Badjia Chiefdom Explained

Badjia Chiefdom
Settlement Type:Chiefdom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Sierra Leone
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Sierra Leone
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Type3:Capital
Subdivision Name1:Southern Province
Subdivision Name2:Bo District
Subdivision Name3:Ngelehun
Unit Pref:Imperial
Timezone:GMT
Utc Offset:+0

Badjia Chiefdom is a chiefdom in Bo District of Sierra Leone.[1] Its capital is Ngelehun.

History and ruling family

This chiefdom traces its ancestry to a hunter named Kinnei Kandovo, who is said to have migratedfrom present day Kono district, to the east. He came with his brother, Kena Gutu(meaning ’short man’ in the Mende language). Kinnei accepted a short staff from the colonialofficials and became the first paramount chief, taking the name Kinnei Hindowa, meaning astrong man in Mende. The chiefdom has two ruling families, Hindowa and N’kpoki, who have alternatedpower, since Kinnei Hindowa was crowned during the 19th century. The chief during the 2013 survey, Samba Bindi Hindowa, was elected in 1989. In 1995, he fled the chiefdom after an RUF attack on nearby Gerihun, only to return in 2001. Compulsory labor on his farms is stillreported to be common place in the chiefdom.

Hindowa

This family traces the lineage of Kinnei, and is based in the town of Kpuwabu.

Npoki

This family, based in the town of Njama Qui, is thought to be indigenous to the area, or at least to have settled before Kinneis arrival. N’kpoki was a confidant of Kinneis and Kinnei passed the throne to N’kpoki upon his death. It is likely that this agreement to pass the thronewas established with the help of the British.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Final Results 2004 Population and Housing Census. 2006. Government of Sierra Leone. 6. 26 February 2011.