Bamunka is a small village of Cameroon located in the North West Region along the ring road from Bamenda. Bamunka Village is the Sub Divisional Headquarter of Ndop Central Subdivision and the Divisional Headquarter of Ngoketunjia Division.
Bamunka village is located some 42 km away from Bamenda town on the Bamenda-Nkambe stretch of the ring road. The village has direct boundaries with Babungo, Baba I, Babessi, Bambalang, Bamessing, Bamali and with the Bello Sub Division.
History
Meukoh or Nkoh-chandeuh people is a village which became known as Bamunka upon the arrival of the Germans. Being one of the villages of Ngoketunjia Division, the Meukoh people just like other villages of Ngoketunjia Division have the names of their villages starting with "Ba" meaning the "people of". The prefix "Ba" was introduced during the arrival of the Germans to mean the people of Meukoh land.
Ngwafuongmbie wife of Mangwa (Founder of present-day Mbaw-Yakum) had two sons and daughters. The two sons were Tining and his elder brother Chungpikuh who was a hunter. Tining remained at home (Mbaw-Yakum) and succeeded their father (Mangwa).
Chungpikuh was a hunter and led a group of people who settled at the present land of the Meukoh people (Bamunka). According to tradition by then, when you kill an animal you cannot slaughter until your father gives you the right to do so. Because of his distance some of the animals got rotten before he arrived Bambalang to present to his father. To prevent this the father therefore gave him the "knife" i.e. the right to kill and slaughter and dry and only bring dried meat to him. His father also gave him the right to control those he was hunting with. He was also advised to judge and settle cases among his people rather than coming to Mbaw-Yakum for this. Finally his father crowned him the Fon of that village i.e. the Fon of Meukoh (Bamunka).
Once upon a time in 1484 there were two brothers, the older one called Tunimangwa and the younger Cheng, who lived with their parents at Ndobo in the Adamawa Region of Cameroon. Apparently not being satisfied with the selection of a new Fon in Ndobo, following the death of their father, they decided to migrate to new lands so as to establish their own fondoms where possible. The two brothers formed two groups of their followers which each led as his people. The group which Cheng led comprised twelve in number and subsequently became Bamunka Village with Cheng as their Fon. As Cheng Became Chengfong, the twelve became Chengfong people and held prominent positions in Bamunka under Chengfong. The other group that Tunimangwa led eventually became Bambalang with members of his group also holding prominent positions in Bambalang and the successors of these two groups have maintained their prominence in both Bamunka and Bambalang villages to date.
Bambalang (Mbaw-Yakum) and Bamunka (Meukoh) were descendants of the males (sons of Mangeh) while Bafanji, Bamunkumbit and Bamali are the descendants of the daughters. These five villages because of their relationship have formed the Mangeh Family Association. The formation of this association is to maintain peace and unity amongst these villages and to ensure progress of all of them. For that reason, they have created branches all over the world so as to come back home and develop their respective villages. There is also no defined boundary that exist between one mangeh village and another because they are descendants of one (sons and daughters of Mangeh).
Culture
The Bamunka people have some cultural heritage that they hold jealously and are preserving it. Unlike the Gregorian calendar with 7 days of the week, there are eight (8) days of the week in Bamunka including Mbimbee; equivalent to the Christian Sunday, Mbikoh: free working day, Mbimboune: Free working day, Mbingow: Free working day and main market day, Mbibehkah: Njangi day but otherwise free for work, Mbiliteh: Free working day, Mbiyih: Rest Day and lovers day, Mbikedih: Free working day.
Marriages
In the case of a potential marriage between the son and daughter of an ordinary Meukoh citizen, an intermediary informs the father of the future bride that one of his friends intends to "steal" from his compound. This informative contact takes place a number of times and could be done even along the road, in a Njangi house, at a death celebration, in the farm, in the weekly market etc. If the father of the potential bride is interested, he asks the go-between the name of the friend intending to steal from his compound; discussions then ensue, which may end up with the revelation of the identity of the future groom. It is common for parents to initially negotiate marriages for their sons without revealing their identity until it becomes necessary to do so. After eventual clarifications of obscure issues, the father of the girl pours some Palm-Wine (local liquor) brought by the guests into his cup, drinks it before passing the cup to his wife (mother of the future bride) who also drinks before passing it to her daughter who drinks and hands it over to the would-be husband. This is a symbolic acceptance of the groom in the presence of the bride's parents.
