Mumuye in Cameroon

Introduction / History

The Mumuye are an ethnic group living in Cameroon and Nigeria. They are a sub-group of the Plateau peoples who occupy central Nigeria and Gongola state. There are at least fifteen distinct Mumuye dialects spoken by the group. Therefore, the cluster is divided and grouped according to the dialects they speak. The Mumuye of Cameroon speak the Yoro dialect, while the Gengle of Nigeria speak the Gengle dialect of the Mumuye language. Most groups claim to be offshoots of the Yoro Mumuye, and all trace their origin to the Yoro area. This region is isolated from the other Mumuye groups by a series of hills. All Mumuye groups recognize the priest of Yoro as the "supreme rainmaker" for the entire Mumuye tribe.

At one time, the Mumuye were conquered and enslaved by the Junkun Empire. However, they gained independence in 1893 after the Fulani drove the Junkun into the hills. The Mumuye remain independent of the Fulani and other outside influences, even though some Fulani live among them.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The Mumuye are primarily an agricultural people. Their primary crops include millet, ginger, beans, yams, squash, peanuts and citrus fruits. The men are responsible for cultivating the crops, and the women's duties include scattering seeds, husking corn and helping their husbands do light field labor.

Products collected in the forests are also very valuable to the Mumuye. Honey is collected from large pots placed in the trees as beehives. Shea nuts, wood, and herbs are also gathered from the forests. In recent years, some of the Mumuye have left their agricultural way of life, migrating to towns and cities in search of wage-paying jobs.

The rural Mumuye live in circular hamlets (small settlements) that contain two or more huts. The huts are occupied by many related extended families. Together, several hamlets form a village. For protection against intruders, the villages are surrounded by cactus hedges, as well as deep pits with spears placed at the bottoms. Each village can be described as an independent clan.

The Mumuye live in a patriarchal (male-dominated) society. Each hamlet is headed by the eldest male among them. He is responsible for handling all inter-family disputes. The villagers give this clan elder a portion of the kill of all game animals hunted.

Polygyny (having multiple wives) is a common practice among the Mumuye. Although there is no legal limit, a man usually has only one or two wives. After marriage, a couple remains with the wife's family until the birth of the first child. This baby is given to the wife's family as soon as it is weaned.

The Mumuye have a unique appearance. The way they dress is far different than their neighbors. Men wear one or more leather girdles, the ends of which are decorated with beads and cowries (bright shells). Both men and women wear beads, brass and iron bracelets, anklets, and pieces of wood in their ears. Women also tattoo their stomachs and wear straw and wood in their pierced nostrils. Men file their four upper front teeth to points.

An important celebration among the Mumuye is the annual yam festival. At the festivities, two men wearing ceremonial costumes dance opposite each other. Their outfits include straw hats with feathers, wooden masks with trails of grass or horses' tails, horns and long leather shields to cover their bodies.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Mumuye follow traditional animistic religions (the belief that non-living objects have spirits). They believe in a variety of gods and spirits, with the sun (La) as one god and La'a as the supreme being. Each village has a tsafi house, where images of these gods are kept and sacrifices are regularly made. They also worship the skulls of their ancestors, which are clan elders keep. The Mumuye men belong to various cults dealing with ancestry, unseen powers and drinking. Their cultic rituals involve ceremonial horns and masks, and they perform special dances.

Many Mumuye believe that there is no life after death. However, some believe that good people are born again after being dead for two years but that the wicked have no future lives.

Almost a third of the Mumuye are Christian. They might be traditional Christians or they might be following Christ with all their hearts.

What Are Their Needs?

Although Cameroon and Nigeria have a large number of Christians, most Mumuye have never heard a clear presentation of the gospel. Additional evangelistic resources and missionary efforts are needed to see these groups turn to Christ.

Prayer Points

Ask the Lord of the harvest to send dedicated laborers to work among the Mumuye people.
Pray that Christians in neighboring tribes make it a point to disciple the Mumuye.
Ask God to create a hunger within the hearts of the Mumuye to know the truth.
Pray for Mumuye Christian believers to be a testimony of truth and goodness to their unsaved neighbors.

Text Source:   Joshua Project