Our Story
Our project's journey began when Prince, Megan, and Chris met in 2023 in Greenville, Sinoe County, Liberia. This initial pilot study cemented the efforts that would become the Kru Coast Heritage Initiative (KCHI). After Megan went back to the U.S., we developed this project with the central idea formulated by Prince: "our archaeology, our coast, our heritage." Met with the lack of information rooted in Indigenous Liberian history and especially spoken through Kru (Krao) voices, we determined to create a historical and heritage project that was inclusive and based primarily on the needs and concerns of Sinoeans.
Our work has led us as far north as the Sapo National Park and Gmankenkpo, and as far south as Settra Kru (Welteh) and Nana Kru on the Atlantic Coast. Through archival histories, oral histories, and archaeological research, we are unraveling the complex, nuanced narratives of the Kru (Krao) people in their homelands in Sinoe County. Through archaeology and oral history, we aim not only to change, challenge, and add to the documentary record but to answer research questions that cannot otherwise be answered. Our project has been generously supported both financially and otherwise by: the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, the Texas A&M University Department of Anthropology, the Society for Postmedieval Archaeology, Innovative Education Liberia, and the University of Liberia. While co-director Megan is an academic historian and archaeologist, our project is not just for academics. It is for the people. We are inherently a grassroots organization that privileges Indigenous Liberian perspectives. In doing so, we bridge academic and community interests to build heritage preservation capacities in Sinoe County. Together we hope to honor and amplify the voices of Indigenous Kru historians to tell these stories in their own words. Do you have ideas, suggestions, or want to take a leadership role in this history-making? Head to our Contact Page and get in touch! |