Krahn, Western in Liberia

Introduction / History

Most likely, the ancestors of the Western Krahn people moved to this fertile land they called the Grain Coast in the 16th century. They probably moved from the east, where strong tribal kingdoms once flourished, due to pressure from ethnic groups in what is now Sudan. A hundred years earlier, Portuguese explorers had already reached Africa's west coast and began trading in slaves and ivory. Europeans did not move inland until the 1830s when the French signed treaties with coastal rulers. Most Western Krahn people live in Liberia over the border from Cote d Ivoire where some Western Krahn also reside. Traditionally they were hunters, but they became either farmers or fishermen as time went on.

A Western Krahn politician and military officer was involved in the 1980 coup in Liberia, seized power, and became Liberia's first native leader and head of state. With a Krahn leader serving as a key political figure, the once disparaged Krahn were now more prominently included in Liberia s governing body. This rise in status led many Krahn speakers to move to the capital, Monrovia.

What Are Their Lives Like?

We know very little about the lifestyle of the Western Krahn people, but we can extrapolate based on other people groups in this part of West Africa. We can safely assume they are farmers who grow millet, sorghum and other crops. They use some crop rotation and irrigation, and they keep small numbers of cattle and other animals. Hunting, fishing and gathering wild plants provide additional food. Settlements consist of a small number of mud huts with cone-shaped roofs made of palm leaves or thatch. These huts are grouped irregularly around a center court that serves as a meeting place. In a particular locality, a clan composed of a local lineage dominates.

Many settlements are composed of an extended family acting as an economic unit. Each extended family has a headman, who offers sacrifices to the ancestral spirits. Each village (group of settlements) has a religious chief and headmen to handle village affairs and disputes.

Many of the Western Krahn men have more than one wife, and they practice levirate (compulsory marriage of a widow to her dead husband's brother) and the sororate (compulsory marriage of a woman to her dead or barren sister's husband). Most girls are betrothed while they are very young. Marriages are arranged by either the father or the extended family head. When a man marries, his bride may join him or remain in her father's home. Daughters stay with mothers, and sons join their fathers at a young age. Married sons reside in their fathers' households.

The Western Krahn social structure is relatively democratic and lacks rigid classes. However, slavery was once practiced in the area, and castes of smiths and leather workers continue to be looked down upon. Society is patrilineal, where lines of descent and inheritance are traced through males. Private property is inherited by the eldest son, while household property is passed to the father's younger brother.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Nearly all of the Western Krahn still practice various forms of animism, believing that non-human objects have spirits. The Western Krahn believe that the supreme god is too distant to worship directly; therefore, the only way to serve or worship him is through a spirit. Often, they worship a statue or other object believed to house a spirit. In return, the spirit takes their worship to the supreme god. Additionally, they pray to deceased relatives for guidance or protection. They also believe in bush spirits, so they are afraid to venture too far without their permission. The Western Krahn in Liberia are no long unreached, but few in neighboring Cote d Ivoire are Christians.

What Are Their Needs?

The New Testament has been translated for the Western Krahn. Prayer for the growth of believers is an important priority.

The Western Krahn need the opportunity to put their faith in Jesus Christ, the solid rock, rather than local spirits that can do nothing but harm them.

Prayer Points

Pray for Western Krahn families to be drawn by the Holy Spirit to seek forgiveness and to understand the adequacy of Christ's work on the cross.
Ask the Lord to send missionaries to work among the Western Krahn.
Ask the Holy Spirit to anoint the efforts of missions agencies focusing on the Western Krahn.
Pray that God will use the believers to share Christ with the Western Krahn.
Ask the Lord to save key leaders among the Western Krahn who will boldly declare the Gospel.
Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will begin breaking up the soil through worship and intercession.
Ask the Lord to bring forth a vigorous Western Krahn church for the glory of his name!

Text Source:   Joshua Project