Barclayville
Encyclopedia
Barclayville, the capital and most populous settlement in Grand Kru County
is located in southeastern Liberia
about 10 miles inland from Picinicess. The Barclayville township of several thousand people straddles the banks of the Na River
. Roads from Kanweaken to the northwest, Pleebo
to the southeast, and to Picinicess and Grand Cess
to the southeast, all intersect at Barclayville. In March 2006 the United Nations reported completion of the Na River bridge at Barclayville, connecting the Kanweaken and Pleebo
roads for the first time.
The modern jurisdiction of Barclayville was created by President Barclay
in response to the last Kru Wars in the 1930s. As part of the effort to exert central government authority and diminish inter-tribal conflicts that resulted in devastation, four separate villages were combined into one township. Until the creation of Barclayville, the constituent villages of Seetor and Kayken, which are from rival chiefdoms, were in periodic conflict. The villages of Seetor, Kayeken and Wakpeken and their "suburbs" are on the northwest side of the Na river while Topor
is on the opposite bank across from Wakpekan. Despite the town's large size, most structures are traditional mud and stick homes and(as of mid 1980) few have running water or electricity
. Kplio (a dialect of Grebo
) is the primary language of all Barclayvillians but English
is the official language of instruction.
The regional high school
is in Barclayville along with several public and private (Christian) schools for grades K-8. Many religious denominations have churches and/or missions in Barclayville including Methodist, Baptist
, Catholic
, and a variety of evangelical congregations, though most of the population also follows local animist practices
. Prior to the Liberian Civil War
much of the male adult population were on government payroll employed as teachers, employees of the courts, or serving as government officials or their staff. Nevertheless, upland rice
farming is the primary occupation. Each village lays claim to large areas of land that extend several miles inland from the town upon which they do slash and burn farming, rotating to a new section of land every year. Because of the distance from the farms to the villages it is common for the women and younger children to live on the farms during the growing season where they establish vegetable gardens and plant cassava
. Farming within Barclayville is limited by the presence of freely roaming livestock
and fowl
including cows, sheep, goats and chickens.
[Disclaimer: This information predates the Liberian civil war]
In June 2005 the UN Integrated Regional Information Regional Network reported that the roads leading to Barclayville had decayed and become overgrown by dense bush rendering them impassable.
Grand Kru County
Grand Kru is a county in the southeastern portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has eighteen districts. Created in 1984, Barclayville serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring...
is located in southeastern Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
about 10 miles inland from Picinicess. The Barclayville township of several thousand people straddles the banks of the Na River
Na River
The Na River is a river of Thailand. It is a tributary of the Pa Sak River, part of the Chao Phraya River basin.-See also:*Tributaries of the Chao Phraya River...
. Roads from Kanweaken to the northwest, Pleebo
Pleebo
Pleebo is a town located in Maryland County, Liberia....
to the southeast, and to Picinicess and Grand Cess
Grand Cess
Grand Cess is a town in Grand Kru County, Liberia....
to the southeast, all intersect at Barclayville. In March 2006 the United Nations reported completion of the Na River bridge at Barclayville, connecting the Kanweaken and Pleebo
Pleebo
Pleebo is a town located in Maryland County, Liberia....
roads for the first time.
The modern jurisdiction of Barclayville was created by President Barclay
Edwin Barclay
Edwin James Barclay was a Liberian politician. A member of the True Whig political party, he served as the 18th President of the country from 1930 until 1944. Under his leadership, Liberia was an ally of the United States during World War II....
in response to the last Kru Wars in the 1930s. As part of the effort to exert central government authority and diminish inter-tribal conflicts that resulted in devastation, four separate villages were combined into one township. Until the creation of Barclayville, the constituent villages of Seetor and Kayken, which are from rival chiefdoms, were in periodic conflict. The villages of Seetor, Kayeken and Wakpeken and their "suburbs" are on the northwest side of the Na river while Topor
Topor
Topor can refer to:* Topór Coat of Arms* Topór, Mińsk County in Masovian Voivodeship * Topór, Węgrów County in Masovian Voivodeship * Topór, Polish for axe* Topor , Bengali wedding headwear...
is on the opposite bank across from Wakpekan. Despite the town's large size, most structures are traditional mud and stick homes and(as of mid 1980) few have running water or electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
. Kplio (a dialect of Grebo
Grebo language
Grebo is dialect cluster of the Kru languages, spoken by the Grebo people of Liberia and the Krumen of Ivory Coast.-Definition:Since the first group contacted by European explorers and Americo-Liberian colonists reaching the area of Cape Palmas were the Seaside Grebo, or Glebo, their speech came to...
) is the primary language of all Barclayvillians but English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
is the official language of instruction.
The regional high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
is in Barclayville along with several public and private (Christian) schools for grades K-8. Many religious denominations have churches and/or missions in Barclayville including Methodist, Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, and a variety of evangelical congregations, though most of the population also follows local animist practices
Animism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
. Prior to the Liberian Civil War
Liberian Civil War
The First Liberian Civil War was an internal conflict in Liberia running from 1989 until 1996. The conflict killed over 200,000 people and eventually led to the involvement the Economic Community of West African States and of the United Nations...
much of the male adult population were on government payroll employed as teachers, employees of the courts, or serving as government officials or their staff. Nevertheless, upland rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
farming is the primary occupation. Each village lays claim to large areas of land that extend several miles inland from the town upon which they do slash and burn farming, rotating to a new section of land every year. Because of the distance from the farms to the villages it is common for the women and younger children to live on the farms during the growing season where they establish vegetable gardens and plant cassava
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
. Farming within Barclayville is limited by the presence of freely roaming livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
and fowl
Fowl
Fowl is a word for birds in general but usually refers to birds belonging to one of two biological orders, namely the gamefowl or landfowl and the waterfowl...
including cows, sheep, goats and chickens.
[Disclaimer: This information predates the Liberian civil war]
In June 2005 the UN Integrated Regional Information Regional Network reported that the roads leading to Barclayville had decayed and become overgrown by dense bush rendering them impassable.