Jabo (ethnic group)
Encyclopedia
Jabo is the self-designation of an ethnic group
located in the southeastern part of the Republic of Liberia
in West Africa
.
They have also sometimes referred to themselves as Gweabo
or Nimiah tribe
.
English speakers also use the name of the group for a single member of that group, or for their speech variety.
, a term that in Liberia has a meaning imprecise at best. Confusion may arise due to the cirumstance that in Liberia the English word "tribe" is also sometimes applied to the second-order administrative "districts
," which are not necessarily congruent with "tribes" defined in local ethnotaxonomic
terms. "Tribe" is also occasionally used for a third-order administrative "clan" when the latter comprises multiple ethnic clans, as well as for a variety of other more or less ad hoc groups.
The Jabo describe themselves as a "confederation
of tribe
s.", or even "a nation
".
of the new (1984) Grand Kru County
, with a few outliers across the river in Maryland County
.
Their area coincides more or less with the southern half of Lower Kru Coast District
in Grand Kru County
. This southern portion of the district is defined in terms of Liberian administrative units as the Garawe/Nemia "clan" (code 180810). Jabo territory extends along the coast of southeastern Liberia from Garraway in the northwest proceeding in a southeasterly direction to the Deeah River, and from there inland almost as far as Bewehn. The northern half of the district is inhabited by the Trembo ethnic group and which has its center at the district capital in Bewehn.
Hasselbring & Johnson list seven Jabo town complexes:
Since the recent civil war in Liberia, many towns have been emptied, renamed, reclaimed, or swollen by displaced populations.
which is situated between Garraway and the Seaside Grebo town of Fishtown (Waa).
Nimiah consists of two main centers: one village cluster on the coastal lagoon,
and another, larger cluster located approximately 10 km inland.
The town on the lagoon (Lower Nimiah, Nimiah Beach) consists of several centers, of which the principal one is Yedweke, now called Yetekwe (=Yatueken?), at latitude 4°28'48" N (4.48), longitude 7°52'39" W (-7.8775), altitude 83 m (275 ft); population 1724.
Upper Nimiah (Nemiah, Nemia, Nimia) is located at Latitude 4°32'40" N (4.5444), Longitude 7°53'37 W (-7.8936), altitude 101 m (334 feet); population 3688. It is now called Wilsonville.
, which mirrors to some degree the suprasegmental system
of their highly tonal
language. The collection of their proverb
s and saying
s assembled by Herzog and Blooah is often cited in the folkloristic
literature. The Jabo language is complex and has been studied by well-known scientific linguists
.
A single member of the group is a Jawe "Ja + person" and the language *Jame "Ja + tongue"(Glebo form [jaoĩ]
.
The significative element Ja is explained as being the proper name of the eponym
ous ancestor of the group.
Compare:
The Jabo form of the name is [ɡwȅȁbọ̀]. This name is also used for them by at least some Glebo speakers as [wèǎo].
The term is not a mere variant of the word Jabo, as might be assumed.
It is, rather, defined as the name of "a group of five tribes" or "a language".
It properly designates a certain patrilineal
descent group (in this case a "sub-tribe"), within the larger group ("Jabo tribe
"). It may be conjectured to have as an eponym
the common personal name (g)wea.
Gweabo was originally incorrectly generalized to apply to the larger group (the Jabo confederation) because Sapir's
Jabo informant
was a member of that sub-tribe.
Among the subdivisions of the Gweabo sub-tribe mentioned in Jabo Proverbs from Liberia are:
[nĩ́w̤i̯ẹ̃].
information is available, the most reliable framework for placing them with respect to related peoples is the classification of their language.
Jabo clearly belongs within the Kru
family of Niger–Congo languages. For further discussion, see the article Grebo people.
-oriented area at the county seat of (Barclayville
) and Garraway, north to Bewehn, or sometimes northeast to Plibo, rarely to the commercial and government center in Harper
. This tends to emphasize mutual affinity and intercommunication with the Klao (Krao or "Kru
Proper"), rather than with the Seaside Grsebo. They are also located in the same newly created (1984) county as the Klao (Grand Kru County
), unlike the Glebo in Maryland County
, from which they are once again politically separated.
. This is enforced as a taboo
at the clan level, but in practice, many also marry outside their tribe. The extent of this practice is obviously limited by the difficult transportation situation. Nonetheless, the exogamy factor has a certain effect of heightening intergroup awareness and communication. It remains to be seen how this will be affected by the refugee situation and urbanization.
. This is not merely a canard
or blood libel
. Charles Blooah, Sapir's Jabo informant, apparently made no secret of the fact.
