Mambila people
The Mambilla people of Nigeria (with a small fraction in Cameroon) regard themselves as a group with a common identity.
They also share a set of closely related cultural practices, in particular a conjunction of masquerade and oath-taking called "Suu", "Shua", "Sua" or "Shuaga".
A locally written French language historical source for Somie history is Zeitlyn Mial & Mbe 2000.
The Gang Peak, located in the northeastern corner of the Mambilla Plateau, on the Mambilla-Gashaka-Cameroon tri-point boundary zone, is Nigeria's loftiest landform.
Villages are found both on the hilltops and on valley bottoms, and are relatively isolated from one another particularly during the rainy seasons when river crossings can be difficult (and impossible for motorised transport).
This is an area which, beginning from about A.D 1700, they, in a piece-meal fashion, progressively captured from the Twumwu, a pre-Tikar group that inhabited the Ndom Plain (Zeitlyn & Connell, 2003).
At an altitude of some 700 m, these Ndòm villages live in a different ecological zone from those of the Plateau: for example, oil palm plantations and gallery forest are found there.
The inhabitants developed unique art styles of sculpture made of clay, terracotta, pith, and wood.
[4] Sculptures with heart shaped faces symbolize the earliest artistic endeavors, while current mask display stylizations of birds, beasts, and humans.
Mambila figures made of soft pith, and the attachment to shrines and sacred enclosures are something that only certain sexes are allowed to see.
[8] The festivals celebrated in Mambilla include the Bol (November), Literr (February), Toshin (January–February), Mbà Sùu (April–June), Tírrìm (September), and Kàtìi (December).
The "Sùuburr" or "Sua Burr" is a Sùu of the first rank, typically like a helmet and worn over the head, resting on the wearers shoulders.
[10] Similar troubles occurred on 17 June 2017 when a Community Leader was abducted at about 3am in a Gestapo-style operation of the now-disbanded SARS Police brought in by certain actors.
There is a dry season from late November until early March, the rains (which are abundant and regular) peaking in August - September before gradually reducing in intensity.
Showers and isolated heavy rains are rarely experienced between December and February On the Mambilla Plateau the altitude is sufficient for evenings to be cool.
