Mungo people
Encyclopedia
The Mungo is an ethnic group
of the Republic of Cameroon. Along with the other coastal peoples, they belong to the Sawa
ethnic groups. The Mungo have historically been dominated by the Duala people
, and the two groups share similar cultures, histories, and claims of origin.
, descending from a man named Mbedi
. From a place called Piti
(northeast of Douala
), Mbedi's sons Ewale
and Dibongo migrated south toward the Cameroon coast. while others trace their ancestry to a man named Lokula who migrated east from near Efik
territory in modern-day Nigeria
. The former tradition seems more likely, however, and the Nigerian story possibly indicates that later settlers entered Limba country from Efik territories at some point and assimilated.
By the 16th century, the Duala had become the leading traders in Cameroon. The Mungo provided goods and slaves to the Duala in exchange for goods obtained from the Europeans, such as alcohol, gunpowder, guns, mirrors, shoes, textiles, and tools.
In 1918, Germany lost World War I
, and her colonies became mandates of the League of Nations
. Great Britain and France split the administration of the Kameruns, partitioning the Cameroonian Littoral. The Mungo were divided in two.
The Mungo live along the Mungo River's lower stretch and the creeks that feed it. Their territory straddles the border of the Moungo division of the Littoral Province
and the Fako division of the Southwest Province. Fishing is the primary means of subsistence.
. Duala is part of the Bantu
group of the Niger–Congo language family.
In addition, individuals who have attended school or lived in an urban centre usually speak a European language. For Littoral Mungo, this is French
; for Southwest Mungo, it is Cameroonian Pidgin English
or standard English
; and for the Mungo it is one or the other. A growing number of the Anglophones
today grow up with Pidgin as their first tongue.
, a style of folk music marrying guitar with found-object percussion, developed in the 1950s in the Mungo area. Makossa
, a popular musical style in West and Central Africa, originated with the Duala around this same time. The style mixes jazz
, highlife
, and soul
with African traditional music
.
The Mungo are regular attendees of the annual Ngondo
, a traditional festival of the Sawa peoples. The goal is to communicate with the ancestors and ask them for guidance and protection for the future. The festivities also include armed combat, beauty pageants, pirogue
races, and traditional wrestling.
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
of the Republic of Cameroon. Along with the other coastal peoples, they belong to the Sawa
Sawa
Sawa may refer to:*The Sawa peoples of CameroonLocations*Sawa, Nepal*The Sawa Defence Training Centre of Eritrea*Sawa, Lesser Poland Voivodeship Arts*SAWA, Japanese techno-pop singer*Devon Sawa, Canadian actor...
ethnic groups. The Mungo have historically been dominated by the Duala people
Duala people
The Duala are an ethnic group of Cameroon. They primarily inhabit the littoral region to the coast and form a portion of the Sawa, or Cameroonian coastal peoples...
, and the two groups share similar cultures, histories, and claims of origin.
History and geography
The Mungo share no singular origin story. Some claim the same history as the Duala and LimbaLimba people (Cameroon)
The Limba are an ethnic group of the Republic of Cameroon. They belong to the Sawa peoples, those of the Cameroonian coast.-History and geography:...
, descending from a man named Mbedi
Mbedi a Mbongo
Mbedi a Mbongo is the common ancestor of many of the Sawa coastal ethnic groups of Cameroon according to their oral traditions. Stories say that he lived at a place called Piti, northeast of present-day Douala. From there, his sons migrated south toward the coast in what are known as the Mbedine...
. From a place called Piti
Piti
Pīti in Pali is a mental factor associated with the concentrative absorption of Buddhist meditation. Piti is a very specific joy associated with a state of deep tranquillity...
(northeast of Douala
Douala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province. Home to Cameroon's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport, it is the commercial capital of the country...
