Rulers · fl. c. 1810s–1830s
Bob Gray
Grebo headman of the Cape Palmas towns, negotiator of the agreements that founded Maryland in Liberia.
Biography
The Grebo towns of Cape Palmas — Gbenelu, Rocktown, Grahway and their neighbours — were governed by councils of elders under the Kwi Nyon and the Bodio, with headmen speaking for them abroad. Bob Gray was such a spokesman in the years when American vessels began calling regularly.
In 1834 he was among those who negotiated with Dr James Hall for the ground at Cape Palmas. As at Mesurado twelve years earlier, the Grebo understood themselves to be admitting strangers under Grebo law; the Marylanders understood themselves to be buying territory.
Historical significance
The Cape Palmas negotiations repeat the Mesurado pattern in the south and show it was structural, not accidental.
Timeline
- c. 1820Regular trade with American vessels at Cape Palmas
- 1834Negotiates with Dr James Hall for the Maryland settlement
- 1836Disputes begin over the meaning of the cession
On the map
Associated with Cape Palmas. Open the historical atlas.
Related entries
References
- Martin, Jane J. (1968). The Dual Legacy: Government Authority and Mission Influence among the Glebo.
- Dunn, Beyan & Burrowes (2000). Historical Dictionary of Liberia.
Suggested reading
- Martin (1968).