Kingdom of Mankon: Aspects of History, Language, Culture, Flora and Fauna

Chapter Two: Mankon political, economic and social structure

 21 Chapter Two Mankon p political, economic and social structure 2.1. Mankon traditional rule The Mankon Fondom - À Àlá à - is a solid unit at whose head is the Fo - king. As constituted authority of the land and paramount ruler, the king acts as an auxiliary to the country’s central government within his area of jurisdiction. The Fo himself head of the Nto’ clan, is ably aided in the government of the land by the nobles - b b kum( ) (sing. kùm( ), the councillors - tsénda/b b tsenb ndâ (sing. n ntséndâ), the secret societies/jujus of Kwi fo (made up of commoners) and Tákumbeng (made up of the royal family), and the Fo’s mother - Mâfo. This Fondom is composed of nineteen (19) clans - tsé (which are ruled by clan heads b b tábatse (sing. t tátse). These clans are further split into wards or quarters- m m kfú( ) (sing. n kfú( ) with their leaders – b b táb n kfu( ) (sing. tán kfu( ). The wards are then composed of families – n ndâ/n n ù u(- ) (both sing. and plur.) at whose head is the man tand â/t tan ú u(- ). If we looked at the Mankon political and social structure, we would notice that it is a decentralised type but each smaller unit working towards unity and harmony of the whole structure. Starting from ALA A, we get an immediate constituent (IC) TSE that has its own IC as M KFU that finally gets IC NDÂ. Conversely, if we start from NDÂ, we get Kingdom of Mankon  22 intermediate Constituent (Inter. C.) M KFU, which in turn has Inter. C. TSE, which finally gives ALA A, as the following diagram ably, demonstrates: F Fig. 2: Apart from the Fo’s role in the country’s central administration, he also performs the following duties: - He presides over religious rituals, the war council, the council of b b kum( ) and other important meetings. - He awards titles to meritorious citizens for their outstanding performances (e.g. the award of the red feather insignia). - He moderates all cultural events and activities of his Fondom. KWI’FO FO ALA A B KUM MÂFO TSENDÂ B tabatsé TSE B tab n kfu M KFU NDA/ KWI’FO B tabatsé B KUM MÂFO B tab n kfu TSENDÂ TSE M KFU FO ALA A N U U Tandâ/Tan u u Mankon Political, Economic and Social Structure  23 - (As the highest magistrate of the land) he receives appeals on all cases except those of felony and murder. - (As father of the land) he is at the head of all regulatory societies like the Kwi’fo and the Takumbeng. THE Mâfo (Fo’s mother) - is in charge of the general welfare of the people, - takes special care of the Fo’s wives (b bà gyéb ntʫ ʫ, princes and princesses ( bôntʫ ʫ, - advises the Fo and takes care in his absence, - settles disputes among women in general, - entertains guests, - organises the Fo’s family, and - trains the Fo’s new wives. The Kwi’fo is the most powerful institution of Mankon, with members restricted to male commoners. It is a constituted authority of the Fondom which together with members of the Takumbeng (from the royal family), help regulate the society. The B kum are nobles drawn from the council of the Kwi’fo and the Takumbeng, by virtue of birth and responsibilities, though some inherit. The Ngangfo is a society made up of herbalists drawn from the land, which helps eradicate diseases, evil Kingdom of Mankon  24 spirits, witchcraft, and brings about fortune and good harvest on the land. Usually, its sacred juju puts some ‘medicine’ (herbs) at road junctions and individuals’ compounds to orchestrate fortune. It is, perhaps, because of the authority vested on the Fo, the Supreme Magistrate of the land and the regulatory authorities of the Kwi’fo and Takumbeng, that we have proverbs like: (i) /À Àzúm a la ku a ntʫ ʫ b f fú le / (proverb n° 58): “ Can something enter the palace (n ntʫ ʫ) and come out again” (literal translation)? Meaning: “That which is given to the palace can never be taken back again.” (ii) k kwí fʫ a la ge n vwo wo kfù bá le / (proverb n° 19) meaning: “Has the Kwi’fo ever celebrated the same person’s death twice?” The n ntʫ ʫ ( palace), being the...