Mambila Artefacts

A. MASKS

(a) General Mambila name ... SHOWA (or SUR or SOWI).
(b) Use. In connection with the central Mambila rite, which is a Fertility Cult. Also brought out at burials of important men.
The mask is worn on the head together with a full length robe of netting and cocks' feathers which covers the whole body.
Masks are still made by a large number of people and are not used until they have been 'consecrated'. This is done by killing a chicken and pouring a small amount of its blood onto the mask. Some breast feathers are stuck to the mask with the blood. The method of killing the chicken is to slit its mouth and allow it to bleed to death.
The main rites take place just before Guinea corn planting in June or early July. Each Hamlet or sub-unit in the village has one or more masks, which are the personal possession of the cult holder and usually inherited. WARWAR village for instance has 11 masks.
I cannot give a clear description of the actual rites. The holders seem to meet together at a centre point of the village and dance. They then go round the various hamlets. The central rite seems to be an offering of corn beer to an upright stone, followed by pouring some into the ground. More beer is then drunk.
The dancing is individual rather than group, and very violent. Each masks represents a different animal or natural force and the appropriate dance does seem to mimic these. .
Anyone may actually dance in the mask, and usually it is not the owner, who is too old. The masks may not be seen by the women. It is said that if a woman accidentally sees one she will get sick, unless a special medicine is made for which she will have to pay at least one chicken.
The dancing and beer drinking may go on for several days.

There are three masks:

1. Type of mask MAPE (i.e. 'wind')
   Village of origin; TEP KWAR in Mambila District, Adamawa.
   Name of maker... now forgotten.
   Age: About 35 years.
2. Type of Mask... BUR (i.e. Dog)
   Village of Origin... Mbamnga Village, Mambila District, Adamawa.
   Name of Maker.... GUMI (died about 1943)
   Age of mask.... about 12 years ?
   Cost: £1. Not in use when bought.
3. . Type of Mask.... MAHIR (i.e. 'storm')
   Village of Origin.... Mbamnga
   Name of Maker.... GUMI
   Age of mask, about 11 years
   Cost: ...£1.
   

B. SMALL FIGURES

C. MISCELLANEOUS

1. STOOL. Kaka name... unknown.
   Use... The Chief's personal stool.
   Village of Origin... ANTERE village of Mambila District, Adamawa.
   Name of Maker.... Unknown.
   Age.... About 20 years ?
   Tribe... The MFUMTE branch of the KAKA people.
   Cost... 5/-.
   
2. MAMBILA LONG DRUM Mambila name of drum: KWINJENG
   Use. This drum is used for a dance called KATI which is held in October, and occasionally for other dances. It is held between the knees when in use. The head is made of Antelope hide.
   Village of Origin... WARWAR village, Mambila District, Adamawa.
   Name of Maker... NGARI of NDIEL quarter.
   Age.... Unknown.
   Cost... 11/-/
   
3. BILA ROUND DRUM Mambila name of drum... DANG.
   Use... This drum is used for all dances except Kati. The head is made of cow hide.
   Village of Origin... WARWAR
   Name of Maker... MBON of Warwar.
   Age... Unknown.
   Cost... 11/-.
   
4. BATTLE Mambila name... BATI
   Use... In all dances. The seeds are only obtainable from French Territory near Fumban, and are called MBUM BATI.
   Village of Origin... WARWAR
   Name of Maker and Age... Unknown, but age not more than 4 years. Commonly made by the women.
   Cost... 2/6
   
5. and 6 JUJU SUITS
   Mambila name... MBEN or Suwa Mben.
   Use... Costume for the young boys' dancing and play. It is said that this is the remnant of what was originally the central cult among the North Eastern section of the Mambila who are known as the TORBI or the 'Men Before' because they took the brunt of the Fulani invasion from Banyo. However when these people learnt of the SUWA cult from Warwar and the southern villages, they took it up and Mben gradually became what it is now - of no significance but simply a children's play dance. The women are still not allowed to see these suits.
   There is another cult called Suwa Ndang, also mainly a play dance, but use is made of the rite to discipline the children. The symbol of this is a long skin-tight black suit, embellished with tufts of cock's feathers, with the head covering elongated into a long peaked hood. When the main Suwa masks (also called DUWA) are brought out, the young men will don the NDANG suits and join the dance.
   Name of Maker and age... unknown, but the suits are still commonly made.
   Cost... 1/-.
   

