 Joseph Merrick at an Isubu funeral in Cameroon, 1845. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 800 (1982)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Cameroon | |
| Languages | |
| Suwu,Duala,Malimba,Mokpwe,Wumboko | |
| Religion | |
| PredominantlyChristianity,African Traditional Religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bakole,Bakweri,Bamboko,Duala,Limba,Mungo,Wovea |
TheSubu (Isubu,Isuwu,Bimbians) are aBantuethnic group who inhabit part of the coast of Cameroon. Along with other coastal peoples, they belong to Cameroon'sSawa 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 kingsWilliam I of Bimbia andYoung King William, the Isubu formed a state calledBimbia.
The predominant Isubuoral history holds that the ethnic group hails fromMboko, the area southwest ofMount Cameroon.[2] Tradition makes them the descendants ofIsuwu na Monanga, who led their migration to the west bank of theWouri estuary. When a descendant of Isuwu namedMbimbi became king, the people began to refer to their territories asBimbia.[3]
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 establishtrading posts. The Isubu carved out a role for themselves as middlemen, tradingivory,kola nuts, andpeppers from the interior. However, a major commodity wasslaves, most bound forplantations on nearby islands such asAnnobón,Fernando Po,Príncipe, andSão Tomé.[4] By the 16th century, the Isubu were second only to theDuala in trade. The earliest Isubu merchants were likelychiefs orheadmen.[5] Bimbia, the primary Isubu settlement, grew quickly.
European traders did their best to support friendly chiefs against their rivals, adulating them with titles such asKing,Prince, orChief. An Isubu chief namedBile became leader of the Isubu as King William, althoughDick Merchant ofDikolo 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 enforceabolition of theslave trade in theGulf 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.[5] William was also asked to forbid practices the British viewed as barbaric, such assacrificing 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 earliestmissionaries because he did not agree with their insistence on prayer and opposition topolygamy. 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 missionaryAlfred Saker, who then founded Victoria (today known asLimbe). 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 Europeantrade. European goods becamestatus 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]
In July 1884, the Isubu found themselves part of theGerman Empire after annexation byGustav 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. Years of contact with Westerners and a high level of literacy had allowed a literate upper class of Isubuclerks, farmers, and traders to emerge in Victoria and Buea. This class was familiar with European law and conventions, which allowed them to pressure the German colonial government with petitions, legal proceedings, andspecial interest groups to oppose unpopular or unfair policies.[10]
In 1918, Germany lost World War I, and her colonies became mandates of theLeague 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 ofindirect rule, entrusting greater powers to Bakweri and Isubu chiefs in Buea and Victoria. ChiefManga Williams of Victoria became one of two representatives to the NigerianEastern House of Assembly. He was succeeded by another Isubu,John Manga Williams.
The Isubu are primarily concentrated in theFako division of Cameroon'sSouthwest Province. Their settlements lie largely along the coast or just inland, east ofLimbe and west ofDouala. They occupy the coast directly east of theWovea, with their main settlement at Bimbia. The town of Limbe is a mixture of Isubu and other ethnic groups.
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.
Isu is the Isubu language. In addition, many Isubu speakDuala orMokpwe, the languages of the Duala and Bakweri respectively. Isu is part of theBantu group of theNiger–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 isFrench; for others, it isCameroonian Pidgin English or standard English. A growing number of theAnglophones today grow up with Pidgin as their first tongue.[12]
The Isubu have been mostly Christianized since the 1930s.Evangelical denominations dominate, particularly theBaptist church. Nevertheless, remnants of a pre-Christianancestor worship persist.
The Isubu participate in the annualNgondo, 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 traditionalwrestling.[13]
The Isubu areBantu in language and origin. More narrowly, they fall into the Sawa, or the coastal peoples of Cameroon.