Bai Bureh {1840-November 11,1908} Was a great Sierra Leonean ruler and military strategist who led the temne uprising against the British in Sierra Leonean in 1898.
Bai Bureh was born in 1840 in Kasseh, a small village in Port Loko district in Northwestern Sierra Leone. His father was a local loko chief,in a village in Port Loko district, and his mother a temne woman from Makeni, Bombali district. When Bai Bureh was a young boy,his father sent him to Gbendembu village, in Tonkolili district to live with his uncle who was a local warrior. While living with his uncle,Bai Bureh and other young boys in the village learned how to fight their enemies from his uncle who was already a local fighter or warrior . a The young Bai Bureh was given the nickname 'Kebalai' meaning one who never tired of war by the villagers in Gbendembu. When he returned back to kasseh village from training, the young Bai Bureh had become a strong boy who will do anything to protect his homeland,his property and his people. In
1860s and 1870s Bai Bureh had become the top warrior of Port Loko district. He successfuly fought and won the war against some other villagers who were against his plan to establish correct islamic and indigenous practices among his native people in Northwestern, Sierra Leone. After wining his first major war, Bai Bureh popularity had spread all over Sierra Leone. The old peple of the villages where happy that they have found the warrior who will defend their land when are no longer around. In 1886, Bai Bureh was crowned as the ruler of Port Loko District.
The new ruler of Port Loko District never wanted to deal with the British who were at the time living in the capital Freetown. Bai Bureh refused to recognised the 'hut tax' the British had imposed in 1893 in Sierra Leone. He did not think Sierra Leoneans have any right to pay taxes to fereigners who did not belong to the country, and want all British to return to Britain and let the Sierra Leoneans solve their own problem. After refusing to pay his taxes on occasion, the British issued a warrant to arrest Bai Bureh. In 1896, Bai Bureh declared war on British in Sierra Leone. The war later became known as the 'Hut Tax War of 1898' He brought fighters from several temne vilages under his command, as well as fighters from limba,loko,soso,kissi,and mandingo villages. He held the initative over the vastly more powerful British for over several months of the war. Despite their arrest warrant, the British forces failed to defeat Bai Bureh and his warriors fighters. Thousands of British souldiers were killed, and thousands of Bai Bureh fighter also died during the war. After the war,many Sierra Loeneans Bai Bureh had won the war.
Many villagers beleived Bai Bureh had super-natural power, and he had the ability to become invisible or stay for a long period of time under water.
On November 11, 1898, Bai Bureh was arrested by British and taken under guards to Freetown, where thousands of people gatttered around his quarters day and night cheering the name of the great leader. Bai Bureh went to Gold Coast,now Ghana on exile. He returned to Sierra Leone in 1905 where we was welcome by tousands of Sierra Leonean. When he returned to Port Loko, he was again named chief of Port LOKO until his death. Sierra Leone greatest hero died in 1908 in Port Loko.
studies.
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