CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Geographical Background of Babungo-Ndop Village

Outside the development studies carried out on a regional basis as regards rice-cultivation along the upper Nun valley and studies on the local iron industry by fowler very little field studies have been attempted on Babungo in particular.

This implies that whatever constitutes the elements of the geography of a village in Ndop plain, are but handy documents on the rice project of Ndop exists for a possible geographical appraisal of Ndop in general, and Babungo in particular.

Location: Babungo is one of the 13 villages that make up Ndop central sub-divisions located in Ngoketunjia Division of the North West Region of the Republic of Cameroon. The parallel 60 North and is enclosed between meridians 600 20 and 100 30” East. With this regional location, Babungo aptly falls within the influence of tropical conditions though with some modifications.

The village can be said to standout the cross-roads of three different administrative divisions of the North West province. Located north, west of the plain, Babungo shares a common border with villages of Bui and Boyo Divisions, respectively. Oku to the North East and Kom to the North West. Southwards it is bounded by Bamuaka where is situated Ndop Town, seat of the Divisional headquarter and South East by Bamessing and Baba respectively.

The extensive swamps along the upper valley spreading without a market transition into the swamp sections of Baba 1 and Bamunka. From the foreign description, one sees how the village has a valley strategic location in relation to other villages of the plain.

According to Hawkins and Brunt, in their monographic soil survey of the Bamenda Highlands, Babungo is described as one of the piedmont settlements abutting the high lava escarpments that almost encircled the Ndop plain especially East and West. Thus the villages site embodies a virtual pediment gradually degenerating to a part of the floodplain of upper Nun valley which is fully covered by swamps.

The village is well drained by the upper course of the Nun and its tributaries. Drawing information from already quoted works the general impression about temperature of villages in Ndop, is that the area is “hot and sunny’.

Babungo in view of her proximity to the Ndop Town and Babungo all within the same geographical entity, temperature that is temperature fluctuates between 21oC and 22 oC, statistics and rainfall have been based on records and works on Babalang and Ndop Town respectively.

The vegetation of Babungo like elsewhere, is highly a function of its climatic and human factors, generally, there exists some features of fairly open forest, some clusters of thick forest. There is also a dominant dry wood savannah.

Historical Background

Babungo which the people theselves call Vengo is one of the ten predominantly Tokar fondoms of the Ndop plain. Together with the three Bali fondoms of Chamba origin, these Tikar groups occupy the Ndop plain which administratively constitutes the 13 villages of the Ngoketunjia Division of the North West Region.

Babungo is situated along the ring road which connects Bamenda with Kumbo. It is about 42 kilometers from Bamenda, the North Regional capital. According to the 202 censuses, it has a population of about eleven thousand inhabitants (senior divisional office Ndop).

Babungo is divided into quarters and sub quarters. The main quarters are Finkwi, Finteng and Mbuakang. Sub-quarters include Mbengui, Mbenje, Mbelle, Mbekong, Njemenue, Tohwansai and Tohbah. (See map 2).

According to oral tradition, the Babungo people migrated from Nov in Forghai and settled in their present site. The original immigrants were Bah, Fuanjeh, Mfanyui and Saingi with Mangeh who was their mother, other people included The Ndiwa, Songhoh, Nsuwi and Tifuan.

These people came from Forghai, when they left Forgai, the god of Forghai sent a sheep to lead them and he told them that they should stop and have a rest where ever the sheep got tired. The first rested at Mbenje where Fuanje, Mangeh’s eldest son, who due to old age could not go further decided to settle.

They follwed the sheep to Ngineh where it died. The sheep were buried in a small house called” Ifung”. The sheep was buried in the same manner as any Fon who dies in the village, so the sheep had the status of a man. The day became a resting day for the people of Babungo and has remained till the present day. The day is called “Nkuse”. At that time, Saingi was the first Fon of Babungo. His first counselors were The Ndiwah, Songoh and Nswi.

The Fon, Saingi later on discovered other settlers in the land when he went hunting. They were; Biniteh, Nchiafe and Biwogai. Biwogai had large compound and children. The Fon got married to his daughters.

Biwogai said he fell from the sky. Biniteh and Tindong said they came from a niver. These people occupied various parts of the village and built their compounds where they finally settled with their families. These marriages helped to bring them together and the population grew gradually.

