Upon the husbands death, the eldest surviving brother inherits the wife. These groups were usually linked to the ancestral cult. Far from it! Till date, many other Bakweri cultural activities which started informally are now crowd pulling events among the Bakweri people. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The veto only ended with his death. Traditional Bakweri wrestling (pala-pala) - Celestial News Thank You so Much.. PDF Traditional justice system and conflict resolution exploring the pre In spite of superior German forces, the forces of Kuva Likenye held their ground, and foiled the German advance into Buea. For the men, this dressing can sometimes be accompanied by special hat,and a tie. Traditional wrestling is hugely popular amongs the Bakweri in Fako division in Cameroon. According to records presented during the installation of Chief Luma, Chief Njonje Ekema Teke, the grandson of Ngoni Maliva of the Small Soppo Woteke family was the first chief of Likombe. Thus the Bakweri whose territorial limits were governed by fixed and permanents institutions were a state- like society. If you are not from the royal family you cannot be made a king. The Paramount Chief Of Buea Robert Esuka Endeley, we should note, is the son of Dr. Emmanuel Mbella Lifafa Endeley. They were dispossessed of their former territory around present-day Buea station, and forcefully herded into what the Germans described as formerly ownerless land in lower Buea. Mount Cameroon, also known Mount Fako is an active volcano which last erupted in 2000. Lagos; Salvation Army, 1939. Meanwhile, various cultural and sports events are performed on the beach while waiting for the first canoes. [5] A rival Bakweri tradition says they descend from Mokuri or Mokule, a brother of the Duala's forebear Ewale, who migrated to the Mount Cameroon area for hunting. One of the top Cameroonian dishes is Ndol which is somewhat considered "the unofficial dish" of Cameroon. The Bakweri people occupy the South-eastern slopes of mount Cameroon (Fako). The Annual Clash of Five Coastal Villages. They later migrated to the present Cameroon with the father Mbedi alongside their sibling called Ewale (The present Duala tribe) among others to the area southwest of Mount Cameroon. The German successful attacks on the Bakweri could be attributed to this division. Thanks to their defeat of the German-led forces, the Bakweri had slowed down the advance of the Germans into the Cameroonian interior, even if only temporarily. He initiated the elders into this society and the other hunters were equally initiated. When they brought in their wives, other friends and relatives from Womboko joined them and they opened gardens. The Bakweri have traditionally practised polygamy, although with Christianisation, this custom has become extremely rare. [10], The Bakweri speak Mokpwe, a tongue that is closely related to Bakole and Wumboko. They were mostly fishermen, who settled along the coast, farmers, and hunters who settled beside the mountain. According to P.M. Kale in his 1939 study of the Bakweri. It is only when all the bride price has being paid, that the bride is taken to the grooms room, they have sex. This was the first chief who received the flag from the German Colonial Masters. Bakweri settlements largely lie in the mountain's foothills and continue up its slopes as high as 4,000 metres. Good day! Excitement builds up when the first canoes approach the shore. Consequently, the family of the village founder was automatically considered the royal family. If no albino was found, a yellow Endeley was offered to him, or someone who is very fair in complexion. Bakweri News - Fako News Centre PDF Bakweri Traditional Medicine As Ardener has stressed, the Bakweri anti-German campaign, was a small-scale political movement, but one which was aided by the strategic possibilities of the Mountain, was for a brief period actually equal in scale to the amount of German power that could be deployed from Victoria.. They are closely related to Cameroons coastal peoples (the Sawa), particularly the Duala and Isubu. By trading food stuffs to the coast, and blocking the way of expedition into the interior, they had acquired considerable trade goods. In milder cases, a treatment was prescribed that would defeat the witch. The food is eaten by animals, meaning that the dead has make peace with you. Dr Preuss was the principal officer in charge of the Garden. By 1994, they had largely succeeded in their policy of attrition, and in December 1994, a newly constituted, better-prepared and heavily armed German force, the Schutztruppe, led by Von Stetten launched an attack on Buea. Although Western historians insist that the only German lost in the confrontation was Gravenreuth, Bakweri legend has it that six Germans actually lost their lives in the expedition, and that their skulls now reside in a secret shrine in the village of Wondongo, Buea. This class of people were privilege to participate in restraint secret societies and other affairs concerning the Bakweri man and his territory. In addition, constant shipping traffic along the coast allowed individuals to move from one plantation or town to another in search of work. King makers are people who come from the chief family. Stream Bakweri Traditional Dance Video by Dj ericking942 | Listen Of course, Bakweri passive resistance would later be misinterpreted as a sign of laziness, a stereotype that has, unfortunately, become embedded in the national psyche. A number of Bakweri villages have the society. Mount Cameroon volcano has erupted several times in the 20th Century with documented eruptions in 1909, 1922, 1954, 1959, 1982, 1999 and 2000. There is asexual division of labour(SDL) in bakweri in which there is the delegation of different tasks between men and women. They also construct armoires, chairs, and tables. They village has a council of elders which helps the chief in regulating the affairs of they village. His presence in a wrestling pitch brought complete panic to his opponent who would fall prey to his waiting muscles. In November 5, 1891 a German expeditionary force led by Karl Freiher Gravenreuth (who had brutally crushed a revolt of the Abo people (Douala) in February of that same year) and Lieutenant Von Stetten, was dispatched to tame the mountain people by what the acting German Governor described as a demonstration of our existing power. The contingent also included Dahomean, Togolese and Kru (Sierra Leonean) soldiers who had disembarked a few days earlier at the Victoria port from the H.M Cruiser Habitch (pictured below). The British practised a policy of indirect rule, entrusting greater powers to Bakweri chiefs in Buea. It is composed of rudiments brought from the interior and also volcanic soil gotten from the weathered rocks during the eruption of mount Cameroon. On the marriage day, the girls family brings the bride to the mans family. Finally, were the slaves called Wokomi which was the last group and was situated at the bottom of the social table.They consisted of people who co-habited with Bakweri people but had lesser privileges. In the past, it used to be an important way of determining leadership among villages; it even resulted in a war between two villages in 1891, when people from Ghango burnt down the Molonde village in revenge after the death of their best wrestlers. They live in over 100 villages [5] east and southeast of Mount Cameroon with Buea their main population centre. At the top were the native Bakweri, with full rights of land ownership. Thier population is much greater than 16,000. Those who live in the cities such as Limbe and Buea earn a living at a number of skilled and unskilled professions. In April 1895, a brutal Peace Treaty was imposed on the Bakweri, and signed on their behalf by Chief Endeley, brother of the Late Kuva. Consequently, the eldest people in the Bakweri community earned much admiration and respect from the younger generations due to the fact that they performed the mediatory role between the ancestors and the world of the living. MCNP is the home or 'chariot of gods' of the gods of Bakweri clan 'Ihvarza Mote' the practice of traditional beliefs has declined and so have the natural resources. First there is a general dance of the members of the society dressed in head and waist cloths, with their bodies smeared with red mud and decked with vegetation of various kinds. After these declarations, the elders consulted the ancestral spirit and his declarations were confirmed. This was how the Likenya family came to prominence in Buea as they were linked to Eeye Tama Lifenje, the first persons to settle in Buea. [17] Secret societies include the Leingu, Maal (Elephant dance), Mbwaya, and Nganya.[17]. The Bakweri are known to be skilled weavers of hats and shirts, for example. A match between two villages starts with all the contestants, who wear skimpy sarongs, meeting in the middle of a large expanse of grass which forms the wrestling pitch. Incest is even considered as a taboo, and serious practice needs to be practice to purify the family name. Central core of traditional religion is centered around Epasa moto, half man, half stone. This same fertile soil also attracted the Europeans into the area since their motive was centered on economic. Crops mostly cultivated are cocoyam, palm fruit but they mostly live on cocoyams. Although Western historians insist that the only German lost in the confrontation was Gravenreuth, Bakweri legend has it that six Germans actually lost their lives in the expedition, and that their skulls now reside in a secret shrine in the village of Wondongo, Buea. Nevertheless, if the food is not eaten and you still find it there, it means the sacrifice was not acceptable, and you have to re do it. The chiefs and headmen were at the top of this hierarchy in the past even though in recent times the figures have very little power in their own right as important issues are no decided by the committees and no longer secret societies and council of elders. The Ngondo is a traditional festival of the Duala, although today all of Cameroon's coastal Sawa peoples are invited to participate. This process can sometimes begin at child birth, thus making it invariably the first of the rites to be accorded the new baby. The bakweri politcal organisations was divided into different classes. More narrowly, they fall into the Sawa, or the coastal peoples of Cameroon. In the end, Kuva realized that further resistance to the German imperial army was futile, and that the Bakweri were simply being annihilated by forces they could no longer contain or