Bakweri People: Ancient Tearing Fighters, Traditionally Spiritual, Custom-Abiding As Well As Agrarian Bantu People Of Mountain Cameroon
The Bakweri (or Kwe) are ancient tearing fighters, traditionally spiritual, customs-abiding as well as agriculturalist Mokwe-speaking people of Bantu origins who live on the steep but fertile slopes of the Republic of Cameroon Mountain (Mt Fako) inwards the Republic of Cameroon. They are closely related to Cameroon's coastal peoples (the Sawa), especially the Duala as well as Isubu.
The Bakweri live primarily inwards over 100 villages eastward as well as southeast of Mount Republic of Cameroon with Buea as their main population centre. Bakweri settlements largely prevarication inwards the mountain's foothills as well as go on upwards its slopes as high as 12,000 metres. They have got farther villages along the Mungo River as well as the creeks that feed into it. The town of Limbe is a mixture of Bakweri, Duala, as well as other ethnic groups.
The Bakweri who are aboriginal Bantu people originated from Mboko, the expanse southwest of Mount Republic of Cameroon as well as migrated to their nowadays habitation eastward of the mount inwards the mid-18th century. They also draw their ancestry to Mokuri or Mokule, a blood brother of the Duala's forebear Ewale, who migrated to the Mount Republic of Cameroon expanse for hunting.
According to Edwin Ardener (in Nigeria No. 60, pp. 31-8, 1959) They are tranquillity as well as reserved as well as are non widely known exterior the Southern Cameroons despite the fact that both the Premier of the Southern Cameroons, Dr. E. M. L. Endeley, as well as the capital, Buea, are The Bakweri are primarily concentrated inwards Cameroon's Southwest Province." Dr. E. M. L. Endeley was the foremost Prime Minister of the British Southern Cameroons from 1954–1959. He led other Southern Cameroonian parliamentarians to seccede from the Nigerian Eastern House of Assembly inwards 1954.
Historically the Bakweri are territorial people as well as tearing fighters who have got ever defended their rights, solid ground as well as civilisation against the successive colonising powers of Deutschland as well as Britain.
It must live noted that the Bakweri people were 1 of the African people to resist the spoliation of their lands yesteryear High German imperialists.
They are known to have got mounted a tearing anti-German cause led yesteryear their fearless leader, Chief Kuva Likenye of Buea, especially around the slopes of Mount Fako, as well as successfully inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Germans at Buea inwards 1891; the foremost ever High German state of war machine loss on the African continent, which led to a consummate reappraisal of High German colonial/military policy on the continent, and, unfortunately, set the footing for the fell cause to annihilate the Bakweri. The Bakweri were 1 of the few groups inwards all of High German Africa that were thoroughly as well as systematically suppressed yesteryear the Germans. That they fifty-fifty survived to tell the story is a testimony to their resilience as well as tenacity inwards the human face of adversity.
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Bakweri people
The Bakweri are known inwards Republic of Cameroon for their traditional wrestling (Wesuwa), which encompasses all the qualities the Bakweri have got inherited from their ancestors: physical endurance, agility, tearing fighting techniques, as well as a dandy sense of competition. Wesuwa is taken rattling seriously yesteryear all the members of the community as well as the most interesting thing is that women takes component division inwards this wrestling competition long before . In the yesteryear wrestling used to live an of import way of determining leadership inwards the villages; it fifty-fifty resulted inwards a state of war betwixt ii villages inwards 1891, when people from Ghango burnt downward the hamlet of Molonde inwards revenge for the expiry of their best wrestlers.
Bakweri women engaged inwards tearing wrestling combat
Before the commencement of colonial conquest inwards the early on 1880s, the Bakweri constituted a rattling fragmentary society dominated yesteryear an egalitarian ideology-- it is non fifty-fifty sure enough that in that location was ever a existent chieftaincy seat at the hamlet level. Ardener yet emphasizes that in that location was a strong vogue with the Bakweri to accumulate wealth, particularly, goats, pigs as well as curt cows. It was through accumulation that individuals increased their prestige inwards the villages.
Although the Bakweri are at nowadays completely modernised, some have got fifty-fifty converted to Christianity, they are still attached to their ancestral traditions as well as have got retained their ancient tribal organisation. Each Bakweri hamlet is headed yesteryear a master copy as well as his tribal council who are primal to all cultural events. The Bakweri take pride inwards celebrating their cultural heritage during events such as the Race of Hope, when they perform hole-and-corner rituals to bless the mountain.
Bakweri people
The symbol of the Bakweri people is the elephant or Njoku. To say that the Bakweri have got a mascot, which happens to live the elephant, would live an understatement. Indeed, the opposite is true. For the Bakweri, the elephant, a denizen of the pelting forests of the slopes of Mount Fako, is non just a mascot. It is a cultural symbol, a mystical, spiritual co-creature. To the Bakweri, the Balondo as well as the Bomboko, people can, as well as do go elephants, as well as elephants tin can as well as do go people. The attributes of the elephant or Njoku are component division as well as bundle of the psyche of the Bakweri people. The creature’s sheer strength, size, loyalty to its (family) troupe, its calm, yet unpredictable temperament, proud indifference, as well as graceful behaviour are, to the Bakweri, the moving painting of physical as well as psychic behavioral perfection. It is thence no surprise that the Bakweri, have got a hole-and-corner society that venerates, imitates as well as personifies the attributes of the elephant. Indeed, those who belong to the Maalé, the hole-and-corner elephant society, swear yesteryear nada other than Loxodonta Africana (the African elephant.)
The Bakweri lives inwards traditional "mat house" or ndaw'a ngonja. These days, most whakpe novel construction consists of modern buildings with cement blocks as well as corrugated aluminium roofs. Construction of ndaw'a ngonja is at nowadays a dying art.
The Bakweri`s Mount Fako (Cameroon) is a unique Ecotourism Site. This lovely volcanic mount welcomes visitors directly they go far Buea. It stands majestically along the background of Buea Town. The Mountain spreads from Bomboko to Bakweri of Buea as well as downward to the Limbe Beach. It is 4100 metres inwards height. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 see to Mount Republic of Cameroon is ever an exciting experience both inwards the rainy as well as dry out seasons.
Capital Residence of Bakweri town of Buea, Cameroon
Geography
The Bakweri are primarily concentrated inwards Cameroon's Southwest Province. They live inwards over 100 villages eastward as well as southeast of Mount Republic of Cameroon with Buea their main population centre. Bakweri settlements largely prevarication inwards the mountain's foothills as well as go on upwards its slopes as high as 12,000 metres. They have got farther villages along the Mungo River as well as the creeks that feed into it. The town of Limbe is a mixture of Bakweri, Duala, as well as other ethnic groups.
There is an ongoing dispute betwixt the Bakweri Land Claims Committee (BLCC) as well as the authorities of Republic of Cameroon regarding the disposition of Bakweri Lands formerly used yesteryear the Germans as plantations as well as at nowadays managed yesteryear the Republic of Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC)'
Buea from the pes of Mount Cameroon
Terrain of the land: Their population is much greater than 16,000. Before the High German conquest of 1894, they were living inwards scattered settlements around the southern slopes of Mount Cameroon. There are rattling few mountains inwards West Africa, as well as none is as high as this (more than 13,000 feet). It is also unusual that it stands correct on the coast, descending through a maze of foothill to the sea.
University of Buea, Cameroon
At 4 degrees North of the equator, it is non high plenty for permanent snow. Instead, winds loaded with wet from 4,000 miles of Atlantic story precipitate copious rains, as well as swathe the slopes inwards mist as well as drizzle for many months of the year. Inside the clouded summit is an active volcano from which novel craters outburst out every few decades.
Ekom autumn inwards Mount Cameroon, Buea
The pelting as well as he volcanic soil have got made the the mount expanse 1 of the most fertile inwards Africa, as well as the woods covers the mount upwards to 6,000 feet. The Bakweri lived ( as well as live ) inwards the thickest concentration inwards a belt of villages betwixt 1,500 as well as 3,000 feet inwards a higher identify the sea level, but the they occupied the whole base of operations of the mount below this rattling thinly, as far as the sea level.
Climate: The Bakweri are weather condition forecasters, as well as it is believed that they possess scientist who are able to alter the climate at will, for example, during special occasions, or the coming of high personality. Generally, the expanse is concealment with mist as well as drizzle, as well as several copious rains through out the twelvemonth due to the presence of the Atlantic ocean.
Kumba Buea
This part is having the equatorial maritime climate with temperature inwards a higher identify 25%c which is rattling heavy with rattling high atmospheric humidity throughout the year. It is made upwards of elements of the 3 dissimilar tropical climate regimes which are equatorial with rainfall throughout the year, seasonal comprising of ii seasons inwards a twelvemonth that is the dry out as well as wet as well as finally monsoon with dandy contrast betwixt the seasons. The climate of this part is strongly affected yesteryear its altitude. The temperature is moderated yesteryear breeze from the Atlantic Ocean.
Soil as well as Vegetation: The topography of this part is flat. It is composed of rudiments brought from the interior as well as also volcanic soil gotten from the weathered rocks during the eruption of mount Cameroon. The plantations that are located closer to the mount benefits from the weathered basalt or lava as well as those beside the mangrove, the soil is lateritic. Further away from the N eastern parts of mount Fako, the soil is loamy as well as sandy.
The vegetation of this part is the woods types which have got almost disappeared due to the exploitation yesteryear people for the tillage of nutrient crops as well as construction of houses for settlement, living only the swampy as well as less accessible areas.
Due to the equatorial maritime climate, as well as the high fertility of the soil, the Bakweri people are practiced agriculturalists, as well as their main source of income is from agriculture. They grow crops similar cocoyams, as well as maize. Since the climate tin can sometimes live rattling harsh, the Bakweri people have on long sleeve shirts, as well as thick pullovers as well as sweaters during almost the entire menstruation of the year. Since they grow crops similar cocoyams, their main diet is based on cocoyam.
Their main dish is the kwakoko, as well as they have got many other dishes, which acquire their spices from the high fertility of the soil. Also, due to the rattling depression temperatures which are rattling frequent, the Bakweri donot have got a lot of social activities similar swimming, or playing tennis, but they have got activities similar mount race which occurs inwards February, where places are warmer. Also, the Bakweri have got restricted their dressing to “rapa”(loins), as well as shirts for the men, as well as also a loin or “rapa” for the women. For the men, this dressing tin can sometimes live accompanied yesteryear special hat,and a tie.
Buea
Language
The Bakweri speak Mokpwe, a natural language that is closely related to Bakole as well as Wumboko. Mokpwe is component division of the identify unit of measurement of Duala languages inwards the Bantu grouping of the Niger–Congo linguistic communication phylum. Neighbouring peoples often utilise Mokpwe as a merchandise language, due largely to the spread of the natural language yesteryear early on missionaries. This is especially truthful with the Isubu, many of whom are bilingual inwards Duala or Mokpwe.
In addition, individuals who have got attended schoolhouse or lived inwards an urban centre usually speak Pidgin English linguistic communication or measure English. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 growing number of the Bakweri today grow upwards with Pidgin as a to a greater extent than widely spoken language. The Bakweri also used a drum linguistic communication to convey intelligence from clan to clan, as well as they also utilized a horn linguistic communication peculiar to them.
The Mokpe Alphabet is similar to that of English linguistic communication with the exception of 3 unusual characters, which volition live brought to you lot later. There are 21 consonants as well as 7 vowels. Here below is the Mokpe alphabet.
kp l m mgb mw n ny
The 21 consonants have got the same sounds as inwards English, but 4 of them pose a work of pronunciation to immature speakers as well as writers of the Mokpe language.
They are f, s, v as well as w. Follow the description below rattling carefully.
"f"
In English linguistic communication the alphabetic quality 'f' is a labio-dental fricative that is you lot usage the lips as well as teeth to create this sound, In Mokpe it is a bilabial fricative where you lot usage both lips in that location yesteryear producing a audio as if you lot were blowing out a candle.
Practise sounding it several times.
Ff Ff Ff Ff
“s”
To create the Mokpe 's' identify the tip of natural language on the difficult palate as well as allow out the piece of cake producing a soft hissing sound, unopen the English linguistic communication 's'
Ss Ss Ss Ss Ss
'v' is produced using both lips, instead of placing the bottom lip on the Teeth as instance inwards English. The alphabetic quality 'w' is the same as inwards English, rounding both lips. Practise these ii sounds as well as discovery the difference.
Vv Vv Vv Vv
Ww Ww Ww Ww
Read the Following words aloud
'F'
Fáo - knife
fátâ - pluck
fimbâ - throw
fendâ - close
"S"
Sâ - dance
Sia - iron
Siaô - redants
Sosa - wash
"V"
valána - women
vána - children
vakpe - Bakweri
Veloma - scoldings
Velimo - spirits
"W"
waná - mouth
ewóka - compound
wana - You volition fight
wotéá - begin
PRONUNCIATION OF NEW CHARACTERS
Ñ” as inwards p penny, lend, empty
Å‹ as inwards hang, language, hungry
c (reversed c or opened upwards O) as inwards war, law, lawn
History as well as The Origin of the Bakweri People
The Bakwerians are from the lower Bomboko behind Mount Fako. They were mostly fishermen, who settled along the coast, farmers, as well as hunters who settled beside the mountain. Most of the Bakweri villages claimed to have got been founded from a grouping of villages which lies inwards a belt betwixt 650m as well as 1000m upwards mount Cameroon.
The root of the Bakweri settlement could live attributed to ii separate traditions. Firstly, the tradition of the Buea grouping stated that a sure enough Eye Njie used to come upwards from Bomboko to hunt on the Eastward side of the mount with a friend Nakande. Nakande used to hunt close the site of nowadays twenty-four hours Wonakanda spell Eye moved on to a river close the nowadays twenty-four hours Buea. When they brought inwards their wives, other friends as well as relatives from Womboko joined them as well as they opened gardens. Another tradition affirmed that ManyangMasonje left Isongo as well as Bakingili where he settled around Bimbia where he had many catches inwards “ISU” important the terminate of my journey. Nakande from Bomboko settled inwards Bonakanda which was called Ligbea which meant a identify for practiced farming. He was a farmer.
Bakwer hole-and-corner society dancer
However, although hunting was the primary motive behind the Bomboko migration, fertility of the soil on the slopes of mount Republic of Cameroon was as a house factor. While the men were engaged inwards hunting, the women farmed the solid ground as well as subsequently, other migrants from Bomboko established Bakweri villages which were named after their founders. Although in that location is some catch that the truthful Bakweri are the people of Buea as well as its surrounding villages, other groups classified nether Bakweri included Bomboko, the expanse which the Bakweri are said to have got originated as well as Wovea. The Bakweri are found on the eastern as well as southward eastern slopes of the mountain, coastal Bomboko on the south-east coast, the inland Bomboko on the North-west of the Bakweri as well as Isuwu as well as Wovea are on the southern coast of the Fako Division.
The Isuwu are also believed to have got originated from Bomboko. Isuwu was also known as Bimbia named after MbibiMbela who was the master copy of the expanse inwards the in conclusion quarter of the 19th century. According to some other source, their ancestors came from Bankingili as well as womana. The wovea claimed to have got originated from Fernando Po who settled inwards the islands of Ambas Bay. All the inwards a higher identify was due to the potential of the expanse similar fertile soil as well as hunting facilities. This same fertile soil also attracted the Europeans into the expanse since their motive was centered on economic. Although these groups lived closer to each other, as well as practiced the same culture, they were independent from each other. The High German successful attacks on the Bakweri could live attributed to this division. If the Bakweri were united, as well as then their in conclusion defeat yesteryear the Germans during the Bakweri resistance nether the leadership of KuvaLikenya could have got failed as well as fifty-fifty if non the alienation policy powerfulness have got adopted a dissimilar shape, thus the loose political as well as social ties with the Bakweri worked inwards favor of the Germans.
The Bakweri belong to the most north-western branch of the Bantu speaking people inhabiting primal as well as southern Africa. To live sure enough well-nigh the appointment the Bakweri reached their nowadays site, it was around 1750 as confirmed yesteryear genealogical evidence that it was the fourth dimension they arrived 1 of their earliest settlement, Buea. Other sources asserted that the population clitoris per unit of measurement area which affected Nigeria drove the Bakweri from their habitation close Lake Barombi inwards Kumba to the mount Fako area.
Bakweri chieftains
Economy
The economic scheme included agriculture, beast husbandry, hunting , line-fishing as well as nutrient gathering. The dissimilar methods applied to agriculture included the slash as well as burn. Most people practiced subsistence farming which included careful solid ground direction techniques similar intensive farming because the solid ground of the mount slopes were rattling fertile. Generally, tools usage include earthworks sticks, hoes, as well as matches. Fire was also used to clear the bush. Sometimes, fences were constructed to guard against beast incursion as well as destruction. Before formal agriculture, the early on people practiced fishing, hunting as well as nutrient gatherings. They used spears, clubs as well as other implements to hunt game inwards the mountain, woods as well as slopes.
The presence of plantations brought inwards a modify inwards economic scheme as well as commerce as the traditional commerce which was characterized yesteryear merchandise yesteryear batter came to an end. The marketplace economic scheme was introduced inwards which every transaction was inwards damage of High German mark. Before the introduction of plantation agriculture, the natives were involved inwards subsistence agriculture inwards which nutrient crops such as cocoyam, plantains, beans, maize as well as yams were grown. The introduction of plantations led the natives to undertake cash crop production inwards crops similar cocoa, palm products as well as java for export. With the introduction of cash crops it led to the creation of Botanical garden inwards Victoria yesteryear Governor Von Soden who was charged with the question plants suitable for the plantations. Dr Preuss was the principal officeholder inwards accuse of the Garden. This question centre controlled other stations inwards the interior. Over a thou dissimilar plants were tested soil studies carried out as well as meteorological data tabulated. Investigations inwards this garden included the command of cocoa diseases? It was these botanical gardens that gave inspiration to the creation of the Republic of Cameroon Development Corporation the question centre at Ekona as well as many other authorities question stations inwards Cameroon.
In spite of the inwards a higher identify mentioned advantaged that the plantations brought into the Bakweri land, it was sure enough that it as brought some setbacks which could live examined inwards dissimilar perspective.
Dr Emil Mandoa, Bakweri tribe`s man
Source of income: They practise mixed farming as well as they hunt. Crops mostly cultivated are cocoyam, palm fruit but they mostly live on cocoyams. They sell the excess of their production. Through the rearing of animal. Those who possessed many animals where consider as rich. They reared animals similar pigs as well as bush cows, but they do non nurture nor eat sheep. Between 1850 as well as 1890, the Bakweri became rich inwards other ways. By trading nutrient stuffs to the coast, as well as blocking the way of expedition into the interior, they had acquired considerable merchandise goods. Servants where taken within the tribe, they were non payed but had costless food.
Leveling mechanisms: In the Bakweri soceity, in that location is no particular shape of of leveling mechanism. Everybody owns his/her farm, as well as everybody minds his or her business. The only situatin where sharing is needed is during the menstruation of rituals, where every private must give a percentage of his squealer to every 1 who comes across his/her.
Buea Market, Cameroon
Sexual Division of Labour as well as The Mokpe (Bakweri) Woman as well as her Role inwards the Mokpe Traditional Society
There is a sexual partition of labour (SDL) inwards bakweri inwards which in that location is the delegation of dissimilar tasks betwixt men as well as women. Among nutrient foragers, men as well as women target dissimilar types of nutrient as well as percentage them with each other for a mutual or familial benefit. In some villages, men as well as women eat slightly dissimilar foods, as well as in some other, men as well as women routinely percentage the same food.
Bakweri adult woman of Buea heating the leafage before using it to wrap food
According to Catherine L. L. Musoko "In spite of beingness relegated to the background, the traditional Bakweri adult woman nonetheless wielded lots of powerfulness behind the scenes, as well as greatly influenced decisions related to the running of the clan.
Traditional Bakweri society was matrilineal inwards structure. This was seen inwards the Ewong’a Yowo as well as Ewong’a Mokossa (“medicine bench”) which was shared solely yesteryear the sons as well as daughters of the same mothers, as well as never of the same fathers. The patrilineal human relationship was, however, strongly upheld as far as settlement of property, the burial of the deceased, the selection of a permanent abode for the family, or the taking of a married adult woman were concerned.
Bakweri women Washing clothes inwards the catchment expanse of Bonduma inwards Buea.
Thus, the children of a boy (whose married adult woman naturally came from a dissimilar mother-clan) could non percentage inwards the ceremonies of the medicine human being of the Ewong’a Yowo, whose duty was to ensure the well-being as well as continuity of the mother-clan. So, people who shared the Jongo or “pot” were bound together yesteryear an unalterable as well as undivided kinship, as well as they stood yesteryear each other through thick as well as thin. Matrilineal kinship was for ever!
The Mokpe Woman as well as the Health of the Family: The Mokpe adult woman was, direct or indirectly, the custodian of the identify unit of measurement health. This was manifested from the minute she became pregnant. She had to nurture the yet unborn kid yesteryear taking component division inwards all the traditional pre-natal rituals – the Masongis, the native herbs that serve as enema; the nutrient to eat or non to eat; the places to go; the fourth dimension to live or non to live intimate with her husband, etc. If she missed out on whatsoever of these rituals as well as something went incorrect with the baby, the blame would live wholly hers as well as her mother-clan. No 1 else took responsibility.
The Mokpe Woman as well as her Spouse: In traditional Bakweri society, women were chosen as futurity spouses when they were still children, as well as inwards some cases, fifty-fifty before they were born. However, 1 time the union had taken identify as well as the hubby did non live upwards to expectations, the adult woman was costless to divorce him. This was done irrespective of the persuasion of the woman’s manful somebody relatives, including that of her ain father.
All that was required of adult woman was that she did non involve her manful somebody parent inwards the “dowry-refund” predicament, as well as that she was rapidly picked upwards yesteryear some other hubby either through an intermediary or at the Chief’s residence, where such union deals were to a greater extent than often than non reported. In this instance the adult woman was a costless paw – she could fifty-fifty take her hubby yesteryear next the historic menstruation old custom of boldly going to the caprine animal house (Lièfe) of the human being of her pick as well as slaughtering the biggest nanny caprine animal yesteryear wounding or cutting its cervix or head. The would-be hubby deemed this a sign of award as well as accepted the paw of the adult woman with joy. Of course, a adult woman taking such a mensuration knew her ain assets – elements such as her beauty or reputation for difficult piece of work position her inwards practiced stead.
The Mokpe adult woman as a nursing woman parent was expected to curb her sexual appetite so as to safeguard the life as well as wellness of her baby. Hence, during this period, she was constantly warned; “don’t appear that way”, important she had to allow for a few marital escapades yesteryear her husband.
Nonetheless, the traditional Bakweri adult woman was yesteryear no way a yes-sir woman. She took her rightful identify inwards deciding which other adult woman her hubby wished to take, as well as sometimes fifty-fifty take such a “mbanyi” herself.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 husband’s prosperity was also intricately linked to the influence of his married adult woman or wives. The wives tended his pigs, goats, cattle, looked after his mawus, arable land, so no 1 could trespass or top them, etc.
Mokpe women were as well as still are the animators of the social life of their people. They characteristic prominently inwards engagements, weddings, as well as other events such as the election of a novel Chief, the celebration of a “fombo”, or successes inwards courtroom cases.
Female dances include the Ambassi as well as the Maninga, which are especially for the youths; as well as the Lingombi, the Mundame, the Wokeka as well as the Veleke that are preformed yesteryear both men as well as women.
