Description

Grebo Mask with Two Raised Arms.
The Grebo/Glebo, also referred to as the Krou, are a Liberian ethnic group occupying the Eastern region of Liberia and the bordering forestland. They can be found mainly in Maryland and other counties, including River Gee and Grand Kru. They are known as one of West Africa’s most dangerous and secretive tribes. Not much is known about their culture, ceremonies, and intergroup dynamics or social order.

Originally, they were not called the Grebo/Glebo. The name was given to them after their migration to Cape Palmas from the same interior area that the Krahn also inhabited. The Grebo/Glebo were forced to leave their land in 1699 by locals and strangers who were tapping their palm wine trees. In 1700, the Grebo migrated southeast to the Atlantic coast at Grand-Béréby, into present-day Ivory Coast, joining the people there known as the “Muniwe.” They were originally welcomed but later became tired of being under Muniwe domination. They wanted to have land of their own, a decision that led them to go in search of a homeland.