A piece/slice of “Ndome” meat is required for the “Luuwa”.
nyama = meat/fish.
nyama ndome = a piece or a slice of “Ndome meat”.
“Luuwa” is the final phase of a specific traditional treatment for a specific illness. A “luuwa” is expected to terminate completely an illness and give a new lease of life to a patient.
Ndome/Ndome a Nyame is a fish. It lives in the sea. Some “luuwa” require that a piece of “Ndome” meat MUST be part of the special meal (itoto) that the Traditional Doctor cooks for the patient to eat. There is no substitute for “Ndome meat”. So, no “nyama a Ndome” no “luuwa”. (No “Ndome” meat, no “luuwa”).
Wojuwa = villages within Buea customary court and parts of Muea customary court.
Hundreds of years ago “Ndome” meat was available only in markets at beaches of the villages of Missellele, Tiko, Bwinga, Bimbia, Liyengu Mboke (New Town Victoria), Ewota (Bota) Vatoke, Vakingili, Njonji, Vewonde (Idenau), Sanje.
Paths/tracks that connected Wojuwa villages and the villages along the coast meandered through thick forests that were infested with wild and fearful animals such as elephants and leopards.
That was why people in Wojuwa villages were disturbed whenever a Traditional Doctor declared that a piece/slice of “nyama Ndome” was required for the execution of a “luuwa”.
That was why people in Wojuwa villages were disturbed whenever a Traditional Doctor declared that a piece/slice of “nyama Ndome” was required for the execution of a “luuwa”.
Hence the slogan: “Luuwa lasa Nyama Ndome” ! (A piece/slice of “Ndome” meat is required for the “Luuwa”.) The slogan has been converted to an idiom meaning: Arduous. The requirements are difficult to comply with.
(ii)(a) “ Luuwa laa-sa ndi Ndome Nyame” is another idiom
Source: legendary narrations.
Nyongo = a secret society that is said to bring long life, wealth and fame to its members.
Nyongo society is alleged to cause mysterious deaths of relatives of members of the society.
It is said that “Nyongo” Society requires its members to offer as sacrifices to the Society close relatives from time to time for mystery killing.
It is also said Nyongo Society keeps in its victims in mystery labour camps inside “Kupe” Hill (o-Mooli mo Kupe) in the land of the Bakossi and also on the Island of Fernando Po (Equatorial Guinea) where victims toil maintaining mystery plantations belonging to members of Nyongo Society.
Among the rewards that members of Nyongo Society are said to receive from the Society are: good health, long life, proficiency, prosperity, wealth, fame.
Rumours occur from time to time that some persons who were alleged to have died as victims of Nyongo Society have been seen in Fernando Po and also in the town of Calabar in Nigeria.
It is said that Nyongo Society chooses who a member should offer as a sacrifice to the Society for mystery killing. The situation becomes critical when the Society demands that a member should offer his most active child.
At this point it is said that “Luuwa laa-sa ndi Ndome Nyame”, that is, the demand now is that the victim of the “Nyongo” mystery killing on this occasion MUST be an “untouchable” or the concerned member himself. Scapegoat arrangements are NOT acceptable. It is said that Nyongo Society destroys the life of a member who refuses to or who is reluctant to offer to the Society a relative chosen by the Society.
(Note: It is said that in the past members of “Nyongo” Society were required to offer to the Society for mystery killing only close members of their respective families. Vagili and non-relatives of members were considered not qualified enough either by blood connection or by marriage to be sacrificial lambs. .
(ii)(b) “Luuwa laa-sa ndi Ndome Nyame” has been converted to an idiom signaling that the situation is critical. The demand now is that the untouchable executive (that is, the overseer, the inspector, the paymaster, the director) himself must go now. There is no alternative solution. He must step down.
Lexicon:
mojili = an alien (a settler or tourist) in the lands of the Bakweri; plural = vajili.
Mooli = a hill.
Mooli mo Kupe = Kupe Hill/Mount in the land of the Bakosi.
Itoto is a special meal prepared by a Traditional Doctor for consumption by a patient. It is composed of bits/slices of staple food - fish, meat, vegetable, plantains, palm oil, water, tubers, such as coco-yams, salt pepper.
Oma Nanu
Imba Thomas Mbua Ndoko
Dallas Tx, USA
Mola Mbua Ndoko,
Thanks for the educational proverbs.
Mola, I would like to suggest a translation for “nyama ndome” for the benefit of the younger generation I think the word means “shark.” When I lived in Limbe, one Mola showed me a shark and called it “Nyama ndome.” Dried shark is famous because it has a lot of moszoni (fleshy meat). Ekwakoko and nyama ndome cooked in palm nut soup (moszaka) is the tastiest food on earth, Mola!
Na szomi szai Mola.
Lyombe Eko
Posted by: Lyombe Eko | January 21, 2008 at 11:29 PM