I hereby affirm and restate the historical facts relating to the Dama Yannie
lineage and ancestral authority.
It is a matter of record that the woman whose portrait I publicly display as
my profile image on my Facebook profile ‘’Lawrence Lima-Yannie Jr. and
on this public notice is Madam Mariama Yannie my father’s mother. She
was an esteemed matriarch who exercised centralized and recognized
administrative leadership over the territory now known as Kenema
District, with the principal seat of authority situated at Giema Town, Dama
Chiefdom. Her authority and jurisdiction pre-date the formal colonial
administrative structures and were rooted in established traditional
governance systems.
This legitimate leadership responsibility devolved paternally to her son
Saffa Amara Lima Yannie after her demised in 1949. Amara Lima
continued in service of his ancestral mandate; notably, in 1958, he was
encouraged by Paramount Chief Saffa Kebbi who had returned from exile
to contest a Paramount Chieftaincy reelection that put his popularity to a
test in Dama Chiefdom Kenema District. This was because he had been
away for too long on allegation of cannibalism. A charge the law did not
find him guilty of. The said reelection was predicated on the advice of theattorney general at the time. He was also encouraged by P. C. Kebbi to
adopt the composite name Amara Kebbi Yambai instead of Amara Lima.
The use of Amara Lima would have revealed his Yannie’s identity, which
carried a sovereign authority that was under suppression. He however
heeded the plea of Kebbi and contested with Amara Kebbi Yambai. He
secured a box over Boima Sellu but controversially lost to Vandi Dassama
who had no Paramount Chieftaincy pedigree in Dama Chiefdom. The
outcome of that election however left P. C. Kebbi embarrassed.
Consequently, Amara Lima Yannie did what they had feared. He felt
tricked and betrayed. In that regard, he reaffirmed publicly that he is the
son of the 19th century war leader Maada Saffa Yannie or Jaiah Siacca and
reinstated the ancestral leadership identity and authority of the Dama
Yannie house, thereby upholding the lineage’s political and traditional
sovereignty. He left Dama and first moved to Daru in the Jawe Chiefdom
in the Kailahun district and later to oversea Motema in Nimikoro Chiefdom
Kono District where he started a new family.
As it stands, I, Hon. Lahai Lawrence Amara Lima-Yannie Jr., eldest
surviving son and direct male heir of the late Saffa Amara Lima-Yannie,
have been acknowledged by the appropriate local authorities relevant to
the Dama Yannie ancestral lineage as the legitimate successor to this
ancestral heritage of the Dama Yannie Ruling Dynasty headquartered in
Giema Dama. In such capacity, I serve as the 21st century custodian and
embodiment of the Dama Yannie dynasty, bearing responsibility to work
with the appropriate family and chiefdom authorities, the Paramount Chief
inclusive to maintain, safeguard, and assert the integrity of this historic
lineage in accordance with customary tradition and established facts.
This statement is issued to clarify the historical record and reaffirm facts
pertaining to ancestral succession and lineage identity. These assertions
are grounded in oral, documentary tradition, community recognition, and
historical continuity, and shall not be misrepresented or diminished in any
forum, whether in my presence or absence.
The present Paramount Chief of Dama Chiefdom is Paramount Chief Sandi
Momoh Foiwai (I) elected in 2002 to present date 2025.
Issued under my hand,Date: 18th November, 2025
Hon. Lahai Lawrence Lima-Yannie Jr.
Heir and Successor to the Dama Yannie Ruling House
Dama Chiefdom, Kenema District, Eastern Province, Republic of Sierra
Leone.
