History: |
Sapi is the name given to the peoples that lived along coastal Sierra
Leone by Portuguese traders during the 15th and 16th centuries. Stone
objects found by Mende farmers who live in the same area today have been
attributed to these peoples. Beautiful ivory carvings, known in the
literature as Afro-Portuguese ivories, were commissioned by Portuguese
sailors who visited this area. The ivories incorporate both African and
Portuguese forms and are thought to have been made by the same people who
made the stone objects found by Mende peoples. |