Mmuock Leteh () is a community of the Mmuock tribe. Administratively, it is found in the Wabane subdivision of the Lebialem Division in the Southwest Region of Cameroon. Located at 5.675°N/10.041°E, it is the last village on the northwestern border with the West Region of the country. Colonial administrators called it Fotang after the name of the traditional ruler. As a result, the village is today alternatively known as Fotang, and that name is retained on some administrative maps of Cameroon and on satellite imagery.
At 2740 m asl, Mmuock Leteh has one of the highest peaks in Cameroon located in Maleta. The climate can be termed temperate, with night temperatures occasionally falling below 10 °C and the lower regions characterised by fog during the day.
History Mmuock Leteh is part of the Mmuock tribe and, hence, shares the same early history with the other Mmuock villages.
Evolution from the Mmuock group Not much is known about the Mmuock people prior to the 18th century. According to oral history, they at one point settled at a place called Bezeq Føka () in the present-day Menoua division of the Western Region. Thence, they migrated to a locality which today lies in Bafou and is called Fem Mmuock (meaning ruins of the abandoned location of Mmuock) by Mmuock people, and "Femock" by Bafou people . Eventually, the people split into two groups of two factions each, and each group went off in a different direction. One group included followers of a man called Nkemtang. They moved northwards and settled at a place today called Fem Leteh (), meaning ruins of the abandoned location of Leteh. There, they founded the village of Mmuock-Leteh. Nkemtang, who was the group's leader, was renamed Fotang () and became the village ruler. (In the Mmuock language, the prefix Nkem () denotes a notable of high rank; Fø (), on the other hand, is the highest rank and signifies a ruler.) As the Nkemtang faction had been the largest, Leteh was known amongst the other Mmuock communities as Nko'olaq () (meaning the larger section).
From the then Fem Leteh, Leteh people migrated into the hinterlands and settled at Mbammuock (the residence of Mmuock), also known as Ndzem-Nko'olaq (the rear of Nko'olaq). In the late 70s and early 80s, Leteh people starting migrating from the forest region around Mbammuock, to the grassland areas up in the hills at about 2400 m above sea level. This resulted from the need to cultivate market garden crops such as potato, garlic and carrots.
Etymology The name Leteh comes from the Mmuock verb lètǽ'lé () meaning: to be not quite agreed upon, to be not quite set. They were so-named because Nkemtang's faction never could agree on any strategy before setting out, and tended to improvise as they went along.
Geography
The relief of Mmuock Leteh is irregular. The village lies on the summit of the Bamboutous Mountain ranges: The Maleta Plateau is at 2740 m above sea level, and is the third highest point on the Western Cameroon Highlands. The relief is very accidented in some places characterised by mountain peaks—each of which is called Ntǿ () in the Mmuock language—, steep rolling and pyramidal hills separated by very incised river valleys and ravines.
Mmuock Leteh occupies part of the western half of the semi-circular caldera that attracts several tourists annually. The village is further defined by a concentric alignment of necks and domes known locally as Mntǿ () or peaks. Examples of such peaks include Ntø Maleta (2740 m), Ntø Mangua (2710 m), Ntø Tiahchia, etc.
Mmuock Leteh has a tropical mountainous climate of the sub-equatorial type. The accidented nature of the relief has greatly influenced this climate which is characterised by a long rainy season (mid-March to mid-November) and a shorter dry season (mid-November to mid-March). The monthly rainfall ranges between 35 mm in January and 605 mm in August, August being the wettest month. The temperature varies between 8 and 28 °C: In altitudes above 1800 m asl, night temperatures fall as low as 8 °C during the rainy season.
The soils are volcanic, fertile and rich for agricultural production. (This has led to Mmuock Leteh farmers winning prizes at the national agro-pastoral shows in Cameroon: in potatoes, carrots and other vegetables). The soil consists of a vegetal material at the summit (35 cm), followed by a humified horizon of 35 to 40 cm, a tertiary horizon and a clayey horizon. These soils have been largely altered and impoverished by erosion and landslides, leading to the loss of much of its organic materials. The 2003 landslides led to destruction of crops, livestock and infrastructure.
The village is covered by a herbaceous Savannah grassland dominated by plants (Poacées and Cyperacées), eucalyptus saligna trees and gallery forest in the lowland areas. Some of the grass species found here, include Cloris sp, Cypérus haspan, Paspalum polystachion, and Axonopus compressus. The forest areas are covered by trees such as pronus africana, raffia palm, and kolanut trees. Until the early sixties, the lower forest zone harboured several birds and animal species. These included monkeys, chimpanzees, porcupines, squirrels, deer, etc. Extensive poaching has, however, led to the eradication of these animals.
Culture
Mmuock people generally have the same culture. Being of the Bamilike ethnic group, they have a very similar culture to the bordering communities of Bangang, Bafou and Fongo-Tongo, all in the West Region of Cameroon.
Culture Festival
The Leteh Culture Festival is an annual event to showcase the culture and traditions of Mmuock Leteh.