The Masua Cult It was a cult that brought together women of high repute inwards the community, especially those who had successfully gone through the kpave or sasswood ordeal. These women formed a society of desirables as well as men vied for their hand.
On the whole, Bakweri women led as well as influenced all areas of community life, sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. They still do.
Political organization
The bakweri s are an instance of a segmentary society. They are grouped inwards societies of villages where each identify unit of measurement maintains its independence. They bakweri live inwards a modest clusters of 10 to xx house as well as settlement designing was imposed on them yesteryear the Germans. The Germans herded the Bakweri people into the peripheries when they expropriated the solid ground for plantation. The hamlet caput has only limited authority. They hamlet has a council of elders which helps the master copy inwards regulating the affairs of they village. The most prominent families inwards Bakweri tribal history are Wonya Likenye Endeley of buea as well as the identify unit of measurement of Mangaa William of the Victoria ( today called Limbe). The Bakweri political organisations was divided into dissimilar classes.
The Family
It was composed of a human being as well as his married adult woman (wives) his children as well as relatives with blood ties. The identify unit of measurement unit served as the base of operations of political establishment inwards the Bakweri society. The manful somebody parent was the caput as well as has as obligations to preside over identify unit of measurement affairs. At the story of the extended identify unit of measurement the caput was the oldest human being who was believed to have got a lot of experience inwards wordily matters. He was automatically considered patriarch of the tribe. He had as component division to perform ancestral sacrifices as well as chair identify unit of measurement gatherings. These decisions were non autocratic especially due to the fact that he had to consult some elderly people inwards the identify unit of measurement lineage before taking decisions on matters of paramount importance. Consequently, the eldest people inwards the Bakweri community earned much admiration as well as honour from the younger generations due to the fact that they performed the mediatory role betwixt the ancestors as well as the world of the living. In the same line of thought, historic menstruation was considered as the only criteria which enabled people inwards the Bakweri society to commune with the ancestors as well as decode ancestral messages. In monastic tell words, historic menstruation was the main criteria required to climb the curtain of power.
The Village Administration
At this story of the community, the villages were autonomous from 1 some other consisting of identify unit of measurement compounds separated from 1 some other yesteryear a fence called “NgaoMboa”. The hamlet political leaders had a similar source of powers as those at the identify unit of measurement level. The variation hither was with the identify unit of measurement of the hamlet founder that a leader was chosen. Consequently, the identify unit of measurement of the hamlet founder was automatically considered the royal family.
Traditional Leader of Muea, Buea, H.R.H. Chief David Ikome Molinge
This was how the Likenya identify unit of measurement came to prominence inwards Buea as they were linked to Eeye Tama Lifenje, the foremost persons to settle inwards Buea. At the story of hamlet administration, the master copy did non execute this heavy project alone. He was assisted yesteryear a hamlet council which had effective powers over the village. It was an ill-defined trunk with no precise number of members. The decisions of the council were made world yesteryear the hamlet councils spoke human being “Sango Mboa” as well as the members of the hamlet council were elders called “Vanbaki”. The organizational nautical chart of the Bakweri society was a triangular mechanism which revolved around the identify unit of measurement at the base, with the hamlet council as well as the master copy at the top. Thus the Bakweri whose territorial limits were governed yesteryear fixed as well as permanents institutions were a state- similar society. These organs, oriented political as well as social life as well as organized the society inwards the human face of external aggression.
Political succession
This Likenye chiefly line of Buea draw their pridigree from1884 downward to the nowadays twenty-four hours as inwards the nautical chart below:
Law as well as Social Control
It is handled yesteryear the master copy or the quarter head, you lot are foremost taken to the quarter caput when you lot don’t honour the law, if non satisfied with that judgment you lot are taken to the master copy where you lot are guess yesteryear notables. Land dispute, fighting taking belongings that doesn’t belong to you, you lot are taken to the quarter head. Concerning sanctions the master copy or elders create upwards one's heed or how you lot are to live punished. If you lot are guilty of serious crimes similar incest, as well as trahison, you lot are exiled to Limbe.
Bakweri leaders
Social Organization
The Bakweri society just similar most tribal scheme inwards the woods zone was organized inwards peculiar fashion which was inwards accordance with their ain perception of life. The social construction shall live examined from the dot shape stratification.
Class Stratification
The traditional African societies inwards full general had a peculiar way of organizing themselves. The Bakweri people were no exception to this rule. They were stratified nether 3 distinct groups notably strangers, natives as well as slaves. Natives of the Bakweri ethnic grouping were called “Wopnja”. They were those believed to have got blood ties with ancestral world of the clan.
This shape of people were privilege to participate inwards restraint hole-and-corner societies as well as other affairs concerning the Bakweri human being as well as his territory. Next to this grouping with honour to hierarchy was the strangers called “wajili”. This was attributed to unusual settlers inwards the solid ground considered as Bakweri territory with no blood human relationship with the ancestors of the Bakweri people. Finally, were the slaves called “Wokomi” which was the in conclusion grouping as well as was situated at the bottom of the social table.They consisted of people who co-habited with Bakweri people but had lesser privileges. They settled on Bakweri soil as a resultant of the fact that they were either bought from neighboring tribes or caught as state of war captives.
Marriage as well as identify unit of measurement life
Dating rituals: It is the manful somebody parent who looks for the wife. The Bakweri people are non usually allow to date. It is the manful somebody parent of the man child or missy who appear for a partner for their son/daughter.
The bakweri are non commonly supposed to have got gender activity before marriage. It is only when all the bride toll has beingness paid, that the bride is taken to the grooms room, they have got sex. On this night, a white bed canvass is spread on the bed, for the distich to have got gender activity on it. Since the bride has to live a virgin, she must bleed on the bed sheet, as well as that volition testify to the groom’s identify unit of measurement that the bride was a practiced one.
Marriage patterns: The Bakweri have got traditionally practised polygamy, although with Christianisation, this custom has go extremely rare. In the traditional Bakweri society, women are chosen as futurity spouses when they are still children, as well as inwards some cases, fifty-fifty before they were born. The manful somebody parent or relative of the adult woman have got been paid a dowry, thus the adult woman is considered as a belongings to the hubby as well as his family. Upon the husband’s death, the eldest surviving blood brother inherits the wife. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 husband’s prosperity was also intricately linked to the influence of his married adult woman or wives. The wives tended his pigs, goats, cattle, arable land, so no 1 could trespass or top them, etc. The Bakweri are rattling exogamous when it comes to marriage. They honour their blood lineage, thence they do non wed with people from the same village. They do non practise incest. Incest is fifty-fifty considered as a taboo, as well as serious practise needs to live practise to purify the identify unit of measurement name. They wed from rattling far area, or distances, but nowadays, some people wed inwards unopen area, as well as endogamy is at nowadays becoming mutual with the Bakweri.In the bakweri, union is a union betwixt a clan, as well as identify unit of measurement as well as non betwixt individuals. The thought is that the bride toll is genuinely never fully paid, because if it is completely paid, it volition live similar the missy has been sold, as well as no 1 inwards the identify unit of measurement or clan volition live able to acquire wed with someone inwards that tribe again, it is to a greater extent than similar an agreement, as well as the bride toll is to intensify the union relationship.
Marriage rituals as well as practices: It is the manful somebody parent who pays the dawry, because the immature human being is non working as well as the manful somebody parent is supposed to ain goods thence he is the 1 who pays. After fulfilling the requirement it is the human being who decides on when to take the wife. The twenty-four hours of that occasion you lot convey the large as well as the girls identify unit of measurement will access you lot on what to pay. The manful somebody parent of the missy volition start the biting on the toll of the dowry from 1 million, until the ii families arrive at at 500000FCFA, which is usually the lowest amount they tin can accept. Sometimes, the ii families may come upwards come to a compromise as well as inquire the groom to give what he has. If you lot don’t kill the squealer you lot are non fully married, the Bakweri don’t usually issued union certificate. After paying component division of the dowry, that is when you lot are officially married. On the union day, the girls identify unit of measurement brings the bride to the mans family. The ceremony is celebrated, on after the ceremony, the bride as well as the grooms identify unit of measurement prepares a overnice bed with a white bed canvass on which the bride is expected to bleed, as a sign of her virginity. If the adult woman bleeds on the sheet, as well as then she is a practiced bride, if not, she powerfulness live disregarded yesteryear her groom as well as the groom’s family.
Bakweri wedding
Bakweri Cultural/Traditional Wedding
According to Mola Mbua Ndoko the formal physical care for of acquiring a married adult woman as was prescribed yesteryear Bakweri elders to a greater extent than than 200 years agone involves 3 phases:
1. The approbation of the parents, especially the mothers of the spouses-elect.
2. Sealing of the union contract (efeyo).
3. The wedding.
Phase One: The Engagement (Ewanda)
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 woman somebody infant was engaged fifty-fifty when she was still inwards her mother's womb. It was an oral contract betwixt practiced friends. The contract was regularized inwards due course of study at the appropriate time. The physical care for of deciding that an engagement (Ewanda) tin can at nowadays take identify is slow since the families concerned demand fourth dimension to quietly investigate each another. Matters to live investigated include: fertility, history of diseases peculiar with sure enough families, practices of evil witchcraft such as nyongo.
When the parents of a man child or a man child himself are interested inwards marrying a girl, the manful somebody parent of the man child sends an emissary to communicate his intention to the parents of the girl. The emissary would usually live a unopen fellow member of the family: an aunt, an uncle, or a cousin to the boy. Even when the parents of the missy consider a asking as irresistible their reply would commonly take a shape similar this:
"Thank you. We also volition give the thing due consideration".
You have got flattered us (e-jeni isofe vato).
Give us fourth dimension to consider your request".
After 1 or ii months the emissary would render to the parents of the missy to discovery out their reaction. If the identify unit of measurement of the missy accepts the proposal their reply would take a shape similar this:
"yaa ! inyo ndi joo-ngo".
Literally:
"We are hither waiting as well as looking forwards to your farther reaction to the situation".
As recent as 60-70 years agone an engagement (ewanda) was a purely private ceremony involving well-nigh 10 persons, 4 to 5 representatives of the man child intending to wed as well as well-nigh 5 representatives of the missy to live married. Representatives were commonly unopen members of the families concerned: the parents of the man child as well as the girl, aunts, uncles, maternal nieces. Ewanda takes identify at the residence of the parents of the girl. Ewanda is an oral contract where the representatives of the man child confirm their intention to have got their man child married to the missy concerned. The identify unit of measurement of the man child commonly presents an ewanda gift to the girl. If the missy is also shy to consider the representatives of the bridegroom elect, the girl’s woman parent would have the gift on behalf of her daughter.
After an engagement ceremony has taken identify the parents of the man child may commence to pay dowry inwards installments to the parents of the girl. The foremost parent to have the foremost installment of dowry must live the woman parent of the girl. Reason. It has been realized that a union that takes identify inwards defiance of disapproval of the woman parent of the missy or the woman parent of the man child is to a greater extent than often than non doomed to failure. The foremost installment of dowry that the woman parent of the missy receives is a immature woman somebody smoothen looking caprine animal that has non started to deliver. Acceptance of the caprine animal yesteryear a woman parent is a farther postage stamp of approbation of the union yesteryear the mother.
Phase Two: Sealing of the union contract (efeyo)
Efeyo is a world ceremony. There are ii types of efeyo, namely "efeyo yi itote", as well as efeyo ya mwese.
(i). Efeyo yi Itote –An all dark ceremony inwards which formal assessment as well as reconciliation of dowry that the manful somebody parent of the bride to live has so far received. More dowry installments may still live paid during the efeyo ceremony. The terminate of an efeyo is the formal sealing of a union contract. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 union contract is sealed with the formal sharing of a ngowa ye efeyo to all manful somebody witnesses to an efeyo ceremony. The ngowa is expected to consider conventional requirements. The ngowa must live either a woman somebody or a castrated ngowa a maata.
Efeyo contracts used to live oral. In a instance where in that location is a written contract the signatories to the contract would commonly live the parents of the spouses-elect. Marriage contracts are traditionally as well as culturally affairs reserved for handling yesteryear the parents of the spouses-elect.
Note: Dowry received yesteryear the woman parent is a private affair. It is non a world ceremony. The dowry used to live well-nigh 1 quarter of the dowry that the manful somebody parent to the missy receives.
At the successful conclusion of an efeyo the girl/woman to live married virtually becomes the wife-elect of his boy/man.
Efeyo yi Itote takes identify at the premises of the manful somebody parent of the bridegroom to be. Before commencement of line of piece of work organisation the guests, that is, the manful somebody parent of the missy to live married as well as his entourage have got to live entertained with a middle size ngowa as well as other rich nutrient as well as a reasonable quantity of palm wine. The ngowa must foremost of all live shown to an accredited representative of the manful somebody parent of the missy to live married before cooking starts. The representative has ascendency to either have got the ngowa or reject it if the ngowa falls curt of conventional requirements. The manful somebody parent of the missy to live married may similarly reject the ngowa ye efeyo if the ngowa does non consider normal standards.
e-ngowa ye efeyo is shared into 3 lots.
1. Lot 1 goes to the manful somebody parent of the missy to live married as well as his family. Tradition requires that the thorax of the ngowa should live given to the maternal uncle of the missy to live married.
2. Lot ii goes to the manful somebody parent of the bridegroom-elect as well as members of his entourage
3. Lot 3 is reserved for all manful somebody witnesses to the ceremony.
Business commences before long after nightfall. It is a slow all dark affair, punctuated intermittently with rich bombastic cultural pronouncements relevant to efeyo. The pronouncements are commonly made yesteryear representatives of the manful somebody parent of the bridegroom-elect as well as the manful somebody parent of the missy to live married. No 1 is inwards a hurry. It is an occasion to boast with exaggerations as well as to demonstrate how the immediate manful somebody identify unit of measurement members of the spouses-elect are good versed with cultural splendours inwards efeyo as well as union affairs inwards general.
Dowry is inwards the shape of goats. The manful somebody parent of the missy to live married may asking as many as 1 thou (ikoli) goats or more. Tradition does non allow that consummate dowry live paid on the twenty-four hours of the efeyo. The residue of dowry may live paid inwards installments inwards due course. Taking payoff of this province of affairs the manful somebody parent of the bridegroom to live after consultation with members of his entourage finally boastfully accepts whatsoever number of goats that his friend requires. At that juncture the most of import stage inwards the ceremony is the presentation, the acceptance, the slaughter as well as the sharing of e-ngowa ye efeyo. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 union contract, oral or written, is sealed with the slaughter as well as sharing of e-ngowa ye efeyo.
The sharing of e-ngowa ye efeyo is assigned to someone who knows to whom special parts of the ngowa must go. For instance, the intestine of the ngowa is an automatic extra percentage that goes to the manful somebody parent of the bridegroom elect. There is no status known as "gate crasher" inwards the thing of having a percentage of e-ngowa ye efeyo. Every manful somebody witness (teenage, adult. elderly) to an efeyo has a traditional/cultural correct to a formal percentage of the ngowa. Women are non expected to participate inwards the long all dark cultural efeyo ceremony. Not beingness active participants or active witnesses to the ceremony women are non entitled to formal shares of e-ngowa ye efeyo. Women yet have got an understandable correct to "taste" the nutrient before it is served to the manful somebody parent of the bride elect as well as his entourage.
Phase Three - The wedding
Before the wedding ceremony takes place, the parents of the bridegroom-elect volition foremost of all nowadays some other smoothen looking woman somebody caprine animal that has non yet started to deliver to the woman parent of the bride-elect. The caprine animal is known as "e-mboli etimba nosotros ewongo": Literally, the caprine animal that is expected to usage or lie/sleep on the sofa (ewongo) on which the bride-elect used to sleep.
The Wedding: Abduction or formal.
(a) Abduction. The manful somebody parent of the bride-elect is expected to give her missy substantial wedding ceremony gifts. When the manful somebody parent is unable to, or is reluctant to create the gifts or when he fails on successive occasions to honour dates fixed for the wedding ceremony it is a diplomatic signal to the identify unit of measurement of the bridegroom-elect that they may abduct the bride-elect. Since yesteryear tradition a bride-elect is virtually a married adult woman after an efeyo abduction is permissible.
(b) Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 formal wedding. The Bride is escorted to her matrimonial habitation yesteryear an entourage of well-nigh 5 to vii duly accredited, respected as well as successfully married women, accompanied yesteryear ii or 3 strong men to carry the Bride on their shoulders when the Bride as well as her entourage are well-nigh to go inwards the hamlet of the Bridegroom. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 bride is expected to move inwards the night. Trekking to her matrimonial habitation thence commences before long after nightfall.
One of the wedding ceremony gifts that a manful somebody parent is expected to give to her missy is a practiced looking mwaaka 2nd mboli (a castrated caprine animal or a woman somebody goat). Fat from the belly of the caprine animal is rubbed on the pilus of the bride, spell the meat of the caprine animal forms component division of the boiled nutrient that the bride takes with her to her matrimonial home.
As before long as trekking begins the entourage starts to sing at the top of their voices "moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee ! The singing is formal notice to the hamlet community that the Bride is departing. Singing commences 1 time to a greater extent than whenever the Bride as well as her entourage are passing through a village. Then comes the pomp as well as circumstance of the formal entry of the Bride as well as her entourage into the hamlet of the Bridegroom. The Bride at nowadays firmly carried high on the shoulders of 1 of the men inwards the entourage is decorated as well as redecorated with fanciful caput ties wrapped on her arms as well as her head. She would commonly have on a full-length kaava. The entourage as well as then intensifies singing of the classical wedding ceremony song:
"Moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee (hurrah, behold the Bride is coming).
Moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee.
o-maasa Moombi 2nd Ngondo, mo-ma ja (Bridegroom ! The teenage Bride you lot have got been yearning for has at nowadays come).
Moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee.
Responding inwards joyful mood, the hamlet community of the Bridegroom joins inwards singing at the top of their voices: "Moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee”, as well as and then gracefully escorts the Bride as well as her entourage inwards pomp as well as circumstance into the chemical compound of the manful somebody parent of the Bridegroom. The woman parent of the Bridegroom waiting at the main door of the house receives the Bride with an comprehend as well as and then hands to the Bride a walking stick as well as a woman somebody chicken that has non yet started to deliver. The feathers of the chicken must live void of precipitous contrasting colours such as dark spots on white background (matono ma wuva).
The Bride’s entourage is lavishly entertained with a rich diversity of food. The Bride sits unopen to the Bridegroom. She may non eat out of shyness. The adjacent stage of the ceremony is a litany of advice inwards the shape of "don’ts". This physical care for is known as "lifema la Moombi".
"Moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee",
Moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee;
"omasa Moombi 2nd Ngondo, mo-ma ja
You have got been yearning for a teenage Bride.
Here she is.
Moombi wee. wee ! Moombi wee" !
"Moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee.
osi taata Munyango, Moombi wee, wee ! Mombi wee".
Bride, don’t care for your hubby with contempt. Moombi wee, wee, Moombi wee.
Don’t starve your husband. Moombi wee, wee, Moombi wee.
Don’t despise members of the identify unit of measurement of your husband. Moombi wee, wee.
Moombi wee", as well as so on.
Members of the Bride’s entourage render to their respective homes adjacent morn after breakfast. The manful somebody parent of the Bridegroom hands each fellow member of the entourage an appreciation gift known as "mofaki"
Honeymoon. The length of the honeymoon is determined yesteryear circumstances. During that menstruation the newly married missy is non expected to carry out formal domestic activities, such as cooking, fetching of H2O from the spring, or going to the farm to harvest food. Volunteer woman somebody members of the husband’s identify unit of measurement carry out the cooking as well as other domestic services.
The terminate of the honeymoon is marked yesteryear the preparation of a formal repast yesteryear the newly married girl. She would commonly live assisted inwards cooking yesteryear members of her identify unit of measurement (mother, aunt, sister, niece) as well as the woman parent as well as aunts as well as sisters of her spouse. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 element component division of the repast is nguma ngowa, that is, the meat of a immature squealer provided yesteryear the identify unit of measurement of the newly married immature man. The squealer must live either woman somebody or castrated.
Efeyo ya Mwese
In the trial of a divorced adult woman remarrying, her novel hubby refunds to the former hubby dowry that was paid inwards honour of the woman. The ceremony takes identify either at the hall of a hamlet traditional council or at a customary court.
Bakweri people performing traditional trip the lite fantastic at wedding
Inheritance or kinship patterns
Bakweri inheritance is patrilineal; upon the father’s death, his belongings is inherited yesteryear his eldest son. Inheritance also depends on the behavior of the children. If a kid is a master copy or is rattling stubborn or is noted for a rattling bad grapheme similar arrogance to the elders, or disregard to the tradition, the manful somebody parent tin can create upwards one's heed to give his inheritance to the brother.
Also, if the manful somebody parent dies when the children are still rattling young, the inheritance tin can live transfered to a identify unit of measurement fellow member who is trust worthy. Also een the adjacent of manful somebody monarch doesn’t necessarily way that all the belongings belongs to you, you lot are the 1 to command the property. If you lot are non from the royal identify unit of measurement you lot cannot live made a king. King makers are people who come upwards from the master copy family. Notables as well as are the people who decides on the adjacent manful somebody monarch after the initial manful somebody monarch has made his will. Furthermore, nosotros telephone outcry upwards “Manawondja”, when a adult woman is non married as well as have got attained an historic menstruation when she tin can no to a greater extent than acquire married as well as then she tin can have got a phonation inwards the family.
Bakweri people
Household patterns
In the Bakweri soceity, many families are monogamous, as well as thence in that location is no conjugal household from within the family. Furthermore, the Bakwerians pass a lot of fourth dimension at habitation with their children, as well as the identify unit of measurement is the main unit of measurement of production, therefore, in that location is no particular houshold designing within the Bakweri soceity.
Bakweri people
Religious Belief
Bakweris, similar many other tribes inwards the Federal Republic of Republic of Cameroon have got no unjust thought of the Deity. This is clear from the words that they usage inwards describing Him. They ascribe to God the attributes of omniscience, omnipotence, as well as invisibility. They telephone outcry upwards Him the Protector, Maeke ; the Creator of all things, Iwonde ; the Guardian as well as Keeper of all things, Motateli ; the Law-Giver, the Governor, the Source of the Word, Ovase or Lova.
These important appellations are non just used inwards religious ceremonies. They are component division as well as bundle of every-day language, as for instance, inwards the mutual central of greetings. Among Bakweris, when 1 is asked "how are you," w'a okaneya, it is non uncommon for the inquirer to have the answer: "N'eki Maeke", I give thank you lot to the Protector. So deep is their belief inwards the omniscience as well as omnipotence of the Supreme Being that 1 has to sympathize the thought patterns of the Bakweris to appreciate the component division that religious mysticism plays inwards their twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours affairs.
Bakweri Cosmology: Bakweri cosmology splits the world into ii orders of being, Vaenya as well as Vawoo. Literally, these words hateful respectively, the living as well as the dead. But inwards a wider sense,
Vaenya, the living, is used to comprehend all physical or stuff things. All things that belong to the Vaenya monastic tell tin can live perceived yesteryear anyone ; they occupy definite locations inwards space. It is interesting, however, that Bakweris do non include air inwards this category.
Air is to a greater extent than often than non looked upon as a transitory chemical element that forms a span betwixt the monastic tell of Vaenya as well as that of Vawoo : that this chemical element shares many characteristics of things inwards both orders did non escape the Bakweris inwards their cosmological speculations. For indeed in that location is a schoolhouse of thought which believes that air, at to the lowest degree its fundamental life-giving element, pervades the entire universe. That chemical element is believed to live the essential composition of the entities that belong to the Vawoo order. This concept, it should live noted, is non far removed from the Western theory of "Ether of space" nor is it rattling dissimilar from what Yogis telephone outcry upwards "Prana".