The practice of a man falling in love with the sister of his wife that used to be common in Bamunka has been condemned into extinction. The practice was tolerated because at first the Bamunnka Man was not allowed near his nursing wife until the child was at least two years old and walking about before its mother could stop breast feeding. This could be very difficult for a man who was then permitted to fall in love with his sister-in law rather than go outside the family. The theory has now evaporated and an end put to the practice.
The Fon
The Fon is the custodian of the custom and tradition of the Bamunka people and whelms much power, is respected and honored. In the old days leprosy was rampant to the extent that many Fons caught it. Because of this, Fons insisted that people should remove their shoes so that the Fon can see that they were not lepers. Lepers would be allowed far away from the Fon. People in the old days did not realize that leprosy came from their unhygienic conditions. This probably explains why even up to date, people are not allowed into the Fon's sitting room with shoes. You must remove your shoes as a sign of honor before entering the Fon's sitting room .
When someone is enthroned Fon, he sits at the entrance to Kwifong's compound and for the last time in his life he greets commoners by the hand but draw away power from them which he stores in a bag hanging from writs. After the exercise he ceases to shake hands with commoners just so that they may not draw back his power. Some people hold that during that exercise of laying hands the bag which he carries on his wrist becomes very heavy so that not even four people could lift up. This may also explain why there is also the interesting exercise of hands laying when a priest is ordained. Sometimes it is interesting how these things are the same although they dance round and round in different cycles.
Communal
In the village of Bamunka, communal is carried out on the orders of the Kwifong and whoever gives orders for such work including the Fon, must do so in the name of Kwifon who will use his coercive powers in case of disobedience. Communal labor which is called "Nkheng" in Bamunka is carried out in many ways. It can be done by way of levy on the whole village to pay a certain amount. It can also be done by way of delegates of quarters or by the entire village being called out to perform certain tasks such as road clearing, construction and bridge building. In each of the a fore-named every adult is expected to come out quarter by quarter and report to their quarter head to perform its share of the task. Everyone in every quarter is expected to obey the call. Any failure to attend entails a penalty which can be enforced using Kwifong coercion injunction.
Traditional injunctions vary in their gravity and source in Bamunka. We have the Kwifon sign of Injunction, the Gueiteh sign of injunction, the Goeh sign of injunction, Nyi or god sign of injunction by quarter heads and the commoner's sign of injunction. Incidentally the quarter-head's sign of injunction is the same as the sign for peace in Bamunka as well as the sign for Bamunka traditional gods called "Nyi". An injunction indicates that the person enjoined has failed to obey the community one way or another and that by the injunction he is required without failure to report with the injunction to his quarter-head who should explain to him what the penalty is or where to go to perform his task. Injunctions are delivered in varying ways. Where there is pregnant woman in the compound of the enjoined the injunction is tied to a tree and nailed on a cut plantain stem instead of on the ground in the yard as is the normal practice. When all members of an entire household fail to perform communal labor, the injunction is nailed at the middle of the yard and until all of them carry out the task or pay the fine, the injunction is not removed and the persons enjoined cannot perform even their job without first performing the communal labor. In the case of any doubt, the right place to go to the quarter-head who should either solve the problem or direct the enjoined to where he should go to have his problem resolved.
Since injunctions are in descending order of authority, disobedience of an injunction may lead to a higher one with higher fine and severer methods of enforcement. When the person enjoined does not know the fine or requirement of the injunction, he must go to the source of the injunction to find out what the fine is or what he should do.
Deaths
The dead in Bamunka is washed, rubbed, and dressed up with a cap to match for men. The dead is then sat on a chair in a hold in the ground and covered with soil with head turned upwards and mouth opened with a Bamboo put in it for subsequent performances through the holes left by the Bamboo. Something commonly referred to in Bamunka as "turning bamboo".
Burial nowadays is in a coffin which in Bamunka tradition a hole is made on the coffin for a Bamboo to be put through to the mouth for the dead for the same purpose as above. This Bamboo is turned round weekly or so by selected members of the deceased family until a stated number of weeks usually odd weeks of seven, nine, eleven, thirteen or fifteen weeks when this Bamboo is ceremoniously removed by the successor of the dead person living the hole there for ritual offerings whenever the need arises. No burial in Bamunka land may take place at mid-day. It must be before or after. The reason is not known but it has been so for time immemorial.
The practice of women mourning naked is ceasing to exist in Bamunka, though women still mourn here half naked by covering the down part of their bodies only.
Succession