THE HISTORY AND ORIGIN OF M'MUOCK PEOPLE

INTRODUCTION

M’muock is one of the three ethnic groups that constitute the Lebialem Division of the South West Region of Cameroon. Little was known about M’muock before the 1980s. This was partly due to the Colonial Administration’s decision to govern it under Mamfe Division as part of Bangwa District, and also because it was assimilated by its neighbours ( Bamileke and Bangwa).

The above notwithstanding, the origin of the present M’muock Tribe can be traced back to the pre-colonial period. This is the period before the arrival of the first Germans in the area (1903).  The same period in Bangwa History is before February 1898 when the first German, Gustav Conroe, arrived in Bangwa land (Lebang). MUNED would like to states that in general, this period in the History of Cameroon is the period before July 12 1884.  On July 14 1884, a treaty was signed with the Kings of Duala. This treaty made the territory a German protectorate and gave them the right to annex the Duala Area and eventually the entire Cameroon.

 

ORIGIN OF THE M'MUOCK PEOPLE

The M’muock people, also known as “Bamuock” or “People of M’muock”are among the more than two hundred and fifty ethnic groups found in the Republic of Cameroon. It is commonly held that they descended from one Forzenkeang and were based in a place known today as Feumme–M’muock, under his leadership. Today, Forzenkeang is a Sub Chief of Fondong Kana of Bafou Kingdom in the Western Region of Cameroon. However, some documents on the origin of the M’muock people trace their ancestral roots beyond Forzenkeang, alongside that of the neighbouring Bamileke tribe in the Western Region of Cameroon. Both written and oral sources reveal that M’muock and Bamileke share a common origin but were later separated during their migratory trends.

These ancestors were from several migrations from north Africa and their genesis can be dated back to ancient Egypt about 11th century. For this reason, M’muock and Bamileke are related in some aspects; linguistically, traditionally, religiously, socially and geographical closeness.

Holding on to the fact that M’muock and Bamileke have a common ancestry, MUNED will like to thoroughly examine M’muock history alongside that of Bamileke. Historically, it is revealed that in the 11th century, a great migration was experienced in North Africa because of regular attacks from the Arabs. Part of the emigrants moved and settled in places like Chad, Mboum in Ngaoundere, Banyo and Yoko. At Banyo and Yoko around early 16th century, because of the fear of being forced to convert to Islam, the migrants split with some moving towards Kumbo in the North West  while the others settled at Noun in the West.

Another source states that:

« D’après les recherche les plus récentes, les Bamilekes seraient venus de la Haute Egypte. Les principales étapes de leur émigration sont : la plaine Tikar, et le Haut-Mbam, le pays Bamoun. Tous n’ont pas traversé le fleuve Noun, certains sont restés dans le pays Bamoun et se sont mélangés aux autochtones. »

At Noun, succession disputes (the need for leadership) and the search for new hunting grounds caused some of them to migrate from there. They crossed River Noun and settled in Bandjoun. The migration was later followed by successive waves of migration to different parts of West Cameroon. The main reasons were the scramble for leadership and search for new hunting grounds. Among the migrants were the ancestors of M’muock people. They settled where the present Bangang is. At Bangang, one of the sons, Zenkeang (later known as Forzenkeang) of  the founder of the settlement (Tshunglepap), left in search for new hunting grounds. He moved to the present Ashong in the North West Region of Cameroon but because of regular raids from the people of Bamumbu and Widikum, Zeankeang again moved to Feumme-M’muock, an area near Djuttitsa, to the north of Dschang. He and his subjects settled there permanently because there were no more raids from other chiefdoms.

Opinions differ as to why the people of M’muock migrated from Feumme-M’muock. The most accepted school of thought holds that Forzenkeang committed murder, which was a taboo. According to them, Forzenkeang hated people with epilepsy. One fateful day when his subjects had gone to the farms, one of his wives had an epileptic attack. He killed and buried her and then reported the matter to his subjects when they returned. This enraged the subjects and a squabble broke out between him and them. As punishment for killing a human being, the notables (Bekem) and other subjects tied him on a tree at the entrance of his palace (Azea-Meh). Nkemazao (Azaolefack), Nkemazeh (Azembie), Nkemassong (Mekantap) and Nkemtang (Tangmo), together with a significant faction of Forzenkeang’s subjects, then decided to abandon him. They then migrated to the present M’muock land.

