Mola Mbua Ndoko: Wisdom and Ways of the Bakweri People

174. “noo wa, nii imba; enge eya wheni yondi mbafe neeni”

I am experiencing the same difficulties that confront you.

Maito, maito, kaii  !  It’s time to tell tales.

Yasi  nanu:
e-Fako erupted.  The earth quacked.  A frightened Yoongole travelled day and night from the village of Mafanja north of Wonjongo to the sea town of Fo (Victoria). 

At the beach Yoongole explained to Enya-nya:
“There is fire on the mountain (o-Fako) again.
The world/earth is trembling
In my view the mountain will collapse soon.
So, please ferry me across to that island (Bota Island) and let me take refuge there”.

200. “Mota Mweese” !

“Mota  Mweese” is  an abbreviation of the chant:

“Mota  Mweese  asi  tuvava  lina”
(Some body whose real name will not be mention in public because of obvious or understandable reasons).

“Mota  Mwese” is a name substituted for the real name of a person as in affection, ridicule, familiarity, or pointing an accusing finger.:

The chant “Mota  Mweese” was composed by a traumatized mother.

On being informed by a sorcerer that her daughter’s serious illness was caused by evil practices of witch craft of her uncle Ewune the mother of the sick child jumped high up and declared:

“I am not at all surprised.
This is a repeat of his practices of evil witch craft.
It’s too much and unbearable.
I have to slaughter him today
If he fails to kill me today, I will assassinate him today”.

(“navii-ya  foni  ima  mo-meene,
mondi  ama  tongole  fe,
naveni  so  li-mo-ke  njambi  yawono.
yetena  mo  ae-wele  te  lino-nwa  yawono,  imba  nomo  nwa  yawono”).

Responding the sorcerer said:

211. “a nanga ni i-wuva”.

Bakweri literiture

Instances where “meaning” differ from what is said.

(i).  “a  nanga  ni  i-wuva”.

Translation = He sleeps on the same bed with fowls.

Meaning = He goes to bed early in the evening: at dusk or soon after night fall.

Note:  This idiom is probably derived from the fact that fowls start to perch before dusk.

224. Na kaso fe yawono.

I have survived today also.

East of the traditional village of Soffa Mokongo (Great Soppo) is Mosole Stream.
East of Mosole is the Strangers’ settlement and the commercial centre of Great Soppo.

At a time when an unsafe wood bridge connected the village and the commercial centre many people preferred to cross the bridge in day light. 

The residence of Mola Mwaka was inside the traditional village.  And, because he had important interests in the commercial centre it was not always possible for Mola Mwaka to cross the bridge in day light and return to his home.

198. “Moombo mo Liiya mofe ama yo-eya Ekako-wana a Liya”.

“Mooombo  mo  Liya” laughed at the aging state of his uncles Vekako-wani  ve  Liya”.

Lexicon:
moombo  mo  liiya/liiye = the youngest and most tender branch of a palm tree.

ekako-wana  a  liya = the branch of a palm tree; plural, veka-kowani.

Maito, maito, maito  kaii  !  It’s time to narrate tales.

Yasi  nanu:  Moombo  mo  Liiya was fond of laughing at his maternal uncles Vekako-wani  ve  Liiya and making derogative statements about them whenever they groaned as a consequence of pains on the waist.  Surprised by Moombo’s utterances, Ngulu Tambe rebuked Moombo:

177. “Nyama mbenge a te maliva”.

A soup of “Nyama  mbenge” is delicious. 

Early Mokpwe geographers were familiar with two cardinal points, namely:

lelu = north, that is towards the Mountain (e-Fako).

mbenge =south, that is towards the creeks, the seas, the Atlantic Ocean (mwaa-nja). 

In Bakweri lands streams, rivers, creeks, the seas and the Atlantic Ocean are in the south.  This is why fish is known as “nyama  mbenge”:  literally “meat/fish” from the south where water is located.

163. “Yoota Ngule ama:

“Yoota  Ngule  ama:
na  munde  we  efonda  liiya,
na  kasowa,
nasi  nwee,
wenga, 
Mbamba  koko,
osi-keka  foni  lo-ngele  oma 
noma  o-nundise  o-mwanya  ono  mwaana  nganga  liya,  nau,
si,
imba  Yoota  Ngule,
si,
na  gbwe-ya,
si,
na  nwa

jae  !  esa  tane  eve  nau.”

