ABSTRACT
It will be argued that the Kru in Liverpool passed through two stages. The first transient stage was of course prescribed and defined by the nature of their work, because, as seamen, they were constantly moving between Freetown and Liverpool. The second stage through which the Kru moved was that of settlement, where individual Kru permanently settled in Liverpool for various reasons. While such stages might have assumed dominance during particular historical periods (settlement was particularly salient in the 1950s), on the whole the community throughout this period was characterized by both stages simultaneously, with some individuals settling while others remained transient. The study will first seek to examine the nature of Kru transience through an assessment of their work as seafarers, followed by the implications of this on their community in Liverpool. It will be shown how Kru transience manifests itself through (a) the perpetuation of an ethnic identity, and (b) through Kru marriage patterns in Liverpool. Secondly, it will be argued that the shift in status from transients to marginalized settlers, did not see the demise of a Kru ethnic identity and culture. On the contrary this was perpetuated in the context of Liverpool, but this time for different reasons.
