Maffa History, Culture and Lifestyle!

Introduction: Overall, the Maffas (Mafahi or Mafahay) are found in 4 countries mainly: Cameroon, Chad, Central Africa and Nigeria! Maffa form the largest tribes in the 4 countries. And also scattered in other countries like Mali, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone. The Maffas are humble and very obedient people! They like living together as a group because they don’t want to disturb other people with their lifestyle! The Maffas like enjoyment! They like brewing their local beer (Zum dau), singing, dancing, storytelling, annual festivals, wrestling, etc! They are down to earth when it comes to Maffa Culture!
Hospitality: Mafa people are very simple and accommodating, they believed that a visitor/guest is a blessing to them.
Traditional Wedding: Mafa wedding is a stress-less ceremony, once the couples agreed to get married to each other, the father of the boy can now approach the girl’s parents to properly show interest in their daughter, if the girl’s parent accept their proposal then the parent of the boy can proceed to pay the girl’s bride price and some other traditional requirements which is compulsory such as Mugwudi and a big Ram. After paying the necessary dues the wife’s relatives escort her to her husband’s house at night! When they are about half a kilometer to the house, she has to walk squatting on her knees until she reaches the husband’ house. New wives may not talk to anyone, until her husband permits or beg her to talk to his relatives! The following day she will move from room to room to greet the husband’s family members! The most important aspect of wedding is eating a lot of meat! Rams will be slaughtered; half of the meat will be given to the bride, and the rest for the family!
Any time there is a new wife or a naming, visitor coming in or during any of the festivals; children will be celebrating because they will eat a lot of meat!
Naming: a new born gets his or her name (whether nick name or proper name) by the circumstances surrounding the family at the time of the birth of the baby! A child can be named, Nuoba - luck; Cived - Road (born of the Road); Maya- brave; Mamtsai- death (born after several deaths of other children. That means he will also die)! The same goes for a new wife. A new bride is also given a pet name by her husband or the family Kwanye - rule me, Pambi - beauty, etc. Every Maffa name has a negative or positive meaning.
Other names with meaning in Mafa tribe mostly used:
Wufe - Joy or Happiness, Cheaandev – Confident
Fiyndev – Patience, Doum Bee – Princess
Ngachgid – Success, Pishma – Blessing, Bay or Bee – King
Ndiya Gid – Victory, Nlebay – Praise, RickDee - Wonders
Maya – Wisdom, Waiva – Love, Pambi – Beauty

Ruling Class and governance: since the Maffas belong to different countries, we are subjected to different laws, rules and governance! Maffa fits well into any laws and democratic leadership in particular! The Maffas are flexible, and can fit anywhere.
Locally or traditionally every Maffa clan has its chief or king, who also obeys the rules of the country or any place where they live! The largest clan however is Zhelehi - the people! Zhelehi make up over two third of the Maffa clan population. Others are many but a tiny population like Vreke, Gaibihi, Zaruahi, Ngwatha and Gwadalahi.
Funeral: One’s funeral depends on the belief of the person or the family of the deceased. Funeral depends on the class of the person, or the decision of the family or the will of the deceased!
Morning, dancing and feeding will be for three or seven days! Then followed by the 40 days or annual ceremony called MBELE! MBELE is the final activity for discharging the spirit of the dead! That day there will be a lot of drinking, eating and dancing for the dead! Depending on the class or status of the family, the whole village will converge at the MBELE Venue (the deceased family house) and eat, drink and dance to the dead! Burial can be done in the ground or in a hewed stone for important personalities.
There are specialized experts called NGWATHA, who are given the right of burial rituals, such as carrying and disposal of dead bodies. The Ngwathas are looked down upon because of their good deeds of healing, delivering babies, protection and all their good support for humanity! They are also blacksmiths.
Dresses and outfits: The maffas wear any type of outfit they acquire or see other people use in their environment! The main clothing before civilization is that of animal skin as well as ropes or fiber netted in to fine threads, tie around the waist for women (Mozuk for girls, and vazak or motsud for married women). Refined leather is used to tie babies on the back as well as for men to cover their bodies! They also wear beads around the waist, ankles and red spots on face, necks, and wrists around the head as a head band! Most colors used are red, white and black, as well as a mixture of all the 3 colors!
Food Types: The mafa food is finger millet and the soups are Mokotub, Kileb, Mishi, Shasheb and Lak Baldav. Mokotub is the highly recommended soup among the Mafa soups which is mostly served to kings or elders in any Mafa ceremony and also to visitors. Mokotub is said to be the most delicious soup amongst all the Mafa soups that is why the Mafa people don’t joke with Mokotub.
Mokotub is a very simple soup to prepare when you have your groundnuts, dried fish, Enough Meats, a little spinach and pepper. With other necessary ingredients for soup.
The Maffas are good farmers and livestock breeders! They rear animal just for eating, not FOR SALE!!! A woman may not marry a man if he or his family does not have a herd of livestock in his backyard! Women on getting married start to raise their own chicken, goats or sheep! Many women do animal fattening for festivals such as Mari, Zavad, Ngwalala, etc. The Maffas are good eaters so they don’t play with their feeding!!!
Proverbs and Traditional Stories:
Writer: Esther Burtaye Usman Yavoua Dangwi Walabai
Edited: Jerry Nduvna