The Vawoo monastic tell embraces all the invisible forces of nature. This includes the spirits of the dead as well as a large array of forces that have got ever puzzled human intelligence. While the Bakweris do non create watertight definitions as well as descriptions of the characteristics of elements inwards the Vawoo order, they do believe that the monastic tell exists as well as have got thus devised methods yesteryear which contacts tin can live made as well as yesteryear which the forces of that monastic tell tin can live directed to, as well as manipulated for, man's benefit.
Mention has been made inwards a higher identify of the belief that air forms a span betwixt the ii orders. It has also been stated that a sure enough indefinable chemical element inwards air pervades the entire universe. This life-giving as well as life-sustaining element, Bakweris telephone outcry upwards Muulu. Muulu is needed yesteryear things inwards both orders as well as inwards human being it is life itself ; it is the godliness inwards him as well as it gives him his individuality. Man is believed to demand Muulu throughout his earthly existence as well as because of its imperishable as well as indestructible nature, when Muulu departs from man, as well as he attains the solid ground that is called Kpeli or death, Muulu continues.
The Human Spirit After Death: Bakweris believe that Muulu, the life-giving forcefulness of Elinge or soul affects human being throughout his earthly existence inwards a number of ways. But this influence upon human being cannot live described as control. It falls curt of that. Nor tin can it live equated with what some western philosophers depict as "dualistic interventionism" ; for this latter concept has a number of assumptions which would appear to the Bakweris as illogical, untenable or fifty-fifty pragmatic.
Upon expiry Muulu or Elinge is believed to linger around for 3 days during which it bids good daytime to all with whom the deceased had been acquainted inwards his earthly existence. This is why on the tertiary twenty-four hours after expiry it is the custom to organize a modest feast known as Sassa. The feast serves to bid good daytime to the deceased. In feasting, partakers are expected to throw pieces of nutrient around. These are eaten upwards yesteryear domestic animals as well as birds that may live nowadays as well as through them the deceased participates inwards the feasting.
This shape of participation is easily understandable as well as should occasion no surprise. In the transition that is called Kpeli or death, the spiritual essence departs from the trunk as well as becomes 1 with the life-giving force, Muulu, that permeates the entire universe - which includes men, animals, as well as birds. Consequently, the deceased is believed to participate inwards the feasting through men, animals, as well as birds present. But his good daytime feast does non imply that no farther contact tin can live made with departed ones. Bakweris have got a number of names for the Deity. One of these is Ovase which way the Source of the Word. If readers may permit a trivial diversion into its etymology, Ovase is a substantive coined out of the Bakweri verb l'ova, important to speak, to say.
The Power of the Word: It is important that this Bakweri concept of God as the give-and-take through which as well as yesteryear which all things are made as well as unmade tallies with the Christian version of it as
expressed inwards the Fourth Gospel - the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. John. The Prologue of this Gospel begins as follows : "In the commencement was the Word ; as well as the Word was with God, as well as the Word was God."
The belief inwards the Word, the belief inwards the magic powerfulness of the Word is so deeply embedded inwards the minds of the Bakweris that foreigners who have got non been initiated into their philosophy as well as cosmological concepts are often at a loss at understanding fifty-fifty the simplest of the numerous practices that create upwards Bakweri religious mysticism. Most of these practices have got received violent denunciations of Westerners as well as to a greater extent than particularly, Western Missionaries who percentage with their colonialist brethren the built inwards conviction that they stand upwards for a "superior culture." The natural corollary of this baseless conviction has been disrespect for all things Cameroonian and, yesteryear extension, all things African.
Bakweris know that human being is unique because of his powerfulness over the Word. By this power, human being is able to telephone outcry upwards forth as well as guide the life force. This is the important of life, this is existence : to have the give-and-take ; to invoke it ; to percentage it with other beings, living as well as dead, human or divine.
Diverse are the uses to which the powerfulness of the Word tin can live put. The human being of affairs discovers that he is unsuccessful as well as he decides to usage the powerfulness of the Word to modify his fortune. He obtains a bottle of vino as well as goes to the grave of an ancestor, pours the vino as well as asks for God's approving through his ancestor inwards monastic tell that his fortune may change. Parents create upwards one's heed to give their missy inwards union as well as they pour some vino or water, as the instance may be, at the door of their house as well as inwards doing so, they conjure upwards the blessings of their ancestors inwards monastic tell that the union may live successful.
The Nganga or healer, whom all foreigners telephone outcry upwards "witch doctor" spits upon his herbs as well as yesteryear the powerfulness of the Word conjures upwards the blessings of the Supreme Being through the invocation of his ancestors inwards monastic tell that the herbs may outcome a cure - as well as they do! Those who dot a mocking finger at the so-called "witch doctor" could have got done the same to Christ were they nowadays when He cured the human being born blind yesteryear spitting on the ground, making clay with the spittle, as well as spreading the clay over the man's eyes before commanding him to go as well as launder inwards the puddle of Siloe, John IX : 1-7. Yet this is just what Christians are doing to-day.
Young men honour elders ; they give alms to the poor as well as indulge inwards all sorts of "good works" for which they have inwards render a payment inwards the words : "lova a o namise" which mean, may God bless you. And they are satisfied as well as believe that through the powerfulness of the Word they volition have the blessings of God. These are some of the positive uses of the powerfulness of the Word as well as the way that the Bakweris usage as well as appreciate it inwards their twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours affairs. Of course, many other examples tin can live given but have got been omitted because of infinite considerations.
The Word as well as Sorcery: But the powerfulness of the Word is similar a two-edged sword. It tin can live used for practiced as well as for evil, for boon as well as for bane. This is where cursing as well as other witchological practices
come upwards in. Sorcery, the powerfulness to plow life's vital forces to evil ends, is known to usage with other things, the powerfulness of the Word. One of the commonest uses of this powerfulness is yesteryear cursing. Cursing is done inwards ii ways : first, the sorcerer may usage actual words or, secondly, he may usage a concatenation of ceremonies, including awesome incantations convert this prototype into a powerful weapon of destruction. This technique is to a greater extent than often than non known as "the powerfulness of the doll."
We shall non go into whatsoever particular on the uses of the powerfulness of the Word inwards the dark underside of Bakweri mysticism. That is exterior the orbit of this article ; but suffice to say that fifty-fifty the most Christo-centric of westerners who has lived with the Bakweris for whatsoever length of fourth dimension knows that what is referred to as sorcery, witchcraft, voodoo or nyongo genuinely "works". It would live just as foolish to dismiss these things as superstitions simply because the natives offering no scientific explanations for them as it would live to say that the police clitoris of gravity did non be before Newton discovered it.
r
Bakweri elders Slaughtering a squealer for a ritual during the installation of Paul Mokako Gobina as
Traditional Ruler Of Wondongo Village, Buea.
Yet, this is just the work that anyone who seeks to sympathize the natives must face. Understanding cannot come upwards when the inquirer has the built-in-feeling that he represents a "superior culture" ; for, the rattling thought of a superior civilisation is ridiculous. Any endeavour at comparative evaluation of cultures presupposes an ethnocentric perspective. And those who frown upon as well as usage derogatory epithets to depict such practices as libation ought to realise that cultural relativism stipulates, with other things, that all cultures must live viewed as adequate as well as meaningful adjustments which people have got made to the imperatives of living.
There are definitely some Cameroonians, as well as Africans for that matter, who are so plagued yesteryear the alien mentality they have got acquired inwards the course of study of their sojourn inwards distant lands that they would prefer non to hash out these practices at all. But inwards this our historic menstruation when it rests upon our shoulders to dovetail what is practiced inwards our society with the practiced things that nosotros have got learnt from our colonial masters, nosotros cannot afford to live apathetic or ashamed to examine all aspects of our national life inwards monastic tell to select the best from it.
Christianity: The Bakweri have got been largely Christianised since the 1970s. Evangelical denominations dominate, especially the Baptist church. Christianity plays an of import role inwards Bakweri regions, where music played over the radio is as probable to live the latest from Nigerian gospel vocalizer Agatha Moses as it is the latest hitting yesteryear a Nigerian music star.
Presby Church Buea
Arts
The Bakweri still practise arts as well as crafts handed downward for generations. The Bakweri are known to live skilled weavers of hats as well as shirts, for example. They also build armoires, chairs, as well as tables.
Bakweri dances serve a number of purposes. The Bakweri Male Dance, for example, demonstrates the performers' virility. Other dances are purely for enjoyment, such as the maringa as well as the ashiko, which arose inwards the 1930s, as well as the makossa as well as ambasse bey dances that accompany those musical styles.
The greatest venue for Bakweri music as well as trip the lite fantastic are the ii major festivals that take identify each twelvemonth inwards December. The Ngondo is a traditional festival of the Duala, although today all of Cameroon's coastal Sawa peoples are invited to participate. It originated as a way of preparation Duala children the skills of warfare. Now, however, the main focus is on communicating with the ancestors as well as asking them for guidance as well as protection for the future. The festivities also include armed combat, beauty pageants, pirogue races, as well as traditional wrestling.
The Mpo'o brings together the Bakoko, Bakweri, as well as Limba at Edéa. The festival commemorates the ancestors as well as allows the participants to consider the problems facing the groups as well as humanity as a whole. Lively music, dancing, theatre, as well as recitals accompany the celebration.
Bakweri Traditional Attire
The traditional attire of the Bakweri is similar to that of most, if non all, the coastal ethnic groups of Republic of Cameroon such as the Duala. It consists of the Sanja for the men as well as the Kabba for women. While the exact root of this attire is unknown, nosotros tin can assume that it appeared with the advent of European traders on the Republic of Cameroon coast who exchanged loin clothes for nutrient stuffs
At the plow of the 19th century, Carl Bender noted that: “In towns close the coast, where European traders offering their wares inwards central for cocoa beans, kernels as well as palm oil, the loin cloth, or lapalap, a slice of colored punt or sateen well-nigh ii yards long, is coming to a greater extent than as well as to a greater extent than into use”. According to Bender, the Bakweri did inwards fact have got a traditional attire that was worn before the arrival of Europeans.
According to Daniel Matute: "The Bakweri human being inwards the hamlet dresses inwards a long waist textile called Sanja tied circular the waist with ii overlapping edges yesteryear the sides called masu'u topped yesteryear a long sleeve shirt, preferably white, with a caput necktie or scarf around the neck. Usually a chapeau may live worn if the human being so desires. The Sanja is stitched according to the size of the private but usually 3 fathoms is a practiced sized Sanja. Some men would prefer a coat to go along with the attire."
With regards to women, Matute states that: "A typical traditional attire worn yesteryear the Bakweri women is a voluminous, clocked clothe popularly known as “Kabba”. This attire goes with a caput necktie to check with the dress. The women are highly respected for their high measure of clothe making. Exposure of the feminine legs yesteryear wearing bikinis or a pair of shorts is highly discouraged."
According to Bender: "The original native clothe is a rattling elementary affair… It consists of a modest apron made of fibre or grass as well as is girded well-nigh the loins. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 still to a greater extent than elementary clothe is worn yesteryear women as well as girls only - a braided fibre belt well-nigh 3 inches wide."
Cuisine/Food/Traditional Spices
The official dish of the Bakweri is Kwakoko as well as Mosaka (Palm nut) soup. Apart from that the Bakweri have got a number of other traditional dishes that they have got made their ain yesteryear cooking or spicing them upwards with the leaves, seeds as well as other elements from the lush vegetation of the Mount Fako region. Here is a listing of some of those spices:
Manjuweli: The leafage of a modest works life of the same identify unit of measurement as "Mbongo" as well as "Indoko ja mokpe":(alligator pepper). Used mostly inwards Mosaka especilly inwards those days when the mosaka was to a greater extent than often than non cooked with "ekosel'a ngoa"(young pig) the leafage is haversted as well as washed, as well as wrapped around the pieces of meat or fish to live used inwards the "Mosaka".
Eseke-seke: it is obtained from a tree inwards the forest(not sure enough how to depict the tree)fresh, as well as and then dried before consumption. The quantitiy to usage is a thing of private taste. It is used mostly inwards pepper soup, kwalala, mosaka, as well as Ngonya wembe.
Jowe(Black Pepper): Also obtained from a woods tree.(little dark-green as well as cherry-red seeds) that plow dark after the drying process. Used inwards pepper soup, kwalala, ngonya wembe as well as for spicing of roasted meats as well as fish.
Njangasanga: Also obtained from a rattling huge woods tree. the tree bears pods that comprise the njangasanga seeds. The pods are harvested whe mature, as well as cracked opened upwards to extract the seeds which are than sun-dreid. Does good inwards warm climates. Most of it comes from Muyuka, as well as Manyu division, but it is also said that in that location is 1 huge tree somewhere inwards Bonankanda. Used inwards pepper soup, Kwalala, Ngonya wembe, spicing of meats as well as fish for roasting.(also inwards left over mosaka to live eaten with wolanga.) It is also used together with jowe as well as ngaikai inwards a dish called "Liphele".(Fish spiced as well as wrapped inwards plantain leaves as well as cooked over hot coals)
Ngai-kai: Also harvested from a woods tree. It almost looks similar what nosotros called "cashew" dorsum home. It is cracked opened upwards as well as the seed within is the Ngaikai, which is either Sun dried or smoke-dried before consumption. The next are non used as spices yesteryear the Bakweri , they are used yesteryear the Bakweri for dissimilar ailments.
Masephu: Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 elementary works life found inwards most peoples yards. the leaves are washed as well as the juice squeezed out of them using water. It is used for elementary tummy aches. Also included inwards the concoction of other leaves, plants as well as barks of trees that are steamed as well as used for "li-tumba"(a somebody suffering from malaria is sat infront of this steaming pot underneath a concealment ) as well as allowed to sweat off the fever . when the H2O cools downward inwards it as well as then used as an enema as well. It is also said that having this works life inwards the chemical compound drives away evil spirits.
Mbongo: Seeds obtained from a works life of the same species as alligator pepper.The bakweri volition ground or fifty-fifty chew it, as well as mix it inwards "manyanga"(palm heart oil). it is the applied all over the trunk of a kid with a high fever to forbid convulsions. It is also the main spice inwards "mbongo-chobi" dish of the Bassa of Cameroon.
Games
Bakweri have got a famous game for children called Kweti. It is a game that is played during the rainy flavour yesteryear the fireside. This game emphasizes the importance of naming one's relatives as well as it emphasizes the importance of retentiveness as well as quick thinking; The winner has to live rattling smart inwards verbal expression, physical dexterity as well as also to have got a precipitous memory.
Usually, children play this game using wood ash (liwu) as well as a stone (liyE) or charcoal (findi). While sitting yesteryear the kitchen board (ewongo) or chair (konda), someone would say, (joke kweti) lets play kweti. Then members of the identify unit of measurement would play yesteryear selecting the foremost somebody who would acquire a modest pebble as well as hide it behind his or her dorsum as well as exhibit both hands to some other play as well as say “ (Mame ne) what is this, the responder would take as well as say I take this paw as well as I throw away this paw as well as and then call a relative. (mamene kweti, mame ne joli, na wowene, nafakene mola Esombi). If the instrumentalist does non call a relative rattling fast, the other instrumentalist would hitting the spice handbasket that hangs inwards a higher identify the give notice play (mokove) as well as say (et]]ng] ). And the instrumentalist would have got to forfeit their plow to the other instrumentalist who hitting the spice handbasket as well as said et]]ng]. If the instrumentalist called the call of a relative inwards time, he/she would dip their fore finger inwards wood ash as well as position a dot on the their leg to bespeak a point. Then the game continues until the people take hold to count the dots on their legs. The somebody with the largest amount of wood ash dots on their legs wins.
Sports
One special sporting event, the Bakweri Traditional Wrestling, encompasses all the qualities the Bakweri have got inherited from their ancestors: physical endurance, agility, tearing fighting techniques, as well as a dandy sense of competition.
Wrestling is known as wesuwa as well as it’s taken rattling seriously yesteryear all the members of the community. In the yesteryear wrestling used to live an of import way of determining leadership inwards the villages; it fifty-fifty resulted inwards a state of war betwixt ii villages inwards 1891, when people from Ghango burnt downward the hamlet of Molonde inwards revenge for the expiry of their best wrestlers. Fortunately, this behaviour at nowadays a thing of the past. Today, wrestling is a friendly competition drawing a huge crowd from all over the region. Every Lord's Day for viii weeks inwards Feb as well as March every hamlet gathers their best wrestlers inwards a major competition to consider who has the best fighters with athletes showing off their fighting prowess. Each hamlet is the host of the wrestling for 1 day.
Although Bakweri wrestling is a traditional shape of fighting, it has similarities with WWF wrestling. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 check betwixt ii villages starts with all the contestants, who have on skimpy sarongs, coming together inwards the middle of the large expanse of grass which forms the wrestling pitch. The wrestlers tease each others yesteryear making gestures of threat as well as and then challenge each others into a nail-biting fight. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 contestant wins a bout yesteryear throwing his opponent on his dorsum or yesteryear taking him downward as well as and then either rolling him on his dorsum or forcing him apartment on this stomach. To set the atmosphere, drummers on an elevated stage shell intricate rhythms on large log drums throughout the check spell the crowds roar as well as scream encouragement to the wrestlers. The setting is magnificent; the villages are surrounded yesteryear dense as well as lush vegetation with Mount Republic of Cameroon towering inwards the background over the wrestling land as well as glimpses of the bounding main tin can live seen on the horizon.
The competition culminates with the statement of the year’s champion wrestler who is as well as then carried with the spectators to loud acclaim accompanied yesteryear tradition songs as well as dances performed yesteryear the cheerleaders – the elderberry tribeswomen.
Funeral Rites (Life After Death)
As before long as a spouse dies the survivor is stripped of all vesture as well as and then clad inwards barkcloth (enjinja) spell circular the caput are tied some leaves of the lisafo works life from which are suspended some seeds of the malaguetta pepper (Aframomum melegueta). The mourner must at nowadays also carry a modest knife. These protect the mourner from the spirit of the deceased which for the adjacent 3 days is believed to haunt the house where he died. The somebody whose duty it is to consider that the mourner is as well as then properly protected against the deceased is 1 who has already been a widower or widow, according to the gender activity of the mourner.
The corpse if that of a man, is washed yesteryear manful somebody relatives; if that of a woman, yesteryear females, as well as prepared for burial. While the corpse is beingness buried inwards the house, inwards accordance with Bakweri custom, the mourner is taken to the dorsum of the house as well as kneel on 1 knee. With the left paw the left ear is closed spell the correct paw holds the knife, as well as some lisafo fronds.
If the mourner is a widower, a substitute wife, if he had only 1 wife, is as well as then brought to him with whom to have got sexual intercourse spell he calls out words of powerfulness to avoid beingness haunted yesteryear the spirit of his deceased wife. In the instance of a widow a substitute hubby is provided. Thereafter the widow has to refrain from whatsoever sexual intercourse until she has been purified. Any manful somebody who is found to have got had sexual intercourse with her before she has been purified is said to "whitened her", or has taken away the spirit of the deceased from her. If the seducer is non a fellow member of the deceased's identify unit of measurement he would live heavily fined for this premature purification of the widow. Widows should fifty-fifty refrain from shaking hands with men until after their in conclusion purification.
If a widow is suspected of having been unfaithful to her hubby during his life-time, his relatives volition telephone outcry upwards inwards a medicine human being who has reached the rank of a Mbwaya. This human being volition at nowadays position the adult woman to the njembu test. He volition gather the next herbs, ngeny, motimbilimbi which is the long fruit of the Kigelia tree, as well as an crude palm branch. These items are placed on the ground as well as on top of them a gun or a horn is placed. Then the Mbwaya volition conjure the widow to repeat the next words after him: I am leaping over this njembu 3 times as a adult woman who knew no other human being than my hubby as well as if I tell a prevarication may njembu destroy me. It is believed that whatsoever widow who told a lie, that is, did non expose the call of whatsoever paramour, would thereafter shortly sicken as well as die. Any human being as well as then named yesteryear the widow as a paramour as well as who would thus have got been inwards enemity with the deceased as well as powerfulness live regarded as responsible for his expiry was made to pay the deceased's identify unit of measurement a heavy fine inwards goats.
The corpse is usually buried inwards a shaft as well as alcove grave. The trunk beingness placed inwards the alcove as well as the alcove walled off from the shaft so that when the grave is filled inwards Earth does non touching the body.
After the burial of the corpse the mourner has, until purified, to slumber on the ground, or on the bark of a tree over which some dry out plantain leaves have got been spread. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 practiced give notice is kept burning inwards the hut and, where the mourner is a widow, she ceases to set upwards as well as some other adult woman cooks for her. Only modest quantities of nutrient are eaten for the foremost 3 days; some mourners fifty-fifty fast for the entire 3 days. During this menstruation the in conclusion repast of the twenty-four hours must live eaten before dark as well as when lying downward for the dark the mourner must chew a few grains of malaguetta pepper and, spitting them out, must say: We component division to-day, allow me never to a greater extent than dream of you.
The mourner, spell inwards mourning, is non supposed to venture out of the house after dark because it is believed that the spirit of the deceased volition beset him or her. The Bakweri believe that the spirit of the deceased volition attempt to have got sexual intercourse with its living partner as well as thus spirit away that partner.
As illustrating this belief, Mr. Wolatae mentioned that some fourth dimension agone a sure enough Bakweri died as well as was buried. His widow grieved deeply as well as sorely over his death. Some months later, spell she was working inwards the farm given to her yesteryear her dead husband, he all of a abrupt appeared before her. She became speechless as well as unable to move. He said to her: I have got seen as well as heard how bitterly you lot are weeping as well as lamenting for me twenty-four hours as well as night. Your dandy grief gives me no chance to forget you lot as well as rest. I also have got been seeking an chance to consider you lot as well as at nowadays nosotros are hither together.
He as well as then lay with the adult woman who returned habitation stricken dumb. As is ever the instance with persons who consider or consider a spirit, this widow fell ill. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 medicine human being was called in. He treated her so that at in conclusion she recovered her spoken communication as well as was able to tell all that befell her on the farm. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few days later she died. [In amplification of the handling given to persons afflicted yesteryear the supernatural Mr.
Wolatae supplied the next information: If anyone meets a spirit as well as returns habitation dumb or inwards a fainting status as well as then 1 should directly necktie circular that person's brow a fern frond...This handling volition enable the somebody to beak as well as tell what was seen or to explicate the cause of his condition. If, on the other hand, a somebody falls sick because of dark magic or of witchcraft as well as then a band of white textile must live tied circular the forehead. If no such white textile is available as well as then the stalk of the njesenge plant, a type of fern, must live used instead. The sick somebody afflicted yesteryear dark magic or witchcraft volition rave similar a mad somebody as well as expose everything inwards his talking. To care for this sick person, an beast is taken as well as sacrificed. Pigs as well as cows, for this run are non regarded as suitable sacrificial animals. The beast is as well as then killed as well as its blood is smeared on the patient's trunk spell the next words are chanted yesteryear the medicine man: "Oh, animal, pop off so that the boy of human being may live." After this chant yesteryear the medicine human being the patient, to ensure a consummate cure, is told what nutrient is forbidden to him for the relaxation of his life as well as on the 9th twenty-four hours after the sacrifice of the animal, which is the twenty-four hours for the in conclusion cure of the patient's illness, he must as well as then vow to abstain from this forbidden food, whatever it is, for the relaxation of his life. If he does non he volition autumn 1 time to a greater extent than nether the spell of the dark magic or witchcraft.]