Lizard spoke boastfully to Mbamba:
“Mbamba  !
You know that I survived when I dropped from the top of that very tall palm tree (efonda  liiya).
You must therefore have been dreaming when you expected that I would die when you caused me to drop from the top of this young (“infant”) palm tree

Maito, maito, kaii !  It’s time to narrate tales.

Yasi nanu: In the course of harvesting palm nuts from a very tall palm tree that was standing in front of a row of houses in the village, Yoota Ngule accidentally wounded his yaango with his cutlass.  The yaango could no longer support him.  Consequently Yoota  Ngule dropped from the top of the palm tree to the ground. 

Yoota  Ngule was presumed dead.  To the surprise and relief of members of his family Yoota  Ngule nodded and wagged his tail indicating that he was alive. Yoota  Ngule caused more surprise when he started to crawl instantly and asked:

“Where is my yaango” ?  (“yaango  yami  ewo”) ?   

176. “e-mbuwa esa yoli, vewoki ve timba o-ndawo”.

If it threatens but fails to rain bowls that were lined under the roof to collect rainwater, will be withdrawn into the house.

Whenever it threatens to rain, Inhabitant of villages that are situated far from springs of drinking water put wooden bowls (vewoki) and clay pots (mavanya), under the roofs of their houses to collect rain water. If it fails to rain, the vessels are withdrawn into the houses.

209. “osi-kule la-gbwa mooli, o-venye e-Njoku litutu”.

How dare you abuse  e-Njoku (an elephant) that it has a nodule on its back when you have not yet climbed up to the top of the hill. 

Maito, maito, kaii  !  It’s time to narrate tales.

Yasi  nanu:  Ikula  Nyame was in the process of settling a boundary dispute between Njoke and Ngowa Wanga at the bottom of a hill when Ngowe surprisingly abused Njoke that Njoke has a big nodule on his back.  Njoke was enraged.  He then vowed to crush Ngowe instantly. 

Ngowe took to his heels immediately and started to climb to the top of the hill.  Njoke ran swiftly after Ngowe, but soon abandoned the chase to save its baby from the bites of hunting dogs. 

208. “Moto, inyo na mo esi lalane te ewoki yo osaviya oma a tetowa,

It is when somebody who gobbles eats from the same bowl (ewoki) with you that you realize that he eats without moderation.

Yasi  nanu:  Ngange from a village in Wojuwa area and Ikoli from the village of Ekonjo in Mbenga Mowa area were guests of Mola  Elive at Vatoke.  At lunch time Nganje and Ikoli were served food in one bowl (ewoki).  There were five vefaka in the bowl. 

While Ikoli was chanting a short prayer before meals, Nganje hastily ate two vefaka.  Nganje then smartly moved to the third efaka.  Nganje then grabbed the fourth efaka.  At that juncture Ikoli held Nganje’s hand firmly and exclaimed:

“Taata  ee !
It is when somebody who gobbles eats from the same bowl (ewoki) with you that you realize that he eats without moderation.

151. “Nja-sambi ama: wheni, moto, a nja-ni maija,a lenge-ya o-wolowa, asi-timbe o-ndavo” ?

Who has said that when somebody expels stool with blood he should settle at the latrine and refuse to return to his house ?

Note: At that time latrines were situated in bushes about one hundred metres away from residential houses.
 
Maito, maito, kaii ! It’s time to narrate tales

Yasi  nanu: Ikula  Nyame met Mome  Elele sad looking close to a log that was used for squatting to expel stool ( mokoko  mo wolowa). 

Ikule then enquired:

“Mome  Elela,
What is the matter” ?)

Mome  Elela kept quiet.

Ikule inquired again:
“i-Elela !
I have seen stool covered with blood behind this mokoko  mo wolowa !
Is it your stool” ?

195. “nave-ya molimo, na timbi moto nange”.

A moment ago I was a dead person.  I am now a living person.

Yasi  nanu.  On his first visit to Victoria (Foo) Lifambe who used to swim in Ndongo stream at Likomba, near Tiko, happily joined several youths who were swimming at the estuary of Limbe stream.  The tide was high.  Lifamba soon realize that the downward flow of Limbe stream was much faster than the current he used to encounter in Ndongo stream. 

Lifamba tried to swim backwards to the bank of the stream but failed.  His experience in swimming in Ndongo helped to keep him floating but could not stop the current from drifting him towards the sea.