What is "nyarroh"

Nyarroh (alternatively referred to as Nyaloh, Nyarroh of Bandasuma or Queen Nyarroh) was a female Mende chief in Bandasuma, in present-day Sierra Leone. Little is recorded about Nyarroh prior to the 1880s; however, British reports in the 1880s consider her one of the main chiefs in the area with a control over important roads from the coast to inland areas. Nyarroh's position at a critical juncture led her to host many negotiations between British officers and the Mende chiefs in the interior of the country. Like many of the other Mende chiefs, she took an active role in warfare and in 1887 she was taken captive and held for many months. She signed a friendship agreement with the British in 1890 and became part of their administration of the colony until her death in 1914.