Post Burial Rites: From the foremost cockcrow after the burial until the Sun rises, the mourner, especially if a widow, must live heard lamenting loudly. If the deceased is an of import human being all his woman somebody relatives as well as the other women of his hamlet are expected to pass the whole morn in
lamentations. This lamenting powerfulness in conclusion for a calendar month or more.
The morn after the burial sees a trivial food, palm wine, and, if the deceased were a snuff taker, a trivial snuff placed on the grave. Fresh nutrient as well as vino as well as snuff are thereafter placed on the grave each morn for a week, livua, which with the Bakweri consists of nine days. During this livua all members of the deceased's identify unit of measurement gather at this fourth dimension at the grave to sing, dance, eat as well as chant the praises of the deceased.
On the 2nd twenty-four hours after the burial the relatives go to the farms of the deceased to collect nutrient for the adjacent day's feast. After gathering the necessary food, component division of the deceased's farm is destroyed as beingness his share. The component division so destroyed is called vesasale. In the eve of this 2nd twenty-four hours the villagers gather to honour the retentiveness of the deceased yesteryear dancing as well as singing his praises, yesteryear reciting ancient tales as well as stories with proverbial meanings as well as yesteryear playing musical instruments.
The tertiary twenty-four hours is the 1 on which the Bakweri believe that the spirit of the deceased leaves the hut where the trunk is buried as well as proceeds to the spirit world as a molimo. This twenty-four hours is called sasa twenty-four hours inwards Bakweri. On this day, the mourner is led off into the bush where a give notice is kindled with the pass upwards from crude palm nuts as well as inwards it the dry out plantain leaves of the bedding as well as the barkcloth worn are burnt. Then the mourner's trunk is washed with metatoani or the juice from the stems of plantains. The physical care for is known as the foremost purification as well as frees the mourner from the spirit as an elinge hovering around the hut of the deceased, but non from the spirit as a molimo inwards the spirit world. For this argue the mourner must go on to chew as well as spit out the seeds of the malaguetta spell still uttering words of powerfulness as well as must have on mourning costume until the in conclusion purification ceremony mark the terminate of the mourning takes place.
The mourner must also go on to have on the lisafo frontlet as well as the usage of the crude palm nut pericarp fibre inwards kindling a give notice are regarded as affording powerful magical protection against machinations of the spirit of the deceased.
After the initial purification the mourner is at nowadays dressed inwards the proper mourning clothe which is ever dark inwards colour. Women inwards add-on have on dark give notice bangles, necklaces as well as anklets as well as rub their bodies over with dark sooty oil. This mourning accoutrement is worn until the in conclusion purification. The children as well as grandchildren of the deceased's identify unit of measurement are taken inwards paw yesteryear a man
who himself has lost both parents. He takes them exterior a corner of the deceased's house. There he makes them sit down inwards a circle. In their midst is placed a bowl of nutrient from the feast prepared for the wake. From this bowl he selects a slice of meat as well as some nutrient as well as knots them upwards inwards a strip of dark mourning textile called itinge. This knotted textile is as well as then worn as a necklace yesteryear each kid or grandchild during the protracted mourning period.
If the deceased was a fellow member of the Mbwaya society, his wives as well as relatives remained inwards a solid ground of mourning for vii months. If the deceased was a rich man, good advanced inwards years, a fellow member of the Mbwaya as well as possessor of many wives as well as children, as well as then the mourning menstruation was extended to nine months. If the deceased was a human being of noble nativity or kondange as well as also a fellow member of Mbwaya, the mourning menstruation was extended to twelve or 13 months. If, on the other hand, the deceased was just an ordinary man, as well as then the mourning menstruation would live but 5 months. Mourners do non cut, comb or clothe their pilus until the in conclusion purification.
If however, spell thus habited inwards the mourning clothe the mourner happens to kill a serpent called fe, phe or pe the mourning menstruation ends directly as well as the mourning costume as well as all that went with it may live discarded. Some people, inwards retentiveness of the dead man, would pass upwards for the relaxation of their lives to partake of sure enough foods. For example, if the deceased was a dandy hunter who used to convey dorsum much meat, as well as then on his expiry his woman parent or some fellow member of the identify unit of measurement powerfulness thereafter abstain from the flesh of a sure enough antelope or animal; or if the deceased were a practiced palm vino tapper, his woman parent or sis powerfulness as well as then for the relaxation of their lives refrain from drinking palm wine.
To pop off spell inwards a solid ground of mourning is considered to live a grave misfortune. The Bakweri believe that, if a somebody dies spell mourning, that somebody volition go on for ever after inwards that poor solid ground inwards the spirit world.
The nursing woman parent is exempt from mourning. If a woman's missy dies inwards childbirth as well as the infant survives, as well as then the daughter's woman parent is given sure enough medicines to potable to get the stream of milk inwards her breasts so that she tin can nourish the motherless baby. Such a grandmother does non go into mourning for her dead daughter.
The Funeral Feast: The wake or funeral feast for the deceased is called sasa as well as is celebrated as
follows. First comes the moanda nyo or paying for the practiced deeds of the deceased. If the deceased live a married adult woman as well as then all the children, slaves as well as the other members of the identify unit of measurement who were nether her command as well as care, including all her in-laws, have got to create offerings inwards recognition of all the practiced piece of work as well as loving kindness she bestowed on them spell she was alive. In the old days it was customary to offering fowls, shells, ika as well as other gifts. To-day people give money varying inwards amount from 1 penny to 1 shilling .
[On this Bakweri word, ika Mr. Wolatae wrote that its important inwards the days of their ancestors is at nowadays non known. Whether ika meant the Fe money of the Grassland peoples or the mukoko of the Duala is non clear. The call mikoko for the Fe bars that were anciently used as money still persists inwards the union ceremony where the cattle paid as dowry are still reckoned inwards mikoko. Mr. Wolatae as well as then illustrated the nowadays twenty-four hours usage of this give-and-take ika inwards Bakweri language: should a creditor consider his debtor who say owes him 10 shillings as well as the debtor is unable to repay the loan, then, when making some other hope to pay what he owes, those persons nowadays volition inquire the debtor "to cutting as well as give one-half an ika" before the novel hope tin can live considered. Hence the debtor volition have got to pay at 1 time a shilling, say, to his creditor, but this payment of the shilling still leaves the original debt of 10 shilling un-reduced. Hence the saying that the debtor has cutting or given one-half an ika, that is,
esung ika.]
These gifts are as well as then shared yesteryear the co-wives as well as relatives of the deceased to the exclusion of course of study of those who made the offerings. These offerings are regarded as a legacy left yesteryear the deceased. If the deceased live a married man, as well as then all the wives as well as women of his brothers pay the moanda nyo. Then the people of the hamlet as well as relatives from afar gather at the deceased's place. They convey nutrient offerings such as goats, pigs, sheep cattle. Such animals for the feast are called moleli. Each beast as it is killed is divided into 3 parts. One component division goes to the possessor of the animal; 1 component division is cooked for the feast as well as the tertiary component division is given to the spectators.
Each bereaved spouse has, yesteryear custom, to render a special beast for the funeral feast. This beast is called ngo a itoto or ngo a veese which way 'a squealer of bones' or 'a squealer of burnt sacrifice'. This aspect refers to all the meat brought habitation yesteryear the hubby as well as eaten yesteryear the wives. Each widow is at nowadays called upon to render an beast inwards recognition of all the practiced nutrient his dead married adult woman cooked for him. The women at nowadays start cooking foods that specially delighted the deceased. The flesh is cooked separately as well as all nutrient of its sort is placed inwards its ain bowls. The foods are non mixed.
Those participating inwards the funeral feast must eat the nutrient prepared for them away from the deceased's house as well as out inwards the bush inwards a specially prepared palace in that location to consider with the molimo or spirits of the dead. When the feast is ready the men pick upwards the diverse bowls of food, palm vino as well as snuff, as well as follow the leader. He carries a matchet inwards 1 paw as well as a blazing give notice create inwards the other. This create must live kept burning at the site of kindling a give notice with it. In the prepared clearing the funeral feasters sit down downward together as well as start to eat the foods prepared, eating 1 bowl after another. From each bowl a morsel of nutrient must live thrown on the ground as an offering to the spirit of the dead. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 trivial nutrient is left inwards each bowl for the spirit of the deceased who is as well as then requested to percentage it with the other spirits that he meets inwards the solid ground of the dead. This nutrient left inwards the bush clearing is for dogs as well as pigs to eat.
Should this nutrient non live touched yesteryear these animals it is as well as then believed that the spirit of the deceased is angry as well as has non attended his funeral feast, nor partaken of the nutrient prepared as well as offered to him. If after this nutrient has remained untouched for a twenty-four hours or ii some greedy beast willfully consumes these rejected offerings 1 tin can hear the beast squealing as well as yelping as though beingness beaten. But if 1 approaches, 1 tin can consider nada that is beating the squealing beast as well as so 1 believes it is the offended spirit of the deceased doing so.
Food acceptable to the spirits volition live freely as well as gently eaten yesteryear dogs or pigs because the spirits eat or take only the 'whiff' of each morsel of food. After the feast is over, the feasters are summoned dorsum to the house of the deceased yesteryear the shell of a wooden gong. Thereupon each somebody plucks a leafage from a bush as well as puts the leafage into his mouth. The leader as well as then with his matchet inwards his hand, leads the procession silently back. No 1 is supposed to beak or to appear dorsum till the house of the
deceased is reached. As they go far a gun is fired to denote their rubber return. The feasters as well as then take the leaves from their mouths as well as throw them on to the roof of the deceased's house.
Final Purification: The bereaved spouse has so far non partaken of the feast as well as at nowadays 1 who is
already a bereaved spouse proceeds to bless the portion allotted to the bereaved spouse. This officiant begins yesteryear uttering practiced words of comfort both to the living spouse as well as to the spirit of the dead one. But before this exhortation is uttered the living spouse has to payoff the officiator. If the living spouse is a woman, she hands over a fowl, chillies, tabular array salt or anything else available. If the bereaved spouse is a man, he pays to a greater extent than heavily. After his payment the bereaved spouse's hands are purified yesteryear beingness washed yesteryear the officiator inwards the juice of a plantain stem; at the same fourth dimension a purification prayer is said. Not until this component division of the funeral ceremony is consummate may the bereaved spouse as well as the children live given whatsoever of the funeral feast. In the instance of the bereaved spouse the nutrient is passed inwards through the partially closed door of the house.
When the mourning menstruation is over all the mourners gather inwards a house spell exterior a give notice is kindled with crude programme nut fibre. This give notice volition swallow all the mourning clothe worn yesteryear the mourners. Their pilus is shaved off as well as they are washed inwards the juice of plantain stems as well as may as well as then have on ordinary clothes as well as resume their ordinary way of life.
Sourcehttp://www.bakweri.com/
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Efasa Moto, the God of Mount Fako
By Wose Yangange Martin
According to Wose Yangange Martin, "Efasa-Moto is the folkloric god of the Fako Mountain. It is believed that he controls the entire "hill" from the West Coast to the border with Balondo solid ground to the N eastward coast, as well as towards Meme Division.
According to Bakweri oral tradition, Efasa-Moto is the manful somebody element of the Liengu la Mwanja or the legendary "Mammy Water." It is said that after an understanding betwixt the two, Efasa-Moto chose to live inwards the mount as well as spell the Liengu la Mwanja remained at sea.
It has been suggested that during the Oct 1992 eruption of the Fako Mountain, the path of the impressive lava stream towards the Atlantic Ocean was specifically chosen yesteryear Efasa-Moto as an human activeness of bonding as well as solidarity with his wife, Liengu la Mwanja, the sea mermaid.
It is believed that Efasa-Moto as well as Liengu la Mwanja are the greatest spiritual figures that the Earth has ever known. Physically, Efasa-Moto's is described as beingness divided vertically from top to bottom inwards a unusual mixture of one-half human as well as one-half stone, as well as yet shaped inwards the shape of a human being giving a consummate moving painting of a caprine animal standing on its hind legs.
Liengu la Mwanja on the other paw is a beautiful looking adult woman with an oval-shaped face, an enchanting grin with a love gap-tooth, flood pilus of dark wool resembling a beautiful Indian lady with high as well as good curved hips.
Efasa-Moto lives inwards the mount alone. He maintains a rich salubrious carbohydrate cane plantation. His visitors tin can eat the carbohydrate cane on the spot but cannot carry whatsoever away. It is said that the carbohydrate cane is has an unforgettable sweetness.
Efasa-Moto is also said to live the mountain's spiritual protector. In times of old, albinos were abandoned on the mount as offerings of appeasement to the mount god so that he could go on to bless the inhabitants at the pes of the mountain.
Some elders say Efasa-Moto helped the Bakweri defeat the Germans inwards the Battle of Bokwango of 1891. The elders add together that the Bakweri eventually lost the state of war because they betrayed Efasa-Moto's trust.
Efasa-Moto is reportedly a harmless creature, but it is believed that if anyone carries some evil charm or amulets to the mountain, that the somebody volition non render alive. The instance of a Nigerian athlete who collapsed at Hut II during the 1986 mount race as well as later died when he returned habitation is cited as a recent example. It is believed the athlete died because he carried some evil medicine on his somebody during the race.
In recent times, in that location has been a growing belief that because Efasa-Moto is an impartial as well as humble creature, he forbid yesteryear winners of the Guinness Mount Republic of Cameroon race from winning 1 time to a greater extent than if they boast of having conquered the mountain. With Efasa-Moto the mount is unconquerable.
Some people lend credence to this belief yesteryear citing the instance of the humble Reverend Father Walter Stifter who won the race 3 successive times. At times, he fifty-fifty preferred to give his prize to the runner-up.
The greed, pride as well as self-righteousness of the Bakweri is said to have got alienated them from the Efasa-Moto. Modern-day hunters still believe inwards the existence of Efasa-Moto the mount caretaker. They believe that the bond betwixt the Bakweri as well as their benefactor god could live re-established if the former undergo intense ritualistic cleansing."
Witchcraft inwards Contemporary Bakweri Society
by Rosemary Ekosso
The belief inwards witchcraft or liemba is rattling mutual with the Bakweri. It considered to live the fine art of influencing the lives of other people yesteryear occult means. Such influence is usually malevolent as well as affects a person’s spirit, as well as through that, his heed as well as body. Alternatively, it is benevolent, but requires the harnessing of such powerful as well as potentially ungovernable forces that its practise is shunned yesteryear many people. In the Western world, people who practise witchcraft tin can live referred to either as Wicca (male witches) as well as Wicce (female witches), or wizards as well as witches, also respectively manful somebody as well as woman somebody practitioners of witchcraft. For our purposes nosotros shall usage the latter terminology. Witchcraft shall live considered hither to live practiced or bad witchcraft, depending on whether ‘black magic’ or ‘white magic’ is used. Among the Bakweri, bad magic is what is known as liemba. Good magic is often just called.
The practise of witchcraft seems to live intimately linked to the usage of plants, which are used inwards combination with rituals to seek to accomplish the desired effect.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 somebody who practises malevolent witchcraft with the Bakweri is called a mot’a liemba: a witch or a wizard. Witchcraft is practised yesteryear persons of both sexes as well as all ages. It is non clear whether whatsoever 1 gender activity is preponderantly active inwards witchcraft, but the full general belief is that men are to a greater extent than proficient inwards witchcraft than women. Witchcraft tin can live passed on to offspring yesteryear either parent or to other persons, live they blood relations or not, yesteryear initiation. Initiation may live voluntary or involuntary.
Contrary to Western witches, who often worship goddesses similar Hecate, Diana, Isis, Artemis, etc. as well as have got declared their leanings inwards myriad publications, it is non known whether the Bakweri witches as well as wizards genuinely worship a deity, or whether they draw their powerfulness from whatsoever determined preternatural source. However, pop wisdom has it that witches as well as wizards are the servants of unknown spirits.
Because witchcraft is shrouded inwards secrecy, its classification according to forms is problematic. However, in that location is believed to live 1 shape of witchcraft called nyongo. Nyongo consists inwards causing people to die, as well as afterward taking them to some other world where they piece of work as slaves to amass wealth for the nyongo human being or woman. The rapid as well as unexplained amassment of wealth yesteryear whatsoever somebody is usually taken as a sign that this somebody has joined the nyongo. The nyongo is believed to live a hole-and-corner society where people of similar heed come upwards together to organise the enslavement of others for personal gain.
Nyongo people are believed to live completely ruthless inwards their pick of victims, often choosing spouses, siblings, parents as well as offspring. When a victim of the nyongo is to live enslaved, he is foremost caused to die. There is some scrap well-nigh whether victims genuinely pop off or are drugged to simulate death, as well as their senseless bodies secretly recovered yesteryear the nyongo people for their ain ends. Whatever the case, it would seem that the enslaved spirit or trunk is as well as then transported to a identify inwards a world similar to the 1 nosotros know, though inwards some other dimension, as well as position to piece of work at menial tasks on farms, etc. to earn money for his/her master/mistress. There have got been reports of people escaping this enslavement as well as returning to the solid ground where they lived, but it is said of these escapees that they are unable to relate inwards whatsoever particular what they have got experienced, as well as some of them are either struck with dumbness or madness yesteryear their old captors to forbid them from revealing the secrets of the cult.
Chief Tande Mosenge of Bakweri hamlet of Wonganga inwards Buea Subdivision of Republic of Cameroon leading traditional rulers into his palace
The Bakweri live primarily inwards over 100 villages eastward as well as southeast of Mount Republic of Cameroon with Buea as their main population centre. Bakweri settlements largely prevarication inwards the mountain's foothills as well as go on upwards its slopes as high as 12,000 metres. They have got farther villages along the Mungo River as well as the creeks that feed into it. The town of Limbe is a mixture of Bakweri, Duala, as well as other ethnic groups.
The Bakweri who are aboriginal Bantu people originated from Mboko, the expanse southwest of Mount Republic of Cameroon as well as migrated to their nowadays habitation eastward of the mount inwards the mid-18th century. They also draw their ancestry to Mokuri or Mokule, a blood brother of the Duala's forebear Ewale, who migrated to the Mount Republic of Cameroon expanse for hunting.
According to Edwin Ardener (in Nigeria No. 60, pp. 31-8, 1959) They are tranquillity as well as reserved as well as are non widely known exterior the Southern Cameroons despite the fact that both the Premier of the Southern Cameroons, Dr. E. M. L. Endeley, as well as the capital, Buea, are The Bakweri are primarily concentrated inwards Cameroon's Southwest Province." Dr. E. M. L. Endeley was the foremost Prime Minister of the British Southern Cameroons from 1954–1959. He led other Southern Cameroonian parliamentarians to seccede from the Nigerian Eastern House of Assembly inwards 1954.
Bakweri people performing traditional dance
Historically the Bakweri are territorial people as well as tearing fighters who have got ever defended their rights, solid ground as well as civilisation against the successive colonising powers of Deutschland as well as Britain.
It must live noted that the Bakweri people were 1 of the African people to resist the spoliation of their lands yesteryear High German imperialists.
Dr. Emmanuel Mbella Lifafe (EML) Endeley, Bakweri human being as well as the foremost Premier of the British Southern Cameroons
They are known to have got mounted a tearing anti-German cause led yesteryear their fearless leader, Chief Kuva Likenye of Buea, especially around the slopes of Mount Fako, as well as successfully inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Germans at Buea inwards 1891; the foremost ever High German state of war machine loss on the African continent, which led to a consummate reappraisal of High German colonial/military policy on the continent, and, unfortunately, set the footing for the fell cause to annihilate the Bakweri. The Bakweri were 1 of the few groups inwards all of High German Africa that were thoroughly as well as systematically suppressed yesteryear the Germans. That they fifty-fifty survived to tell the story is a testimony to their resilience as well as tenacity inwards the human face of adversity.
Bakweri people
The Bakweri are known inwards Republic of Cameroon for their traditional wrestling (Wesuwa), which encompasses all the qualities the Bakweri have got inherited from their ancestors: physical endurance, agility, tearing fighting techniques, as well as a dandy sense of competition. Wesuwa is taken rattling seriously yesteryear all the members of the community as well as the most interesting thing is that women takes component division inwards this wrestling competition long before . In the yesteryear wrestling used to live an of import way of determining leadership inwards the villages; it fifty-fifty resulted inwards a state of war betwixt ii villages inwards 1891, when people from Ghango burnt downward the hamlet of Molonde inwards revenge for the expiry of their best wrestlers.
Bakweri women engaged inwards tearing wrestling combat
Before the commencement of colonial conquest inwards the early on 1880s, the Bakweri constituted a rattling fragmentary society dominated yesteryear an egalitarian ideology-- it is non fifty-fifty sure enough that in that location was ever a existent chieftaincy seat at the hamlet level. Ardener yet emphasizes that in that location was a strong vogue with the Bakweri to accumulate wealth, particularly, goats, pigs as well as curt cows. It was through accumulation that individuals increased their prestige inwards the villages.
Although the Bakweri are at nowadays completely modernised, some have got fifty-fifty converted to Christianity, they are still attached to their ancestral traditions as well as have got retained their ancient tribal organisation. Each Bakweri hamlet is headed yesteryear a master copy as well as his tribal council who are primal to all cultural events. The Bakweri take pride inwards celebrating their cultural heritage during events such as the Race of Hope, when they perform hole-and-corner rituals to bless the mountain.
Bakweri people
The symbol of the Bakweri people is the elephant or Njoku. To say that the Bakweri have got a mascot, which happens to live the elephant, would live an understatement. Indeed, the opposite is true. For the Bakweri, the elephant, a denizen of the pelting forests of the slopes of Mount Fako, is non just a mascot. It is a cultural symbol, a mystical, spiritual co-creature. To the Bakweri, the Balondo as well as the Bomboko, people can, as well as do go elephants, as well as elephants tin can as well as do go people. The attributes of the elephant or Njoku are component division as well as bundle of the psyche of the Bakweri people. The creature’s sheer strength, size, loyalty to its (family) troupe, its calm, yet unpredictable temperament, proud indifference, as well as graceful behaviour are, to the Bakweri, the moving painting of physical as well as psychic behavioral perfection. It is thence no surprise that the Bakweri, have got a hole-and-corner society that venerates, imitates as well as personifies the attributes of the elephant. Indeed, those who belong to the Maalé, the hole-and-corner elephant society, swear yesteryear nada other than Loxodonta Africana (the African elephant.)
The Bakweri lives inwards traditional "mat house" or ndaw'a ngonja. These days, most whakpe novel construction consists of modern buildings with cement blocks as well as corrugated aluminium roofs. Construction of ndaw'a ngonja is at nowadays a dying art.
The Bakweri`s Mount Fako (Cameroon) is a unique Ecotourism Site. This lovely volcanic mount welcomes visitors directly they go far Buea. It stands majestically along the background of Buea Town. The Mountain spreads from Bomboko to Bakweri of Buea as well as downward to the Limbe Beach. It is 4100 metres inwards height. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 see to Mount Republic of Cameroon is ever an exciting experience both inwards the rainy as well as dry out seasons.
Capital Residence of Bakweri town of Buea, Cameroon
Geography
The Bakweri are primarily concentrated inwards Cameroon's Southwest Province. They live inwards over 100 villages eastward as well as southeast of Mount Republic of Cameroon with Buea their main population centre. Bakweri settlements largely prevarication inwards the mountain's foothills as well as go on upwards its slopes as high as 12,000 metres. They have got farther villages along the Mungo River as well as the creeks that feed into it. The town of Limbe is a mixture of Bakweri, Duala, as well as other ethnic groups.