Against the backdrop of widespread violence during the Liberian civil war, reports of ritual murder and cannibalism seem scarcely to rise to the level of newsworthiness. Yet the inhabitants of the Cape Palmas region have been repeatedly characterized since at least 1668 as having this practice culturally entrenched among themselves. Considering the practice's links to Liberian internal politics and secret societies (Leopard Men), which cut across all social strata, and considering also a sensational legal proceeding in Maryland county in 1977, there is no reason to hope that the practice or its associated belief system has abated or been extirpated. This is not intended to convey the impression that such practices are limited to this area of Africa
alone.
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
located in the southeastern part of the Republic of Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
.
They have also sometimes referred to themselves as Gweabo
or Nimiah tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
.
English speakers also use the name of the group for a single member of that group, or for their speech variety.
Tribe
Like many of their neighbors in the area, the Jabo have very pronounced ethnocentric attitudes, and are frequently referred to both by themselves and by others as a tribeTribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
, a term that in Liberia has a meaning imprecise at best. Confusion may arise due to the cirumstance that in Liberia the English word "tribe" is also sometimes applied to the second-order administrative "districts
Districts of Liberia
The counties of Liberia are subdivided into districts.*Bomi County**Dewoin District**Klay District**Mecca District**Senjeh District*Bong County**Fuamah District**Jorquelleh District**Kokoyah District**Panta-Kpa District**Salala District...
," which are not necessarily congruent with "tribes" defined in local ethnotaxonomic
Ethnotaxonomy
The term ethnotaxonomy refers either to that subdiscipline within ethnology which studies the taxonomic systems defined and used by individual ethnic groups, or to the operative individual taxonomy itself, which is the object of the ethnologist's immediate study.For example, in many West African...
terms. "Tribe" is also occasionally used for a third-order administrative "clan" when the latter comprises multiple ethnic clans, as well as for a variety of other more or less ad hoc groups.
The Jabo describe themselves as a "confederation
Confederation
A confederation in modern political terms is a permanent union of political units for common action in relation to other units. Usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as defense, foreign...
of tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
s.", or even "a nation
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
".
Location
The area inhabited by the Jabo is now mostly in the Lower Kru Coast districtLower Kru Coast District
Lower Kru Coast District is one of four districts located in Grand Kru County, Liberia....
of the new (1984) Grand Kru County
Grand Kru County
Grand Kru is a county in the southeastern portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has eighteen districts. Created in 1984, Barclayville serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring...
, with a few outliers across the river in Maryland County
Maryland County
Maryland County is a county in the southeastern portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has two districts. Harper serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring...
.
Their area coincides more or less with the southern half of Lower Kru Coast District
Lower Kru Coast District
Lower Kru Coast District is one of four districts located in Grand Kru County, Liberia....
in Grand Kru County
Grand Kru County
Grand Kru is a county in the southeastern portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has eighteen districts. Created in 1984, Barclayville serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring...
. This southern portion of the district is defined in terms of Liberian administrative units as the Garawe/Nemia "clan" (code 180810). Jabo territory extends along the coast of southeastern Liberia from Garraway in the northwest proceeding in a southeasterly direction to the Deeah River, and from there inland almost as far as Bewehn. The northern half of the district is inhabited by the Trembo ethnic group and which has its center at the district capital in Bewehn.
Names of towns
At the level below the administrative clan, the Jabo are organized into administrative townships (each with a "town chief"), usually consisting of multiple clusters of villages or hamlets.Hasselbring & Johnson list seven Jabo town complexes:
- Garaway Beach (Polou)
- Genoyah
- Nemiah (includes: Glopluken,Jlatiken, Mensiengloh, Nyanoken, Penoken,Yaytueken)
- Nyambo
- Piaty
- Poloya (includes: Poloylowen, Pungbaloken, Tuwaken, Weteken)
- Weteken
Since the recent civil war in Liberia, many towns have been emptied, renamed, reclaimed, or swollen by displaced populations.
- Garraway is now called Garraway Beach.
- Half Garraway is now called Yetekwe (changed from Yedweke).
- (Upper) Nimiah is now called Wilsonville.
Nimiah
The Jabo population center most reported in the literature is the town complex of Half Garraway (variants: Half Garroway, Half Gadowe, Half Grawe, New Garraway), known in Jabo as Nimiah,which is situated between Garraway and the Seaside Grebo town of Fishtown (Waa).
Nimiah consists of two main centers: one village cluster on the coastal lagoon,
and another, larger cluster located approximately 10 km inland.
