Jengu

A jengu (plural miengu) is a water spirit in the traditional beliefs of the Sawa ethnic groups of Cameroon, particularly the Duala, Bakweri, and related Sawa peoples. Among the Bakweri, the name is liengu (plural: maengu). Miengu are similar to Mami Wata spirits.

The miengus appearance differs from people to people, but they are typically said to be beautiful, mermaid-like figures with long hair. They live in rivers and the sea and bring good fortune to those who worship them. They can also cure disease and act as intermediaries between worshippers and the world of spirits. For this reason, a jengu cult has long enjoyed popularity among the Duala peoples. Among the Bakweri, this cult is also an important part of a young girl's rite of passage into womanhood.

Jengu may refer to a single spirit, as well. In some traditions, this spirit replaces the class of miengu spirits, while in others, it acts as their leader. Among the Isubu, for example, this spirit is called Jengu.

Bakweri belief talks of a female spirit named Mojili or Mojele. Mojili became the progenitor of the miengu when she lost a bet with Moto, the ancestor of mankind, over who could build the longer-lasting fire. Moto won the right to stay in the village, but Mojili was forced to flee to the sea. The Bakweri still worship Mojili as the ruler of the miengu. In fact, her name is so powerful, that many believe that children under seven may die if they hear it uttered. By extension of this tale, the miengu are said to be the wives of the rats, as the ancestor of the rats also lost the bet and fled to the forest.

Another Bakweri tradition names this spirit Liengu la Mwanja and makes her the consort of Efasa-Moto, spirit of Mount Fako (Mount Cameroon). Long ago, the two formed an understanding that Efasa-Moto would live on the mountain, while Liengu la Mwanja would inhabit the sea. When lava from Mount Fako's 1992 eruption made it all the way to the ocean, many hailed it as a sign that the spirit was visiting his wife.

The Duala and related groups hold the jengu cult in high importance. The cult may have originated with peoples further west, possibly the Ijo, and then passed from people to people, reaching the Batanga at its most eastward extent. In the earliest days, jengu-worship centred on the water spirits as the source of four boons: crayfish, the end of the rainy season in one of the world's wettest regions, victory in the pirogue races, and protection from epidemics of disease. Among the Duala proper, membership was originally reserved to "free" (pure-blooded) Duala, a stipulation that even excluded members of the prestigious Akwa clan due to one of their ancestors being a Bassa woman. Observations by European traders and explorers prove that jengu-worship was well established by the early 19th century. Early missionaries largely failed in their attempts to suppress it.

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