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Ngarum Culture exhibited: Leinyuy is fed with staple diet during perpetual vows into convent


By Mildred Ndum Wung Kum

The culture of the people of Ngarum has been portrayed at festivities marking the final profession of a candidate for the religious sisterhood.

 Immaculte Leinyuy made perpet
ual vows into the congregation of the Holy Union Sisters on October 19, 2019 during a pontifical Holy Mass presided by Bishop Michael Bibi, the auxiliary Bishop of Bamenda Archdiocese Cameroon. The culture was exhibited at St Paul Catholic Church Nkwen during outdoor meriments that added colour to the event. A group of five women dressed in blouses over loinclothes processed in traditional song and dance to the foot of the rostrum in a hall where Sister Immaculte and other religious were sitting ready to receive them.


Sisters eating cocoyam mash and cow pea soup from leaves. Right:Sr Rosemary, left:Sr Immaculate

One of the women were carrying a basket on the head. As they danced up, they spoke a few words in the mother tongue and then opened the basket, washed their hands, took out mash and some vegetable soup which was in the basket.

They served the food in cut pieces of plantain leaves to Leinyuy and all the religious women who were sitting with her. It looked like drama but it was real.

All guests were cranning to the scene. I saw  a guest smiled and then murtered something like " this is the custom of our culture being done here".

After feeding the jubilarian, the women danced back to their sitting positions

"I was feeding my daughter as I used to feed her when she was a child.  The food was cow pea soup and pounded cocoyams. It is the food she cherishes. In our culture when someone has a ceremony like being marreid off or during the coronation of a fon, we feed the person in the same fashion we always feed a child. We give water to drink and we give the food liked most. That's our culture.   In Ngarum culture when a woman gives birth, she is fed too" Iata Nieh, grandmother of Elizabeth told Info Trends.

By feeding somebody who is going on a journey or an adventure, we feel that the person won't feel hungry no matter the situation out there. "He/she would always remember this and never feel bad" added another lady

The basket that was used to carry the food was a source of attraction and a point of culture. The basket is important. We put food in it and cover it. In the past there were no pans. We used traditional bowls carved from wood and we used leaves to hold food or to serve food. Mostly baskets were available in the past. The basket is weaved from fibres gotten from the raffia. We also used calabashes. You wash your hands with water from a Calabash and you eat" Angelica Maujuh mother of Immaculate said.

Many onlookers gazed the showcased culture with awe. The aspect of feeding one of theirs was a thriller and a demonstration of a united spiritedness for a family member.

This culture is just one of many rewarding cultural practices in Ngarum.

To fulfil this culture cocoyam leaves and corn fufu, corn fufu and huckleberry are other alternative diets.

 Ngarum is a village in Ndu Sub division, Donga Mantung Division of the North West region Cameroon.

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