The 'Isubu' ('Isuwu', 'Bimbians') are an
ethnic group who inhabit part of the coast of
Cameroon. Along with other coastal peoples, they belong to Cameroon's
Sawa ethnic groups. They were one of the earliest Cameroonian peoples to make contact with Europeans, and over two centuries, they became influential traders and middlemen. Under the kings
William I of Bimbia and
Young King William, the Isubu formed a state called
Bimbia.
History
Early population movements
The predominant Isubu
oral history holds that the ethnic group hails from
Mboko, the area southwest of
Mount Cameroon.
[1] Tradition makes them the descendants of
Isuwu na Monanga, who led their migration to the west bank of the
Wouri estuary. When a descendant of Isuwu named
Mbimbi became king, the people began to refer to their territories as
Bimbia.
[2]
European contacts
Portuguese traders reached the Wouri estuary in 1472. Over the next few decades, more Europeans came to explore the estuary and the rivers that feed it, and to establish
trading posts. The Isubu carved out a role for themselves as middlemen, trading
ivory,
kola nuts, and
peppers from the interior. However, a major commodity was
slaves, most bound for
plantations on nearby islands such as
Annobon,
Fernando Po,
Príncipe, and
São Tomé.
[3] By the 16th century, the Isubu were second only to the
Duala in trade. The earliest Isubu merchants were likely
chiefs or
headmen.
[4] Bimbia, the primary Isubu settlement, grew quickly.
Europeans traders did their best to support friendly chiefs against their rivals, adulating them with titles such as ''King'', ''Prince'', or ''Chief''. In exchange, these indigenes offered trade
monopolies to their patrons and sometimes ceded land. An Isubu chief named
Bile became leader of the Isubu as King William, although
Dick Merchant of
Dikolo village and other chiefs eventually opposed his dominance.
British traders became the dominant European presence in the region by the mid-19th century, and the Crown used them to enforce
abolition of the
slave trade in the
Gulf of Guinea. In 1844 and 1848, King William signed anti-slavery treaties. In exchange, the traders provided him with annual gifts of alcohol, guns, textiles, and other goods.
[4] William was also asked to forbid practices the British viewed as barbaric, such as
sacrificing a chief's wife upon his death.
[6] With William's blessing, Bimbia became a haven for repatriated slaves and escapees from the illicit trade, which continued for many more years.
The British also endeavored to educate and Christianise the Bimbians.
[7] King William rebuffed the earliest
missionaries because he did not agree with their insistence on prayer and opposition to
polygamy. In 1844, however,
Joseph Merrick convinced William to let him open a church and school in Bimbia.
[8] In 1858, the Spanish ousted Protestant missionaries from their base at Fernando Po. King William sold a portion of his domains to the missionary
Alfred Saker, who then founded Victoria (today known as
Limbe). By 1875, numerous missions and schools sprung up in Victoria and other settlements. Victoria came to be a mixture of freed slaves, working Cameroonians, and Christianised Cameroonians from the various coastal groups.
Cameroonian Pidgin English began to develop at this time.
Isubu society was changed fundamentally by the European
trade. European goods became
status symbols, and some rulers appointed Western traders and missionaries as advisors. Large numbers of Isubu grew wealthy, leading to rising class tensions. Competition escalated between coastal groups and even between related settlements. Between 1855 and 1879, the Isubu alone engaged in at least four conflicts, both internal and with rival ethnic groups. Traders exploited this atmosphere, and beginning in 1860, German, French, and Spanish merchants had established contacts and weakened the British monopoly. The Duala had gained a virtual hegemony over trade through the Wouri estuary, and the Isubu had little power left.
Young King William was virtually powerless when he succeeded his father in 1878.
[9]
German administration
In July of 1884, the Isubu found themselves part of the
German Empire after annexation by
Gustav Nachtigal. Coastal territory became the heart of the new colony, but Bimbia and the Isubu lands had already passed their prime.
German arrival on the mainland meant that the coastal peoples' monopoly on trade had ended. Most Isubu turned to
subsistence farming or fishing to survive. However, years of contact with Westerners and a high level of literacy had allowed a literate upper class of Isubu
clerks, farmers, and traders to emerge in Victoria and Buea. This class were familiar with European law and conventions, which allowed them to pressure the German colonial government with petitions, legal proceedings, and
special-interest groups to oppose unpopular or unfair policies.