overcome. Germany signed a protectorate agreement with the douala in today Cameroons in 1884. They are insisting that at a time when the Cameroon government is determined to sell off the Cameroon Development Corporation (which controls practically all of the German expropriated lands), the hundred-year old claims of the Bakweri, which began to be expressed in an organized and coherent manner after the Second World War, be taken into account. This is the slave trade village of Bimbia, an emerging and flourishing ecotourism site along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, near the city of Limbe. The German and Bakweri forces would have a memorable clash at the Minonge ravine, now Spanned by the bridge between the Buea station roundabout and the Buea Mountain Hotel. From the time they landed on the Fako coast, and especially after they came in contact with the Bakweri of the interior, the Germans had nothing but grudging respect for the Bakweri, particularly the fierce and fearless warriors of the villages around Buea, whomthe future German Governor of Kamerun, Von Puttkamer, praised in 1886 for their powerful well-built bodies, their courage and their skill in hunting Another German, Dr. Preuss, who would later become infamous for his appalling brutality towards the Bakweri, described them in yet another report as being rough (rauhen) and bold (dreisten Benehmen) in their dealings with the White man. Kwe people - Wikipedia Spirits live in the forests and the sea, and many Bakweri believe that traditional practices hold a malign influence on everyday life. Neighbouring peoples often utilise Mokpwe as a trade language, due largely to the spread of the tongue by early missionaries. Land dispute, fighting taking property that doesnt belong to you, you are taken to the quarter head. The stew is flavoured with crayfish and garlic, and fortified with beef and shrimps. Cameroon:Security forces open fire killing one "Nganya" Dancer Buea During this event, he told the elders that he was tired and decided to rest before returning home and it was during that interval that ancestral spirit visited him. Most people practiced subsistence farming which included careful land management techniques like intensive farming because the land of the mountain slopes were very fertile. The family unit served as the base of political institution in the Bakweri society. There is a belief that for more that three hundred years now the Bakweri have been in possession of scientific knowledge that they use The Bakweri (or Kwe) are a Bantu ethnic group of the Republic of Cameroon. They are closely related to Cameroon's coastal peoples (the Sawa), particularly the Duala and Isubu. A seasoned contingent of local fighters, among them 400 marks men, was put on alert. 1, Jan 1995. That they even survived to tell the story is a testimony to their resilience and tenacity in the face of adversity. Samuel Kinge has trained hundreds and he is teaching thousands on how to read, write and speak the language. Officials charged with organizing pala pala say the sport is an all-embracing activity, open to every man or woman strong enough to wrestle, provided they adhere to the rules and regulations. The founding of new villages in the Mokpe expansion shows that one man, with a few relatives and friends could move to a place and the new settlement will be named after their leader. to cause rainfall and The Bakweri are primarily concentrated in Cameroons Southwest Region. The home negotiators had, as a result, no serious territorial claims in north and east to offer. To the greatest surprise of everybody, he returned to the village. Sponsored by Guinness Company in the 80s, by Njalla Quan Sports Academy in 2000s and today by the Limbe Festival of Arts and Culture, the Limbe Canoe Race has always been a show of force and mastery of the sea waves by five major coastal villages Wovia, Bimbia, Botaland, Mondoli and Batoke. The Bakweri lived ( and live ) in the thickest concentration in a belt of villages between 1,500 and 3,000 feet above the ssea level, but the they occupied the whole base of the mountain below this very thinly, as far as the sea level. The town of Limbe is a mixture of Bakweri, Duala, and other ethnic groups. Bakweri people - Bakweri Language and Cultural Center Among these gods Mbabalova was believed to be the grandmother of the sky god mostly attributed to the moon. These organs, oriented political and social life and organized the society in the face of external aggression. They believed in life after death and attached themselves to traditional religious groups. The sport has grown to develop five different categories: junior wrestlers (5-10years), cadets (10-17years) and the senior category comprised of the muscular men meanwhile the women also have a junior and senior category. The Bakweri have been largely Christianised since the 1970s Evangelical denominations dominate, particularly the Baptist church. [5] They have further villages along the Mungo River and the creeks that feed into it. Those who lived in the central business districts like Limbe, Buea, Tiko and Muyuka were involved in skilled and unskilled professions. To prevent further bloodshed, Kuva went on exile to the village of WonyaMokumba where he caught ill and died shortly thereafter. Far from it! All the above