CLANS & VILLAGES OF NWA SUB-DIVISION (Also known as MANTUNG SUB-DIVISION; MANTUNG LAND)

All of these villages are originally of the Tikar tribe though they are further sub-divided into the Yamba, Mfumnte and Mbaw clans. There are some villages in Mbaw that are of the Yamba clan and others of the Tikaris. I do not have the details of all these villages but I know for example that Gwembwe speaks Yamba. Also note that 8 villages were added to Mantung Land following the Cameroon Nigeria Land dispute (Bakassi) which the ICJ recently adjugated. The exact names of those villages and when the official transfer will be effected is not known at this moment. Also there is a push now to split Yamba tribe into North and South. While this is not formal, a lot has been done along those lines.

Mantung Land currently consist of 42 villages after the forceful ceding or seizure of Kumchum, much to the disgust of the Mantung man and against traditional and/ or historical facts which shows a pillar to have been planted by the Germans mapping this village in Mantung Land (North West Region) and not the Adamawa Region. This number of villages does not account for the 8 villages that were recently added to the area from Nigeria following the International Court of Justice’s judgment of March 25th 1999 in the Cameroon – Nigeria boarder case that originated with the Bakassi area (http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/101/7631.pdf). The 42 villages are distributed in the three clans (tribes) as follows:

• The Mbaw Plain
  It consist of the following villages: Lih, Mbirikpa, Ngom, Ngomkwo, Ngu, Nguri, Nking, Ntem, Nwanti, Nwat, Nyurong (11 villages);
• The Mfumnte Clan
  It consist of the following villages: Adere, Bang, Bitui, Jui, Koffa, Kom, Kwaja, Lus, Manang, Mballa, Mbah, Mbat, Mbepji, Ncha (14 villages)
• The Yamba Clan
  It consist of Bom, Fam, Gamfe, Gom, Gwembe, Kwak, Mbem, Mfe, Ngung, Nkot, Ntim, Ntong, Nwa, Rom, Sam, Sih, Yang (17 villages)

totalling 42 villages in all.

Ethnic Groups in Mantung Land

There are three (03) ethnic groups that make up the Nwa sub-division (municipality):

• Mfumte Ethnic group
  Mfumte clan is situated generally north of the Yamba clan and shares boundaries with Ndu, Nkambe and Ako sub-division. The Mfumte people like the Yamba and Mbaw people form part of the Tikari tribe that migrated from Adamawa region. They are popularly known as Mfumte people because of their affiliation with palm trees. They are called “Mfumte” meaning “people living under palms”. 14 villages make up the clan.
• Yamba ethnic group
  The clan is located south of the Mfumte and North of the Mbaw clans respectively. It shares boundary with Ndu sub-division and the neighbouring villages of Nigeria. According to Mfon Martin Kumbongsi (1960), the clan was known as Kaka clan; which means “No-no” in Nsungli language. It was late changed to Yamba clan due to this meaning. According to the 1987 census figures, villages with more than 1000 inhabitants include Nwa, Gom, Mbem, Mfe, Ngung, Rom and Yang. It is low in other villages because of the undulating landscape and agriculture-based economy.
• Mbaw ethnic group
  Mbaw like the Yamba and Mfumte people form part of the Tikari tribe that originated from Kimi in Adamawa region. Mbaw clan is situated south of the Yamba clan and shares common boundaries with Mbiame sub-division (Bui-division), Adamawa and Western Regions (in the South), Ndu and Nkambe (in the North West). It is made up of 13 villages.
  The settlement patterns though generally clustered are linear such as along the Ntaba-Sabongari-Koumchoum highway. Patches of nucleated settlement along this highway are found in villages such as Ntem, Ngu, Nwanti and Ngom just to mention a few. There are equally dispersed settlements especially where the main stay is agriculture.