 Loko country was sparsely populated, and the people originally might have been West Atlantic speakers called Sapes.The ancestors of these Southwestern people, (possibly the Hondo; the proto-group of the Mende, Loko, and Gbandi) started following established trade routes from Liberia to Sierra Leone in search of salt and kola around the 15th century for Portuguese agents.There was another 'Mande' invasion, pushing more groups into the territory via war, blacksmithing technologies, and esoteric power from the secret societies.