Buea from the pes of Mount Cameroon
Terrain of the land: Their population is much greater than 16,000. Before the High German conquest of 1894, they were living inwards scattered settlements around the southern slopes of Mount Cameroon. There are rattling few mountains inwards West Africa, as well as none is as high as this (more than 13,000 feet). It is also unusual that it stands correct on the coast, descending through a maze of foothill to the sea.
University of Buea, Cameroon
At 4 degrees North of the equator, it is non high plenty for permanent snow. Instead, winds loaded with wet from 4,000 miles of Atlantic story precipitate copious rains, as well as swathe the slopes inwards mist as well as drizzle for many months of the year. Inside the clouded summit is an active volcano from which novel craters outburst out every few decades.
Ekom autumn inwards Mount Cameroon, Buea
The pelting as well as he volcanic soil have got made the the mount expanse 1 of the most fertile inwards Africa, as well as the woods covers the mount upwards to 6,000 feet. The Bakweri lived ( as well as live ) inwards the thickest concentration inwards a belt of villages betwixt 1,500 as well as 3,000 feet inwards a higher identify the sea level, but the they occupied the whole base of operations of the mount below this rattling thinly, as far as the sea level.
Climate: The Bakweri are weather condition forecasters, as well as it is believed that they possess scientist who are able to alter the climate at will, for example, during special occasions, or the coming of high personality. Generally, the expanse is concealment with mist as well as drizzle, as well as several copious rains through out the twelvemonth due to the presence of the Atlantic ocean.
Kumba Buea
This part is having the equatorial maritime climate with temperature inwards a higher identify 25%c which is rattling heavy with rattling high atmospheric humidity throughout the year. It is made upwards of elements of the 3 dissimilar tropical climate regimes which are equatorial with rainfall throughout the year, seasonal comprising of ii seasons inwards a twelvemonth that is the dry out as well as wet as well as finally monsoon with dandy contrast betwixt the seasons. The climate of this part is strongly affected yesteryear its altitude. The temperature is moderated yesteryear breeze from the Atlantic Ocean.
Soil as well as Vegetation: The topography of this part is flat. It is composed of rudiments brought from the interior as well as also volcanic soil gotten from the weathered rocks during the eruption of mount Cameroon. The plantations that are located closer to the mount benefits from the weathered basalt or lava as well as those beside the mangrove, the soil is lateritic. Further away from the N eastern parts of mount Fako, the soil is loamy as well as sandy.
The vegetation of this part is the woods types which have got almost disappeared due to the exploitation yesteryear people for the tillage of nutrient crops as well as construction of houses for settlement, living only the swampy as well as less accessible areas.
Due to the equatorial maritime climate, as well as the high fertility of the soil, the Bakweri people are practiced agriculturalists, as well as their main source of income is from agriculture. They grow crops similar cocoyams, as well as maize. Since the climate tin can sometimes live rattling harsh, the Bakweri people have on long sleeve shirts, as well as thick pullovers as well as sweaters during almost the entire menstruation of the year. Since they grow crops similar cocoyams, their main diet is based on cocoyam.
Their main dish is the kwakoko, as well as they have got many other dishes, which acquire their spices from the high fertility of the soil. Also, due to the rattling depression temperatures which are rattling frequent, the Bakweri donot have got a lot of social activities similar swimming, or playing tennis, but they have got activities similar mount race which occurs inwards February, where places are warmer. Also, the Bakweri have got restricted their dressing to “rapa”(loins), as well as shirts for the men, as well as also a loin or “rapa” for the women. For the men, this dressing tin can sometimes live accompanied yesteryear special hat,and a tie.
Buea
Language
The Bakweri speak Mokpwe, a natural language that is closely related to Bakole as well as Wumboko. Mokpwe is component division of the identify unit of measurement of Duala languages inwards the Bantu grouping of the Niger–Congo linguistic communication phylum. Neighbouring peoples often utilise Mokpwe as a merchandise language, due largely to the spread of the natural language yesteryear early on missionaries. This is especially truthful with the Isubu, many of whom are bilingual inwards Duala or Mokpwe.
In addition, individuals who have got attended schoolhouse or lived inwards an urban centre usually speak Pidgin English linguistic communication or measure English. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 growing number of the Bakweri today grow upwards with Pidgin as a to a greater extent than widely spoken language. The Bakweri also used a drum linguistic communication to convey intelligence from clan to clan, as well as they also utilized a horn linguistic communication peculiar to them.
The Mokpe Alphabet is similar to that of English linguistic communication with the exception of 3 unusual characters, which volition live brought to you lot later. There are 21 consonants as well as 7 vowels. Here below is the Mokpe alphabet.
a mb ch nd e Ñ”
f gb i j nj Å‹ k
kp l m mgb mw n ny
o c (reversed c or opened upwards O)
s t u v w y
The 21 consonants have got the same sounds as inwards English, but 4 of them pose a work of pronunciation to immature speakers as well as writers of the Mokpe language.
They are f, s, v as well as w. Follow the description below rattling carefully.
"f"
In English linguistic communication the alphabetic quality 'f' is a labio-dental fricative that is you lot usage the lips as well as teeth to create this sound, In Mokpe it is a bilabial fricative where you lot usage both lips in that location yesteryear producing a audio as if you lot were blowing out a candle.
Practise sounding it several times.
Ff Ff Ff Ff
“s”
To create the Mokpe 's' identify the tip of natural language on the difficult palate as well as allow out the piece of cake producing a soft hissing sound, unopen the English linguistic communication 's'
Ss Ss Ss Ss Ss
'v' is produced using both lips, instead of placing the bottom lip on the Teeth as instance inwards English. The alphabetic quality 'w' is the same as inwards English, rounding both lips. Practise these ii sounds as well as discovery the difference.
Vv Vv Vv Vv
Ww Ww Ww Ww
Read the Following words aloud
'F'
Fáo - knife
fátâ - pluck
fimbâ - throw
fendâ - close
"S"
Sâ - dance
Sia - iron
Siaô - redants
Sosa - wash
"V"
valána - women
vána - children
vakpe - Bakweri
Veloma - scoldings
Velimo - spirits
"W"
waná - mouth
ewóka - compound
wana - You volition fight
wotéá - begin
PRONUNCIATION OF NEW CHARACTERS
Ñ” as inwards p penny, lend, empty
Å‹ as inwards hang, language, hungry
c (reversed c or opened upwards O) as inwards war, law, lawn
Bakweri divisional master copy holding spiritual broom, which is his staff of office
History as well as The Origin of the Bakweri People
The Bakwerians are from the lower Bomboko behind Mount Fako. They were mostly fishermen, who settled along the coast, farmers, as well as hunters who settled beside the mountain. Most of the Bakweri villages claimed to have got been founded from a grouping of villages which lies inwards a belt betwixt 650m as well as 1000m upwards mount Cameroon.
The root of the Bakweri settlement could live attributed to ii separate traditions. Firstly, the tradition of the Buea grouping stated that a sure enough Eye Njie used to come upwards from Bomboko to hunt on the Eastward side of the mount with a friend Nakande. Nakande used to hunt close the site of nowadays twenty-four hours Wonakanda spell Eye moved on to a river close the nowadays twenty-four hours Buea. When they brought inwards their wives, other friends as well as relatives from Womboko joined them as well as they opened gardens. Another tradition affirmed that ManyangMasonje left Isongo as well as Bakingili where he settled around Bimbia where he had many catches inwards “ISU” important the terminate of my journey. Nakande from Bomboko settled inwards Bonakanda which was called Ligbea which meant a identify for practiced farming. He was a farmer.
Bakwer hole-and-corner society dancer
However, although hunting was the primary motive behind the Bomboko migration, fertility of the soil on the slopes of mount Republic of Cameroon was as a house factor. While the men were engaged inwards hunting, the women farmed the solid ground as well as subsequently, other migrants from Bomboko established Bakweri villages which were named after their founders. Although in that location is some catch that the truthful Bakweri are the people of Buea as well as its surrounding villages, other groups classified nether Bakweri included Bomboko, the expanse which the Bakweri are said to have got originated as well as Wovea. The Bakweri are found on the eastern as well as southward eastern slopes of the mountain, coastal Bomboko on the south-east coast, the inland Bomboko on the North-west of the Bakweri as well as Isuwu as well as Wovea are on the southern coast of the Fako Division.
Dr E.M.L. Endeley (with folder), foremost Premier of the British Southern Cameroons. Behind him is Nerius N Mbile (left)
The Isuwu are also believed to have got originated from Bomboko. Isuwu was also known as Bimbia named after MbibiMbela who was the master copy of the expanse inwards the in conclusion quarter of the 19th century. According to some other source, their ancestors came from Bankingili as well as womana. The wovea claimed to have got originated from Fernando Po who settled inwards the islands of Ambas Bay. All the inwards a higher identify was due to the potential of the expanse similar fertile soil as well as hunting facilities. This same fertile soil also attracted the Europeans into the expanse since their motive was centered on economic. Although these groups lived closer to each other, as well as practiced the same culture, they were independent from each other. The High German successful attacks on the Bakweri could live attributed to this division. If the Bakweri were united, as well as then their in conclusion defeat yesteryear the Germans during the Bakweri resistance nether the leadership of KuvaLikenya could have got failed as well as fifty-fifty if non the alienation policy powerfulness have got adopted a dissimilar shape, thus the loose political as well as social ties with the Bakweri worked inwards favor of the Germans.
The Bakweri belong to the most north-western branch of the Bantu speaking people inhabiting primal as well as southern Africa. To live sure enough well-nigh the appointment the Bakweri reached their nowadays site, it was around 1750 as confirmed yesteryear genealogical evidence that it was the fourth dimension they arrived 1 of their earliest settlement, Buea. Other sources asserted that the population clitoris per unit of measurement area which affected Nigeria drove the Bakweri from their habitation close Lake Barombi inwards Kumba to the mount Fako area.
Bakweri chieftains
Economy
The economic scheme included agriculture, beast husbandry, hunting , line-fishing as well as nutrient gathering. The dissimilar methods applied to agriculture included the slash as well as burn. Most people practiced subsistence farming which included careful solid ground direction techniques similar intensive farming because the solid ground of the mount slopes were rattling fertile. Generally, tools usage include earthworks sticks, hoes, as well as matches. Fire was also used to clear the bush. Sometimes, fences were constructed to guard against beast incursion as well as destruction. Before formal agriculture, the early on people practiced fishing, hunting as well as nutrient gatherings. They used spears, clubs as well as other implements to hunt game inwards the mountain, woods as well as slopes.
The presence of plantations brought inwards a modify inwards economic scheme as well as commerce as the traditional commerce which was characterized yesteryear merchandise yesteryear batter came to an end. The marketplace economic scheme was introduced inwards which every transaction was inwards damage of High German mark. Before the introduction of plantation agriculture, the natives were involved inwards subsistence agriculture inwards which nutrient crops such as cocoyam, plantains, beans, maize as well as yams were grown. The introduction of plantations led the natives to undertake cash crop production inwards crops similar cocoa, palm products as well as java for export. With the introduction of cash crops it led to the creation of Botanical garden inwards Victoria yesteryear Governor Von Soden who was charged with the question plants suitable for the plantations. Dr Preuss was the principal officeholder inwards accuse of the Garden. This question centre controlled other stations inwards the interior. Over a thou dissimilar plants were tested soil studies carried out as well as meteorological data tabulated. Investigations inwards this garden included the command of cocoa diseases? It was these botanical gardens that gave inspiration to the creation of the Republic of Cameroon Development Corporation the question centre at Ekona as well as many other authorities question stations inwards Cameroon.
In spite of the inwards a higher identify mentioned advantaged that the plantations brought into the Bakweri land, it was sure enough that it as brought some setbacks which could live examined inwards dissimilar perspective.
Dr Emil Mandoa, Bakweri tribe`s man
Source of income: They practise mixed farming as well as they hunt. Crops mostly cultivated are cocoyam, palm fruit but they mostly live on cocoyams. They sell the excess of their production. Through the rearing of animal. Those who possessed many animals where consider as rich. They reared animals similar pigs as well as bush cows, but they do non nurture nor eat sheep. Between 1850 as well as 1890, the Bakweri became rich inwards other ways. By trading nutrient stuffs to the coast, as well as blocking the way of expedition into the interior, they had acquired considerable merchandise goods. Servants where taken within the tribe, they were non payed but had costless food.
Leveling mechanisms: In the Bakweri soceity, in that location is no particular shape of of leveling mechanism. Everybody owns his/her farm, as well as everybody minds his or her business. The only situatin where sharing is needed is during the menstruation of rituals, where every private must give a percentage of his squealer to every 1 who comes across his/her.
Buea Market, Cameroon
Sexual Division of Labour as well as The Mokpe (Bakweri) Woman as well as her Role inwards the Mokpe Traditional Society
There is a sexual partition of labour (SDL) inwards bakweri inwards which in that location is the delegation of dissimilar tasks betwixt men as well as women. Among nutrient foragers, men as well as women target dissimilar types of nutrient as well as percentage them with each other for a mutual or familial benefit. In some villages, men as well as women eat slightly dissimilar foods, as well as in some other, men as well as women routinely percentage the same food.
Bakweri adult woman of Buea heating the leafage before using it to wrap food
According to Catherine L. L. Musoko "In spite of beingness relegated to the background, the traditional Bakweri adult woman nonetheless wielded lots of powerfulness behind the scenes, as well as greatly influenced decisions related to the running of the clan.
Traditional Bakweri society was matrilineal inwards structure. This was seen inwards the Ewong’a Yowo as well as Ewong’a Mokossa (“medicine bench”) which was shared solely yesteryear the sons as well as daughters of the same mothers, as well as never of the same fathers. The patrilineal human relationship was, however, strongly upheld as far as settlement of property, the burial of the deceased, the selection of a permanent abode for the family, or the taking of a married adult woman were concerned.
Bakweri women Washing clothes inwards the catchment expanse of Bonduma inwards Buea.
Thus, the children of a boy (whose married adult woman naturally came from a dissimilar mother-clan) could non percentage inwards the ceremonies of the medicine human being of the Ewong’a Yowo, whose duty was to ensure the well-being as well as continuity of the mother-clan. So, people who shared the Jongo or “pot” were bound together yesteryear an unalterable as well as undivided kinship, as well as they stood yesteryear each other through thick as well as thin. Matrilineal kinship was for ever!
The Mokpe Woman as well as the Health of the Family: The Mokpe adult woman was, direct or indirectly, the custodian of the identify unit of measurement health. This was manifested from the minute she became pregnant. She had to nurture the yet unborn kid yesteryear taking component division inwards all the traditional pre-natal rituals – the Masongis, the native herbs that serve as enema; the nutrient to eat or non to eat; the places to go; the fourth dimension to live or non to live intimate with her husband, etc. If she missed out on whatsoever of these rituals as well as something went incorrect with the baby, the blame would live wholly hers as well as her mother-clan. No 1 else took responsibility.
The Mokpe Woman as well as her Spouse: In traditional Bakweri society, women were chosen as futurity spouses when they were still children, as well as inwards some cases, fifty-fifty before they were born. However, 1 time the union had taken identify as well as the hubby did non live upwards to expectations, the adult woman was costless to divorce him. This was done irrespective of the persuasion of the woman’s manful somebody relatives, including that of her ain father.
All that was required of adult woman was that she did non involve her manful somebody parent inwards the “dowry-refund” predicament, as well as that she was rapidly picked upwards yesteryear some other hubby either through an intermediary or at the Chief’s residence, where such union deals were to a greater extent than often than non reported. In this instance the adult woman was a costless paw – she could fifty-fifty take her hubby yesteryear next the historic menstruation old custom of boldly going to the caprine animal house (Lièfe) of the human being of her pick as well as slaughtering the biggest nanny caprine animal yesteryear wounding or cutting its cervix or head. The would-be hubby deemed this a sign of award as well as accepted the paw of the adult woman with joy. Of course, a adult woman taking such a mensuration knew her ain assets – elements such as her beauty or reputation for difficult piece of work position her inwards practiced stead.
The Mokpe adult woman as a nursing woman parent was expected to curb her sexual appetite so as to safeguard the life as well as wellness of her baby. Hence, during this period, she was constantly warned; “don’t appear that way”, important she had to allow for a few marital escapades yesteryear her husband.
Nonetheless, the traditional Bakweri adult woman was yesteryear no way a yes-sir woman. She took her rightful identify inwards deciding which other adult woman her hubby wished to take, as well as sometimes fifty-fifty take such a “mbanyi” herself.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 husband’s prosperity was also intricately linked to the influence of his married adult woman or wives. The wives tended his pigs, goats, cattle, looked after his mawus, arable land, so no 1 could trespass or top them, etc.
Mokpe women were as well as still are the animators of the social life of their people. They characteristic prominently inwards engagements, weddings, as well as other events such as the election of a novel Chief, the celebration of a “fombo”, or successes inwards courtroom cases.
Female dances include the Ambassi as well as the Maninga, which are especially for the youths; as well as the Lingombi, the Mundame, the Wokeka as well as the Veleke that are preformed yesteryear both men as well as women.
The Masua Cult It was a cult that brought together women of high repute inwards the community, especially those who had successfully gone through the kpave or sasswood ordeal. These women formed a society of desirables as well as men vied for their hand.
On the whole, Bakweri women led as well as influenced all areas of community life, sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. They still do.
Political organization
The bakweri s are an instance of a segmentary society. They are grouped inwards societies of villages where each identify unit of measurement maintains its independence. They bakweri live inwards a modest clusters of 10 to xx house as well as settlement designing was imposed on them yesteryear the Germans. The Germans herded the Bakweri people into the peripheries when they expropriated the solid ground for plantation. The hamlet caput has only limited authority. They hamlet has a council of elders which helps the master copy inwards regulating the affairs of they village. The most prominent families inwards Bakweri tribal history are Wonya Likenye Endeley of buea as well as the identify unit of measurement of Mangaa William of the Victoria ( today called Limbe). The Bakweri political organisations was divided into dissimilar classes.
The Nakuve: Chief SML Endeley-Paramount Chief of Buea
The Family
It was composed of a human being as well as his married adult woman (wives) his children as well as relatives with blood ties. The identify unit of measurement unit served as the base of operations of political establishment inwards the Bakweri society. The manful somebody parent was the caput as well as has as obligations to preside over identify unit of measurement affairs. At the story of the extended identify unit of measurement the caput was the oldest human being who was believed to have got a lot of experience inwards wordily matters. He was automatically considered patriarch of the tribe. He had as component division to perform ancestral sacrifices as well as chair identify unit of measurement gatherings. These decisions were non autocratic especially due to the fact that he had to consult some elderly people inwards the identify unit of measurement lineage before taking decisions on matters of paramount importance. Consequently, the eldest people inwards the Bakweri community earned much admiration as well as honour from the younger generations due to the fact that they performed the mediatory role betwixt the ancestors as well as the world of the living. In the same line of thought, historic menstruation was considered as the only criteria which enabled people inwards the Bakweri society to commune with the ancestors as well as decode ancestral messages. In monastic tell words, historic menstruation was the main criteria required to climb the curtain of power.
The Village Administration
At this story of the community, the villages were autonomous from 1 some other consisting of identify unit of measurement compounds separated from 1 some other yesteryear a fence called “NgaoMboa”. The hamlet political leaders had a similar source of powers as those at the identify unit of measurement level. The variation hither was with the identify unit of measurement of the hamlet founder that a leader was chosen. Consequently, the identify unit of measurement of the hamlet founder was automatically considered the royal family.
Traditional Leader of Muea, Buea, H.R.H. Chief David Ikome Molinge
This was how the Likenya identify unit of measurement came to prominence inwards Buea as they were linked to Eeye Tama Lifenje, the foremost persons to settle inwards Buea. At the story of hamlet administration, the master copy did non execute this heavy project alone. He was assisted yesteryear a hamlet council which had effective powers over the village. It was an ill-defined trunk with no precise number of members. The decisions of the council were made world yesteryear the hamlet councils spoke human being “Sango Mboa” as well as the members of the hamlet council were elders called “Vanbaki”. The organizational nautical chart of the Bakweri society was a triangular mechanism which revolved around the identify unit of measurement at the base, with the hamlet council as well as the master copy at the top. Thus the Bakweri whose territorial limits were governed yesteryear fixed as well as permanents institutions were a state- similar society. These organs, oriented political as well as social life as well as organized the society inwards the human face of external aggression.
His Royal Highness Chief Humphrey Tande Mosenge of Small Soppo Wonganga, Buea
This Likenye chiefly line of Buea draw their pridigree from1884 downward to the nowadays twenty-four hours as inwards the nautical chart below:
Law as well as Social Control
It is handled yesteryear the master copy or the quarter head, you lot are foremost taken to the quarter caput when you lot don’t honour the law, if non satisfied with that judgment you lot are taken to the master copy where you lot are guess yesteryear notables. Land dispute, fighting taking belongings that doesn’t belong to you, you lot are taken to the quarter head. Concerning sanctions the master copy or elders create upwards one's heed or how you lot are to live punished. If you lot are guilty of serious crimes similar incest, as well as trahison, you lot are exiled to Limbe.
Bakweri leaders
Social Organization
The Bakweri society just similar most tribal scheme inwards the woods zone was organized inwards peculiar fashion which was inwards accordance with their ain perception of life. The social construction shall live examined from the dot shape stratification.
Chief Tande Mosenge receiving gift from his wife
Class Stratification
The traditional African societies inwards full general had a peculiar way of organizing themselves. The Bakweri people were no exception to this rule. They were stratified nether 3 distinct groups notably strangers, natives as well as slaves. Natives of the Bakweri ethnic grouping were called “Wopnja”. They were those believed to have got blood ties with ancestral world of the clan.
This shape of people were privilege to participate inwards restraint hole-and-corner societies as well as other affairs concerning the Bakweri human being as well as his territory. Next to this grouping with honour to hierarchy was the strangers called “wajili”. This was attributed to unusual settlers inwards the solid ground considered as Bakweri territory with no blood human relationship with the ancestors of the Bakweri people. Finally, were the slaves called “Wokomi” which was the in conclusion grouping as well as was situated at the bottom of the social table.They consisted of people who co-habited with Bakweri people but had lesser privileges. They settled on Bakweri soil as a resultant of the fact that they were either bought from neighboring tribes or caught as state of war captives.
Marriage as well as identify unit of measurement life
Dating rituals: It is the manful somebody parent who looks for the wife. The Bakweri people are non usually allow to date. It is the manful somebody parent of the man child or missy who appear for a partner for their son/daughter.
The bakweri are non commonly supposed to have got gender activity before marriage. It is only when all the bride toll has beingness paid, that the bride is taken to the grooms room, they have got sex. On this night, a white bed canvass is spread on the bed, for the distich to have got gender activity on it. Since the bride has to live a virgin, she must bleed on the bed sheet, as well as that volition testify to the groom’s identify unit of measurement that the bride was a practiced one.
