The Noni Story II

Traditional Authority and Gorvernance  

According to Mr. Wifoke Joseph from Mbinon, Traditional Leadership hinges around the Kwifon. The Kwifon plays the role of Parliament. It plays a regulatory role as well as a Judiciary role.  The Kwifon also installs and can depose a chief. The supremacy of the Kwifon is undisputable in Noni land. If the Kwifon is on the move and meets a Nfon, it is the latter that gives way to the Kwifon. The Masquerade referred to as Nko is the strongest arm of the Kwifon Institution. That’s why the Nko always presents itself as the  strongest entity of the Kwifon. A Nfon irrespective of the village he comes from cannot stand in the way when a Nko is passing irrespective of the origin of the Kwifon in question. The Kwifon is therefore the most powerful institution and commands the highest authority in Noni land. That’s why any of the Kwifons can exit to carry out its ceremonial duties in any parts of the land without necessarily taking permission from any Nfon.

In Mbinon for example, there are three Kwifons and none of these will need permission from another to go around and carry out its traditional ceremonial duties. This shows that each Kwifon is completely independent of the other. When a Kwifon gives instructions, the people to whom those instructions are given are supposed to follow those instructions.

Therefore, in villages where you have more than one Nfon it will be incorrect to think that one of them has more authority over the other.  It will therefore be safe to say that there are three main authorities in Mbinon (Tfuh) and each one has its Kwifon, its palace and institutions of Traditional Authority and this determines the extent to which they have authority in a given area.

A chief is a leader and therefore someone who has a following that acknowledges him as a leader.

Each traditional ruler or Nfon in Noni has a Kwifon, the Fimbwen, reserved for women, the Nfuh which is the warrior group made up of young men who can fight when the situation arises, the Ngiri which is a ceremonial sort of group which doesn’t have any governance authority and other ceremonial dancing jujus referred to as Mkuum. Among all these structures, the three most powerful with specific functions are the Kwifon, Fimbwen and the Nfuh. Note should however be taken that the Nfon is administratively above every other institution. However from the perspective of Traditional Authority he is under the authority of the Kwifon and the Fimbwen. For example, Kwifon is not supposed to pass a certain amount of time (24 hours) out of its shrine. If it does then the Fimbwen  will block it till certain ceremonies are performed and fines paid. This shows the degree of  Authority of the Fimbwen. If the Nfon is under the authority of the Kwifon and the same Kwifon can be disciplined by the Fimbwen, then it can comfortably be concluded that the Fimbwen has a authority over the Nfon. This structuring of Traditional Authority in Noni is meant to check the negative effects of accumulating too much power in the hands of an individual or an institution.

In principle, if the Fimbwen feels uncomfortable with the leadership of the Nfon it can challenge it. These checks enhance the prevention of the excessive use of power by one of these three entities.

The authority of the Nfuh is restricted to protecting the land against external aggression. They also participate in the execution of Community Projects which sometimes require physical force to get them executed.

When someone is being introduced or initiated into the Nfuh, he is required to bring certain items. These usually include fowls, goats amongst other items. These initiation items are slaughtered and specific parts are given to specific people. The rest is cooked and everybody takes a share. This reflects the collective or communal character of the lifestyle of Noni people in every aspect of their daily life.   

That’s why in a place like Tfuh(Mbinon), there are three Kwifons namely of the Nfon of Gii, the Nfon of Ntfum and the Kibai of Enteh. These three work together with each one maintaining his authority within his sphere of influence.

 The Noni people by nature hate domination and rather prefer a collaborative approach. This partially explains the existence of more than a single Nfon in almost all Noni villages.

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