Another school of thought holds that after Forzekeang’s influence had grown far and wide, he started comparing himself with God. He then forced his subjects to construct a tower that would enable him to see God. While construction was still going on, the tower collapsed and killed some of his people. The rest of the  people got very angry and so arrested and tied him together with his children. The people then abandoned and migrated to the present M’muock site.

It should be noted that there are other M’muocks which according to oral history, evolved like us. These include M’muock Agong of Bafou in Menoua Division and M’muock Santa in MMezam Division.

The above points of view notwithstanding, it worth bearing in mind that the founders of the present M’muock ethnic group – Nkemazao, Nkemazeh, Nkemassong and Nkemtang (the notables of Fozenkeang) – migrated from Feumme–M’muock with their followers to settle in a virgin forest land which is the present land of M’muock. Therefore, M’muock people are direct descendants of Forzenkeang because they were once under his leadership at Femme–M’muock.

THE NAME M'MUOCK

“M’muock” in English means “fire”. How, where and when did the name originate? There is some controversy surrounding this.

One school of thought and which the M’muock people greatly subscribe to, holds that the name was first used by the self-declared independent people of Forzenkeang who migrated from Feumme-M’muock.  Due to the nature of the Equatorial forest the four notables agreed to each make a fire so that the smoke will be an indication to the others of where they have settled. The different settlement became known as M’muock Ngie, M’muock Mbie, M’muock Eleleng and M’muock Leteh. These later became known as “Ngong M’muock” meaning “the World of fire”.

Another school of thought holds that the name originated from military power. The name was first used by the late Chief of Bafou, Fondong Kana 1erin the second half of the 18th century. Fondong Kana 1er was a man of war. Through military force, he captured Forzenkeang who had long been abandoned at Feumme-M’muock by an important fraction of his people, and made him his vassal. He equally made several unsuccessful war attempts to capture the self-declared independent people of Forzenkeang who had migrated to the present M’muock land. The failure to capture them caused him to stop the war. He then named them “M’muock people” meaning “powerful people”.

 

WARS

Documented histories of Bangwa and Bafou indicate that during the precolonial era, M’muock people fought wars among their constituent chiefdoms as well as with the neighboring Bangwa, Mundani and Bamileke. Before the arrival of the Germans in 1903, the general tendency of most Chiefs in M’muock and the neighbouring Bangwa, Mundani and Bamileke was to conquer territories through military force. Cadman notes that “the Fosimo (Fosimombin) had the usual encounters with their neighbours Fosimongdi, Tschati (Bechati), Bafo-Fondong, and Fongo Tungo.” As a result of these wars, the number, size, and shape of M’muock and its neigbours [Bangwa and Mundani chiefdoms as well as Bamileke chiefdoms] continued to change until the Germans penetration of the area. Robert Brain affirms that:

“At the time of German penetration Fozimogndi and Fozimombin, the two northern most [ Bangwa] chiefdoms, were at war with their Mundani neighbours over the ownership of extensive palm groves and there are still Mundani areas within the territory of these two chiefdoms.”

It was when the Germans arrived that inter-chiefdom warfare was stopped and the limits of territories were frozen at borders partly determined by the colonizers. As a matter of fact, chiefs with weak military force were captured and made vassals by chiefs with strong military force. During the colonial period, chiefs who collaborated with the Germans expanded their territories and established a great supremacy at the expense of those who resisted them. This was the case with chief Asonganyi of Fontem. He used the British indirect rule policy to claim authority over the surrounding chiefdoms of the M’muock and Bangwa.

Another chief who greatly exploited his military force to expand his territory and established a fantastic supremacy both before and during the German colonial period was Fondong Kana 1er of Bafou Chiefdom. Some Bafou historians have written very much concerning his aggressive military activities, especially the conquering of Northern Bafou which hitherto belonged to M’muock people. They state that:

« Il faudra attendre l’arrivée de Fondong Kana 1er pour voir Bafou reprendre son expansionnisme vers le nord du village, occupé jusque là par le peuple Bamock. Ce dernier était pratiquement installé sur la route Bafou-Fontem, axe commercial par lequel les habitants de notre groupement (Bafou) s’approvisionnaient en huile de palme. Sous le prétexte d’aller défendre ses commissaires maltraités par les hommes de Sa’ah Tepouet de Mock, et surtout pour venger son ami Fonjiokeng dont le fils avait été assassiné par les Mock, Fondong Kana 1er envoya contre ces derniers le Fou’ka’a (armée secrète qui avait remplacé le Dzong-Tsoug), avec à sa tête Wamba Meteu, Sa’afogang, pour régler l’affaire et ramener Sa’ah Tepuet mort ou vivant. L’expédition punitive aboutit non seulement à la décapitation de Sa’ah Tepouet, mais aussi à la mise à sac de Mock, contraignant ainsi les populations à se réfugier dans la caldeira. »

The area described here as “north du village de Bafou, occupé jusque là pa le peuple Bamock” is undoubtedly Feumme-M’muock, a vast land of M’muock people presently a territory of  Fondong Kana of Bafou Chiefdom in the Western Region of Cameroon.

