Mola Mbua Ndoko: Wisdom and Ways of the Bakweri People

62. “Ngoole ama Moliki-liki ae-nga, eno-ke maato kasi, nanu si naso kane-ya fe lingi lae-kise leni, na venge vee-ya vee-ni a-koo” !

Ngoole said: "Cut off my ears instantly so that I will no longer listen to the boastful utterances of Moliki-liki and the lies he tells."

 

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

Moliki-liki is a stick insect, about the size of a spider or praying mantis. It trembles continuously and clings all the time at the bottom end of trunks of big trees

Yasi nanu:  Ngoole (a millipede) discovered Moliki-liki (stick insect) trembling on the trunk of a Wuuma (bombax tree).  Ngoole not knowing that Moliki-liki was suffering from Parkinson's disease asked Molikiliki:
"My friend, are you sick?  Can I be of assistance to you”?

Retorting Moliki-liki said:
"What reasons have you for suggesting that I am sick?
I am perfectly well. I am busy rocking this Wuuma.
I will up-root it now and fell it on the ground now.
So, please don't disturb me any more with questions.
Run away from here. Be fast.The Wuuma is already clicking.
It's about to fall down. Let it not fall on you”.

61. “esene noma e-Mbaa-mba, yaa-sa Mote mwe Elive e-kaa-ye nau”.

See how Mbaa-mba  is provoking Mote  mwe  Elive.

Tales of the Animal World.

 

Yasi nanu.  Mote mwe Elive was a simple man who extracted wine from live palm trees. He was gentle and well known for being without guile. He diplomatically avoided being embroiled in disputes and litigation. Still, Mbaa-mba, the troublemaker engaged Mote in a dispute that had a tragic end.

Whenever Mote was on top of a palm tree, extracting wine, Mbaa-mba would appear abruptly on the branches, and move towards Mote, looking aggressive as if he was about to assault and bite Mote.  Mbaa-mba followed Mote on top of every palm tree. Kaki  Inoni was an eyewitness to several occasions when Mbaa-mba caused fright to Mote. On each occasion Kaki Inoni shouted:

60. “osa suweya longo ndi anu eki o-kpwe-lele e-mbei meene;timba o-mbusa,ongo fee eki wa ese-lele,wo-ndenga o-kpweli” !

Examining only the spot on which you have fallen is not enough.  Go back and examine also the spot where you started to encounter the difficulties that have caused your fall.

Source:  Tales of the Animal World.

Yasi nanu:  Mbgwa was running fast to meet his friends when he unfortunately fell on the ground.  After Mbgwa hand examined the spot on which he fell, and was about to continue his journey, Yongoole asked Mbgwa:
“Have you also examined the spot on which you started to encounter the difficulties that have caused your fall” ?

Replying Mbgwa said: 
“No  !  It is not necessary to do so.
My interest is to take note of the spot where the accident has occurred”

59 “si, u-mwa faaya, yondi, e-tani yase-yase, nyenge-lee, nanu oma, enge faaya, esa-laava”.

If you find a farm in which most crops and fruits are ripe and mature for harvesting and some of the fruits and crops are lying on the ground rotten, it should immediately occur to you that no one harvests from that farm.

Source: Tales from the Animal World.

faaya = big a farm.

Yasi nanu: Kema  Nyame was pleased to discover a farm in which most of the fruits and crops were ripe and mature for harvesting.  Plantains, bananas, apples, oranges, palm nuts - all ripe; sugar canes, very tall

“liko, litaana;
egbwi-ye, litaana;
vefuma, litaana;
vii-ja, litaana;
mekoko, kolo-lolo, o-mwanyu”.

Keme immediately started to weave a container (motete) in which he hoped he would carry some of the products of the farm to his home. Kaki Inoni who was resting on a tree in the farm warned Keme:

“Please, don't venture to harvest any crops/fruits from this farm”

(“osi-keka  li-wo-wa  moleli  o-tena  mono  moonda") !

Keme responding angrily asked: ma-nde-nga ?

"Why” ?

58. “oo-ko, osi taane !; oo-ko osa taana” !

Bathe but you will never come out clean

 

Maito, maito  kai:  It’s time to tell Tales of the Animal World. 

