Traditional Muea Market ~ Eluwa Muea

Traditional  Muea  Market  (Eluwa  Muea) existed as a major trading centre long before the advent of the White man in the lands of the Bakweri.  Markets existed also in Misselele, Tiko, Gbwenga, Liyengu Mboke (ie. Victoria/Limbe), Vatoke

The Wonjoku family in Muea was renowned for the manufacture of hoes, cutlasses, knives, chisels, spears, axes, brass bangles, brass spindles and tools for uprooting stumps of elephant grass.  At that time several persons from villages all over Bakweri lands visited homes of Wonjuku families frequently to buy hoes. 

Wonjoku manufactured tools were used by the Bakweri as weapons of war during the battle between Bakweri and the Germans in 1891. It is worth to note that the bakweri under the leadership of Kuv’a Likenye of Buea defeated the Germans in that 1891 war

As the number of persons who visited homes of Wonjoku families to buy hoes increased rapidly, particularly during planting seasons, it became necessary to set aside special days for the sale of hoes at a special place inside the village.  The days for the sale of hoes became known as Eluwa  MEEYA, that is, the market for hoes (meeya). 

Eluwa = a market.

Mwaa = a hoe. Plural, meeya

Eluwa  meeya = the market for hoes (meeya).

The name “Eluwa  Meeya” was eventually converted to “Eluwa  MUEA = Muea Market.

The Bakweri have continued to use the words Éluwa  Meeya (eluwa  Muea) to refer to Thursdays, the day for the purchase of hoes.

The Muea square for the sale of hoes eventually developed to an important market for the exchange of varieties of food – cocoyams for oranges and sugar canes; clay pots for honey/cocoyams/deer meat; young pigs (nguma ngowa) for goats; dried fish from Misellele, Tiko, Gbwenga for cocoyams, thatches (ngonja) for honey.  The market furthermore developed to a grand cultural and social centre and also as a place for making important announcements of public interest, such as dates and places of wrestling contests, Maale Dances, Eyuu ceremonies, maintenance of inter-village tracks.

During the hundreds of years of its existence Muea Market has been displaced four times.  From start Traditional Muea Market was operated inside the village.  The original location of the village is close to the spring of the stream known as “Weende”, about three hundred metres east of the now Molyko CDC Banana Boxing Station. 

In 1901 the German Colonial Administration in Buea forcefully pushed out the inhabitants of Muea from the Wende site, marched them south-east wards, and dumped them on a marsh on the banks of a seasonal lake (e-Liyo), an area that was infested with mosquito and crocodiles.  The original site of the village and beyond was then converted to WAPV Molyko plantation.  The market continued to be operated inside the village at the new site. 

As German plantation owners continued to use the market routinely as a centre for the purchase of large quantities of coco yams and plantains for their workers as well as a centre for the purchase of thatches for roofs of residential huts for plantation labourers, the German Colonial Administration transferred the market to a location about one mile north of the village, inside Muea village ancestral land that had then been converted to Molyko WAPV Plantation.

And for the convenience of plantation workers the Colonial Administration in Buea decreed that the market should operate on Sundays also, Sunday being a day that plantation workers were not expected to work.  From that time until today the market operates twice a week, on Thursdays, the traditional market days and on Sundays.

The new site of the market was at the terminus of a railway track from Bota to Wonya  Likombo (Mile 4), then to Wotutu, Saxenhoft, Meveyo, Molyko-Ekona.  WAPV built a big house that was used as shop and a residential bungalow near the market.  The cement pillars on which the floor of the shop rested on are standing erect up till today. 

Large numbers of plantation workers from Tole, Saxenhoft, Moliwe,Tiko, Likomba, Mpundu, Ekona and Molyko used to trek from their camps  to the market on Sundays, particularly on Sundays after pay day..  There were no transport vehicles at that time

By 1935-40 when a Customary Court and a Primary School were created in Muea, the market was transferred to a location about 150 metres from the customary court.  Then about 35 years ago the market was transferred to its present location.

Muea Market has continued to be one of the largest markets in Fako.  It now attracts traders from far away towns of Kumba, Douala, Edea

The traditional Bakweri names of days of the week are:
1.  Liwo  lo-ndo          = Tuesday. -
2.  Liwo  la  gbwa       = Wednesday.
3.  Eluwa  Muea.        = Thursday.
4.  Mesango.              = Friday.
5.  Satali.                   = Saturday.
6.  Sundi.                   = Sunday
7.  Monde                   = Monday.      

Lexicon:
Liwo  londo: literally = the market is “trekking” downwards to Tiko.  This is the day Bakweri women trekked downwards to Tiko to exchange their farm products with fish in Tiko Market

Liwo  la  gbwa : literally = the market is “trekking” upwards.  This is the day Bakweri women returned to their respective homes trekking upwards from Tiko.

Eluwa  Muea - the day of the market for the purchase of hoes.

Mesango = the day for litigations.  Fridays were reserved for litigations.

