Tuesday, April 28, 2009

LANDSCAPE OF AWING (TOURIST HAVEN)


Awing evoke prompt image of indomitable explorers , buried treasures, fragrant spices and sloe-eyed Arabian Princesses. Memories of childhood stories and tales of adventures and exploration leap into our minds at the mere mention of the place. The valleys of Awing with their spiced laden farms, cattle ranches, huge rocks, cave, bush vegetation and enduring is a paradise of sights, sounds and romance that cries out for the poets pen. History is engraved on stones. Awing is where the undulating landscape and house hanging on the rest of hills exhibit the endurance of the population. The forest reserve surrounding lake Awing is the habitat for the most cherished red-feathered bird called Bannermansturaco. Awing is a home of extremes. Here visitors can live traditional music ,and dance, ancient history incredible hills and rare terrestrial wild life .The amicable villagers are always happy to share their history and heritage with visitors and escort them around the fondom. Tours to ancient ruins, buildings and markets add to the magic of the land. It's internal road net work further enhances and facilities the rounds of the a visitor. Almost every home is reached by vehicle.

Monday, April 27, 2009

LAKE AWING

After hunger pushed Awing Mbelee and Bamenyam from Widikum they came across the Ngemba speaking fmailies in the Bamenda grass field They first settled in Babajou in the west region and back to Ntarikon named after Tadkon their old site in Mankon. form here they migrated to baba 1 in Ndop. after a brief stay continued to present day Bmbili location. From this site they moved to "Ngup" near lake bambili
Awing and Bamenyam left Bambili. behind and perused their search for greener pasture that took them to "Aka'a" a valley in contemporary Awing. From Aka'a they proceeded to Mbenjom , still a quarter in Awing yet soil infertility chased them to pack bag and baggege onward to Alamiti. It is at this destination that the Bamboutous seperated form Awing to the Western region
Awing later discovered during thier stay in Alamity a large pond without an outlet nor inlet which was to be called Lake Bambulewing. Marvelled by thire discovery the people came up with injunctions restricting any person from dumping thrash into the Lake. The water later vamoosed becouse certain women threw thire dirty beds (menses) into the lake . It resufaced later on its present site while the Awing people had been making frenzy efforts to situate it. Thire happeness did not last for long when one memoral morning a certain man called Ta Mba'nka on returning from from his raffia bust with a calabash of wine on his shoulder met a group of people. The leader begged a cup of wine from him. He generously offered without any reserve. After quenching his thirst, the old man told him "I thought you were going to be as malicous as the women who upped thire menstrual linen on us.However to reword your kindness, I give you this whistle and bell, take them home and anytime you want to see us , climb up that hill and at the sunmit blow this whistle thrice and ring the bell thrice. We shall appear berfore you and ready to to attened to you and to received all what you will bring to us". This instructtion hitherto has never changed. Pa Mba'nka rushed to the palace with with alacrity. broke the news unveiled the instuments before the fon. The latter mobilized his stat major and they ascended the hill. following the instruction by blowing the and ringing the the whistle and bell respectively. Sparkling water zoomed up like the first rays of morning sun. A soothsayer rose from the middle and led the fon and his team back into the lake and performed rituals. after that the fon and his delegation were instructed to go home without loolooking behind. They followed the order until they arrived Ta Mba'nka's compound where a sumptous feast was served to celebrate the rediscover of thire ancestors.



AWING LAKE


TUSSLE FOR THE FIRST THRONE OF AWING

The nine family heads that arrived Alameti after sveral decades had supermatural bangle that they uesde to wield power.There was "Amune's", that is power struggle amongst them though they were together .Talks later came up on the need to get a supreme head. The idea to surrender bangles in order to get a leader to gorven them at Alameti was brought up by Pa Mbangwashi. After his suggestion several question were floating in the air on where,who,how and whose family the leader was to come from. The response still came from Mbangwashi who fired a motion that they should construct an enclosure into which family heads were to drop thire bangles and that next morrow the person who finds himseft inside wearing the bangles would automatically be named the paramount king. Both suggestions were bougt by others but or nbankadtnmbi who expressed fears that Mbangwshi wanted to hoodwink them and send in his son. The enclosure was built and deep into the night mbangwashi surreptitiously went in and kept his son. Mbankadtnmbi's fear came true when the following mrning eight of the bangles were found on the wrist of Mbangwashi's son
Ndime exasperated by the coup resolved to quit Alameti. The seven others lured him and gave him a family title NDI which warrant him not to clap before the fon and to run the palace in his absence. . Ndi was thus the second in command to the fon, a status quo, which is still surviving today.

Our origin

Oral tradition has it that the people of Awing came from the North East of Congo and settled in Widikum via Takon in the Batibo and finally moved to their current site. Legend reinforces that they originated from Bantu roots of East Africa. they belong to the upper Ngemba tribe of Bamenda Central. Awing has an estimated population of about 45 000 inhabitants made of several clans.


AWING ROYAL GENEALOGY
  1. Mefumetu (Nkachi)
  2. Mefumenegome
  3. Ngongeh 1
  4. Alo'ndzafo'o 1
  5. Nkeunjie
  6. Ngongeh 11
  7. Nkefo'o
  8. Alo'ndzafo'o 11 (1825-18598)
  9. Akofo'o (1825-1858)
  10. Fozo'o 1(1879-1911)
  11. Ayafo'o (1911-1949)
  12. Ngongeh 111 (form 5th Jan. 1950)
  13. Fozo'o 11 (4th May 1998)
THE 9 ORIGINAL CLAN HEADS OF AWING KINGDOM

This forefathers of Awing play the important function of "pekem pe ngong". They are
:
  • Ndime
  • Mbangwashi
  • Mba'ala
  • Mbantse
  • Tangye Mona
  • Mbankambi
  • Mbanjua
  • Mbatia
  • Mbamome

Welcome to smiling Awing


Welcome to smiling Awing, the land of glorious sunrise and sunset of ancient tradition and mystic legends and of nature at its most picturesque, wildest and exquisite :but much more a land of friendly people.
Awing is acknowledge as one of the most admired fondom of the North West region of Cameroon due to its rich contemporary culture which blend values norms, material and spiritual tradition that cut across several ethnic groups with diverse ideas. There are several ceremony in Awing , manifesting customs, social life ,rituals,oral history and spiritual culture. If you have the opportunity to attend one, do. There are colourful, exuberant and fascinating insights into a culture that has been passed down by generation. Wether your visit is to sample the fast ruch of one of its adventures or to discover its vibrant palace, allow yourself to be seduced by its creativity .Don't resist its beautiful wood carving in all its size, drums masks, sculpture,bamboo furniture and baskets etc.
Awing is one of the Cameroon's wonders. Her hilly undulating landscape creates a spectacular panorama. The Lake, the homes of our gods is simple fantastic each time nature 's sun casts its glow across the shimmering water catching the distinctive half sub merge trees, tourists are lulled to sleep. It provides ultimate tourist splendor to the inhabitants of santa sub-division in the North West region and support a thriving agriculture industry. In many legends Lake Awing was and still regarded as the home of the gods which require yearly appeasement to guarantee fetility, peace and love in the land.
While the lure of safari keeps you busy at the Lake in my capacity as the N0.1 custodian of tradition, I am encouraging visitor to look beyond the fondom's famous scene and discover the sheer variety of landscape,swild life ,human culture and experience available in the home of the hospitable. Down the velleys of the lake, you will zoom through the rolling savannah tropical gallery forest home to our brother and sister the bororos and thier vast investment in cattle breeding and more.