Ngoni  OR  Ngona  maliva  = mud fish.

Yasi nanu:  Ngona  Maliva consulted the renowned doctor and sorcerer, Mosongo Inoni, and complained:

"Mola  koo-ko !
I bathe repeatedly but I am not yet clean.
I have bathed in shallow river water.
I have bathed in deep river water.
I have bathed in sea/salt water.
I have bathed with “woongo  wo  mboli” and good quality soap (“soova  mandenge”).
I have also bathed with soap manufactured by the White man (e-Mokala  Mbongo).
But, slime continues to remain on my skin; and the colour of my skin continues to remain black."

57. “Wove wo Mbiya, va-laa, va ve-nye”.

Palm nuts at an early stage of decomposition that are constantly being condemned, yet soup prepared from the nuts is consumed

 

Maito, maito  kai:  It’s time to tell Tales of the Animal World.

Yasi  nanu: A mentally stressed Mosongi  Inoni complaining to his friend Ikula Nyame said:
“Mwai  Ikulu  koko:

 Wolinyama, including my sisters are not worth dying for. They are very ungrateful.
I have pulled several of them out of Nyongo labour camps and destroyed the ropes that were used in tying them.

I have offered many of them free services from my sorcery. But I have never received a word of thanks from any of them. Instead they gossip me and complain that I do not give them enough assistance. Henceforth I will not commence treatment until a patient pays my fee.
I will no longer offer free services from my sorcery, not even to my sisters”.

252. Bakweri and forecasting of weather on the Mountain (o-Fako).

 

Bakweri persons who visit the Mountain (e-Fako) frequently and spend nights in caves on the Mountain make remarkably reliable forecast of the weather on the Mountain. It is said that the location of clouds, the direction of the wind and the pressure of the wind on the skin, particularly on the face, suggest on coming weather conditions. 

Bakweri mountaineers don’t dare leave their caves when hostile weather, such as heavy rain fall, storms, thick fog is forecast. They return into their caves before the start of inclement weather. With or without using clocks they guess time remarkably correct and return in their caves before night fall.  Fire keeps caves warm. From time to time strangers to the Mountain die on the savannah zone (Mosanje) when overtaken by hostile weather.

56. “isosi je Eso”

To continue to claim to be innocent even after being caught red handed

Tales of the Animal World.

Yasi  nanu.  Wolinyama were at a Conference when Kpwae Inoni wailed from the the path of  a latrine:

“Wolinyama come out immediately. Here is Eso devouring Yonja  Wuve”

(“Wolinyama  e-fuse  kpwa  ee !
e-je  kasi-kasi  ee  !
neni  maongo  ee)  !
Eso  mono  a-veli, a-laa  Yonja  Wuve  ee” !

On arrival at the scene security guards were surprised that even though they met Eso still chewing the body of Yonja Wuva, Eso claimed that it was not Yonja Wuva  that he was chewing. The guards arrested Eso and presented him to the Conference. Eso was still carrying in his mouth feathers of Yonja Wuve who he had already swallowed. The face of Eso was covered with blood. Yet Eso continued to say:

“Wolinyama  You are prosecuting me without reason. I have not eaten Yonja  Wuve

“Wolinyama,
eno  nwa  ndi  ngundu,
nhwe  !  nasa-leli  Yonja  Wuve” !

55. “ e-Mbako yamba Mosoke”.

Mosoko’s verdict

mbako = verdict.
 
kaka = to tighten; fasten.

mbafe  nakaki  ndi  anga  meene;
mbafe  na-lati  ndi  anga  meene;
anga  meene  ndi  mbafe  naveli;
anga  ndi iveli;   anga  meene  wondi  iso  vase  iveli”.
(I am or we are in agreement with what has been said, or what is about to be done.)

Yasi  nanu:  Chief Johnny Mosoko  Mekame the  traditional ruler of the village of Wakpwae  was one of the judges of the Bakweri Customary Court of Appeal in Buea. Whenever it was his own turn to state in whose favour he considered judgement should go, he routinely said:

251. Bakweri Rain Scientists.

There is a  belief that for more that three hundred years now the Bakweri have been in  possession of scientific knowledge that they use (i) to suspend rainfall, (ii) to cause rainfall and (iii) to cause whirlwinds and hurricanes to occur. 