Another statement , “L’expédition punitive aboutit non seulement à la décapitation de Sa’ah Tepouet, mais aussi à la mise à sac de Mock, contraignant ainsi les populations à se réfugier dans la caldeira”  means the fate of Forzenkeang is that he finally lost his status as an autonomous chief.

Precisely, the deadly war against Forzenkeang by Fondong Kana 1er resulted in the capture of Forzenkeang, then Chief of Bamuock people, and he became the vassal or sub-chief of Fondong Kana 1er. This marked the end of Forzenkeang as an autonomous Chief of M’muock or Bamuock people in Feumme-M’muock. Today, some M’muock people mock his successor as a fon without a fondom because he is a vassal or sub-chief of Fondong Kana. In the meantime, his self-declared independent people of M’muock Fosimondi, M’muock Fosimombin and M’muock Leleng finally got their independence.

The aggressive military activities of Fondong Kana 1er did not only result in the annexation of Feumme-M’muock with Forzenkeang becoming his vassal, but also in the annexation of the neighbouring southern chiefdoms of Bafou. Jules Kouosseu and Noumbissie M. Tchouaké state that:

« Le XIXe siècle, à en croire la tradition orale, marque une ère nouvelle dans l’histoire de cette chefferie (Bafou). Cette période est caractériseé par deux événements majeurs :

  • Premièrement, elle marque l’indépendance de Bafou du joug de Baleveng depuis la fondation de « Menglepêh » par un chasseur nommé Dongmo venu de Baleveng.
  • Deuxièmement, elle marque le début de l’expansion effrénée de Bafou dans la conquête des chefferies voisines et l’invasion des Bali Tchamba. Commencée en effet sous Ndaptchou II (le 6e chef de la dynastie des Fondong), cette expansion connait de l’ampleur sous le règne de Fondong Kana 1er (le Xe chef des Bafou) qui, grâce à une grande activité guerrière, annexe les chefferies sud de Bafou (Fokamezo, Fossonkeng, Fomotet, Fodongho . . .) et fixe les limites actuelles de Bafou.
 

Sources:

  • Vincent Lockhart, 1994. “A Social-Historical Study of Social Change among the Bangwa of Cameroon”, University of Edinburgh. P. 28
  • Benoh M’mouck Magazine, Second Edition 2008.
  • François Emakam « Culture et Histoire Bamiléké »
  • Cadman, 1922. “The Bangwa Assessment Report”. P.47
  • Robert Brain, 1967. “THE BANGWA OF WEST CAMEROON: A brief account of their history and culture”, University College London.
  • http://www.guide.mboa.info/ethnies1/fr/content/actualite/579,le-groupement-bafou.html
  • Jules Kouosseu and Noumbissie M. Tchouaké, 2012. « Figures de l’histoire du Cameroun: XIXe-XXe siècle ». P.134

Footnotes:

  • Feumme M’muock means former settled area of M’muock people. A vast land presently a fiefdom of Fondong Kana of Bafou Fondom in the Western Region of Cameroon.
  • During this period, no one has the right to question the act and the decision of the Chiefs. As the result, most Chiefs had excessive power up to the extent of seeing themselves as semi-God and could decide on what to do with any of his subject. Under such situation, Chiefs ruled their subjects with tyrannic and dictatorial altitude. This was a general fashion by then. So Forzenkeang in no way was different from other Chiefs and his taboo was just the exercising of his excessive power. As humanitarian struggle for freedom, the notables (Bekem) of Forzenkeang saw this act as threat to humanity that need not to be tolerated and have to react to such humanitarian abuses.
  • Le Ndzong-Tsougs (armée de nuit), spécialisé dans le terrorisme nocturne. Ce corps allait jouer un rôle fondamental dans l’expansion de la chefferie de Menglepêh (Bafou chiefdom).
  • Mise à sac de Mock here means the capturing of the territory.