Marriage patterns: The Bakweri have got traditionally practised polygamy, although with Christianisation, this custom has go extremely rare. In the traditional Bakweri society, women are chosen as futurity spouses when they are still children, as well as inwards some cases, fifty-fifty before they were born. The manful somebody parent or relative of the adult woman have got been paid a dowry, thus the adult woman is considered as a belongings to the hubby as well as his family. Upon the husband’s death, the eldest surviving blood brother inherits the wife. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 husband’s prosperity was also intricately linked to the influence of his married adult woman or wives. The wives tended his pigs, goats, cattle, arable land, so no 1 could trespass or top them, etc. The Bakweri are rattling exogamous when it comes to marriage. They honour their blood lineage, thence they do non wed with people from the same village. They do non practise incest. Incest is fifty-fifty considered as a taboo, as well as serious practise needs to live practise to purify the identify unit of measurement name. They wed from rattling far area, or distances, but nowadays, some people wed inwards unopen area, as well as endogamy is at nowadays becoming mutual with the Bakweri.In the bakweri, union is a union betwixt a clan, as well as identify unit of measurement as well as non betwixt individuals. The thought is that the bride toll is genuinely never fully paid, because if it is completely paid, it volition live similar the missy has been sold, as well as no 1 inwards the identify unit of measurement or clan volition live able to acquire wed with someone inwards that tribe again, it is to a greater extent than similar an agreement, as well as the bride toll is to intensify the union relationship.
Marriage rituals as well as practices: It is the manful somebody parent who pays the dawry, because the immature human being is non working as well as the manful somebody parent is supposed to ain goods thence he is the 1 who pays. After fulfilling the requirement it is the human being who decides on when to take the wife. The twenty-four hours of that occasion you lot convey the large as well as the girls identify unit of measurement will access you lot on what to pay. The manful somebody parent of the missy volition start the biting on the toll of the dowry from 1 million, until the ii families arrive at at 500000FCFA, which is usually the lowest amount they tin can accept. Sometimes, the ii families may come upwards come to a compromise as well as inquire the groom to give what he has. If you lot don’t kill the squealer you lot are non fully married, the Bakweri don’t usually issued union certificate. After paying component division of the dowry, that is when you lot are officially married. On the union day, the girls identify unit of measurement brings the bride to the mans family. The ceremony is celebrated, on after the ceremony, the bride as well as the grooms identify unit of measurement prepares a overnice bed with a white bed canvass on which the bride is expected to bleed, as a sign of her virginity. If the adult woman bleeds on the sheet, as well as then she is a practiced bride, if not, she powerfulness live disregarded yesteryear her groom as well as the groom’s family.
Bakweri wedding
Bakweri Cultural/Traditional Wedding
According to Mola Mbua Ndoko the formal physical care for of acquiring a married adult woman as was prescribed yesteryear Bakweri elders to a greater extent than than 200 years agone involves 3 phases:
1. The approbation of the parents, especially the mothers of the spouses-elect.
2. Sealing of the union contract (efeyo).
3. The wedding.
Phase One: The Engagement (Ewanda)
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 woman somebody infant was engaged fifty-fifty when she was still inwards her mother's womb. It was an oral contract betwixt practiced friends. The contract was regularized inwards due course of study at the appropriate time. The physical care for of deciding that an engagement (Ewanda) tin can at nowadays take identify is slow since the families concerned demand fourth dimension to quietly investigate each another. Matters to live investigated include: fertility, history of diseases peculiar with sure enough families, practices of evil witchcraft such as nyongo.
When the parents of a man child or a man child himself are interested inwards marrying a girl, the manful somebody parent of the man child sends an emissary to communicate his intention to the parents of the girl. The emissary would usually live a unopen fellow member of the family: an aunt, an uncle, or a cousin to the boy. Even when the parents of the missy consider a asking as irresistible their reply would commonly take a shape similar this:
"Thank you. We also volition give the thing due consideration".
You have got flattered us (e-jeni isofe vato).
Give us fourth dimension to consider your request".
After 1 or ii months the emissary would render to the parents of the missy to discovery out their reaction. If the identify unit of measurement of the missy accepts the proposal their reply would take a shape similar this:
"yaa ! inyo ndi joo-ngo".
Literally:
"We are hither waiting as well as looking forwards to your farther reaction to the situation".
As recent as 60-70 years agone an engagement (ewanda) was a purely private ceremony involving well-nigh 10 persons, 4 to 5 representatives of the man child intending to wed as well as well-nigh 5 representatives of the missy to live married. Representatives were commonly unopen members of the families concerned: the parents of the man child as well as the girl, aunts, uncles, maternal nieces. Ewanda takes identify at the residence of the parents of the girl. Ewanda is an oral contract where the representatives of the man child confirm their intention to have got their man child married to the missy concerned. The identify unit of measurement of the man child commonly presents an ewanda gift to the girl. If the missy is also shy to consider the representatives of the bridegroom elect, the girl’s woman parent would have the gift on behalf of her daughter.
After an engagement ceremony has taken identify the parents of the man child may commence to pay dowry inwards installments to the parents of the girl. The foremost parent to have the foremost installment of dowry must live the woman parent of the girl. Reason. It has been realized that a union that takes identify inwards defiance of disapproval of the woman parent of the missy or the woman parent of the man child is to a greater extent than often than non doomed to failure. The foremost installment of dowry that the woman parent of the missy receives is a immature woman somebody smoothen looking caprine animal that has non started to deliver. Acceptance of the caprine animal yesteryear a woman parent is a farther postage stamp of approbation of the union yesteryear the mother.
Phase Two: Sealing of the union contract (efeyo)
Efeyo is a world ceremony. There are ii types of efeyo, namely "efeyo yi itote", as well as efeyo ya mwese.
(i). Efeyo yi Itote –An all dark ceremony inwards which formal assessment as well as reconciliation of dowry that the manful somebody parent of the bride to live has so far received. More dowry installments may still live paid during the efeyo ceremony. The terminate of an efeyo is the formal sealing of a union contract. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 union contract is sealed with the formal sharing of a ngowa ye efeyo to all manful somebody witnesses to an efeyo ceremony. The ngowa is expected to consider conventional requirements. The ngowa must live either a woman somebody or a castrated ngowa a maata.
Efeyo contracts used to live oral. In a instance where in that location is a written contract the signatories to the contract would commonly live the parents of the spouses-elect. Marriage contracts are traditionally as well as culturally affairs reserved for handling yesteryear the parents of the spouses-elect.
Note: Dowry received yesteryear the woman parent is a private affair. It is non a world ceremony. The dowry used to live well-nigh 1 quarter of the dowry that the manful somebody parent to the missy receives.
At the successful conclusion of an efeyo the girl/woman to live married virtually becomes the wife-elect of his boy/man.
Efeyo yi Itote takes identify at the premises of the manful somebody parent of the bridegroom to be. Before commencement of line of piece of work organisation the guests, that is, the manful somebody parent of the missy to live married as well as his entourage have got to live entertained with a middle size ngowa as well as other rich nutrient as well as a reasonable quantity of palm wine. The ngowa must foremost of all live shown to an accredited representative of the manful somebody parent of the missy to live married before cooking starts. The representative has ascendency to either have got the ngowa or reject it if the ngowa falls curt of conventional requirements. The manful somebody parent of the missy to live married may similarly reject the ngowa ye efeyo if the ngowa does non consider normal standards.
e-ngowa ye efeyo is shared into 3 lots.
1. Lot 1 goes to the manful somebody parent of the missy to live married as well as his family. Tradition requires that the thorax of the ngowa should live given to the maternal uncle of the missy to live married.
2. Lot ii goes to the manful somebody parent of the bridegroom-elect as well as members of his entourage
3. Lot 3 is reserved for all manful somebody witnesses to the ceremony.
Business commences before long after nightfall. It is a slow all dark affair, punctuated intermittently with rich bombastic cultural pronouncements relevant to efeyo. The pronouncements are commonly made yesteryear representatives of the manful somebody parent of the bridegroom-elect as well as the manful somebody parent of the missy to live married. No 1 is inwards a hurry. It is an occasion to boast with exaggerations as well as to demonstrate how the immediate manful somebody identify unit of measurement members of the spouses-elect are good versed with cultural splendours inwards efeyo as well as union affairs inwards general.
Dowry is inwards the shape of goats. The manful somebody parent of the missy to live married may asking as many as 1 thou (ikoli) goats or more. Tradition does non allow that consummate dowry live paid on the twenty-four hours of the efeyo. The residue of dowry may live paid inwards installments inwards due course. Taking payoff of this province of affairs the manful somebody parent of the bridegroom to live after consultation with members of his entourage finally boastfully accepts whatsoever number of goats that his friend requires. At that juncture the most of import stage inwards the ceremony is the presentation, the acceptance, the slaughter as well as the sharing of e-ngowa ye efeyo. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 union contract, oral or written, is sealed with the slaughter as well as sharing of e-ngowa ye efeyo.
The sharing of e-ngowa ye efeyo is assigned to someone who knows to whom special parts of the ngowa must go. For instance, the intestine of the ngowa is an automatic extra percentage that goes to the manful somebody parent of the bridegroom elect. There is no status known as "gate crasher" inwards the thing of having a percentage of e-ngowa ye efeyo. Every manful somebody witness (teenage, adult. elderly) to an efeyo has a traditional/cultural correct to a formal percentage of the ngowa. Women are non expected to participate inwards the long all dark cultural efeyo ceremony. Not beingness active participants or active witnesses to the ceremony women are non entitled to formal shares of e-ngowa ye efeyo. Women yet have got an understandable correct to "taste" the nutrient before it is served to the manful somebody parent of the bride elect as well as his entourage.
Phase Three - The wedding
Before the wedding ceremony takes place, the parents of the bridegroom-elect volition foremost of all nowadays some other smoothen looking woman somebody caprine animal that has non yet started to deliver to the woman parent of the bride-elect. The caprine animal is known as "e-mboli etimba nosotros ewongo": Literally, the caprine animal that is expected to usage or lie/sleep on the sofa (ewongo) on which the bride-elect used to sleep.
The Wedding: Abduction or formal.
(a) Abduction. The manful somebody parent of the bride-elect is expected to give her missy substantial wedding ceremony gifts. When the manful somebody parent is unable to, or is reluctant to create the gifts or when he fails on successive occasions to honour dates fixed for the wedding ceremony it is a diplomatic signal to the identify unit of measurement of the bridegroom-elect that they may abduct the bride-elect. Since yesteryear tradition a bride-elect is virtually a married adult woman after an efeyo abduction is permissible.
(b) Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 formal wedding. The Bride is escorted to her matrimonial habitation yesteryear an entourage of well-nigh 5 to vii duly accredited, respected as well as successfully married women, accompanied yesteryear ii or 3 strong men to carry the Bride on their shoulders when the Bride as well as her entourage are well-nigh to go inwards the hamlet of the Bridegroom. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 bride is expected to move inwards the night. Trekking to her matrimonial habitation thence commences before long after nightfall.
One of the wedding ceremony gifts that a manful somebody parent is expected to give to her missy is a practiced looking mwaaka 2nd mboli (a castrated caprine animal or a woman somebody goat). Fat from the belly of the caprine animal is rubbed on the pilus of the bride, spell the meat of the caprine animal forms component division of the boiled nutrient that the bride takes with her to her matrimonial home.
As before long as trekking begins the entourage starts to sing at the top of their voices "moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee ! The singing is formal notice to the hamlet community that the Bride is departing. Singing commences 1 time to a greater extent than whenever the Bride as well as her entourage are passing through a village. Then comes the pomp as well as circumstance of the formal entry of the Bride as well as her entourage into the hamlet of the Bridegroom. The Bride at nowadays firmly carried high on the shoulders of 1 of the men inwards the entourage is decorated as well as redecorated with fanciful caput ties wrapped on her arms as well as her head. She would commonly have on a full-length kaava. The entourage as well as then intensifies singing of the classical wedding ceremony song:
"Moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee (hurrah, behold the Bride is coming).
Moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee.
o-maasa Moombi 2nd Ngondo, mo-ma ja (Bridegroom ! The teenage Bride you lot have got been yearning for has at nowadays come).
Moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee.
Responding inwards joyful mood, the hamlet community of the Bridegroom joins inwards singing at the top of their voices: "Moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee”, as well as and then gracefully escorts the Bride as well as her entourage inwards pomp as well as circumstance into the chemical compound of the manful somebody parent of the Bridegroom. The woman parent of the Bridegroom waiting at the main door of the house receives the Bride with an comprehend as well as and then hands to the Bride a walking stick as well as a woman somebody chicken that has non yet started to deliver. The feathers of the chicken must live void of precipitous contrasting colours such as dark spots on white background (matono ma wuva).
The Bride’s entourage is lavishly entertained with a rich diversity of food. The Bride sits unopen to the Bridegroom. She may non eat out of shyness. The adjacent stage of the ceremony is a litany of advice inwards the shape of "don’ts". This physical care for is known as "lifema la Moombi".
"Moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee",
Moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee;
"omasa Moombi 2nd Ngondo, mo-ma ja
You have got been yearning for a teenage Bride.
Here she is.
Moombi wee. wee ! Moombi wee" !
"Moombi wee, wee ! Moombi wee.
osi taata Munyango, Moombi wee, wee ! Mombi wee".
Bride, don’t care for your hubby with contempt. Moombi wee, wee, Moombi wee.
Don’t starve your husband. Moombi wee, wee, Moombi wee.
Don’t despise members of the identify unit of measurement of your husband. Moombi wee, wee.
Moombi wee", as well as so on.
Members of the Bride’s entourage render to their respective homes adjacent morn after breakfast. The manful somebody parent of the Bridegroom hands each fellow member of the entourage an appreciation gift known as "mofaki"
Honeymoon. The length of the honeymoon is determined yesteryear circumstances. During that menstruation the newly married missy is non expected to carry out formal domestic activities, such as cooking, fetching of H2O from the spring, or going to the farm to harvest food. Volunteer woman somebody members of the husband’s identify unit of measurement carry out the cooking as well as other domestic services.
The terminate of the honeymoon is marked yesteryear the preparation of a formal repast yesteryear the newly married girl. She would commonly live assisted inwards cooking yesteryear members of her identify unit of measurement (mother, aunt, sister, niece) as well as the woman parent as well as aunts as well as sisters of her spouse. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 element component division of the repast is nguma ngowa, that is, the meat of a immature squealer provided yesteryear the identify unit of measurement of the newly married immature man. The squealer must live either woman somebody or castrated.
Efeyo ya Mwese
In the trial of a divorced adult woman remarrying, her novel hubby refunds to the former hubby dowry that was paid inwards honour of the woman. The ceremony takes identify either at the hall of a hamlet traditional council or at a customary court.
Bakweri people performing traditional trip the lite fantastic at wedding
Inheritance or kinship patterns
Bakweri inheritance is patrilineal; upon the father’s death, his belongings is inherited yesteryear his eldest son. Inheritance also depends on the behavior of the children. If a kid is a master copy or is rattling stubborn or is noted for a rattling bad grapheme similar arrogance to the elders, or disregard to the tradition, the manful somebody parent tin can create upwards one's heed to give his inheritance to the brother.
Bakweri human being dancing
Also, if the manful somebody parent dies when the children are still rattling young, the inheritance tin can live transfered to a identify unit of measurement fellow member who is trust worthy. Also een the adjacent of manful somebody monarch doesn’t necessarily way that all the belongings belongs to you, you lot are the 1 to command the property. If you lot are non from the royal identify unit of measurement you lot cannot live made a king. King makers are people who come upwards from the master copy family. Notables as well as are the people who decides on the adjacent manful somebody monarch after the initial manful somebody monarch has made his will. Furthermore, nosotros telephone outcry upwards “Manawondja”, when a adult woman is non married as well as have got attained an historic menstruation when she tin can no to a greater extent than acquire married as well as then she tin can have got a phonation inwards the family.
Bakweri people
Household patterns
In the Bakweri soceity, many families are monogamous, as well as thence in that location is no conjugal household from within the family. Furthermore, the Bakwerians pass a lot of fourth dimension at habitation with their children, as well as the identify unit of measurement is the main unit of measurement of production, therefore, in that location is no particular houshold designing within the Bakweri soceity.
Bakweri people
Religious Belief
Bakweris, similar many other tribes inwards the Federal Republic of Republic of Cameroon have got no unjust thought of the Deity. This is clear from the words that they usage inwards describing Him. They ascribe to God the attributes of omniscience, omnipotence, as well as invisibility. They telephone outcry upwards Him the Protector, Maeke ; the Creator of all things, Iwonde ; the Guardian as well as Keeper of all things, Motateli ; the Law-Giver, the Governor, the Source of the Word, Ovase or Lova.
These important appellations are non just used inwards religious ceremonies. They are component division as well as bundle of every-day language, as for instance, inwards the mutual central of greetings. Among Bakweris, when 1 is asked "how are you," w'a okaneya, it is non uncommon for the inquirer to have the answer: "N'eki Maeke", I give thank you lot to the Protector. So deep is their belief inwards the omniscience as well as omnipotence of the Supreme Being that 1 has to sympathize the thought patterns of the Bakweris to appreciate the component division that religious mysticism plays inwards their twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours affairs.
Bakweri Cosmology: Bakweri cosmology splits the world into ii orders of being, Vaenya as well as Vawoo. Literally, these words hateful respectively, the living as well as the dead. But inwards a wider sense,
Vaenya, the living, is used to comprehend all physical or stuff things. All things that belong to the Vaenya monastic tell tin can live perceived yesteryear anyone ; they occupy definite locations inwards space. It is interesting, however, that Bakweris do non include air inwards this category.
Air is to a greater extent than often than non looked upon as a transitory chemical element that forms a span betwixt the monastic tell of Vaenya as well as that of Vawoo : that this chemical element shares many characteristics of things inwards both orders did non escape the Bakweris inwards their cosmological speculations. For indeed in that location is a schoolhouse of thought which believes that air, at to the lowest degree its fundamental life-giving element, pervades the entire universe. That chemical element is believed to live the essential composition of the entities that belong to the Vawoo order. This concept, it should live noted, is non far removed from the Western theory of "Ether of space" nor is it rattling dissimilar from what Yogis telephone outcry upwards "Prana".
The Vawoo monastic tell embraces all the invisible forces of nature. This includes the spirits of the dead as well as a large array of forces that have got ever puzzled human intelligence. While the Bakweris do non create watertight definitions as well as descriptions of the characteristics of elements inwards the Vawoo order, they do believe that the monastic tell exists as well as have got thus devised methods yesteryear which contacts tin can live made as well as yesteryear which the forces of that monastic tell tin can live directed to, as well as manipulated for, man's benefit.
Mention has been made inwards a higher identify of the belief that air forms a span betwixt the ii orders. It has also been stated that a sure enough indefinable chemical element inwards air pervades the entire universe. This life-giving as well as life-sustaining element, Bakweris telephone outcry upwards Muulu. Muulu is needed yesteryear things inwards both orders as well as inwards human being it is life itself ; it is the godliness inwards him as well as it gives him his individuality. Man is believed to demand Muulu throughout his earthly existence as well as because of its imperishable as well as indestructible nature, when Muulu departs from man, as well as he attains the solid ground that is called Kpeli or death, Muulu continues.
The Human Spirit After Death: Bakweris believe that Muulu, the life-giving forcefulness of Elinge or soul affects human being throughout his earthly existence inwards a number of ways. But this influence upon human being cannot live described as control. It falls curt of that. Nor tin can it live equated with what some western philosophers depict as "dualistic interventionism" ; for this latter concept has a number of assumptions which would appear to the Bakweris as illogical, untenable or fifty-fifty pragmatic.
Upon expiry Muulu or Elinge is believed to linger around for 3 days during which it bids good daytime to all with whom the deceased had been acquainted inwards his earthly existence. This is why on the tertiary twenty-four hours after expiry it is the custom to organize a modest feast known as Sassa. The feast serves to bid good daytime to the deceased. In feasting, partakers are expected to throw pieces of nutrient around. These are eaten upwards yesteryear domestic animals as well as birds that may live nowadays as well as through them the deceased participates inwards the feasting.
This shape of participation is easily understandable as well as should occasion no surprise. In the transition that is called Kpeli or death, the spiritual essence departs from the trunk as well as becomes 1 with the life-giving force, Muulu, that permeates the entire universe - which includes men, animals, as well as birds. Consequently, the deceased is believed to participate inwards the feasting through men, animals, as well as birds present. But his good daytime feast does non imply that no farther contact tin can live made with departed ones. Bakweris have got a number of names for the Deity. One of these is Ovase which way the Source of the Word. If readers may permit a trivial diversion into its etymology, Ovase is a substantive coined out of the Bakweri verb l'ova, important to speak, to say.
The Power of the Word: It is important that this Bakweri concept of God as the give-and-take through which as well as yesteryear which all things are made as well as unmade tallies with the Christian version of it as
expressed inwards the Fourth Gospel - the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. John. The Prologue of this Gospel begins as follows : "In the commencement was the Word ; as well as the Word was with God, as well as the Word was God."
The belief inwards the Word, the belief inwards the magic powerfulness of the Word is so deeply embedded inwards the minds of the Bakweris that foreigners who have got non been initiated into their philosophy as well as cosmological concepts are often at a loss at understanding fifty-fifty the simplest of the numerous practices that create upwards Bakweri religious mysticism. Most of these practices have got received violent denunciations of Westerners as well as to a greater extent than particularly, Western Missionaries who percentage with their colonialist brethren the built inwards conviction that they stand upwards for a "superior culture." The natural corollary of this baseless conviction has been disrespect for all things Cameroonian and, yesteryear extension, all things African.
Bakweris know that human being is unique because of his powerfulness over the Word. By this power, human being is able to telephone outcry upwards forth as well as guide the life force. This is the important of life, this is existence : to have the give-and-take ; to invoke it ; to percentage it with other beings, living as well as dead, human or divine.
Diverse are the uses to which the powerfulness of the Word tin can live put. The human being of affairs discovers that he is unsuccessful as well as he decides to usage the powerfulness of the Word to modify his fortune. He obtains a bottle of vino as well as goes to the grave of an ancestor, pours the vino as well as asks for God's approving through his ancestor inwards monastic tell that his fortune may change. Parents create upwards one's heed to give their missy inwards union as well as they pour some vino or water, as the instance may be, at the door of their house as well as inwards doing so, they conjure upwards the blessings of their ancestors inwards monastic tell that the union may live successful.
The Nganga or healer, whom all foreigners telephone outcry upwards "witch doctor" spits upon his herbs as well as yesteryear the powerfulness of the Word conjures upwards the blessings of the Supreme Being through the invocation of his ancestors inwards monastic tell that the herbs may outcome a cure - as well as they do! Those who dot a mocking finger at the so-called "witch doctor" could have got done the same to Christ were they nowadays when He cured the human being born blind yesteryear spitting on the ground, making clay with the spittle, as well as spreading the clay over the man's eyes before commanding him to go as well as launder inwards the puddle of Siloe, John IX : 1-7. Yet this is just what Christians are doing to-day.
Young men honour elders ; they give alms to the poor as well as indulge inwards all sorts of "good works" for which they have inwards render a payment inwards the words : "lova a o namise" which mean, may God bless you. And they are satisfied as well as believe that through the powerfulness of the Word they volition have the blessings of God. These are some of the positive uses of the powerfulness of the Word as well as the way that the Bakweris usage as well as appreciate it inwards their twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours affairs. Of course, many other examples tin can live given but have got been omitted because of infinite considerations.
The Word as well as Sorcery: But the powerfulness of the Word is similar a two-edged sword. It tin can live used for practiced as well as for evil, for boon as well as for bane. This is where cursing as well as other witchological practices
come upwards in. Sorcery, the powerfulness to plow life's vital forces to evil ends, is known to usage with other things, the powerfulness of the Word. One of the commonest uses of this powerfulness is yesteryear cursing. Cursing is done inwards ii ways : first, the sorcerer may usage actual words or, secondly, he may usage a concatenation of ceremonies, including awesome incantations convert this prototype into a powerful weapon of destruction. This technique is to a greater extent than often than non known as "the powerfulness of the doll."