• 1-3. SHIELDS Mambila name.... BIR
  Use.... War and Hunting. Their use in war is obvious. In leopard hunting, the Mambila will encircle the beast and gradually close in. When finally the leopard charges, the shock will be taken on the shield and the leopard killed with the spear.
  Village of Origin... Mbamnga village of Mambila District, Adamawa.
  Name of Maker... SHIYAMI of MBAMNGA (?)
  Age.. Possibly 25 years. They are still made, but only round Warwar and Mbamnga and in the Tikar Plain (Fr. Territory).
  Cost... 7/- each...21/-.
  
• 4-5 SMALL SHIELDS Mambila name... KIKEN
  Uses, etc... Same remarks as for d. 1-3 apply.
  Cost... 3/- each... 6/-.
  
• 6-7 SWORDS Mambila name... BOMVA
  Use.... Same as that of a matchet.
  Village of Origin... VOKKUDE Village of Mambila District, Adamawa.
  Name of Maker... Possibly BONTOP KILA of VOKKUDE.
  Age...
  They date at least from the 1914-18 war. They are no longer made in Mambila, having been completely supplanted by the Matchet from the Canteen. Swords of a similar pattern with similar handles are fairly common in Bamenda, but all seem to agree that these are genuine Mambila products. They are mentioned by Meek as being unique in Mambila, but these are the only two I have ever seen.
  Cost... (a) with handle...9/-. (b) without...4/-
  
• 8. Two spears. Mambila name... GUAL MBOLL.
  Use... War and hunting; the Mambila had no bows and arrows or other weapons apart from their swords.
  These spears are used nowadays purely for show... as the Mambila say for 'Nyanga'.
  Village of Origin... KILA TING Quarter of Kabri Village. The name Kila indicates a blacksmith quarter.
  Name of Maker... GAMFI of KILA TING.
  Age... About 10 years.
  Cost... 16/- and 19/- ... £1-15-0.
  
• 9. Mambila name...GUAL NDU.
  Use... War and hunting and show.
  Village of Origin... WARWAR.
  Maker... DANG of NDARUM Quarter, Warwar Village.
  Age... 2 years.
  Cost... 4/-
  
• 10. Mambila name... GUAL MBILMBANG
  Village of Origin... LEME
  Maker.... WUMBAR of LEME
  Age... 1 year.
  Cost... 10/- and 4/-... 14/-.
  
• 11. Mambila name... GUAL BVULI.
  Use... This type of spear is given in exchange for a wife in Exchange marriage, as part of the marriage payment.
  
• 12. Mambila name... GUAL MBILMBANG
  Use... Hunting, especially for bush cow and larger game. This particular spear is said to have killed many bush cow.
  Village of Origin...VOKKUDE
  Age... Not known by the owner, but 'very old indeed'.
  Name of Maker... Not known.
  Cost... 19/-.
  
• 13. Mambila name... None, or simply GUAL - 'spear'.
  Use... Show ('nyanga')
  Village of Origin... Made in Vokkude. These are copies of Fulani spears with Fulani spears with Mambila decorations.
  Maker... Not known.
  Age... Only a year or two at most.
  Cost... 10/- and 4/-... 14/-.
  

1. Three hoes. Mambila name... VUN.
   Agriculture and marriage payments.
   Village of Origin... VOKKUDE
   Maker... Not known. Age... About 3 years, one older.
   Cost.... Fixed by the Native (Pagan) Court in marriage cases at 5/- each... 15/-.
   
2. ONE ANTERE type hoe for comparison, of a type only used now by the KAKA (Mfumte) people to make marriage payments. Local name, age, etc., unknown.
   
3. Baskets
   Mambila name.... SAK
   Use... By the women only for carrying loads, etc. The men carry loads on their heads.
   Village... Bought in Gembu, but they are made and sold in every Mambila village.
   Materials used... grass.
   Age... 1 year.
   Cost... 3/6 each... 7/-.
   
4. LOINCLOTH
   Mambila name... CHIYEK. Usually reddened with ochre, in which case they are called CHIYEK NORI (= 'Banten al'ada').
   Locally made from Mambila grown cotton (VULLE).
   Cost 2/-
   
5. PIPE
   Mambila name... TOLFALKBE
   Use... This is twin pipe which is apparently only to be used by a woman who has had twins.
   Age and Maker... Unknown. Village... MVEREP Hamlet of WARWAR village.
   Cost... 6/-.
   
6. PIPE
   Mambila name... TOLTAMA
   Used ... by men and women.
   Village... WARWAR.
   Maker.... YANGCHIE
   Cost.... nil.
   
7. BRACELETS
   Mambila name... LUMYARENE
   Cost... nil.