The first Fon of Babungo village was suppose to be Tifuan but because he forgot his Tiger skin and went back to Forghai to take, Saingi rough and became the first Fon. The second Fon was Feetelde after him was Vekeufuan, followed by Lafuan, then Nkanfua, seevezui who was the last of the six Fons who ruled in “Ngineh” Each of them was buried in his own” Ifuang” After him the next Fon was Nyifua who was succeeded by Saingi II followed by Sakeh, next by Zafoa II who was succeeded by the present fon of Babungo fon Ndofoa II with his palace in Finteng.

Pride-wealth Practices in the North West Region in General

Bride-wealth

Bride-wealth: it is the tradiational gift expected from the groom and his family as compensation for taking their daughter to their family as a wife to their son. It was formerly paid in form of sheep, cattle, pigs and now cash.

Bride service: Custom in which a man spends a period of time working for the family of his wife (Advanced learners Dictionary)

Marriage alliances: The relationship by inter marriage between families or kinships by inter marriage (Kottak 2004).

INTRODUCTION

Marriage is one of the institutions of life, which almost every individual wishes to grow up and create his/her own family. This is because the family is the basic unit of the society. Marriage is the union between a man and a woman such that the children born to the woman are recognized as legitimate off springs of both partners (Royal Anthropological Institute). Though in many societies, marriages may involve more than two spouses.

Over the years, our traditional society has been a strong advocate of bride wealth practices. The bride groom’s family comes with compensation to the bride’s family for the loss of their daughter’s labor and companionship.

This practice is also called  bride price which is generally characterized by payment of valuable goods, livestock and money to compensate for loss of the woman’ labor and children to her family.

This practice may continue over the span of the marriage or to future generations as financial or material compensation is always expected from the bridegroom’s family in situations of death and traditional rituals. The value of this compensation varies from culture to culture and from family to family but it has been concluded that bride wealth is insurance against divorce.

Bride wealth is not a payment for the woman herself. It is seen as a means of compensating her family for heir effort in her upbringing and the labor value of the children. In the pre-colonial era, the bride wealth obligations were usually met with cowries, livestock and poultry.

But recently, cash compensation is accepted. It has developed into a composition of items such as palm oil, Palm wine, salt, zinc, livestock, poultry and kola nuts. In rare cases, services rendered to the bride’s family by the bridegroom can also serve as compensation known as bride price service.

Bride wealth is the most common form of payment for the legalization of marriages. It is often contrasted with a rarer form of marriage payment called the dowry which is characterized by gifts/compensation received by the groom’s family for the additional burden and responsibility of acquiring a new wife.  This is commonly practiced in stratified a society which correlates with low female status.

In response to the adverse economic situation nowadays, a hybrid form of bride wealth has been developed which constitute gifts from both families of household equipments for the couple to conveniently begin marriage life.

Statement of the Problem

After an in-depth examination of this study, it has been discovered that considerable variations exist in bride wealth practices in Babungo and its environs which has influenced the meaning. This is because from its origin significance as compensation, bride wealth is widely regarded today as buying over the bride by the groom’s family.

Usually in partrilineal lineages, women are being considered as a primary source of income or an object of trade. Apart from the usual token demanded formerly, women are being traded for huge sums of money and in effect loss the value as persons.

As a result of this, women loss their value in their marital homes because they are considered as the property of their husbands, thus are vulnerable to economic and social exploitation.

This study reveals the significance of bride wealth as it has become the primary cause of most marital problems today making it a cause for concern.

Despite this problem, most marriages are not considered valid under our native customs and tradition without bride wealth settlement in most African communities.

Objectives of the Study

This study will be specifically unveiling the successes and failures of bride wealth in Babungo.

Specific Objectives

1. Identify and describe the practice of bride wealth settlement in Babungo tradition
2. Investigate the consequences of payment or non payment of bride wealth in marriages.
3. To examine marriage contraction under native customs of Babungo.
4. Examine the evolution of bride wealth.
5. Determine the role of elders in bride wealth settlement procedure.
6. Divorce

Hypothesis

Bride wealth (price) has no effect on marriage life in Babungo

Bride wealth is the beginning and the end of marriage life of Babungo.