We shall non go into whatsoever particular on the uses of the powerfulness of the Word inwards the dark underside of Bakweri mysticism. That is exterior the orbit of this article ; but suffice to say that fifty-fifty the most Christo-centric of westerners who has lived with the Bakweris for whatsoever length of fourth dimension knows that what is referred to as sorcery, witchcraft, voodoo or nyongo genuinely "works". It would live just as foolish to dismiss these things as superstitions simply because the natives offering no scientific explanations for them as it would live to say that the police clitoris of gravity did non be before Newton discovered it.
rBakweri elders Slaughtering a squealer for a ritual during the installation of Paul Mokako Gobina as
Traditional Ruler Of Wondongo Village, Buea.
Yet, this is just the work that anyone who seeks to sympathize the natives must face. Understanding cannot come upwards when the inquirer has the built-in-feeling that he represents a "superior culture" ; for, the rattling thought of a superior civilisation is ridiculous. Any endeavour at comparative evaluation of cultures presupposes an ethnocentric perspective. And those who frown upon as well as usage derogatory epithets to depict such practices as libation ought to realise that cultural relativism stipulates, with other things, that all cultures must live viewed as adequate as well as meaningful adjustments which people have got made to the imperatives of living.
There are definitely some Cameroonians, as well as Africans for that matter, who are so plagued yesteryear the alien mentality they have got acquired inwards the course of study of their sojourn inwards distant lands that they would prefer non to hash out these practices at all. But inwards this our historic menstruation when it rests upon our shoulders to dovetail what is practiced inwards our society with the practiced things that nosotros have got learnt from our colonial masters, nosotros cannot afford to live apathetic or ashamed to examine all aspects of our national life inwards monastic tell to select the best from it.
Christianity: The Bakweri have got been largely Christianised since the 1970s. Evangelical denominations dominate, especially the Baptist church. Christianity plays an of import role inwards Bakweri regions, where music played over the radio is as probable to live the latest from Nigerian gospel vocalizer Agatha Moses as it is the latest hitting yesteryear a Nigerian music star.
Presby Church Buea
Arts
The Bakweri still practise arts as well as crafts handed downward for generations. The Bakweri are known to live skilled weavers of hats as well as shirts, for example. They also build armoires, chairs, as well as tables.
Bakweri dances serve a number of purposes. The Bakweri Male Dance, for example, demonstrates the performers' virility. Other dances are purely for enjoyment, such as the maringa as well as the ashiko, which arose inwards the 1930s, as well as the makossa as well as ambasse bey dances that accompany those musical styles.
The greatest venue for Bakweri music as well as trip the lite fantastic are the ii major festivals that take identify each twelvemonth inwards December. The Ngondo is a traditional festival of the Duala, although today all of Cameroon's coastal Sawa peoples are invited to participate. It originated as a way of preparation Duala children the skills of warfare. Now, however, the main focus is on communicating with the ancestors as well as asking them for guidance as well as protection for the future. The festivities also include armed combat, beauty pageants, pirogue races, as well as traditional wrestling.
The Mpo'o brings together the Bakoko, Bakweri, as well as Limba at Edéa. The festival commemorates the ancestors as well as allows the participants to consider the problems facing the groups as well as humanity as a whole. Lively music, dancing, theatre, as well as recitals accompany the celebration.
Bakweri Traditional Attire
The traditional attire of the Bakweri is similar to that of most, if non all, the coastal ethnic groups of Republic of Cameroon such as the Duala. It consists of the Sanja for the men as well as the Kabba for women. While the exact root of this attire is unknown, nosotros tin can assume that it appeared with the advent of European traders on the Republic of Cameroon coast who exchanged loin clothes for nutrient stuffs
Bakweri women dress
At the plow of the 19th century, Carl Bender noted that: “In towns close the coast, where European traders offering their wares inwards central for cocoa beans, kernels as well as palm oil, the loin cloth, or lapalap, a slice of colored punt or sateen well-nigh ii yards long, is coming to a greater extent than as well as to a greater extent than into use”. According to Bender, the Bakweri did inwards fact have got a traditional attire that was worn before the arrival of Europeans.
Bakweri men dress
According to Daniel Matute: "The Bakweri human being inwards the hamlet dresses inwards a long waist textile called Sanja tied circular the waist with ii overlapping edges yesteryear the sides called masu'u topped yesteryear a long sleeve shirt, preferably white, with a caput necktie or scarf around the neck. Usually a chapeau may live worn if the human being so desires. The Sanja is stitched according to the size of the private but usually 3 fathoms is a practiced sized Sanja. Some men would prefer a coat to go along with the attire."
With regards to women, Matute states that: "A typical traditional attire worn yesteryear the Bakweri women is a voluminous, clocked clothe popularly known as “Kabba”. This attire goes with a caput necktie to check with the dress. The women are highly respected for their high measure of clothe making. Exposure of the feminine legs yesteryear wearing bikinis or a pair of shorts is highly discouraged."
According to Bender: "The original native clothe is a rattling elementary affair… It consists of a modest apron made of fibre or grass as well as is girded well-nigh the loins. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 still to a greater extent than elementary clothe is worn yesteryear women as well as girls only - a braided fibre belt well-nigh 3 inches wide."
Bakweri men inwards their modern dress
Cuisine/Food/Traditional Spices
The official dish of the Bakweri is Kwakoko as well as Mosaka (Palm nut) soup. Apart from that the Bakweri have got a number of other traditional dishes that they have got made their ain yesteryear cooking or spicing them upwards with the leaves, seeds as well as other elements from the lush vegetation of the Mount Fako region. Here is a listing of some of those spices:
Manjuweli: The leafage of a modest works life of the same identify unit of measurement as "Mbongo" as well as "Indoko ja mokpe":(alligator pepper). Used mostly inwards Mosaka especilly inwards those days when the mosaka was to a greater extent than often than non cooked with "ekosel'a ngoa"(young pig) the leafage is haversted as well as washed, as well as wrapped around the pieces of meat or fish to live used inwards the "Mosaka".
Eseke-seke: it is obtained from a tree inwards the forest(not sure enough how to depict the tree)fresh, as well as and then dried before consumption. The quantitiy to usage is a thing of private taste. It is used mostly inwards pepper soup, kwalala, mosaka, as well as Ngonya wembe.
Jowe(Black Pepper): Also obtained from a woods tree.(little dark-green as well as cherry-red seeds) that plow dark after the drying process. Used inwards pepper soup, kwalala, ngonya wembe as well as for spicing of roasted meats as well as fish.
Njangasanga: Also obtained from a rattling huge woods tree. the tree bears pods that comprise the njangasanga seeds. The pods are harvested whe mature, as well as cracked opened upwards to extract the seeds which are than sun-dreid. Does good inwards warm climates. Most of it comes from Muyuka, as well as Manyu division, but it is also said that in that location is 1 huge tree somewhere inwards Bonankanda. Used inwards pepper soup, Kwalala, Ngonya wembe, spicing of meats as well as fish for roasting.(also inwards left over mosaka to live eaten with wolanga.) It is also used together with jowe as well as ngaikai inwards a dish called "Liphele".(Fish spiced as well as wrapped inwards plantain leaves as well as cooked over hot coals)
Ngai-kai: Also harvested from a woods tree. It almost looks similar what nosotros called "cashew" dorsum home. It is cracked opened upwards as well as the seed within is the Ngaikai, which is either Sun dried or smoke-dried before consumption. The next are non used as spices yesteryear the Bakweri , they are used yesteryear the Bakweri for dissimilar ailments.
Masephu: Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 elementary works life found inwards most peoples yards. the leaves are washed as well as the juice squeezed out of them using water. It is used for elementary tummy aches. Also included inwards the concoction of other leaves, plants as well as barks of trees that are steamed as well as used for "li-tumba"(a somebody suffering from malaria is sat infront of this steaming pot underneath a concealment ) as well as allowed to sweat off the fever . when the H2O cools downward inwards it as well as then used as an enema as well. It is also said that having this works life inwards the chemical compound drives away evil spirits.
Mbongo: Seeds obtained from a works life of the same species as alligator pepper.The bakweri volition ground or fifty-fifty chew it, as well as mix it inwards "manyanga"(palm heart oil). it is the applied all over the trunk of a kid with a high fever to forbid convulsions. It is also the main spice inwards "mbongo-chobi" dish of the Bassa of Cameroon.
Games
Bakweri have got a famous game for children called Kweti. It is a game that is played during the rainy flavour yesteryear the fireside. This game emphasizes the importance of naming one's relatives as well as it emphasizes the importance of retentiveness as well as quick thinking; The winner has to live rattling smart inwards verbal expression, physical dexterity as well as also to have got a precipitous memory.
Bakweri wrestling
Usually, children play this game using wood ash (liwu) as well as a stone (liyE) or charcoal (findi). While sitting yesteryear the kitchen board (ewongo) or chair (konda), someone would say, (joke kweti) lets play kweti. Then members of the identify unit of measurement would play yesteryear selecting the foremost somebody who would acquire a modest pebble as well as hide it behind his or her dorsum as well as exhibit both hands to some other play as well as say “ (Mame ne) what is this, the responder would take as well as say I take this paw as well as I throw away this paw as well as and then call a relative. (mamene kweti, mame ne joli, na wowene, nafakene mola Esombi). If the instrumentalist does non call a relative rattling fast, the other instrumentalist would hitting the spice handbasket that hangs inwards a higher identify the give notice play (mokove) as well as say (et]]ng] ). And the instrumentalist would have got to forfeit their plow to the other instrumentalist who hitting the spice handbasket as well as said et]]ng]. If the instrumentalist called the call of a relative inwards time, he/she would dip their fore finger inwards wood ash as well as position a dot on the their leg to bespeak a point. Then the game continues until the people take hold to count the dots on their legs. The somebody with the largest amount of wood ash dots on their legs wins.
Sports
One special sporting event, the Bakweri Traditional Wrestling, encompasses all the qualities the Bakweri have got inherited from their ancestors: physical endurance, agility, tearing fighting techniques, as well as a dandy sense of competition.
Wrestling is known as wesuwa as well as it’s taken rattling seriously yesteryear all the members of the community. In the yesteryear wrestling used to live an of import way of determining leadership inwards the villages; it fifty-fifty resulted inwards a state of war betwixt ii villages inwards 1891, when people from Ghango burnt downward the hamlet of Molonde inwards revenge for the expiry of their best wrestlers. Fortunately, this behaviour at nowadays a thing of the past. Today, wrestling is a friendly competition drawing a huge crowd from all over the region. Every Lord's Day for viii weeks inwards Feb as well as March every hamlet gathers their best wrestlers inwards a major competition to consider who has the best fighters with athletes showing off their fighting prowess. Each hamlet is the host of the wrestling for 1 day.
Although Bakweri wrestling is a traditional shape of fighting, it has similarities with WWF wrestling. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 check betwixt ii villages starts with all the contestants, who have on skimpy sarongs, coming together inwards the middle of the large expanse of grass which forms the wrestling pitch. The wrestlers tease each others yesteryear making gestures of threat as well as and then challenge each others into a nail-biting fight. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 contestant wins a bout yesteryear throwing his opponent on his dorsum or yesteryear taking him downward as well as and then either rolling him on his dorsum or forcing him apartment on this stomach. To set the atmosphere, drummers on an elevated stage shell intricate rhythms on large log drums throughout the check spell the crowds roar as well as scream encouragement to the wrestlers. The setting is magnificent; the villages are surrounded yesteryear dense as well as lush vegetation with Mount Republic of Cameroon towering inwards the background over the wrestling land as well as glimpses of the bounding main tin can live seen on the horizon.
The competition culminates with the statement of the year’s champion wrestler who is as well as then carried with the spectators to loud acclaim accompanied yesteryear tradition songs as well as dances performed yesteryear the cheerleaders – the elderberry tribeswomen.
Funeral Rites (Life After Death)
As before long as a spouse dies the survivor is stripped of all vesture as well as and then clad inwards barkcloth (enjinja) spell circular the caput are tied some leaves of the lisafo works life from which are suspended some seeds of the malaguetta pepper (Aframomum melegueta). The mourner must at nowadays also carry a modest knife. These protect the mourner from the spirit of the deceased which for the adjacent 3 days is believed to haunt the house where he died. The somebody whose duty it is to consider that the mourner is as well as then properly protected against the deceased is 1 who has already been a widower or widow, according to the gender activity of the mourner.
The corpse if that of a man, is washed yesteryear manful somebody relatives; if that of a woman, yesteryear females, as well as prepared for burial. While the corpse is beingness buried inwards the house, inwards accordance with Bakweri custom, the mourner is taken to the dorsum of the house as well as kneel on 1 knee. With the left paw the left ear is closed spell the correct paw holds the knife, as well as some lisafo fronds.
If the mourner is a widower, a substitute wife, if he had only 1 wife, is as well as then brought to him with whom to have got sexual intercourse spell he calls out words of powerfulness to avoid beingness haunted yesteryear the spirit of his deceased wife. In the instance of a widow a substitute hubby is provided. Thereafter the widow has to refrain from whatsoever sexual intercourse until she has been purified. Any manful somebody who is found to have got had sexual intercourse with her before she has been purified is said to "whitened her", or has taken away the spirit of the deceased from her. If the seducer is non a fellow member of the deceased's identify unit of measurement he would live heavily fined for this premature purification of the widow. Widows should fifty-fifty refrain from shaking hands with men until after their in conclusion purification.
If a widow is suspected of having been unfaithful to her hubby during his life-time, his relatives volition telephone outcry upwards inwards a medicine human being who has reached the rank of a Mbwaya. This human being volition at nowadays position the adult woman to the njembu test. He volition gather the next herbs, ngeny, motimbilimbi which is the long fruit of the Kigelia tree, as well as an crude palm branch. These items are placed on the ground as well as on top of them a gun or a horn is placed. Then the Mbwaya volition conjure the widow to repeat the next words after him: I am leaping over this njembu 3 times as a adult woman who knew no other human being than my hubby as well as if I tell a prevarication may njembu destroy me. It is believed that whatsoever widow who told a lie, that is, did non expose the call of whatsoever paramour, would thereafter shortly sicken as well as die. Any human being as well as then named yesteryear the widow as a paramour as well as who would thus have got been inwards enemity with the deceased as well as powerfulness live regarded as responsible for his expiry was made to pay the deceased's identify unit of measurement a heavy fine inwards goats.
The corpse is usually buried inwards a shaft as well as alcove grave. The trunk beingness placed inwards the alcove as well as the alcove walled off from the shaft so that when the grave is filled inwards Earth does non touching the body.
After the burial of the corpse the mourner has, until purified, to slumber on the ground, or on the bark of a tree over which some dry out plantain leaves have got been spread. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 practiced give notice is kept burning inwards the hut and, where the mourner is a widow, she ceases to set upwards as well as some other adult woman cooks for her. Only modest quantities of nutrient are eaten for the foremost 3 days; some mourners fifty-fifty fast for the entire 3 days. During this menstruation the in conclusion repast of the twenty-four hours must live eaten before dark as well as when lying downward for the dark the mourner must chew a few grains of malaguetta pepper and, spitting them out, must say: We component division to-day, allow me never to a greater extent than dream of you.
The mourner, spell inwards mourning, is non supposed to venture out of the house after dark because it is believed that the spirit of the deceased volition beset him or her. The Bakweri believe that the spirit of the deceased volition attempt to have got sexual intercourse with its living partner as well as thus spirit away that partner.
As illustrating this belief, Mr. Wolatae mentioned that some fourth dimension agone a sure enough Bakweri died as well as was buried. His widow grieved deeply as well as sorely over his death. Some months later, spell she was working inwards the farm given to her yesteryear her dead husband, he all of a abrupt appeared before her. She became speechless as well as unable to move. He said to her: I have got seen as well as heard how bitterly you lot are weeping as well as lamenting for me twenty-four hours as well as night. Your dandy grief gives me no chance to forget you lot as well as rest. I also have got been seeking an chance to consider you lot as well as at nowadays nosotros are hither together.
He as well as then lay with the adult woman who returned habitation stricken dumb. As is ever the instance with persons who consider or consider a spirit, this widow fell ill. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 medicine human being was called in. He treated her so that at in conclusion she recovered her spoken communication as well as was able to tell all that befell her on the farm. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few days later she died. [In amplification of the handling given to persons afflicted yesteryear the supernatural Mr.
Wolatae supplied the next information: If anyone meets a spirit as well as returns habitation dumb or inwards a fainting status as well as then 1 should directly necktie circular that person's brow a fern frond...This handling volition enable the somebody to beak as well as tell what was seen or to explicate the cause of his condition. If, on the other hand, a somebody falls sick because of dark magic or of witchcraft as well as then a band of white textile must live tied circular the forehead. If no such white textile is available as well as then the stalk of the njesenge plant, a type of fern, must live used instead. The sick somebody afflicted yesteryear dark magic or witchcraft volition rave similar a mad somebody as well as expose everything inwards his talking. To care for this sick person, an beast is taken as well as sacrificed. Pigs as well as cows, for this run are non regarded as suitable sacrificial animals. The beast is as well as then killed as well as its blood is smeared on the patient's trunk spell the next words are chanted yesteryear the medicine man: "Oh, animal, pop off so that the boy of human being may live." After this chant yesteryear the medicine human being the patient, to ensure a consummate cure, is told what nutrient is forbidden to him for the relaxation of his life as well as on the 9th twenty-four hours after the sacrifice of the animal, which is the twenty-four hours for the in conclusion cure of the patient's illness, he must as well as then vow to abstain from this forbidden food, whatever it is, for the relaxation of his life. If he does non he volition autumn 1 time to a greater extent than nether the spell of the dark magic or witchcraft.]
Post Burial Rites: From the foremost cockcrow after the burial until the Sun rises, the mourner, especially if a widow, must live heard lamenting loudly. If the deceased is an of import human being all his woman somebody relatives as well as the other women of his hamlet are expected to pass the whole morn in
lamentations. This lamenting powerfulness in conclusion for a calendar month or more.
The morn after the burial sees a trivial food, palm wine, and, if the deceased were a snuff taker, a trivial snuff placed on the grave. Fresh nutrient as well as vino as well as snuff are thereafter placed on the grave each morn for a week, livua, which with the Bakweri consists of nine days. During this livua all members of the deceased's identify unit of measurement gather at this fourth dimension at the grave to sing, dance, eat as well as chant the praises of the deceased.
On the 2nd twenty-four hours after the burial the relatives go to the farms of the deceased to collect nutrient for the adjacent day's feast. After gathering the necessary food, component division of the deceased's farm is destroyed as beingness his share. The component division so destroyed is called vesasale. In the eve of this 2nd twenty-four hours the villagers gather to honour the retentiveness of the deceased yesteryear dancing as well as singing his praises, yesteryear reciting ancient tales as well as stories with proverbial meanings as well as yesteryear playing musical instruments.
The tertiary twenty-four hours is the 1 on which the Bakweri believe that the spirit of the deceased leaves the hut where the trunk is buried as well as proceeds to the spirit world as a molimo. This twenty-four hours is called sasa twenty-four hours inwards Bakweri. On this day, the mourner is led off into the bush where a give notice is kindled with the pass upwards from crude palm nuts as well as inwards it the dry out plantain leaves of the bedding as well as the barkcloth worn are burnt. Then the mourner's trunk is washed with metatoani or the juice from the stems of plantains. The physical care for is known as the foremost purification as well as frees the mourner from the spirit as an elinge hovering around the hut of the deceased, but non from the spirit as a molimo inwards the spirit world. For this argue the mourner must go on to chew as well as spit out the seeds of the malaguetta spell still uttering words of powerfulness as well as must have on mourning costume until the in conclusion purification ceremony mark the terminate of the mourning takes place.
The mourner must also go on to have on the lisafo frontlet as well as the usage of the crude palm nut pericarp fibre inwards kindling a give notice are regarded as affording powerful magical protection against machinations of the spirit of the deceased.
After the initial purification the mourner is at nowadays dressed inwards the proper mourning clothe which is ever dark inwards colour. Women inwards add-on have on dark give notice bangles, necklaces as well as anklets as well as rub their bodies over with dark sooty oil. This mourning accoutrement is worn until the in conclusion purification. The children as well as grandchildren of the deceased's identify unit of measurement are taken inwards paw yesteryear a man
who himself has lost both parents. He takes them exterior a corner of the deceased's house. There he makes them sit down inwards a circle. In their midst is placed a bowl of nutrient from the feast prepared for the wake. From this bowl he selects a slice of meat as well as some nutrient as well as knots them upwards inwards a strip of dark mourning textile called itinge. This knotted textile is as well as then worn as a necklace yesteryear each kid or grandchild during the protracted mourning period.
If the deceased was a fellow member of the Mbwaya society, his wives as well as relatives remained inwards a solid ground of mourning for vii months. If the deceased was a rich man, good advanced inwards years, a fellow member of the Mbwaya as well as possessor of many wives as well as children, as well as then the mourning menstruation was extended to nine months. If the deceased was a human being of noble nativity or kondange as well as also a fellow member of Mbwaya, the mourning menstruation was extended to twelve or 13 months. If, on the other hand, the deceased was just an ordinary man, as well as then the mourning menstruation would live but 5 months. Mourners do non cut, comb or clothe their pilus until the in conclusion purification.
If however, spell thus habited inwards the mourning clothe the mourner happens to kill a serpent called fe, phe or pe the mourning menstruation ends directly as well as the mourning costume as well as all that went with it may live discarded. Some people, inwards retentiveness of the dead man, would pass upwards for the relaxation of their lives to partake of sure enough foods. For example, if the deceased was a dandy hunter who used to convey dorsum much meat, as well as then on his expiry his woman parent or some fellow member of the identify unit of measurement powerfulness thereafter abstain from the flesh of a sure enough antelope or animal; or if the deceased were a practiced palm vino tapper, his woman parent or sis powerfulness as well as then for the relaxation of their lives refrain from drinking palm wine.
To pop off spell inwards a solid ground of mourning is considered to live a grave misfortune. The Bakweri believe that, if a somebody dies spell mourning, that somebody volition go on for ever after inwards that poor solid ground inwards the spirit world.
The nursing woman parent is exempt from mourning. If a woman's missy dies inwards childbirth as well as the infant survives, as well as then the daughter's woman parent is given sure enough medicines to potable to get the stream of milk inwards her breasts so that she tin can nourish the motherless baby. Such a grandmother does non go into mourning for her dead daughter.
The Funeral Feast: The wake or funeral feast for the deceased is called sasa as well as is celebrated as
follows. First comes the moanda nyo or paying for the practiced deeds of the deceased. If the deceased live a married adult woman as well as then all the children, slaves as well as the other members of the identify unit of measurement who were nether her command as well as care, including all her in-laws, have got to create offerings inwards recognition of all the practiced piece of work as well as loving kindness she bestowed on them spell she was alive. In the old days it was customary to offering fowls, shells, ika as well as other gifts. To-day people give money varying inwards amount from 1 penny to 1 shilling .
[On this Bakweri word, ika Mr. Wolatae wrote that its important inwards the days of their ancestors is at nowadays non known. Whether ika meant the Fe money of the Grassland peoples or the mukoko of the Duala is non clear. The call mikoko for the Fe bars that were anciently used as money still persists inwards the union ceremony where the cattle paid as dowry are still reckoned inwards mikoko. Mr. Wolatae as well as then illustrated the nowadays twenty-four hours usage of this give-and-take ika inwards Bakweri language: should a creditor consider his debtor who say owes him 10 shillings as well as the debtor is unable to repay the loan, then, when making some other hope to pay what he owes, those persons nowadays volition inquire the debtor "to cutting as well as give one-half an ika" before the novel hope tin can live considered. Hence the debtor volition have got to pay at 1 time a shilling, say, to his creditor, but this payment of the shilling still leaves the original debt of 10 shilling un-reduced. Hence the saying that the debtor has cutting or given one-half an ika, that is,
esung ika.]
