Grebo people

In the absence of other qualification, the term Grebo has come to refer generally to this group in particular, which has occupied southeastern coastal areas of what is now Liberia.

Considerable ambiguity and imprecision accompany the use of the term Grebo since it is not always clear precisely which group writers or speakers intend to denote.

The confusion has been perpetuated, as Grebo has been used as a cover term for groups in the area that are now known by scholars known to be different but continue to be classified as the same for convenience.

[citation needed] The numerous subgroups of the large and variegated ethnic group, such as the Kru, are defined by linguists referring to a taxonomy of the languages employed by its members.

[citation needed] The Grebo ethnic group comprises a community of speakers of speech varieties covering an extensive language continuum punctuated by a collection of cultural centers of gravity, usually town clusters.

In both the historic and prehistoric periods, frequent armed conflict occurred among the various groups covered by the general label Grebo.

In its extreme form, it has been part of a political movement to unite virtually all speakers of the sociolinguistic language Grebo[5] in the counties of Maryland, River Gee, and Grand Kru.

[7] Traditional Grebo people had what were known as bush schools (poro for males and sande for females); these and their associated societies have continued to be part of the culture.

[8] Before the Euro-American influence became great, members of the group would often chip their teeth to sharp points to create a ferocious visage, as well as for aesthetic reasons.

[citation needed] Large brass rings more generally were used as ritual objects for protection of entire villages from "spirits, sicknesses, war and other people’s witchcraft" and were reportedly imbued with power via human sacrifice.

[11] A person (usually a woman) accused of witchcraft is tried by ordeal for the determination of guilt by being subjected to the forced imbibition of a decoction of the bark of the sasswood (sassywood) tree/vine (Erythrophleum suaveolens or guineense).

They tattoo their arms and mutilate the incisor teeth.Until the age of twelve years, Wadé (who was born around 1860) lived in a traditional Glebo village on the littoral east of Cape Palmas, Liberia.