It is widely known among the Bakweri that when a public ceremony,such as an eyuu, wrestling contests, Maale that involves the assembly of large crowds is scheduled to take place during the months of virtual incessant rainfall, that is, in the months of July, August, September and October, sponsors of the ceremony hire a Rain Scientist to suspend rainfall on the day of the ceremony.

As concerns whirlwinds and hurricanes, the following event that occurred more than seventy years ago and which has now become legendary is fascinating.

54. “Molisa moto mondi a-timbi mboli yamba e-wanga moto”.

I am a poor man escorting the goat of a wealthy person.

Yasi nanu:  Lifanje was an employee of a wealthy animal farmer. On one occasion when Lifanje was escorting his master's goats to an area with green grass, a group of elderly men (vetina  ve  wunyana) remarked:

“Taata  ee !  So, this lad is the owner of this herd of goats
He will be a multi-millionaire soon”.

("Taata  ee ! 
ene  elonge-longe  ya  mwaana  !
imele,
mofe, mondi,
a-veni  wono  gbwaaka  wosusu  wo  mboli  nau !
imele  a-gbwe-ya,
wokoki  fetei,
laka  nau,
seke  imele  ave  ndi  e-wangi  ya  hoo)”.

Lifanje frightened by the remarks, and fearing the elderly men may jealous him, and mystically cause him to be sick, pleaded in a trembling voice:

53. “Wooku wo Koondo; mome, metoko; mwaali, metoko” !

In a flock of Koondo; males and females, each grows long feathers at the tail (metoko).

Fables of the Animal World.

It is common knowledge that only male birds grows distinctive long and sometimes decorative and attractive curved feathers (metoko) at the tail, for instance, a cock (moma  wuva). 

Surprisingly every Koondo, male or female, in the family of the bird known as Koondo grows long feathers (metoko) at its tail. Baffled by this peculiar situation, the Chief of Protocol at a Convention of the Animal World (Wolinyama) complained to the Convention as follows:

52. “Mboli ja Gbwe-nyi, na meko me Gbwe-nyi”.

Gbwenyi’s goats and the Gbwenyi’s plantains

 

mboli = a goat.  meeko = fruits of a plantain plant; singular, moko.

Yasi nanu:  Gbwe-nyi  we  Elive made himself a laughing stock  He was an animal farmer. Then he grew some plantain plants in a fence behind his house.  His goats were attracted into the fence by fruits of plantain plants that had fallen on the ground or were hanging close to the ground.

When ever his goats found their way into the fence Gbwe-nyi would drive out the goats and speak to the goats as if the goats were human beings:  Gbwenyi would shout:

51. “Wonja ndi e-gbwi motoko”.

It’s no event.  It is the heir to the estate that has accidentally damaged a valuable property in the estate.

Yasi nanu: On the occasion of the e-yuu for Mola Mwanja  mo  Njiya of Molyko, Mwengele sent palm wine (mimba) in a large calabash (motoko mo koova) to his friend Mosongo-songo, a brother to Mola  Mwanja  mo  Njiya.

After the ceremony when, Mwengele's son, Lifamba was returning home he filled the now empty motoko  mo  koova with water from Koke spring.  It was a good idea.  As Lifamba was walking out of the stream, he unfortunately stepped on a slippery stone.  The motoko mo koova slipped from Lifamba's head, dropped on the rocks, and was broken into pieces.

50. “Njoku asa litise i-mbangu jeni”.

An elephant does not feel the weight of its tusks.

Maito, maito  kaii:  Tales of the Animal World.

Njoku/Njoka  Nyame = an elephant. 

mbangu = a tusk

sala-la = to parade. 

Njika/Njika  Nyame = a wild cow that lives in the forest.

Yasi nanu:  Njoka Nyame was resting on the ground when his friend Njika Nyame attempted to lift one of Njoku's tusks. Njika realizing the heavy weight of the tusk exclaimed:

“Taata  e !  i-Mwai !
I am surprised that you parade the forest so easily with these heavy tusks.
Don't you feel their weight”  ?