[10]
British administration
In
1918, Germany lost
World War I, and her colonies became mandates of the
League of Nations. The British became the new colonial rulers of Isubu lands. Great Britain integrated its portion of Cameroon with the neighbouring colony of Nigeria, setting the new province's capital at Buea. The British practiced a policy of
indirect rule, entrusting greater powers to Bakweri and Isubu chiefs in Buea and Victoria. Chief
Manga Williams of Victoria became one of two representatives to the Nigerian
Eastern House of Assembly. He was succeeded by another Isubu,
John Manga Williams.
Geography
Map showing the location of the various Duala ethnic groups of Cameroon
The Isubu are primarily concentrated in the
Fako division of Cameroon's
Southwest Province. Their settlements lie largely along the coast or just inland, east of
Limbe and west of
Douala. They occupy the coast directly east of the
Wovea, with their main settlement at Bimbia. The town of Limbe is a mixture of Isubu and other ethnic groups.
Culture
The Isubu today are divided into the urban and rural. Those who live in the cities earn a living at a number of skilled and unskilled professions. The rural Isubu work as fishermen and farmers, mostly at the subsistence level.
Language
Isu is the Isubu language. In addition, many Isubu speak
Duala or
Mokpwe, the languages of the Duala and Bakweri respectively. Isu is part of the
Bantu group of the
Niger-Congo language family.
[11]
In addition, individuals who have attended school or lived in an urban centre usually speak a European language. For some Isubu, this is
French; for others, it is
Cameroonian Pidgin English or standard
English. A growing number of the
Anglophones today grow up with Pidgin as their first tongue.
[12]
Religion
The Isubu have been mostly Christianized since the 1930s.
Evangelical denominations dominate, particularly the
Baptist church. Nevertheless, remnants of a pre-Christian
ancestor worship persist. Isubu belief states that the ancestors live in a parallel world and act as mediators between the living and God ("Jengu").
Arts
The Isubu participate in the annual
Ngondo, a traditional festival of the Duala, although today all of Cameroon's coastal peoples are invited. The main focus is on communicating with the ancestors and asking them for guidance and protection for the future. The festivities also include armed combat,
beauty pageants,
pirogue races, and traditional
wrestling.
[13]
Classification
The Isubu are
Bantu in language and origin. More narrowly, they fall into the Sawa, or the coastal peoples of Cameroon.
Notes
1. Fanso 50-1.
2. Fanso 51.
3. Fanso 68.
4. Fanso 73.
5. Fanso 73.
6. Austen and Derrick 66.
7. Austen and Derrick 67.
8. Fanso 102.
9. Elango 55.
10. Derrick 107.
11. "Isu", ''Ethnologue''.
12. "Pidgin, Cameroon", ''Ethnologue''.
13. ''Guide touristique'' 126.
References
★ Austen, Ralph A., and Derrick, Jonathan (1999): ''Middlemen of the Cameroons Rivers: The Duala and their Hinterland, c. 1600–c.1960''. Cambridge University Press.
★ Chrispin, Dr. Pettang, directeur. ''Cameroun: Guide touristique.'' Paris: Les Éditions Wala.
★ Derrick, Jonathan (1990). "Colonial élitism in Cameroon: the case of the Duala in the 1930s". ''Introduction to the History of Cameroon in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries.'' Palgrave MacMillan.
★ Elango, Lovett Z. (1990). "Trade and diplomacy on the Cameroon coast in the nineteenth century, 1833–1879: the case of Bimbia." ''Introduction to the History of Cameroon in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries.'' Palgrave MacMillan.
★ Fanso, V. G. (1989). ''Cameroon History for Secondary Schools and Colleges, Vol. 1: From Prehistoric Times to the Nineteenth Century.'' Hong Kong: Macmillan Education Ltd.
★ Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.) (2005): "
Isu". ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'', 15th ed. Dallas: SIL International. Accessed
6 June 2006.
★ Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.) (2005): "
Pidgin, Cameroon". ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'', 15th ed. Dallas: SIL International. Accessed
6 June 2006.
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