Mola Mbua Ndoko: Wisdom and Ways of the Bakweri People

187. “Vetato ve Nyama Ngowa asi-nda”

187.  “Vetato  ve  Nyama  Ngowa  asi-nda”
(Disagreement at the scene of the sharing of a  nyama  ngowa {pork} should not last long)

Maito, maito, kaii, =  Story time
Yasi  nanu.  Mota  Mweese had been away from his home village for fifteen years. 

On his return to his home he said he was a retired Sergeant of the Police Force in Fernando Po = Equatorial Guinea.

The village considered his demeanour strange and regimental.

In this regard Mola was often spitefully addressed as that “Fernando Po Sergeant” (enge  -Sagini  ya  Fana  Ndopo)

194. “ E-kowe, E-luuta = Tug of war:

(The Amazing tug of war:  The elephant Vs. the whale).

Yamba  Njoke  a  Nyame  o-likomba  la  wanga = The elephant in the Forest
wona  Njonje  a  Nyame  o-mwanja  mo  vemune” = And the whale in the Atlantic Ocean

Maito, maito, kaii = Story time
Yasi nanu: Once upon a time fish in the seas of Vakingili and Vatoke invited Ikula  Nyame=Tortoise to be the presiding judge in a dispute between Njonje  a  Nyame and Moombe (crocodile).  When Ikule appeared in the Court Yard, Njonje dragged Ikule by the ear and said to Ikule: 

184. “Naveni woolo wo nyama o-maliva,woo-fi ne e-mwaana ngoondo”.

(I have a canoe with fish at sea/at the beach.  There is also a teenage girl in the canoe).

Tales from beaches of Vakingili and Vatoke.

Maito, maito, kaii ! = Story time.
Yasi  nanu = Once upon a time.  Motongo mo Nganga  Singe one of the famous magicians of his time speaking boastfully at an Eyuu in the village of Etome said his next bride would be the mermaid of the seas of Vakingili and Vatoke.(Liyengu  la  Mwanja  mo  Vakingili  na  Vatoke).

160. “Njanga asi weli, a-li-yani mwese”.

Njanga is not yet dead. His spike is still active

Maito,  maito, kaii  !

Yasi  nanu.  At the peak of a Njanga harvest season Ewaki empted on a grill over a fire a basked full of fresh Njanga he had harvested.  In the course of storing the now dried Njanga in a clay pot a spike of Njanga punctured a finger of Ewaki and lodged itself inside the finger.  Attempts to pull out the spike failed.  Thereafter a boil developed on the punctured finger.

141. “e-kou yamba Wolinyama na Yoongole”.

A legacy of hatred ~ Wolinyama =Animal World and Yoongole =chameleon).

The Impeachment and Assassination of Yoongole

Maito, maito, kaii  !

Yasi  nanu:   Yoogole, a senior adviser in the Supreme Council of Wolinyama was impeached twice for intimidating the Animal World (Wolinyama) with declarations that were uncalled for.

The first declaration:
Late in the evening two lunar months after the funeral of one of the most wealthy and most loved physicians of the time Yoongole rested on a branch of a tall palm tree then after shouting “hoo. hoo, hoo” he chanted:

“ee-wanga  moto  ee !
e-wanga  moto  ee !
e-kane  kpweli” !

“How You Belly ino go pain you” ? ( Why will your Stomach not Pain You)

Amazing murmurs of an oppressed office messenger in Buea.

Yasi nanu:  In the year 1947 in Buea a Chief Clerk in the office of the Senior Resident Cameroons Province groaning in pain in his office called Lyonga, one of the six office messengers and said: 

“Lyonga  !  Lyonga  !
My belly  !  My belly  !
My belly de  pain  me.
Go downstairs quickly and bring a bottle of water for me to drink.

A legacy of hatred and retaliation: Wombe Inoni and Yonja Wuve.

142.  A legacy of hatred and retaliation:  Wombe  Inoni  and Yonja  Wuve.
(“e-kou  yamba  Wombi  Inoni  wona  Yonja  Wuve”)..

