Mbaay Kuyy people
Mbàày Kúyy | |
|---|---|
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Tarwah Union | |
| Languages | |
| Mbaay Kuyy, Bhala | |
| Religion | |
| Kunwidya, Buboh | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Chejun |
The Mbaay Kuyy (Mbàày Kúyy /ᵐbæ̀ːj kújː/), also known as Sëŋguŋkhëyy in Bhala, are a Nkungu-Dun ethnic group native to Seunggun. They are one of the four main ethnic groups of the Tarwah Union, and are also prominent in northern Khajjiyawwa. Mbaay Kuyy are predominantly Kunwidya, most adhering to the Tarwah regional denomination. The Mbaay Kuyy are related to the Chejun, another prominent Tarwah ethnic group, native to Charagulgun.
Etymology and demonym
The term Mbaay Kuyy comes from mbàày kúyy, meaning "people of the river", referring to the Kut Nguat river area believed to be the Mbaay Kuyy homeland. The Bhala exonym Sëŋguŋkhëyy ("Seunggun people") is a fairly recent innovation as the Bhala people historically referred to the Mbaay Kuyy by pejorative terms such as barisäwwäl ("corpse worshipper") or mujeeñ ("infidel").
Traditional politics
The Mbaay Kuyy political structure is rooted in a clan-based system. The population is seperated into five patrilineal clans: Morumbumbu-Kut (Mɔ́rúmbúmbú-Kúʔ), Kaah-'ut-Mbiat (Kááh-ʔúʔ-Mbiàʔ), Mongimbu-ga-Piwowkkut (Mɔ́ŋgímbú-gá-Píwɔ́hwkkúʔ), Sit-'ukkut (Síʔ-ʔúkkúʔ), and Ngut (Ŋ̃gúʔ). All the five clans trace their lineage to the five sons of Bee Kuyy, the first man to inhabit the Kut Nguat area. According to oral tradition, after Bee Kuyy's death, his five sons soon became hostile to one another. This angered creator deity Bee Baay who then proceeded to destroy the compound in which they all lived, causing them to disperse. For this reason, all the clan names are the places each of them migrated to.
Each clan is led by a chief, and five chiefs collectively appoint and advise the Kot Nguat, the ruler over all the clans. The Kot Nguat holds authority via the Five Treaties, sacred statuettes serving as a physical manifestation of the covenant between the Kot Nguat and the chiefs. These treaties remain in the Kot Nguat's possession until death or expulsion. In the case of a ruler being expelled, he must relinquish the treaties or face execution.
Traditional religion
Before the rise of Kunwidya, the Mbaay Kuyy practiced their indigenous animist religion Buboh (búbóh, "divine/sprit affairs"). Buboh revolves around three main deities: Bee Baay - the creator deity who is also the Sun, water deity Mbumbut, and earth deity Bubuat. Bee Kuyy and his wife Mbor Kuyy are also venerated in Buboh.
Regular worship in Buboh usually takes place in home shrines, while special rituals and celebrations take place at the compound of a mbor bot (female shaman). Each Mbaay Kuyy village has one mbor bot, acting as a messenger between spirits and people. The mbor bot is also consulted for general wisdom, and in some cases insight into the future. The mbor bot leads an ascetic, celibate life with an apprentice (sit mborbyi mbot), known as the mbor bot's "child". Regular laypeople may not touch or interact with the mbor bot directly outside of rituals. Laypeople also may not speak to the mbor bot, but rather through the apprentice. Historically, the mbor bot of the Kot Nguat and the five chiefs acted as ruling authority over all other mbor bot.
Naming tradition
Mbaay Kuyy names traditionally follow a flexible structure without any order. However, due to Bhala influence, modern Mbaay Kuyy names usually follow a given name + patronym format. Traditionally, a Mbaay Kuyy name consists of three elements in no particular order: a parent-given name, a patronym, and a name given by a mbor bot at birth. The mbor bot given name would later be replaced by a self-given name after a rite of passage ritual; some religious Mbaay Kuyy still observe this tradition, but with a Kunwidya holy man instead, who gives the child a Wadiin name. In public, Mbaay Kuyy people usually use their patronym or self-given name, reserving their parent-given name for intimates.