RESEARCHING MY ROOTS SERIES: Digging Up Background Information

Going from African American (or American of African descent) to Cameroonian-Chadian-Nigerian American (or American of Cameroonian, Chadian, and Nigerian descent) has been a most interesting one. Because there was a 100% DNA sequence pattern match between my mitochondrial DNA and that of the Mafa, Kotoko, and Masa tribes, I am learning more about these groups. I've previously written about it. An African co-worker is going ask his uncle in Maryland about social and cultural groups from these countries, in order to help link me up. And African Ancestry, which did my mitochondrial DNA test, has an online community. The most important result is a vivid, tangible reminder that my family's history does not begin with slavery but has a rich heritage from centuries prior.

The self-awareness about even a small portion of my ancestry is nice (as the mitochondrial DNA test only examines 1% of my total genetic makeup, but is the most reliable test. And I'll take a lil' info over none at all). To see that folks at National Geographic and others have been doing this work for over 20 years is great, and helps black Americans link up to our specific history. My family tree is off the chain now, y'all, now going back nine generations (including the generation behind me) in America with an arrow linked to our specific African link. One of my family lines has even been literate for seven generations, and had two doctors who worked in rural black communities back at the turn of last century! No more puny family tree, like I had to do for a school assignment as a kid while my classmates came in with deep trees. The so-called "1870 Wall" for black Americans - the 1870 U.S. Census is the first one that counts former slaves, unless you have a relative among the 10% of blacks who were fortunate to be free before 1860 - is now torn down. So is the pre-slavery era. I now have insight that I did not have even two months ago. It is a good feeling, y'all.

I'm learning more about the Mafa, Kotoko, and Masa peoples. The Mafas - who live in the Mandara Mountains and adjacent plains in far northern Cameroon - are also known as the Matakam, Bula, East Mafa Natakan, West Mafa, Bulahair, Magumaz, Mofa, and Sulede. Whoa! They are the largest and most dominant of the 14 ethnic groups who live in these mountains. Matakam - which means "those who are easy to catch" and originates from slave times - is considered an offensive term. Guess I can't complain too much about the accuracy of the term...after all, one of my female ancestors did get caught in some slave raid and sent off to America. There are about 240,000 Mafas. 83% of them are Muslim, 7% Christian, and 10% practice traditional African spirituality. They were called "Kirdi" (pagans) by the Islamicized Fulani tribe, who encroached upon their area during the 1600s. The Mafas are known for their art of personal adornment, with an emphasis on iron: iron necklaces, bracelets, even belts. They have a patrilinear society, with lineage defined by the father. After marriage, women move into their husband's homestead. Tricker narratives account for about 1/3 of the oral literature of the Mafa.

The Kotokos (pictured) are believed to be the descendants of the Sao civilization, whose folks disappeared in the 16th century with the rise of the Kotoko empire (which spread across modern-day Cameroon and Nigeria). 90% of Kotokos are Muslim and 10% are Christian. The Kotokos are concentrated along the lower banks of the Logone and Chari Rivers, in what is now far northern Cameroon, northeastern Nigeria, and western Chad. In the 1950s, European researchers unearthed a medieval culture notable for its work in terra-cotta and bronze. Kotokos are especially known for their gourd art.

The Masas are 40% Christian, 40% traditional African spiritual beliefs, and 15% Muslim. There are about 200,000 of them. They farm, herd, and fish in the floodplains of the middle Chari River, in what is now the border of northern Cameroon and western Chad. The Masas suffered repeated raids from their Muslim neighbors - the Kanuris of the Bornu empire, the Barma of the Bagirmi empire, and the Fulanis of Cameroon with their infamous slave raids - over the centuries. They survived these onslaughts in part because many Masa villages were crowned by hills among the Chari floodplains. However, the Masas did attack the above-mentioned Saos in the 15th century though.

I wish I could access more information written by black folks. It is odd reading about the groups through the perspectives of European researchers. What I am looking for are words from these groups about the groups, which I have not yet been able to find. However, there is a book (written by a German anthropologist) which apparently contains a dictionary of Mafa words...