Religious beliefs Although Christianity has been adopted in recent times, Mmuock Leteh people still adhere to beliefs and practices of traditional religion. At the founding of the village, several shrines were created and dedicated to each of the primary gods of the village. Prominent families typically have a shrine dedicated to the gods of the family; such shrines are usually located at the entrance into the family compound.
The dominant Christian denomination is the Catholic church which displaced the Presbyterian church. Two reasons led to the prominence of the Catholic church. While the lone primary school in the village (P.S. Fotang) was taken over by the government, Catholic School Leteh was created. Secondly, the Presbyterian Church did not have a committed presence in the village. The establishment of St Anthony's Catholic Church and regular visits from priests, caused more and more people to attend the catholic mass. The Divine Mercy Parish was created in 2013, originally as a quasi-parish.
Cuisine The traditional food of Leteh is aPáláh (). It is prepared by pounding taro in a mortar using a pestle, and is served on cocoyam leaves and eaten with the finger. It is served with either yellow soup or with black soup. In the Western part of Cameroon, a very similar meal is called achu. The difference between achu and aPáláh is that the latter is made purely from colocasia, while achu sometimes includes bananas and varieties of cocoyam.
Due to a decline in the production of cocoyams, Ṗáláh has decreased in popularity and been supplanted by meals based on Irish potato. As today's most familiar crop in Mmuock Leteh, the potato forms the basis of the most popular meals.
Preparation of traditional meal aPáláh is made from taro (Colocasia esculenta). Two people are usually involved in the mashing or pounding process: one peels and the other one pounds. Traditionally, the taro does not require any ingredient, although today special bananas may be added. The resulting paste is wrapped in fresh taro leaves and served with yellow soup.
The yellow soup is made by stirring palm oil in warm water including potash limestone (Kàgnùà). Ingredients may include common salt, pepper, white peeper, and all variety meat and fish. Apart from yellow soup, black soup is also used. It is made from boiled taro leaves with the same ingredients as the yellow soup.
Common meals Mankœäh ncuúūh. The name of the meal comes from Mankœäh (Irish potato) and ncuúūh (the past participle of lècúh, to pound).This meal is mashed Irish potato mixed with beans (more often black beans). The beans areboiled in advance since they take a longer time to be done. The potatoes are boiled separately and the beans added 5 to 10 minutes before mashing begins. The mixture is mashed in a pot using a pestle. The beans tend to remain intact at the end of the process. Ingredients are palm oil, kitchen salt, and pepper. Mankœäh šiíīt (potato porridge). The name derives from šiíīt, the past participle of lèšīt (to stir). Mankœäh šiíīt is potato porridge. It is prepared by peeling Irish potatoes and boiling them together with freely-chosen ingredients such as vegetables, assorted spices, and meat. Mankœäh mahteéngwàng The name comes from lèmahtē (to sprinkle) and Ngwàng (salt). These are cooked Irish potatoes that have been boiled with salt to taste, and eaten with vegetables (such as cabbages) or stews. Bekéqńgesàng . This is called corn-chaff in the local pidgin English. It is beans and corn cooked together. The skin is optionally peeled off the corn eyes. The corn is cooked first and beans added later. Ingredients depend on individual choice, but the most common are: palm or vegetable oil, kitchen salt, grinned ginger, garlic, pepper, white pepper, onion; cow skin, magi, and meat or fish. Besanggnà. It is a thick paste-like meal made from corn flour. The cornflour is filtered through a special sieve, separating the fine particles from chaff. The chaff is further washed to remove the corn skin. What remains is stirred in boiled water for a while, then the sieved powder is mixed to it. The entire meal is stirred until it gets ready. It is wrapped with fresh banana leaves and also eaten with hands.
Marriage Polygamy, specifically polygyny, is the norm in Mmuock Leteh.
Prior to the mid-sixties, the procedure for gaining a wife was simple and unsophisticated. For example, if a man touched the belly of a pregnant woman and she subsequently birthed a girl, the girl was indisputably his future wife. A girl's future husband could also be the first man who placed a shilling in her right hand upon her birth. It could also be the first man who brought a log of firewood to girl's family compound upon her birth and split the log himself as a show of strength and fitness. In all of these situations, the man could also be reserving the female child for his son. Due to exposure to other cultures, especially Western culture, the process of marriage started seeing changes in the seventies.
The Marriage Proposal As a male child attains the age of marriage, it is expected that he get married. The choice of potential wife is made either by the young man, who then seeks his father's approval, or by his parents, who have to convince him of their choice. Once a consensus is reached with the parents, the father begins the process of asking for the girl's hand in marriage. It is understood that the girl is being married to the family, represented by the father, and not directly to the suitor.
The suitor's father advances a marriage proposal to the girl's family by visiting the girl's family compound bearing palm wine and kola nuts. As the visit progresses, the matter of marriage is spoken of only in parables; the names of the girl and the boy are not mentioned directly. Should the girl's father be open to considering the proposal, he will at least allow some of the palm wine and the kola nut to be consumed. Upon his departure, if the response is not an outright no, the suitor's father is asked to expect a response at a later date.
The Response