Situated on the outskirts of Kuloro and flanked on the North and South by the communities of Faraba and Bonto, not much is known about the community of Tunjina.

Though the community is said to be among the earliest settlements in that part of Kombo East district of Western Region; much of what is said about it revolves around the tales of the legendary woman, Kaddy Kebbeh, who was believed to possess supernatural powers. Series of folk tales colore her extraordinary life and untimely demise with songs about her forming major hits among traditional griots in the early days.

The foundation

Oral tradition has two major shortfalls, (1( facts and figures are always not available (2) and most often than not the passage of the history from one to another often entertain additional or missing points. This fact has become even more substantial in the present generation wherein corruption of the mind by age and snatching away of the old ones by death are common features.

In our exploration to unearth the history of Tunjina, one fact remained constant. The community gave birth to the on the highway community of Kuloro. Sources say Tunjina however was a settlement that has enjoyed the luxury of age; its name is an Arabic phrase which can literally be translated as ‘seeking protection from God’.

The migration from Tunjina to Kuloro began when the colonial government constructed a highway linking Banjul to Basse (Trans Gambia). This highway did not pass through many of the villages at the time and it left them remote and isolated. The distance from the settlement of Tunjina to the highway made the elders of the settlement of Tunjina to summon a meeting among themselves to decide on their fate, whether to stay at the settlement or move closer to the highway.

At this meeting, some elders suggested that it would be best to move closer to the highway which cuts across their farmland called Kuloro to ease travel, but the treasures of the old community including land and trees made many reluctant to leave behind what was considered a valuable asset. Thus Tunjina and Kuloro today remain the same and different.

We do not know when Tunjina was born but sources say at the time of its establishment only the villages of Pirang, Faraba and Basori were in existence. Mixed narrations were also received with regard to the founding of the community and who the original founder was.

Some say the route to the foundation is traced as far as from the Futa region of Guinea, where one Islamic scholar, Cherno Amadou immigrated from to settlement. He is said to have establish the settlement of Tunjina at a time when tribal wars dominate Africa, hence the justification for the name of the settlement.

Another narration holds that the settlement was founded by one Saikou Jatta. This Saikou Jatta was said to hail from Busumbala. He is a member of the Jatta hegemony of the Soninke kingdom of Busumbala and he abandoned his kinship to establish Tunjina following internal family dispute.

Though sources declined to go in-depth of the nature, causes and scope of this family dispute, this version of the tales went on to reveal that this Saikou Jatta established the settlement during the reign of chief Mamadi Tako of Faraba but did not stay long in the settlement as he returned to his native Busumbala during the very early days of settlement.

Both accounts however confirmed that the settlement of Tunjina came into being in the height of tribal warfare among indigenous people. The settlement was said to be a battle field when Foday Kombo Sillah entertained the Soninke’s of Kombo who were predominantly Bainunkas in his quest to bring down the Soninke hegemony and replace it with a centralized Islamic state.It also served as a sanctuary for warriors and kings.

Aborigines and expansion

Whichever account stands true for the founding of Tunjina, the community up till today is relatively small. Agriculture still remains the trademark of the settlement and the green color that surrounds the community suggests that the indigenes from the early days returned to the source.

The settlement founded by the erudite Islamic scholar-Cherno Amadou suggests that he and his disciples were the aborigines. And awarding credit of the founding of the settlement to the Soninke warrior cum king from the Jatta hegemony of Busumbala also presupposes the land was occupied by warriors and soldiers of the Jatta.

Whatever the case may be, sources revealed that Tunjina from foundation is a small society with only four aboriginal ‘Kabilos’ notably Sanneh, Manneh Saidy and Sonko Kundas. As the aborigines began the enjoyment of the treasures of the new home, people began migrating from left right and center to join the aborigines in the company of the settlement. This resulted like in any other settlement to expansion and today sources indentified up to seven ‘Kabilos’ that compose the community.

The alikaloship

The community of Tunjina does not observe the African lineage line of authority which puts emphasis on the passage of traditional authority from kin of same clan. Sources say since the early days of the settlement, the alkaloship is given to an elder among the council of elders of the community based on consensus. This tradition continues to today and whose ever occupies the seat of alikalo does so upon consideration of the community elders.

African tradition

Just like any other indigenous community, the settlement of Tunjina did not do without the practice of indigenous culture and tradition. According to our sources, the community operationalized the African philosophy that puts emphasis on age; elders were give due respect by the younger ones and this gesture was reciprocated by the elders.

Social events like wrestling, circumcision among others where highly observed. Our sources also pointed out ritual sites like ‘Fara Sutung’ where people accompanied by drumming, singing and dancing performed rituals and prayers to overcome their plight and demand for needs.