Article · Liberia & its peoples
The Loma of Liberia and Guinea
7 min read · Liberia & Its Peoples · Art & Living Traditions
Draft for editorial review
This article is draft content awaiting review by specialists and members of the Loma community. Details should not be cited until review is complete.
The Loma live mainly in Lofa County in north-western Liberia and in the neighbouring forest region of Guinea, where they are often called Toma. Their language belongs to the Mande family, related to languages spoken across much of West Africa.
Land and language
Loma communities live in a landscape of hills and forest that crosses the modern Liberia–Guinea border. That border, drawn in the colonial era, divides people who share language, kinship and history.
Towns such as Voinjama and Zorzor in Lofa County are important regional centres today.
A Loma script
In the twentieth century a syllabic script for writing Loma was developed. David Dalby's 1967 survey of indigenous scripts of Liberia and Sierra Leone attributes it to Wido Zobo and dates it to the 1930s.
Societies and learning
Like several neighbouring peoples, Loma communities have historically maintained initiation societies (often referred to in English as Poro for men and Sande for women) that teach, regulate social life and carry knowledge.
Sources and further reading
Later scholarship
- Dalby, D. “A Survey of the Indigenous Scripts of Liberia and Sierra Leone: Vai, Mende, Loma, Kpelle and Bassa.” African Language Studies 8 (1967): 1–51.
By Lorma Editorial (draft) · Last reviewed: Pending review · Editorial standards
Connections to explore
The Vai Script
In the 1830s, a Vai man in what is now Liberia created a writing system for his language. It is still in use today.
Article · 6 min read
One Object: Country Cloth
Narrow strips of hand-woven cotton, sewn edge to edge. Follow one textile through its materials, makers, uses and meanings.
Article · 6 min read