The town on the lagoon (Lower Nimiah, Nimiah Beach) consists of several centers, of which the principal one is Yedweke, now called Yetekwe (=Yatueken?), at latitude 4°28'48" N (4.48), longitude 7°52'39" W (-7.8775), altitude 83 m (275 ft); population 1724.
Upper Nimiah (Nemiah, Nemia, Nimia) is located at Latitude 4°32'40" N (4.5444), Longitude 7°53'37 W (-7.8936), altitude 101 m (334 feet); population 3688. It is now called Wilsonville.
Language
The Jabo are known for their drum-signalling systemDrum (communication)
Developed from hollow tree trunks, and used by cultures living in deforested areas, drums served as an early form of long distance communication, and were used during ceremonial and religious functions.-Pressure drum:...
, which mirrors to some degree the suprasegmental system
Prosody (linguistics)
In linguistics, prosody is the rhythm, stress, and intonation of speech. Prosody may reflect various features of the speaker or the utterance: the emotional state of the speaker; the form of the utterance ; the presence of irony or sarcasm; emphasis, contrast, and focus; or other elements of...
of their highly tonal
Tone (linguistics)
Tone is the use of pitch in language to distinguish lexical or grammatical meaning—that is, to distinguish or inflect words. All verbal languages use pitch to express emotional and other paralinguistic information, and to convey emphasis, contrast, and other such features in what is called...
language. The collection of their proverb
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
s and saying
Saying
A saying is something that is said, notable in one respect or another, to be "a pithy expression of wisdom or truth."There are a number of specific types of saying:...
s assembled by Herzog and Blooah is often cited in the folkloristic
Folkloristics
Folkloristics is the formal academic study of folklore. The term derives from a nineteenth century German designation of folkloristik to distinguish between folklore as the content and folkloristics as its study, much as language is distinguished from linguistics...
literature. The Jabo language is complex and has been studied by well-known scientific linguists
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
.
What's in a name?
The term Jabo in a narrow sense means "Ja people", the -bo being an animate plural suffix (compare with ba in ba-ntu).A single member of the group is a Jawe "Ja + person" and the language *Jame "Ja + tongue"(Glebo form [jaoĩ]
.
The significative element Ja is explained as being the proper name of the eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous ancestor of the group.
Compare:
- [ɡ͡bɔ̏wẹ̀] "Glebo man of Fishtown (Waa) clan"
- [ɡ͡bɔ̏bọ̀] "Glebo people of Fishtown (Waa) clan"
Gweabo
The Jabo are also referred to in the literature as the Gweabo.The Jabo form of the name is [ɡwȅȁbọ̀]. This name is also used for them by at least some Glebo speakers as [wèǎo].
The term is not a mere variant of the word Jabo, as might be assumed.
It is, rather, defined as the name of "a group of five tribes" or "a language".
It properly designates a certain patrilineal
Patrilineality
Patrilineality is a system in which one belongs to one's father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritance of property, names or titles through the male line as well....
descent group (in this case a "sub-tribe"), within the larger group ("Jabo tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
"). It may be conjectured to have as an eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
the common personal name (g)wea.
Gweabo was originally incorrectly generalized to apply to the larger group (the Jabo confederation) because Sapir's
Edward Sapir
Edward Sapir was an American anthropologist-linguist, widely considered to be one of the most important figures in the early development of the discipline of linguistics....
Jabo informant
was a member of that sub-tribe.
Among the subdivisions of the Gweabo sub-tribe mentioned in Jabo Proverbs from Liberia are:
Nimiah
Blooah sometimes also claimed to be a member of the "Nimiah tribe;" sometimes Nimiah was called a township. As mentioned above, it corresponds to a Liberian administrative clan. The pronunciation in Jabo which was recorded was[nĩ́w̤i̯ẹ̃].
Classification
Dealing with a people with little recorded history and for which little detailed ethnographicEthnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
information is available, the most reliable framework for placing them with respect to related peoples is the classification of their language.
Jabo clearly belongs within the Kru
Kru languages
-References:* Westerman, Diedrich Hermann Languages of West Africa . London/New York/Toronto: Oxford University Press.-External links:* at Ethnologue*...
family of Niger–Congo languages. For further discussion, see the article Grebo people.
