The Krahn, Kru, Grebo, Mano and Mende were on the land prior to the formation of Liberia by the U.S. The Afrikan people from the americas are known as Americo-Liberians.

Krahn is an ethnic group of Liberia; it is also the language traditionally spoken by these people.

=================

The Krahn are a native tribe of people, who were present in the area known as Liberia before the formation of the country. When Liberia was founded in 1847 the Americo-Liberians tended to live on the coast, with the native tribes (including the Krahn) residing inland.

It is thought that the Krahn were traditionally farmers, growing food, and keeping a few animals. Hunting and fishing was also practised. In terms of religion, many Krahn believe that objects have spirits or souls (animism).

================

The Kru are an ethnic group who live inland in what is now modern day Liberia. Their history is one marked by a strong sense of ethnicity and resistance to occupation. In 1856 when Liberia was still known as the independent state of Maryland, the Kru along with the Grebo resisted Maryland settlers' efforts to control their trade. They were also infamous amongst early European slave raiders as being especially resistant to capture. They would supposedly kill their captors or kill themselves rather than succomb to slavery.

Kru is one of the many ethnic groups in Liberia, composing 7% of the population. It is also one of the main languages spoken. The Kru are one of the three main players in Liberia's socio-political activities along with the Krahn and Mano.

===============

The Mende are a large West African ethnic group (population approximately 2 million), speakers of the Mende language, living primarily in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Their cultural and oral traditions indicate that they migrated to the area from the western Sudan between the 2nd and 16th centuries and are part of greater Mandé society.

The Mende are generally known as growers of rice and several other crops, practicing crop rotation to protect soil productivity. The upper classes may be descended from the Mane, former soldiers of the Mali Empire.

Regional warfare throughout the 19th century led to the capture and sale of many Mende-speakers into slavery. Most notable were those found aboard the Amistad in 1839, who eventually won their freedom and were repatriated.

In the 1930s African American linguist Lorenzo Turner found a Gullah family in coastal Georgia that had preserved an ancient song in the Mende Language, passing it down for 200 years. In the 1990s two modern researchers located a Mende village in Sierra Leone where the same song is still sung today. The story of this ancient Mende song, and its survival in both Africa and the US, is chronicled in the documentary film "The Language You Cry In."

=============

Americo-Liberians are a Liberian ethnicity of African American descent. They are descended from former American slaves, freed blacks who immigrated in the 1800s to become founders of Liberia and other colonies along the coast in places that would become Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone.

Some 13,000 persons crossed the Atlantic to create new settlements on the Grain Coast of West Africa between 1817 and 1867 with the aid of the American Colonization Society. The early settlers practiced their Christian faith, sometimes in combination with traditional African religious beliefs. They spoke an African American Vernacular English, and few ventured into the interior or mingled with local African peoples. Americo-Liberian society, culture and political organization were heavily influenced by that of the United States.

The Americo-Liberians dominated Liberian politics until Samuel Doe led a military coup in 1980.

***taken from wikipedia