Ngon'nso: The Matron of Nso

Oral history has it that Ngon'nso and her elder brothers migrated from the Tikari (Tikar) plains in Adamaoua Region. They were the offsprings of Fon Kimi. Mbuundung (spellings may vary), the eldest son, as tradition warrants, was the legitimate prince to ascend the throne. Out of insubordination, Nchare and Foumbam left the village together with their followers. Ngon'nso is said to have equally set out with her own fleet of followers and later joined her two brothers in search of a new place and space that could better accommodate them. These three wandered together till separation became inevitable because of leadership friction. The trio could not last as Ngon'nso was not ready to succumb to the leadership of her brothers whom she felt were pressuring her to assume an auxiliary position. This infuriated Nchare and Foumbam who could not comprehend why she wanted to measure heights with them given that she was a woman. With these grievances, Nchare found a way of teaching her a lesson. He used his hunting skills and craftsmanship to construct a simple suspension bridge. They crossed the river with the help of the bridge, destroyed it and threw it into the river before Ngon’nso and her followers could cross. This was the price Ngon'nso paid for being haughty.

Ngon’nso knew that she had to be brave and think fast in order to avoid being challenged or deserted by her people. She was aware that this was just the beginning of the challenges they were going to face along their way but it was necessary for them to first face the one in front of them − crossing the river. Stranded by the river bank, she designated one of hers to gage the depth of the river. Unfortunately, the brave man was swept away by the waves. Their hope was dashed and while they sat in dejection, little did they know that the gods had a way out for them. The unimaginable happened. Could anyone have imagined that a solution would come from a mere mouse? A striped grass mouse crossed the river with the help of a log of wood that was not visible to them prior to their failed attempt. They used the track to cross the river.

When they crossed, she became the compass of the group. They continued movement and came across a fertile plain, planted a fig tree there and named it 'Mbo Nso' (the Nso plain). At that point, the formation of a tribe gained prominence. From Mbo Nso, they crossed river Mairin to Ndzen Nso. This particular movement was orchestrated by famine, strange illnesses and death. These people then found respite at Kovifem. Before they could regain their strength there, a more dreaded phenomenon happened. Invaders on horseback attacked them and the result was deadly. This then forced them to move to Taa Visah, a new site. Throughout their stay there, they recorded more deaths especially those of notables. This gave the people no other option than to move back to Kovifem. Their movement back to Kovifem was the move that ended the wandering. More horse raid attacks resurfaced and swept away a plethora of the villagers especially the princes. Fortunately, one of the princes was captured alive and sold and taken to the Mbum land as a war slave. This slave prince was in the later years rescued by Shaang, the then Shufai of Ndzeendzeev, who was a trader. The prince was brought back to head the dynasty after the demise of the royal lineage as a result of the raids.

Little is known about Ngon’nso after Mbo Nso. Most, if not all, of the accounts of the migration story told by griots stop mentioning her at the same point leaving one to speculate that she died and was succeeded by one of the princes.

Windzerem M. Nsoyene
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