29. Kabadouno
  30. Kadouno
  31. Kagbadouno
  32. Kamano
  33. Kamadouno
  34. Kambadouno
  35. Kambedouno
  36. Kandawadouno
  37. Kankadouno
  38. Kankodouno
  39. Kantabadouno
  40. Kantambadouno
  41. Kassadouno
  42. Kassossodouno
  43. Késsémadouno
  44. Kikano
  45. Kogbadouno
  46. Kombadouno
  47. Komano
  48. Kondano
  49. Kondiano
  50. Kondouno
  51. Koniono
  52. Kotémbadouno
  53. Kotémbèdouno
  54. Koumassadouno
  55. Koundiano
  56. Koundouno
  57. Kouteno
  58. Lélano
  59. Léno
  60. Malano
  61. Mamadouno
  62. Mamboliano
  63. Mandouno
  64. Mano
  65. Mansadouno
  66. Massadouno
  67. Massandouno
  68. Millimono
  69. Millimouno
  70. Mongono
  71. Moudékéno
  72. Moundékéno
  73. Moussatèmbèdouno
  74. Oliano
  75. Ouamono
  76. Ouamouno
  77. Ouéndeno
  78. Ouéndouno
  79. Sagno
  80. Sandouno
  81. Saninkoundouno
  82. Sayadouno
  83. Sayandouno
  84. Semadouno
  85. Sembèno
  86. Sevadouno
  87. Sewadouno
  88. Simbiano
  89. Solano
  90. Somadouno
  91. Somodouno
  92. Sondouno
  93. Songbono
  94. Sossoadouno
  95. Sossouadouno
  96. Souadouno
  97. Soumadouno
  98. Soumano
  99. Soyadouno
  100. Soyandouno
  101. Tagbino
  102. Tambadouno 
  103. Tédouno
  104. Teliano
  105. Tèmbèdouno
  106. Tèmèssadouno
  107. Teinguiano
  108. Teinkiano
  109. Togbadouno
  110. Togbodouno
  111. Toguiano
  112. Tolno
  113. Tonguino
  114. Toumadouno
  115. Toumandouno
  116. Toundoufédouno
  117. Toundouno
  118. Tounguino
  119. Woromadouno
  120. Woromandouno
  121. Yaradouno
  122. Yarandouno
  123. Yilandouno
  124. Yokrodouno
  125. Yombouno
  126. Youmbouno
  127. Zéno

Notable Kissi people

References
  1. "Kissi in Guinea". Joshua Project. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  2. "Kissi in Liberia". Joshua Project. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  3. "Sierra Leone 2015 Population and Housing Census National Analytical Report" (PDF). Statistics Sierra Leone. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  4. Peter Austin (2008). One Thousand Languages: Living, Endangered, and Lost. University of Califoria Press. p. 84. ISBN 978-0520-25-560-9.
  5. Bankole Kamara Taylor (2014). Sierra Leone: The Land, Its People and History. New Africa Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-9987-16-038-9.
  6. George Tucker Childs. A Grammar of Kisi. p. 1. ISBN 978-3110-81-088-2.
  7. RAMEAU, BnF
  8. James Stuart Olsen (1996). The Peoples of Africa: An Ethnohistorical Dictionary. Greenwood Press. p. 290. ISBN 978-0313-27-918-8.
  9. British Museum Collection
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