Traditional Customs and Christianity in Noni

 The Noni Story IV

As a result of the sprinklings of people who came in from different places it greatly affected the traditional centralized ancestral religious practice. Traditional Religions were as such much more easily replaced by Christianity. The Catholic, Baptist and to a lesser extent the Presbyterian Churches practically swept through  Noni almost completely replacing its Traditional Religions and Practices. It is almost impossible to find a poligamous family in Noni because of their Christianity.

Shey George Forgwei, a Noni elite from Nkor who was conferred with the title Shey Wu Ntvu (Treasurer of the Palace) by the Nfon of Mbin sheds light on the situation in the following words:

“I am a Christian but this does not prevent me from being a traditionalist. Being a Christian and at the same time respecting tradition is not contradictory. That’s why I am a Shey Wu Ntvu and I belong to a Mfu, of Mnjeivu.”

Every group of people who came into Noni came in with their Kwifons (Sacred Societies). That’s why in Nkor there are four Kwifons. There are Kwifons in Nkochi, Mbin,  Etakum and Mnjeivu. These various groups of people came in with their Kwifons and the people who were already in place didn’t suppress them.     

Though Noni people are Christians, they didn’t abandon their traditions. Though Noni people are Christians, they are seen to participate in the Mfu (Sacred Dance) and to visit the Kwifon la which is like an Institution which passes judgement over issues. The ruling of the land takes place there and you don’t necessarily need to be a member of the cult to visit Kwifon la.

These groups have always lived together as Noni people peacefully with absolutely no land disputes since natural boundaries like streams are known by everyone.

Even more recently, the Mbororo people who are dominantly herdsmen came and settled mostly on the hills in Nkor. Some of these hills belong to Nkochi people, some belong to the Mnjeivu, the Mbin or the Etakum people but it is generally known and accepted as such without any problems.

According to Dr. Tameh Kilian of the, University of Yaounde,  Each Fondom in Noni is basically independent in the way it was created and in the way it functions. They have different origins and are sometimes completely independent of each other. 

Dr Kilian Tameh

According to some Patriarchs in Tfuh (Mbinon ) the two Fondoms in the village are linked in the sense that the Palace which is up the hill is like a father to the other palace. This is simply because the one that is up existed a long time before the one that is down. One curiosity about the Ntfum Palace; the one up the hill in Tfuh (Mbinon) is that there are people who belong to the Ntfum Palace in Tfuh who also pay allegiance to the Palace in Laan (Lasn). Commenting on this reality Dr. Tameh Kilian who is one of such from the Ntfum Palace explains his bewilderment about this reality in the following manner: 

“I don’t understand how this relationship actually came about but as I am sitting here now, it is said that if the Nfon of Laan passes on I could possibly be crowned as the Nfon of Laan but I don’t yet understand the link. In Noni, it is always intertwined and you can never say that the people of a particular village are unique to that village.  There’s always a relationship between the Mbinon (Tfuh) people, the Djottin people, the Din people and the Nkor people. We have a family in Djottin, in Din and in Nkor. At the same time they tell me that my family actually belong to Laan.  I am from Mbinon (Tfuh) but they tell me that I belong the people of Laan.  I am yet to understand how a person from Mbinon (Tfuh) could be crowned Nfon in Laan (Lasn).”

The history of Noni indicates that there has never been any inter-village war in the land. This comes as a surprise considering the very warlike nature of the neighbouring Nso people. The people are so united with different dialects of the Noni Language. Everyone perfectly understands each other with none of them feeling inferior or superiour to the other.

From a purely cultural perspective, there is almost no difference as you move from one village to the next. In every Noni Village for example, each compound has a dance.

Each compound has its own Traditional Dance and when ever there is an occasion, dances from other compounds are invited to participate. (To be continued)

By Francis Ekongang Nzante

 

 Noni Herald

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