Limba People (Cameroon)
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The Mulimba (or Malimba) are an
ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...
of the Republic of Cameroon. They belong to the Sawa peoples, those of the Cameroonian coast.


History and geography

Mulimba and
Duala Duala or Douala can refer to: Relating to Cameroon * Duala people, an ethnic group in Cameroon * Duala language, part of the Bantu languages * Douala, the largest city in Cameroon, founded by the Duala people * Rudolf Duala Manga Bell (1873–1914), ...
oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information from people, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people who pa ...
traces their ancestry back to a man named Mbedi. His sons, Ewale and Dibongo, parted from a place called
Piti In relation to a mortgage, PITI (pronounced like the word "pity") is the sum of the monthly principal, interest, taxes, and insurance, the component costs that add up to the monthly mortgage payment in most mortgages. That is, PITI is the sum of th ...
on the
Dibamba River The Dibamba River is in the Littoral Region of southern Cameroon, emptying into the Cameroon estuary near the city of Doula. Location The Dibamba river has a length of and a catchment area of . Average discharge at the river mouth is 480 cubic ...
. Ewale moved to the mouth of the Dibamba with his followers and then northwest to the east bank of
Wouri River The Wouri (also Vouri or Vuri) is a river in Cameroon. The Wouri forms at the confluence of the rivers Nkam River, Nkam and Makombé River, Makombé, northeast of the city of Yabassi. It then flows about southeast to the Wouri estuary at Douala ...
estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...
. Meanwhile, Dibongo and his companions migrated southeast to the
Sanaga River The Sanaga River (formerly ) is the largest river in Cameroon located in East Region (Cameroon), East Region, Centre Region (Cameroon), Centre Region and Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. Its length is about from the confluence of Dj ...
and then split up, some heading upstream with Dibongo and others moving downstream with a man named Ilimbe. Ewale's people became the Duala, and Dibongo's the ILimb'a Mbed'a Mbongo. Limba territory lies southeast of the Duala, east of the
Wouri estuary The Wouri estuary, or Cameroon estuary is a large tidal estuary in Cameroon where several rivers come together, emptying into the Bight of Biafra. Douala, the largest city in Cameroon, is at the mouth of the Wouri River where it enters the estuar ...
, to the mouth of the
Sanaga River The Sanaga River (formerly ) is the largest river in Cameroon located in East Region (Cameroon), East Region, Centre Region (Cameroon), Centre Region and Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. Its length is about from the confluence of Dj ...
, and up its course to
Edéa Edéa is a city and commune in the Littoral Region of Cameroon. Situated on the Sanaga River, it lies on the Douala–Yaoundé–Ngaoundéré railway line. Its population was estimated at 122,300 in 2001. History From 20 to 26 Octobe ...
in the Sanaga-Maritime division of the Littoral Province.
Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
is an important part of the diet. The Limba emerged as prominent traders during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Limba purchased goods and
slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
s from interior groups and sold these items to the Europeans, typically aboard their ships (and later at mainland factories or stores). In exchange, the Europeans provided alcohol, gunpowder, guns, mirrors, shoes, textiles, and tools. When the Limba king, Pass All, ceded his territories to the
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
,
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
traders expressed the urgency of annexing the Duala territories north of there. In July 1884, however, German explorer
Gustav Nachtigal Gustav Nachtigal (; born 23 February 1834 – 20 April 1885) was a German military surgeon and explorer of Central and West Africa. He is further known as the German Empire's consul-general for Tunisia and Commissioner for West Africa. His miss ...
annexed all of Cameroon for the
German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
.


Culture

Malimba is part of the
Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for National ...
group of the Niger–Congo language family. Malimba speakers have little difficulty understanding
Duala Duala or Douala can refer to: Relating to Cameroon * Duala people, an ethnic group in Cameroon * Duala language, part of the Bantu languages * Douala, the largest city in Cameroon, founded by the Duala people * Rudolf Duala Manga Bell (1873–1914), ...
. The Limba often utilise Duala and Mokpwe as
trade language A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a language systematically used to make communication possib ...
s, due largely to the spread of these tongues by early missionaries. In addition, individuals who have attended school or lived in an urban centre usually speak
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
. The Limba participate in the annual Ngondo, a traditional festival for all of Cameroon's coastal peoples, during which participants communicate with the ancestors and ask them for guidance and protection for the future. The festivities also include armed combat,
beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes sol ...
s,
pirogue A pirogue ( or ), also called a piragua or piraga, is any of various small boats, particularly dugouts and canoes. The word is French and is derived from Spanish ''piragua'' , which comes from the Carib '. Description The term 'pirogue' ...
races, and traditional
wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...
.''Guide touristique'' 126. The Mpo'o brings together the Bakoko, Bakweri, and Limba at Edéa. The festival commemorates the ancestors and allows the participants to consider the problems facing the Duala and humanity as a whole. Lively music, dancing, theatre, and recitals accompany the celebration.


Notes


References

* Chrispin, Dr. Pettang, directeur. ''Cameroun: Guide touristique.'' Paris: Les Éditions Wala. * Fanso, V. G. (1989). ''Cameroon History for Secondary Schools and Colleges, Vol. 1: From Prehistoric Times to the Nineteenth Century.'' Hong Kong: Macmillan Education Ltd. * Fanso, Verkijika G. (1990). "Trade and supremacy on the Cameroon coast, 1879–1887". ''Introduction to the History of Cameroon in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries.'' Palgrave MacMillan. * Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.) (2005):
Duala
. ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'', 15th ed. Dallas: SIL International. Accessed 6 June 2006. * Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.) (2005):
Malimba
. ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'', 15th ed. Dallas: SIL International. Accessed 6 June 2006.


External links


Peuple Sawa
(in French) {{Ethnic groups in Cameroon Bantu peoples Ethnic groups in Cameroon Indigenous peoples of West Africa