), Mbedi's sons Ewale
Ewale a Mbedi
Ewale a Mbedi was the eponymous ancestor of the Duala people of Cameroon . According to the oral histories of the Duala and related Sawa peoples of the Cameroon coast, Ewale hailed from a place called Piti. He and his followers migrated southwest to the coast and settled at the present-day location...
and Dibongo migrated south toward the Cameroon coast. while others trace their ancestry to a man named Lokula who migrated east from near Efik
Ibibio people
The Ibibio are a people of southeastern Nigeria. They are related to the Anaang and the Efik peoples. During colonial period in Nigeria, the Ibibio Union asked for recognition by the British as a sovereign nation . The Annang, Efik, Ekid, Oron and Ibeno share personal names, culture, and traditions...
territory in modern-day Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. The former tradition seems more likely, however, and the Nigerian story possibly indicates that later settlers entered Limba country from Efik territories at some point and assimilated.
By the 16th century, the Duala had become the leading traders in Cameroon. The Mungo provided goods and slaves to the Duala in exchange for goods obtained from the Europeans, such as alcohol, gunpowder, guns, mirrors, shoes, textiles, and tools.
In 1918, Germany lost World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and her colonies became mandates of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. Great Britain and France split the administration of the Kameruns, partitioning the Cameroonian Littoral. The Mungo were divided in two.
Littoral Province (Cameroon)
The Littoral Region is a region of Cameroon. Its capital is Douala. , its population was 2,202,340.-2008 Presidential Decree Abolishes Provinces:...
and the Fako division of the Southwest Province. Fishing is the primary means of subsistence.
Language
The Mungo who speak a dialect of DualaDuala language
Duala is the language spoken by the Duala people of Cameroon. The language belonges to the Bantu language family, and a subgroup of it called the Duala languages...
. Duala is part of the Bantu
Bantu languages
The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...
group of the Niger–Congo language family.
In addition, individuals who have attended school or lived in an urban centre usually speak a European language. For Littoral Mungo, this is French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
; for Southwest Mungo, it is Cameroonian Pidgin English
Cameroonian Pidgin English
Cameroonian Pidgin English, or Cameroonian Creole, is a language variety of Cameroon. It is also known as Kamtok . Five varieties are currently recognised:...
or standard English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
; and for the Mungo it is one or the other. A growing number of the Anglophones
Anglophone Cameroonian
Anglophone Cameroonians are the people of various cultural backgrounds who hail from the English-speaking provinces of Cameroon...
today grow up with Pidgin as their first tongue.
Arts
The Mungo are part of the lively musical heritage of the Cameroon Littoral. Ambasse beyAmbasse bey
Ambasse bey or ambas-i-bay is a style of folk music and dance from Cameroon. The music is based on commonly available instruments, especially guitar, with percussion provided by sticks and bottles...
, a style of folk music marrying guitar with found-object percussion, developed in the 1950s in the Mungo area. Makossa
Makossa
Makossa is a type of music that is most popular in urban areas in Cameroon. It is similar to soukous, except that it includes strong bass rhythm and a prominent horn section. Makossa, which means " dance" in Duala, originated from a type of Duala dance called kossa, with significant influences...
, a popular musical style in West and Central Africa, originated with the Duala around this same time. The style mixes jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, highlife
Highlife
Highlife is a musical genre that originated in Ghana in the 1900s and spread to Sierra Leone, Nigeria and other West African countries by 1920...
, and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
with African traditional music
Music of Africa
Africa is a vast continent and its regions and nations have distinct musical traditions. The music of North Africa for the most part has a different history from sub-Saharan African music traditions....
.
The Mungo are regular attendees of the annual Ngondo
Ngondo
The Ngondo is an annual water-centered festival held by the Sawa in Douala, Cameroon. The highlight of the festival is a ceremony of the jengu cult. The ceremony is held at a beach on Wouri Bay, during which a devotee enters the water to visit the underwater kingdom of the miengu...
, a traditional festival of the Sawa peoples. The goal is to communicate with the ancestors and ask them for guidance and protection for the future. The festivities also include armed combat, beauty pageants, pirogue
Pirogue
A pirogue is a small, flat-bottomed boat of a design associated particularly with the Cajuns of the Louisiana marsh. In West Africa they were used as traditional fishing boats. These boats are not usually intended for overnight travel but are light and small enough to be easily taken onto land...
races, and traditional wrestling.