V ai , ▁M ende , ▁Mand ingo ) ▁ ▁Re pat ri ated ▁( Amer ico - L iber ians , ▁Congo , ▁Car ib bean ) ▁ ▁The ▁G ola ▁eth nic ▁group ▁origin ated ▁somewhere ▁in ▁central ▁Africa . ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁Empire ▁of ▁An cient ▁Gh ana ▁they ▁were ▁involved ▁in ▁the ▁land - sur ve ying ▁and ▁juris pr ud ence ▁of ▁the ▁emp ire . ▁ ▁The ▁other ▁eth nic ▁groups ▁that ▁fall ▁under ▁the ▁Man de - T an , ▁Man de - F u ▁were ▁also ▁members ▁of ▁An cient ▁Gh ana . ▁ ▁Because ▁of ▁their ▁influence ▁in ▁the ▁jud icial ▁aspects ▁of ▁the ▁Gh ana , ▁the ▁G ola ' s ▁social ▁structure ▁domin ated ▁through ▁the ▁P oro . ▁ ▁With ▁the ▁infl ux ▁of ▁Islam ▁many ▁groups ▁adopted ▁it ▁while ▁others ▁resist ed . ▁The ▁G olas ▁fought ▁three ▁wars ▁with ▁pro - I sl am ic ▁elements ▁in ▁a ▁changing ▁Gh ana . ▁These ▁wars ▁were ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁K um ba ▁Wars . ▁The ▁G olas ▁lost ▁the ▁third ▁of ▁these ▁wars ▁and ▁were ▁forced ▁to ▁retre at ▁toward ▁Sierra ▁Le one . ▁ ▁They ▁were ▁purs ued ▁by ▁the ▁M ende , ▁G band i ▁and ▁L oma . ▁Their ▁batt les ▁with ▁the ▁M ende ▁in ▁Sierra ▁Le one ▁forced ▁them ▁to ▁retre at ▁yet ▁again ▁and ▁sett le ▁finally ▁in ▁Liber ia ▁where ▁they ▁encountered ▁the ▁De i . ▁ ▁Im migr ants ▁from ▁M ali