was due to the potential of the area like fertile soil and hunting facilities. Other sources asserted that the population pressure which affected Nigeria drove the Bakweri from their habitation near Lake Barombi in Kumba to the mount Fako area. The Bakweri have traditionally practised polygamy, although with Christianisation, this custom has become extremely rare. Also, sacred incantations are made usually by the elders, to consult the dead. A wrestling official affirmed that many men have had their wives on wrestling pitches. The dreadful voice that roared and scattered the multitude, the hero remains immortal. According to records, Chief Luma Francis Mokoli was gazetted in 1939 as chief of Likombe Chiefdom. The story of Bakweri military resistance against the Germans is also the story of Chief KUVA LIKENYE of Buea, whose epic clashes with German troops remain one of the most glorious (but largely unknown) chapters in Cameroonian history. In spite of superior German forces, the forces of Kuva Likenye held their ground, and foiled the German advance into Buea. One person has been killed while others seriously injured after Cameroon's defence and security forces opened fire on them as they were performing the "Nganya" dance, a traditional dance of the Bakweri people. What Does The Name Bakweri Mean? - The Meaning of Names The bakweri are not normally supposed to have sex before marriage. In the Bakweri tribe, there was once a form of witchcraft called Liemba. A Bakwerian, Dr. E. M. L. Endeley was the first Prime Minister of the British Southern Cameroons from 19541959. The rural Bakweri on the contrary worked as farmers, making use of mount Cameroons fertile volcanic soil to cultivate crops like cocoyam, maize, oil palm and plantains. They were those believed to have blood ties with ancestral world of the clan. Their higher diplome they obtained is O/L. But with the knowledge from Western education and enlightenment, this supreme deity, Lohv' was reintroduced and renamed (God), with a different method of worshipping him. That they even survived to tell the story is a testimony to their resilience and tenacity in the face of adversity. Till date, its uniting power cannot be underestimated. Then his son, Mombi-Mo-Njonje, took over from him. Most of the Bakweri villages claimed to have been founded from a group of villages which lies in a belt between 650m and 1000m up mount Cameroon. It was these botanical gardens that gave inspiration to the creation of the Cameroon Development Corporation the research centre at Ekona and many other government research stations in Cameroon. They are closely related to Cameroon's coastal peoples (the Sawa), particularly the Duala and Isubu. This society, had gods such as: Maelalova, and Ouasalova, all referred to god, creator of the universe. It should have been used to go far into the interior to counteract French movements. His arrival was made known to the entire village when he started playing a drum while his son danced. Kale, P.M. A brief History of the Bakweri. The village head has only limited authority. After paying part of the dowry, that is when you are officially married. Chief Tande Mosenge of Bakweri village of Wonganga in Buea Subdivision of Cameroon leading traditional rulers into his palace, Bakweri people performing traditional dance, Dr. Emmanuel Mbella Lifafe (EML) Endeley, Bakweri man and the first Premier of the British Southern Cameroons, Bakweri divisional chief holding spiritual broom, which is his staff of office, Dr E.M.L. The language is developed in the reading, writing and speaking. Best Bakweri Most Spiritual Traditional Dance - YouTube Many sicknesses where attributed to witchcraft; but the essential diagnosis was always made by a diviner. From the start/finish point at the Downbeach SeaFront area, crowds of spectators watch the race in the sea. [4] The Bakweri likely migrated to their present home east of the mountain in the mid-18th century. The Bakweri people : Understanding their beautiful and unique They grow crops like cocoyams, and maize. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. This second German expedition marked the beginning of the systematic German campaign to dehumanize and wipe out the Bakweri, seize their lands for plantation agriculture, and lock them up in the so-called Native Reserves. With their Commander dead, and the Bakweri guns continuously pounding enemy position, the German expeditionary force panicked. Many died of diseases and cruelties in the concentration camps into which they had been driven. In the process, they founded numerous villages, usually when individual families groups split off. The Bakweri language and Cultural Center (BLACC) Was created to become the revival of Bakweri cultural values especially the Mokpe Language. They practice mixed farming and they hunt. AFRICA | 101 Last Tribes - Bakweri people If you are going to wrestle then you have a back to fall with and you must be prepared to fall. Due to theequatorial maritime climate, and the high fertility of the soil, the Bakweri people are good agriculturalists, and their main source of income is from agriculture. Bell and Miller, who both run contemporary-dance troupes, brought influences far from the world of traditional ballet.
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