The Bangolan People (Twins)

Culture Africo

This is my father in law’s culture and the main one my husband will teach our sons. In this culture twins are seen as children of God and a mother of twins is called a Manyi. A father of twins is Tanyi. It is traditional to plant two rows of plantain (similar to bananas) directly behind the house in which the twins live. The twins would also be buried in the same fashion as a fon (a king), seated upright on a throne, but without a staff. The first twin is called ‘Mumeh’ and the second twin ‘Ndueh’. These names are used for boys or girls. There are 6,300 to 15,000 Bangolan speakers around the village of Ndop.

The Bali People:
These are the people of my mother in law. I must learn their rituals carefully for the moment I present my own sons to her. She will consider them to be of Bangolan ancestry, as she took on her husband’s culture at marriage, but I’m sure it won’t be any trouble to show my respect for my sons’ ancestry on both sides.

The Bali people have a  custom of erecting a fence in front of a house where twins were born. This fence will remain in place until the twins start to walk. The intent is to protect the twins from any evil from the outside as they are magical beings and vulnerable to evil intent as infants. Two bells are placed in a room where the twins sleep and must be quietly rung before a person enters. If they are not rung, the twins may be startled and cause unintentional harm or sickness to the person.

In Bali when a twin dies in infancy the body is taken far into the bush and left sitting upright on a rock with props to keep the twin in place. The bearers then run as fast as they can from the place without looking back.

Twins in this language are called ‘Sama’ for a boy and ‘Nah’ for a girl. Two boys are called ‘Samjella’ (first twin) and ‘Samgwa’ (second twin). For two girls if is ‘Nahjella’ (first twin) and ‘Nahgwa’ (second twin).