NAME CHANGE ADOPTION/APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Fill out Name Change/Adoption Form in it’s entirety and submit after completion.
Submit donation of $100 to: PayPal.me/GullahLeone or through CashApp at $WeAreGNONA
When your completed form and donation are processed, we will contact you with any pertinent information as well as send you an electronic copy of your name change certificate for you to print out.

NAME CHANGE ADOPTION APPLICATION

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Gullah Leone Union has launched an unprecedented initiative in pursuit of our primary objective to facilitate the birthright reconnection and ethnic restoration of the birthright identity, long stripped away from their families, lands, and cultures, a direct consequence of Trans Atlantic Slave Trade and European colonization.

Gullah Redemption Mission Sierra Leone operating as our representative partner organization in Sierra Leone has played an active role in advocating and assisting descendants through the process of citizenship conferment based solely on the African Ancestry Inc. (www.africanancestry.com) maternal and/or paternal genetic test results matching individuals and their relatives from throughout the African Diaspora to any of the native ethnic groups of modern day Sierra Leone. Over 300 Sierra Leonean descendants have returned to the land of their ancestors and received their citizenship. During the citizenship conferment tours homecomers are taken to a village of the ethnic community that they belong to and bestowed proper names by the traditional authorities.

Recently, we have been receiving an increasing request from diaspora Sierra Leonean descendant’s seeking to have names bestowed that will reconnect them and their families back to a specific local place, community, and history.

After discussions with our board members and consulting with authorities on the ground we determined that Gullah Redemption Mission Sierra Leone would adopt a Name Change program that will be legitimate and help our people on their journeys back to their roots.

As a new program we have initiated the naming process in partnership with the people of Belebu village, Tunkia Chiefdom located in Kenema District – Eastern Sierra Leone (Gola Rainforest Region).

Belebu is the birth place of GRM-SL Secretary General Mr. Emmanuel K. Sesay and through his efforts we were able to facilitate the first Mende Descendant homecoming in Belebu during the April 2022 Citizen Conferment Tour which sparked a relationship that has resulted in the formation of a local executive committee set up to register and operate a GRM-SL local community based organization.

Belebu means “under the Bele tree” in Mende language and was founded by a legendary warrior named Jomborgboi.

Jombor meaning “to mix up” and Gboi meaning “to swollow” this title is interpreted as conqueror.

With the blessing of the Belebu community it has been determined that tradition must be maintained at any cost and recognizing that not all of our people will be able to come to Sierra Leone to undergo a naming ceremony, the name Jombor was chosen as the common last name for all Mende descendants abroad that will receive a traditional name reconnecting their lineage to the people and history of Belebu.

Jombor is honorable in that it is inspired by the name of Belebu’s founder. The full title Jomborgboi is such a heavy name in Belebu that we were advised to use the first half of the title Jombor and the full title will be bestowed during the homecoming of any Jombor, becoming Jomborgboi. This is to ensure that the special nature of the relationship being fostered via lineage restoration and community development activities.

Although we want to eventually expand and extend this program to include Temne, Limba, Kono, Koranko, Mandingo, etc. we are starting with the Mende of Belebu, and the Jombor as we pursue similar relationships with the others.

Who qualifies?

DNA confirmed Sierra Leonean descendants from the African Diaspora that have authentic test results and certificates from legitimate genetic testing companies.

Hence this opportunity is inclusive and can confirm their ancestral connection with any of the ethnic communities that we partner to provide this invaluable service.