These gifts are as well as then shared yesteryear the co-wives as well as relatives of the deceased to the exclusion of course of study of those who made the offerings. These offerings are regarded as a legacy left yesteryear the deceased. If the deceased live a married man, as well as then all the wives as well as women of his brothers pay the moanda nyo. Then the people of the hamlet as well as relatives from afar gather at the deceased's place. They convey nutrient offerings such as goats, pigs, sheep cattle. Such animals for the feast are called moleli. Each beast as it is killed is divided into 3 parts. One component division goes to the possessor of the animal; 1 component division is cooked for the feast as well as the tertiary component division is given to the spectators.
Each bereaved spouse has, yesteryear custom, to render a special beast for the funeral feast. This beast is called ngo a itoto or ngo a veese which way 'a squealer of bones' or 'a squealer of burnt sacrifice'. This aspect refers to all the meat brought habitation yesteryear the hubby as well as eaten yesteryear the wives. Each widow is at nowadays called upon to render an beast inwards recognition of all the practiced nutrient his dead married adult woman cooked for him. The women at nowadays start cooking foods that specially delighted the deceased. The flesh is cooked separately as well as all nutrient of its sort is placed inwards its ain bowls. The foods are non mixed.
Those participating inwards the funeral feast must eat the nutrient prepared for them away from the deceased's house as well as out inwards the bush inwards a specially prepared palace in that location to consider with the molimo or spirits of the dead. When the feast is ready the men pick upwards the diverse bowls of food, palm vino as well as snuff, as well as follow the leader. He carries a matchet inwards 1 paw as well as a blazing give notice create inwards the other. This create must live kept burning at the site of kindling a give notice with it. In the prepared clearing the funeral feasters sit down downward together as well as start to eat the foods prepared, eating 1 bowl after another. From each bowl a morsel of nutrient must live thrown on the ground as an offering to the spirit of the dead. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 trivial nutrient is left inwards each bowl for the spirit of the deceased who is as well as then requested to percentage it with the other spirits that he meets inwards the solid ground of the dead. This nutrient left inwards the bush clearing is for dogs as well as pigs to eat.
Should this nutrient non live touched yesteryear these animals it is as well as then believed that the spirit of the deceased is angry as well as has non attended his funeral feast, nor partaken of the nutrient prepared as well as offered to him. If after this nutrient has remained untouched for a twenty-four hours or ii some greedy beast willfully consumes these rejected offerings 1 tin can hear the beast squealing as well as yelping as though beingness beaten. But if 1 approaches, 1 tin can consider nada that is beating the squealing beast as well as so 1 believes it is the offended spirit of the deceased doing so.
Food acceptable to the spirits volition live freely as well as gently eaten yesteryear dogs or pigs because the spirits eat or take only the 'whiff' of each morsel of food. After the feast is over, the feasters are summoned dorsum to the house of the deceased yesteryear the shell of a wooden gong. Thereupon each somebody plucks a leafage from a bush as well as puts the leafage into his mouth. The leader as well as then with his matchet inwards his hand, leads the procession silently back. No 1 is supposed to beak or to appear dorsum till the house of the
deceased is reached. As they go far a gun is fired to denote their rubber return. The feasters as well as then take the leaves from their mouths as well as throw them on to the roof of the deceased's house.
Final Purification: The bereaved spouse has so far non partaken of the feast as well as at nowadays 1 who is
already a bereaved spouse proceeds to bless the portion allotted to the bereaved spouse. This officiant begins yesteryear uttering practiced words of comfort both to the living spouse as well as to the spirit of the dead one. But before this exhortation is uttered the living spouse has to payoff the officiator. If the living spouse is a woman, she hands over a fowl, chillies, tabular array salt or anything else available. If the bereaved spouse is a man, he pays to a greater extent than heavily. After his payment the bereaved spouse's hands are purified yesteryear beingness washed yesteryear the officiator inwards the juice of a plantain stem; at the same fourth dimension a purification prayer is said. Not until this component division of the funeral ceremony is consummate may the bereaved spouse as well as the children live given whatsoever of the funeral feast. In the instance of the bereaved spouse the nutrient is passed inwards through the partially closed door of the house.
When the mourning menstruation is over all the mourners gather inwards a house spell exterior a give notice is kindled with crude programme nut fibre. This give notice volition swallow all the mourning clothe worn yesteryear the mourners. Their pilus is shaved off as well as they are washed inwards the juice of plantain stems as well as may as well as then have on ordinary clothes as well as resume their ordinary way of life.
Sourcehttp://www.bakweri.com/
http://anthgrp2.wordpress.com/
Efasa Moto, the God of Mount Fako
By Wose Yangange Martin
According to Wose Yangange Martin, "Efasa-Moto is the folkloric god of the Fako Mountain. It is believed that he controls the entire "hill" from the West Coast to the border with Balondo solid ground to the N eastward coast, as well as towards Meme Division.
According to Bakweri oral tradition, Efasa-Moto is the manful somebody element of the Liengu la Mwanja or the legendary "Mammy Water." It is said that after an understanding betwixt the two, Efasa-Moto chose to live inwards the mount as well as spell the Liengu la Mwanja remained at sea.
It has been suggested that during the Oct 1992 eruption of the Fako Mountain, the path of the impressive lava stream towards the Atlantic Ocean was specifically chosen yesteryear Efasa-Moto as an human activeness of bonding as well as solidarity with his wife, Liengu la Mwanja, the sea mermaid.
It is believed that Efasa-Moto as well as Liengu la Mwanja are the greatest spiritual figures that the Earth has ever known. Physically, Efasa-Moto's is described as beingness divided vertically from top to bottom inwards a unusual mixture of one-half human as well as one-half stone, as well as yet shaped inwards the shape of a human being giving a consummate moving painting of a caprine animal standing on its hind legs.
Liengu la Mwanja on the other paw is a beautiful looking adult woman with an oval-shaped face, an enchanting grin with a love gap-tooth, flood pilus of dark wool resembling a beautiful Indian lady with high as well as good curved hips.
Efasa-Moto lives inwards the mount alone. He maintains a rich salubrious carbohydrate cane plantation. His visitors tin can eat the carbohydrate cane on the spot but cannot carry whatsoever away. It is said that the carbohydrate cane is has an unforgettable sweetness.
Efasa-Moto is also said to live the mountain's spiritual protector. In times of old, albinos were abandoned on the mount as offerings of appeasement to the mount god so that he could go on to bless the inhabitants at the pes of the mountain.
Some elders say Efasa-Moto helped the Bakweri defeat the Germans inwards the Battle of Bokwango of 1891. The elders add together that the Bakweri eventually lost the state of war because they betrayed Efasa-Moto's trust.
Efasa-Moto is reportedly a harmless creature, but it is believed that if anyone carries some evil charm or amulets to the mountain, that the somebody volition non render alive. The instance of a Nigerian athlete who collapsed at Hut II during the 1986 mount race as well as later died when he returned habitation is cited as a recent example. It is believed the athlete died because he carried some evil medicine on his somebody during the race.
In recent times, in that location has been a growing belief that because Efasa-Moto is an impartial as well as humble creature, he forbid yesteryear winners of the Guinness Mount Republic of Cameroon race from winning 1 time to a greater extent than if they boast of having conquered the mountain. With Efasa-Moto the mount is unconquerable.
Some people lend credence to this belief yesteryear citing the instance of the humble Reverend Father Walter Stifter who won the race 3 successive times. At times, he fifty-fifty preferred to give his prize to the runner-up.
The greed, pride as well as self-righteousness of the Bakweri is said to have got alienated them from the Efasa-Moto. Modern-day hunters still believe inwards the existence of Efasa-Moto the mount caretaker. They believe that the bond betwixt the Bakweri as well as their benefactor god could live re-established if the former undergo intense ritualistic cleansing."
Witchcraft inwards Contemporary Bakweri Society
by Rosemary Ekosso
The belief inwards witchcraft or liemba is rattling mutual with the Bakweri. It considered to live the fine art of influencing the lives of other people yesteryear occult means. Such influence is usually malevolent as well as affects a person’s spirit, as well as through that, his heed as well as body. Alternatively, it is benevolent, but requires the harnessing of such powerful as well as potentially ungovernable forces that its practise is shunned yesteryear many people. In the Western world, people who practise witchcraft tin can live referred to either as Wicca (male witches) as well as Wicce (female witches), or wizards as well as witches, also respectively manful somebody as well as woman somebody practitioners of witchcraft. For our purposes nosotros shall usage the latter terminology. Witchcraft shall live considered hither to live practiced or bad witchcraft, depending on whether ‘black magic’ or ‘white magic’ is used. Among the Bakweri, bad magic is what is known as liemba. Good magic is often just called.
The practise of witchcraft seems to live intimately linked to the usage of plants, which are used inwards combination with rituals to seek to accomplish the desired effect.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 somebody who practises malevolent witchcraft with the Bakweri is called a mot’a liemba: a witch or a wizard. Witchcraft is practised yesteryear persons of both sexes as well as all ages. It is non clear whether whatsoever 1 gender activity is preponderantly active inwards witchcraft, but the full general belief is that men are to a greater extent than proficient inwards witchcraft than women. Witchcraft tin can live passed on to offspring yesteryear either parent or to other persons, live they blood relations or not, yesteryear initiation. Initiation may live voluntary or involuntary.
Contrary to Western witches, who often worship goddesses similar Hecate, Diana, Isis, Artemis, etc. as well as have got declared their leanings inwards myriad publications, it is non known whether the Bakweri witches as well as wizards genuinely worship a deity, or whether they draw their powerfulness from whatsoever determined preternatural source. However, pop wisdom has it that witches as well as wizards are the servants of unknown spirits.
Because witchcraft is shrouded inwards secrecy, its classification according to forms is problematic. However, in that location is believed to live 1 shape of witchcraft called nyongo. Nyongo consists inwards causing people to die, as well as afterward taking them to some other world where they piece of work as slaves to amass wealth for the nyongo human being or woman. The rapid as well as unexplained amassment of wealth yesteryear whatsoever somebody is usually taken as a sign that this somebody has joined the nyongo. The nyongo is believed to live a hole-and-corner society where people of similar heed come upwards together to organise the enslavement of others for personal gain.
Nyongo people are believed to live completely ruthless inwards their pick of victims, often choosing spouses, siblings, parents as well as offspring. When a victim of the nyongo is to live enslaved, he is foremost caused to die. There is some scrap well-nigh whether victims genuinely pop off or are drugged to simulate death, as well as their senseless bodies secretly recovered yesteryear the nyongo people for their ain ends. Whatever the case, it would seem that the enslaved spirit or trunk is as well as then transported to a identify inwards a world similar to the 1 nosotros know, though inwards some other dimension, as well as position to piece of work at menial tasks on farms, etc. to earn money for his/her master/mistress. There have got been reports of people escaping this enslavement as well as returning to the solid ground where they lived, but it is said of these escapees that they are unable to relate inwards whatsoever particular what they have got experienced, as well as some of them are either struck with dumbness or madness yesteryear their old captors to forbid them from revealing the secrets of the cult.
Chief Mosenge receiving the attributes of business office from the Nakuve
BAKWERI ARMED RESISTANCE TO GERMAN COLONIALISM, 1891 – 1894
By Dibussi Tande
Contrary to widely-held beliefs that the Bakweri made no effort whatsoever to resist the spoliation of their lands yesteryear the Germans, they did inwards fact mount a tearing anti-German campaign, especially around the slopes of Mount Fako, as well as successfully inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Germans at Buea inwards 1891; the foremost ever High German state of war machine loss on the African continent, which led to a consummate reappraisal of High German colonial/military policy on the continent, and, unfortunately, set the footing for the fell cause to annihilate the Bakweri. The Bakweri were 1 of the few groups inwards all of High German Africa that were thoroughly as well as systematically suppressed yesteryear the Germans. That they fifty-fifty survived to tell the story is a testimony to their resilience as well as tenacity inwards the human face of adversity.
The story of Bakweri state of war machine resistance against the Germans is also the story of Chief KUV’A LIKENYE of Buea, whose epic clashes with High German troops stay 1 of the most glorious (but largely unknown) chapters inwards Cameroonian history.
THE BAKWERI RESISTANCE CAMPAIGN OF 1891-1985
From the fourth dimension they landed on the Fako coast, as well as especially after they came inwards contact with the Bakweri of the interior, the Germans had nada but grudging honour for the Bakweri, especially the tearing as well as fearless warriors of the villages around Buea, whom the futurity High German Governor of Kamerun, Von Puttkamer, praised inwards 1886 for their “powerful well-built bodies, their courage as well as their science inwards hunting…” Another German, Dr. Preuss, who would later go infamous for his appalling brutality towards the Bakweri, described them inwards yet some other written report as beingness “rough (rauhen) as well as bold (dreisten Benehmen)” inwards their dealings with the White man. These were tearing mount warriors who were non afraid against invaders, as the Germans would larn the difficult way inwards Buea inwards 1890s as they tried to penetrate into the Bakweri heartland.
THE FIRST BAKWERI-GERMAN WAR OF 1891
The state of war of 1891 has its origins inwards the want of the High German colonial authorities to occupy the expanse around Mount Fako, which it believed should have got happened at to the lowest degree a decade before when Kamerun became a High German colony/protectorate. It was also an endeavour to crunch Kuva Likenye, the mount manful somebody monarch who, according to the 1891 Report of Acting High German Governor Von Schuckman “frequently disturbed the peace of the mountain, as well as had instigated an uprising with the mount tribes… the Buea people fifty-fifty threatened to set on Victoria” inwards a bid to reclaim their lands.
In Nov 5, 1891 a High German expeditionary forcefulness led yesteryear Karl Freiher Gravenreuth (who had brutally crushed a revolt of the Abo people (Douala) inwards Feb of that same year) as well as Lieutenant Von Stetten, was dispatched to tame the mount people yesteryear what the acting High German Governor described as “… a demonstration of our existing power.” The contingent also included Dahomean, Togolese as well as Kru (Sierra Leonean) soldiers who had disembarked a few days before at the Victoria port from the H.M Cruiser Habitch.
When Chief Kuva Likenye of Buea learned of the imminent set on yesteryear the High German force, he was unimpressed yesteryear it all. Instead, he prepared his forces to mail a clear message 1 time as well as for all that the mount people rejected all shape of High German command inwards their area. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 seasoned contingent of local fighters, with them 400 marks men, was position on alert. The High German as well as Bakweri forces would have got a memorable clash at the Minonge ravine, now spanned yesteryear the span betwixt the Buea station roundabout as well as the Buea Mountain Hotel.
According to records presented during the installation of Chief Luma, Chief Njonje Ekema Teke, the grandson of Ngoni Maliva of the Small Soppo Woteke identify unit of measurement was the foremost master copy of Likombe. This was the foremost master copy who received the flag from the High German Colonial Masters. Then his son, Mombi-Mo-Njonje, took over from him. Chief Mombi handed it to his younger brother, Kang’a Mosisa, when he became old. It was explained that in that location was no elderly somebody inwards the Woteke identify unit of measurement so the Chieftaincy stool moved hands to the Wosingo identify unit of measurement after Chief Kanga became old as well as weak.
Therefore, Chief Mokoli-Mo-Singe took over as well as was later succeeded yesteryear his ain son, Luma Francis Mokoli. According to records, Chief Luma Francis Mokoli was gazetted inwards 1939 as master copy of Likombe Chiefdom. At his death, his boy Chief Ndumbe Samson Luma took over the baton of command as well as today, Likombe is blessed with some other chief.
Likombe hamlet is situated at the pes of Mount Republic of Cameroon inwards Buea, South West Region of Cameroon. It is bounded on the North yesteryear Mount Cameroon, South yesteryear Tole Tea Plantations as well as Saxenhoff Camps, West yesteryear Mafvanja (Mapanja), as well as East yesteryear Bwassa villages. The founder of this hamlet is Ngoni Maliva from Small Soppo Woteke.
In spite of superior High German forces, the forces of Kuva Likenye held their ground, as well as foiled the High German advance into Buea. The High German Commander, Granvenreuth, was killed as well as Lieutenant Stetten wounded as they desperately tried to dislodge the Bakweri forces from the ravine. With their Commander dead, as well as the Bakweri guns continuously pounding enemy position, the High German expeditionary forcefulness panicked. Routed as well as inwards total disarray, the forcefulness fled across the Mountain to the Mboko coast as well as dorsum to Victoria, with the Bakweri inwards hot pursuit.
Although Western historians insist that the only High German lost inwards the confrontation was Gravenreuth, Bakweri legend has it that half-dozen Germans genuinely lost their lives inwards the expedition, as well as that their skulls at nowadays reside inwards a hole-and-corner shrine inwards the hamlet of Wondongo, Buea.
For the adjacent 3 years, the Bakweri would take hold the Germans at bay, preventing whatsoever serious implantation inwards the Bakweri heartland.
Bakweri wrestling competition
According to Edwin Ardener inwards his seminal work, Kingdom on Mount Cameroon,
the waste materials of Gravenreuth’s expedition had serious repercussions. It should have got been used to go far into the interior to counteract French movements. In March 1894, Deutschland signed an understanding with French Republic that fixed the eastern boundary of Kamerun far to a greater extent than narrowly than 1 time had been hoped for. The official memorandum on the treaty contained a withering catalogue of the ineffectiveness of High German colonial expeditions compared to those of the French. The habitation negotiators had, as a result, no serious territorial claims inwards N as well as eastward to offer. The Zingraff as well as Granvenreuth expeditions were singled out as failures inwards this respect. Thanks to their defeat of the German-led forces, the Bakweri had slowed downward the advance of the Germans into the Cameroonian interior, fifty-fifty if only temporarily.
1894: THE GERMAN REVENGE
The Germans never forgot this defeat inwards the hands of what they wrongly considered an ill-trained ragtag army. In the adjacent distich of years, they would implement policies aimed at isolating Kuva Likenye, as well as cutting off his sources of arms. By 1994, they had largely succeeded inwards their policy of attrition, as well as inwards Dec 1994, a newly constituted, better-prepared as well as heavily armed High German force, the Schutztruppe, led yesteryear Von Stetten launched an set on on Buea. In spite of a heroic resistance, the Bakweri were no check to this superior High German force. As 1 historian puts it: “The High German Pygmy had go a Giant.” Outmanned as well as outgunned, Chief Kuva retreated to the hamlet of Ewonda, as well as sent agents to Momongo to purchase arms.
The arms never came.
In the end, Kuva realized that farther resistance to the High German violet regular army was futile, as well as that the Bakweri were simply beingness annihilated yesteryear forces they could no longer comprise or overcome.
According to P.M. Kale inwards his 1939 study of the Bakweri,
… for fearfulness of Bakweriland beingness annihilated, brave Kuva called his people together, as well as with the words of a leader bade them to acquire out Buea for a while… this land, he told them, had been ‘their ancestors’ for generations, as well as it would live theirs forever, as well as so no fearfulness should live entertained as to their coming dorsum again.
To forbid farther bloodshed, Kuva went on exile to the hamlet of WonyaMokumba where he caught sick as well as died shortly thereafter. He was secretly buried on the border of Buea as well as Wokpae, were his grave remains hidden as well as unmarked to this day. All across Bakweri territory the next vocal of praise could live heard:
Lo! The hands that waved the spear
And loaded the gun
Lo! The dreadful phonation that roared
And scattered the multitude,
The hero remains immortal.
Dr Emil Mandoa, Bakweri man
In Apr 1895, a fell Peace Treaty was imposed on the Bakweri, as well as signed on their behalf yesteryear Chief Endeley, blood brother of the Late Kuva. They were dispossessed of their former territory around present-day Buea station, as well as forcefully herded into what the Germans described as “formerly ownerless land” inwards lower Buea. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 huge fine was imposed upon them, as well as Bakweri slave labor was later used to build the High German Government station, established on their original site that became Buea, the working capital alphabetic quality of High German kamerun inwards 1902.
This 2nd High German expedition marked the commencement of the systematic High German cause to dehumanize as well as wipe out the Bakweri, seize their lands for plantation agriculture, as well as lock them upwards inwards the so-called Native Reserves. Like the Zulus after the defeat of Chaka, similar Native Americans after the failure of their resistance against European settlers, the Bakweri had, yesteryear the terminate of the 1890s, been completely subjugated as well as their 1 time vibrant civilisation inwards consummate disarray. The roots of the social as well as cultural ills that would plague them for most of the 20th century tin can live traced dorsum to this policy.
THE IMPACT OF THE BAKWERI ANTI-GERMAN CAMPAIGN
That the Bakweri armed resistance failed was non because of cowardice. Far from it! It was simply the instance of a poorly armed African ethnic grouping non beingness able to take hold its ain against superior European state of war machine power. As Ardener has stressed, the Bakweri anti-German campaign
“was a small-scale political movement, but 1 which was aided yesteryear the strategic possibilities of the Mountain, was for a brief menstruation genuinely equal inwards scale to the amount of High German powerfulness that could live deployed from Victoria.”
In his analysis of the dandy warrior Kuva Likenye, Ardener writes:
Kuva’s instance is of to a greater extent than than local interest. This remote as well as ideologically only intuitive tribesman held upwards the march of events, yesteryear an unexpected veto on the unusual economical exploitation of the mountain. The veto only ended with his death. During its existence, it revealed serious weaknesses inwards High German Colonial administrative as well as state of war machine practice… the resistance of the mount people provided 1 of the of import shocks of the early on colonial scheme inwards Kamerun. As a resistance movement, it was before its time…
After the 2nd Bakweri-German war, which ended with the defeat of the former, the Bakweri would plow to some other shape of resistance; they engaged inwards an early on shape of passive resistance, yesteryear refusing to do manual labor on their captured lands fifty-fifty when forced. Many died of diseases as well as cruelties inwards the concentration camps into which they had been driven. The Germans had a elementary solution for this Bakweri strike. They imported other Africans to do the work, hence the historic menstruation old contempt yesteryear the Bakweri for immigrant Africans who were hated for cooperating with the enemy. Of course, Bakweri passive resistance would later live misinterpreted as a sign of laziness, a stereotype that has, unfortunately, go embedded inwards the national psyche.
To conclude, 1 thing is certain; if the Germans had coveted whatsoever other ethnic group's lands to the grade that they coveted the Bakweri lands, they would have got done just as thorough a project of decimating the lands' owners.
115 years after the valiant people of Buea, led yesteryear their fearless leader Kuva Likenye, stood upwards to the High German army, some other generation of Bakweri have got taken upwards the curtain to 1 time once to a greater extent than scrap for the protection of their ancestral lands. Led yesteryear the Bakweri Land Claims Committee (BLCC), the people of Fako partition are taking their instance for solid ground compensation as well as restitution to the Cameroonian people as well as the international community. They are insisting that at a fourth dimension when the Republic of Cameroon authorities is determined to sell off the Republic of Cameroon Development Corporation (which controls practically all of the High German expropriated lands), the hundred-year old claims of the Bakweri, which began to live expressed inwards an organized as well as coherent fashion after the Second World War, live taken into account.
Will the Republic of Cameroon authorities take heed to the cries from the slopes of Mount Fako, as well as volition Cameroonian people rally around the Bakweri to rectify this blot on the Cameroonian national landscape?
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