Satali, Sundi, and Monde are derived from the English words for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday respectively.

Njonja = thatches used for roofs of houses.

Eyuu = a grand festival in honour of a deceased person.

Oma Nanu
Imba Thomas Mbua Ndoko
Dallas Texas, USA

Comments

[Ernest Kanjo]

Quite a fantastic piece that brings out the wonders of the mopke culture.Our children need to know more about theses values.Don't drop your pen Papa, keep it up.Kudos!

[Mola Mbua Ndoko]

Mola Ernest,

217. Traditional Muea Market. Thank you for the kind words in your email of 19th December 2006. Oma nanu.
Mbua Ndoko.

[NANGOH MAURICE NGWANDI]

WITH U MOLA NDOKO THE BAKWERI PEOPLE ARE UP.CAN U PLEACE SIR,WRITE AND SEND TO ME SOME OF THOSE YOUR BAKWERI PARABLES.I LIKE THEM AS BAKWERI MAN.

THANKS,
NANGOH IN SWEDEN.

[NANGOH MAURICE NGWANDI]

PERMIT ME SAY,MOST OF THE KINGDOMS OR VILAGES OF THE BAKWERI POEPLE ARE LOST(LOST KINGDOM)AND ALSO OUR TRADITIONS ARE ALL GONE.(LOST TRADITION)THE REASON BEHIND THIS,OUR CHIEVES ARE NO LUNGER SELECTED BY KING MAKERS AND SOME OF THEM OF ARE NOT INDEGENS THEY COME FROM DIFERENT CLANS.CAN YOU EMAGIN THAT A CHEIF WHO IS TO BE SELCTED BY HE KING MAKERS OF THE SAID VILLAGERS IS INSTAED APOINTED BY THE DOS AND SDOS.CAN YOU BELIEVE WITH ME THAT SOME OF OUR CHEIVES ARE FATHERED BY FORIEGNERS OR SOME OF OUR BROTHERS CLAIM TO BE BAKWERIAN WHILE THEY ARE NOT.PLEACE BAKWERIANS LETS BE HONEST TO OUR SELVES AND SPEAK THE TRUTH.IF YOU DO NOT BELONG TO A PERTICULAR TRIBE THEN DONT GO INTO THIER TRADITION AND DONT PRETEND TO BE ON OF US BECAUSE BY DOING SO WILL CREAT MORE CONFUSION AMOST US THE BAKWERIS AND ALSO CAN CAUSE US TO LOSS OUR TRADITION.LET ASK THIS QUESTION TO AN ELDERLY BAKWERIAN.CAN A NONE BAKWERIAN WHOES MOTHER IS A BAKWERIAN AND FATHERED BY A NONE BAKWERIAN GO NEAR THE SECREAT TREE(MBANDO)FOR LAIBETION OR EVEN TAKE PART IN A MALEDANCE(NJOKO)????.THIS ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS WE SHOULD ASK OUR SELF.FOR ALL THE BAKWERI VILLAGES I KNOW,NONE OF THE CHEIVES HAVE EVER PRESENTED THIER KINGMAKERS TO THE PUBLIC IN CASE A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL VISITS.WE ALL KNOW A CHIEF IS THE CONSTODIAN OF THE LAND BUT HE DOES NOT OWN THE LAND NB.SOME OF OUT CHIEF ARE LIKE OWN THOSE LANDS BEING SURENDERED BY THE GOVERNMENT TO VILLAGES.CAN U IMAGIN THAT A CHIEF PERTICULALLY THE FAKO CHIEFS DONT EVEN MIND TO SHARE THE LAND SURENDERED BY THE GOVERMENT ACORDING TO HOW TRADITION DEMAND?AS I KNOW A VILLAGE IS MAKE UP OF MANY FAMILIES SO ALL THOSE FAMILIES THAT MAKE UP A VILLAGE HAVE TO GET THIER OWN SHARE OF THE LAND AS INDEGENS OF THAT PERTICULER VILLAGE INSTEAD THE TRADITIONAL RULARS DECIDE TO SELL THEM ANS BECOME REACHER ANS REACHED DAY AND NIGHT.SO CAN WE CALL THEM LAND CHIEVE OR WHAT?TELL ME.I AM SUPRISE THAT MUST OF OUR CHIEVES IN FAKO DONT EVEN KNOW WHERE THIER VILLAGE BANDO(SHRINE)IS SITUATED.AS THEY DONT NOW THEY CANT GO THERE TO POOR LIBATION.THEY CALL THEM SELVES CHIEVES WHILE SOME THIER VELLAGES DONT EVEN HAVE ONE OF THE TRADITIONAL DANCES.LETS US BRING BACK ALL THE TRADITIONS WE HAVE LEFT OR LOOSE.BANDO BANDO BANDO BANDO.FAKO CHIEVE WORSHIP THIS SECRET PLACE U KNOW WHAT IT BRINGS AND WHAT ITS WANTS.WE NEED RESPECT FOR OUR TRADITION.

NANGOH MAURICE NGWANDI