Mola Mbua Ndoko: Wisdom and Ways of the Bakweri People

23. “Yosa, vele-li” !

Friendship involves reciprocal entertaining – food, wines

Maito, maito  kaii  !  It’s time to tell Fables of the Animal World.

molee-li = assistance given to members of a bereaved family.

Yasi nanu:  Monao expected  “moleli”  from Koo  a Nyame.  The “moleli”  was not forthcoming, so, Monao sued Koo.  Monao told the court:

“Koo is my cousin and a friend. When Koo's father died, I, Monao  mo  Nyame, arranged for the grave and paid the grave diggers.  On the day of the sassa
I offered Koo a substantial “molee-li”.  Kaava  Nyame is a witness.  When Koo's mother also died, I made myself available to Koo at all times until after the sassa. On that occasion I gave Koo another substantial “molee-li”.  Kema  Nyame is my witness”.

“Later when my father died, I expected Koo to stand by me, but Koo failed to do so, even though he was seen bustling about in town.  When my mother also died, Koo failed also to stand by me. 

If Koo was not able to afford a “molee-li”, he should have at least made some physical contribution, for instance, tidying up of the funeral premises, slaughtering of animals on the day of the sassa etc.

22. Osavi te mbasio, wa i-nja-ne-ya mato ma Mbgwa.

Examine the ears of a dog carefully to realize how a mbasio looks like.

mbasio = a “V” shaped piece of wood used to split wood; a wedge. 

mbgwa = a dog.
                                                                                                               
liseengi = the name of a tree.

Yasi nanu:  Nimonge complained to his friend Moluwa that he had spent the whole day in the bush trying to split planks from a liseengi log but to no avail.

Moluwa then asked:
“o-gbwe-ya-neya ‘mbasio’ ?
(Did you use a ‘mbasio’  ?{a wedge}

Nimongo replied:
“What is a ‘mbasio’ ?
I have never seen a ‘mbasio’.
How does a ‘mbasio’ look like  ?
(nasa-vi  ‘mbasio’;
ne  ‘mbasio’  ae-neya ?)

264. eva asuka o-kpweli.

A grudge against a dying brother or an already dead brother should be dropped.

Tradition requires that the living should bury the dead and that to facilitate effective discharge of this social obligation grudges against a brother in desperate need of assistance, for instance, a sick brother, a dying brother or an already dead brother should be dropped without argument, without debate, without delay. 

The slogan is “eva  asuka  o-kpweli” = grudges against a dying brother or an already dead brother should be dropped.

Custom and tradition puts the care and proper maintenance of sick persons, persons with disabilities and old persons in the hands of immediate members of their respective families. Funeral and burial arrangements are the direct responsibility of the family concerned. 

20. “Vesongo, veyondi ve mbgweli Lisee-ngi e-kuu-mba”

Lisee-ngi derives its popularity from Vesongo.

Maito, maito  kaii  ! It’s time to narrate Fables of the Plants and Animals World.

Yasi  nanu:” Lisee-ngi” and “Mose-seni” were born at the same time.They lived close to each other on a steep bank of a stream.

They were friends. Lisee-ngi developed to a tall tree with branches that spread like an umbrella while Mose-seni, grew slowly under the branches of Lisee-ngi. 

Liseengi bears several fruits that contain hundreds of small seeds like sand on beaches in the sea towns of Foo  and  Vakingili.

Sound that is very pleasing to the ears of Wolinyama and hunters is produced when Liseengi seeds drop in hundreds on top of the leaves of Moseseni, The leaves of Moseseni are known as “Vesongo”.

Moseseni bears unique hard leaves.This is why sound is produced when Liseengi seeds drop on ‘Vesongo”

On one occasion when Lisengi and Moseseni had a disagreement, Lisee-ngi with cutlass in hand threatened Moseseni:

19. “Mwendi mo liyemba asu-ki-seve”.

A message accusing some one of practices of evil witchcraft should not be delivered.

Maito, maito  kaii  !  It’s time to narrate Fables of the Animal World.

Yasi nanu:  It was widely known in the Animal World that in his practices of evil witchcraft Esuu caused several citizens to suffer from various illnesses and death.  Nobody however dared discuss Esuu’s notoriety in public lest he should incur wrath from Esuu. 

When five different sorcerers informed Kangi  Inoni that he and members of his family had also become victims of Esuu's practices of evil witchcraft because Esuu was jealous of Kange's beautiful feathers, Kange decided to deal with Esuu diplomatically. 

263. The original home land of e-Mokpwe.

The original home land of  e-Mokpwe.

Oral history makes reference to two narrations concerning the original homeland of e Mokpwe.  The familiar narration is that ancestors of the Bakweri were members of a section of a family in Womboko Clan that migrated and then settled where the Bakweri are today. 

It is said that Njia  Tama  Lifanje, a hunter from a village in Womboko Village Group was the founder of the Village of Buea .  That is why Buea is sometimes referred to as “Buea  wo  Njia  Tama  Lifanje” - “Buea the Village of Njia  Tama  Lifanje”. 

It is said that at the time that Buea was found there were hundreds and hundreds of herds of wildlife, especially deer (kaave), in the forest of Bakweri lands, particularly in the forests adjacent to the savannah zone of the Mountain. 

Being very pleased with the remarkable success he made in capturing good quantities of wildlife, Njia  Tama  Lifanje  named his new found settlement  “ebgwe-ye  gbwe-ye”.  The name “Buea” is derived from “egbwe-ye  gbwe-ye”