Yasi  nanu:  Wombe and Yonja  Wuve were good friends (yosa  ya  joono  na  nganda). During the rainy season, in the month of August (Mbowa  Njoke), Ewana  Wombe, the eldest and most charismatic son of Wombe suddenly fell very sick.  Wombe was confused.  When Wombe was about to go out to consult a sorcerer (mwa-mbgwa  liyanga), Yonja  Wuve voluntarily decided to accompany Wombe.. Wombe did not object.  The sorcerer explained that Ewane's illness was not caused by evil witchcraft as they had expected.  It was a normal illness.

“i-toongo  jamba  Lisonjo  jondi  i-lembi  Ewane”, the sorcerer declared.
(Ewane has been afflicted by one of those diseases that are treated only by Doctor Lisonjo).

“Mosango mwamba Ngowa Wange wona Ikula Nyame”.

12.  “Mosango  mwamba  Ngowa  Wange  wona  Ikula Nyame”.
(The famous law suit:  Ngowa  Wange versus Ikula  Nyame).

Maito, maito, kaii  !

Yasi  nanu: Ikula   Nyame borrowed wooli from Ngowa  Wange and promised to refund it at the appearance of the first phase of the moon (o-wooso  wo  mbgwende  fenya). Ikule did not state the name of the moon.  At the first appearance of the first phase of a new moon Ngowe asked Ikule to refund the wooli.  Responding, Ikule said:

138. “Maliva mama sowe-ya, maso-sene” !

138.  “Maliva  mama  sowe-ya, maso-sene” !
(The water is spilt.  It cannot be retrieved).

Yasi  nanu:  Lifambe and his wife Ewune were inmates of one of the several villages that the German Colonial Administration in Buea forcefully transferred from original sites to slopes of hills (o-ngondo-ngonda  mooli).  Inmates of Lifanje’s village drew their water from a spring at the bottom of a hill, about two kilo metres away from their home.  Shortly after nightfall, Ewune was about to boil medicinal leaves for use by a sick child when a stray goat caused the itenge that contained water to tumble.  Ewune lamented:

The big fight: Mooso Nyame versus Njoh a Nyame.

07. The big fight: Mooso Nyame versus Njoh a Nyame.(e-Njuma yamba Mooso Nyame na Njoh a Nyame”) !

Maito, Maito, kaii:

Yasi nanu: Njoh a Nyame was fond of making proclamations that the forest belongs to him alone. Angered by the proclamations elders of Wolinyama delegated Ikula Nyame to remind Njoh that the forest belongs to all animals , that is, all the descendants of Nyama Wanga Likomba la Wanga and that Njoh should therefore withdraw his proclamations.

Responding angrily Njoh said:
“Ikulu,
Go and tell your so-called elders that
I, Njoh Nyame,
son of Nyama Wanga Likomba la Wanga,
I am the sole owner of the forest”.
(“likomba liveli ndi lami;
la imba-mbiti meene”).

“Teke na Moluwe, yoo-wo asave wonyango”.

(Teke and Moluwa ! “(We Doctors are sustained by the fee we receive for service we render to patients).

Yasi nanu: Teke and Moluwa were brothers from the same mother and the same father. Moluwa was a hunter while Teke was an ordained traditional Doctor who specialized in treating pains of the waist and the joints. Moluwa called at Teke’s house early in the morning before dawn, and complained that he had been sick for five consecutive days. He had pains on the waist, the knees, and the ankles. He said he had already consulted a “Mwa-mbgwa Liyanga” (a sorcerer) and that the “Mwa-mbgwa Liyanga” referred him to Teke’s clinic. Continuing Moluwa said he had struggled to come himself so that Teke himself would massage him with a "moteya".

Salutation Before Bakweri Folktales (Maito ma Mokpwe)

The commencement of a “Gbwito” is generally preceded by the formal salutation:

“Maito, maito, kaiii”!

Responding with lively voices the audience usually composed of infants and teenage children anxious to listen to the voice of the Elder presenting the tale would say:  “kaiii”!

Continuing the Elder would for example say: