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The Sherbro people are a native people of Sierra Leone, who speak the Sherbro language and they make up 3% of Sierra Leone's population or about 201,000. They are also known as the Bullom people. The Sherbros are primarily found in their homeland in Bonthe District, where they make up 45% of the population, and in the Western Area of Sierra Leone, particularly in Freetown. During pre colonial days the Sherbros were one of the most dominant ethnic group in Sierra Leone, but today only few ethnic Sherbros are found in Sierra Leone. The Sherbro people are primarily Christian at about 99%. The Sherbro are primarily fisherman and traders. The Sherbro have a rich culture. Their culture is unlike that of all other ethnic groups in Sierra Leone and it is typical of western culture and ideals. The only Sierra Leonean ethnic group whose culture is similar (in terms of embrace of Western culture) are the Krio people. The Sherbro and the Krios are close allies and generally intermarried with Krios without any objection from as far back as the 1790s. Since the Sherbro people are native people of Sierra Leone, their history dates back to pre-colonial times. In the 18th century the Sherbro began to get involved in the slave trade and became more powerful than the white slave traders. They began to employ the Mende people to work for them to find slaves to meet the growing demand for slaves. In the 1920s the Sherbro people were still being ruled by chiefs and were still under their own rule. |