Jabo and Grebo
A certain amount of confusion is created by the fact that many sources treat "Jabo" as being either identical with, or as a subgroup of Grebo. For a discussion of this see the article Jabo (language).Geographical factors
Although the Jabo area is adjacent to the Seaside Grebo area to the east-southeast, the two are separated by the Deeah (Die or Decoris) River, which is often treacherous and difficult to cross, especially during the rainy season or when a strong tide is running in the estuary. Because of the lack of usable roads connecting them, the Jabo tend to go northwest to market, into a KruKru
The Kru are an ethnic group who live in interior of Liberia. Their history is one marked by a strong sense of ethnicity and resistance to occupation. In 1856 when part of Liberia was still known as the independent Republic of Maryland, the Kru along with the Grebo resisted Maryland settlers'...
-oriented area at the county seat of (Barclayville
Barclayville
Barclayville, the capital and most populous settlement in Grand Kru County is located in southeastern Liberia about 10 miles inland from Picinicess. The Barclayville township of several thousand people straddles the banks of the Na River. Roads from Kanweaken to the northwest, Pleebo to the...
) and Garraway, north to Bewehn, or sometimes northeast to Plibo, rarely to the commercial and government center in Harper
Harper, Liberia
Harper, situated on Cape Palmas, is the capital of Maryland County in Liberia. It is a coastal town situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Hoffman River. Harper is Liberia's 11th largest town, with a population of 17,837....
. This tends to emphasize mutual affinity and intercommunication with the Klao (Krao or "Kru
Kru
The Kru are an ethnic group who live in interior of Liberia. Their history is one marked by a strong sense of ethnicity and resistance to occupation. In 1856 when part of Liberia was still known as the independent Republic of Maryland, the Kru along with the Grebo resisted Maryland settlers'...
Proper"), rather than with the Seaside Grsebo. They are also located in the same newly created (1984) county as the Klao (Grand Kru County
Grand Kru County
Grand Kru is a county in the southeastern portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has eighteen districts. Created in 1984, Barclayville serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring...
), unlike the Glebo in Maryland County
Maryland County
Maryland County is a county in the southeastern portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has two districts. Harper serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring...
, from which they are once again politically separated.
Exogamy
A cultural trait present among the Jabo, and apparently widespread across the Kru group is the practice of virilocal exogamyExogamy
Exogamy is a social arrangement where marriage is allowed only outside of a social group. The social groups define the scope and extent of exogamy, and the rules and enforcement mechanisms that ensure its continuity. In social studies, exogamy is viewed as a combination of two related aspects:...
. This is enforced as a taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
at the clan level, but in practice, many also marry outside their tribe. The extent of this practice is obviously limited by the difficult transportation situation. Nonetheless, the exogamy factor has a certain effect of heightening intergroup awareness and communication. It remains to be seen how this will be affected by the refugee situation and urbanization.
Allegations of ritual murder and cannibalism
In researching the literature pertaining to the Jabo, one may occasionally come upon references to them practising cannibalismCannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
. This is not merely a canard
Canard
Canard may refer to:*Nicolas-François Canard , French mathematician and economist*Canard , a small wing mounted on the front of some aircraft, which can be beneficial or detrimental depending on the design of the plane and its intended use*Canard , a phenomenon in some slow-fast dynamical systems...
or blood libel
Blood libel
Blood libel is a false accusation or claim that religious minorities, usually Jews, murder children to use their blood in certain aspects of their religious rituals and holidays...
. Charles Blooah, Sapir's Jabo informant, apparently made no secret of the fact.
Against the backdrop of widespread violence during the Liberian civil war, reports of ritual murder and cannibalism seem scarcely to rise to the level of newsworthiness. Yet the inhabitants of the Cape Palmas region have been repeatedly characterized since at least 1668 as having this practice culturally entrenched among themselves. Considering the practice's links to Liberian internal politics and secret societies (Leopard Men), which cut across all social strata, and considering also a sensational legal proceeding in Maryland county in 1977, there is no reason to hope that the practice or its associated belief system has abated or been extirpated. This is not intended to convey the impression that such practices are limited to this area of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
alone.
External links
- Maryland in Liberia, U.S. Navy map from 1853 in the Library of Congress,: http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/map_item.pl?data=/home/www/data/gmd/gmd8/g8883/g8883m/lm000016.sid&itemLink=r?ammem/gmd:@filreq(@field(NUMBER+@band(g8883m+lm000016))+@field(COLLID+lmmap))&title=Maryland+in+Liberia+/+drawn+under+the+superintendence+of+Com.+Lynch,+U.S.N.,+at+Wm.+Sides+Office,+Balt.&style=lmmap&legend=.
- Topographic reference map of Grand Kru County as of 2003-09-18: http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/liberia/mapcentre/topographic/reference/pdf/Grand_Kru.pdf.