The history of the Jews in Sierra Leone date back at least to the 15th century, when Sephardi Jewish traders and explorers arrived in the region from Portugal.
These Portuguese settlers, known as lançados, married local African women and formed families.
Much early commerce in Sierra Leone was conducted by lançados who sailed to and from the region to S. Domingos, located north of present-day Bissau.
Mixed-race Black Sephardi Jews in the region were referred to as filhos de terra and were generally considered "Portuguese".
[1] A small of number of European and American Jews settled in the British Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate between 1831 and 1934.