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preface
The real name of the Saikai or Azekiani is Bezeki, who came to the coast from the upper reaches of the Ivandor River in the fourteenth century due to pressure from the Baquele people. They arrived around the same time as the Mpenwe people in the Gulf of Gabon. Like the Mpenwe, the Bezeki were divided into several branches, but this was before reaching the Como River. The northern group includes the Ndemi, Ntemi, Mchiki and Chakha people, who cross the Como River and its tributary, the Mbey River, and advance towards their source.
Some went to the upper reaches of the Lumponi River, and some to the Noyo or Noah Rivers, tributaries of the Mini. Another group, including the Mčiki and Mězo, settled on the Noah River up to the bay of the Munda River and its many tributaries. Their most important villages were originally Ndombo, not far from Kokoci (Sekei Dialect Kuku) and Medeičello, on the right bank of the Munda River.
The chief of the region, Ajelve-Mapeca, had a certain prestige, and he had long traded with Europeans. The Saikai people used to call it this lu, and it was from him that the name was derived.
Another hypothesis that I think is more reliable about the name is that the first Sekiani traded with the whites. When a merchant ship captain or European merchant asks, "Which tribe do you belong to?" A black man probably replied, "I belong to this Luyim Bangbo clan." In this way, the name "Bulu" has been used for a long time to refer to the Bezeki.
Habits and habits to keep
Others believe that this is the nickname given to the Bezeki by the Bonga people, which means backward or barbarian. In the Banga language, this word means "night", "darkness", "chaos".
The southern branch reaching the left bank of the Como River is dominated by the Ngoière. They settled at Siche-Nshwa (Shanshua on the map), at the confluence of the Mbilagona and Rambuai rivers, and lived close to the Mpenwe and Bakelai tribes when the Fang did not arrive.
Later, a small group of the Ngoy's settled in Libreville, and the rest of the Sekai settled on Lake Gome, passing through the plain between the Mçalagona River and Lake Azango, to the Ogowe River, now south. They leave footprints everywhere on their journey,
However, they have always been careful to preserve their national identity and language. In the vast Shangdibu, different parts of the Saikai speak almost the same language and can understand each other. They have the same general customs and superstitions, the same nomadic hunting habits on the eve of the secret association of Mweiqi.
Centuries ago, the first European navigators to reach among the Sakes were the Portuguese) who probably landed in the area of Ngambo (present-day Ongang) on the right bank of the Munda River. For a long time, the Xisekai carried ivory, mahogany, ebony, gum, and rosin balls to sailing ships from Europe, in addition to slaves, although the number of slaves shipped by other coastal peoples was small.
Discover Azekiani
In fact, there are no large slave markets among the Sekai, such as Baraka in the Gulf of Gabon, Osanga Tanga in Cape López, and Aniang-boe et Ée between the Fernan-Oise salt lake and the Igéra salt lake.
Later, following the Mpenwe and Gbarnga chiefs, the Saikai chiefs also concluded treaties with the French authorities in Gabon. On 2 December 1846 , Captain Metquet reached an oral agreement with the chiefs of Sécay and Baquele on French sovereignty over the Como and Rambouet rivers. On 14 February 1848 , the commander of the Omar battery, Roche, signed a treaty with King Jianranvin of the region of the Munda River ( Ngouanger ) , placing his territory under French protection on the eve of his territory.
Admiral Fleuriot Dranger also mentioned that a Brabant chief had made a treaty with the French government. The first explorer to survey the area inhabited by the Saikai was Paul Dixiayu in 1856. He first went south to the Lobezeki, Saikai or Azekiani.
Cape Pace. There he found the plain with the Saikais, behind the inhabitants of the Mpenwe and Orenju, far from the sea. After a day and a half of walking through the rolling and scenic area, the Saikai village was reached. The village chief, Enjengbessi, was a vassal of Bongo (pronounced Onbongo) of Ozeengatanga, the leader of the Orengu.
Saikai characteristics
Paul Bienxia Yu went to see Enjangbe because of Bongo's introduction. He said that the Da region was sparsely populated, but it was a better place for hunting than Gabon. He thinks it's a very good hunting area in this part of Africa. When Di Xia Yu returned to Gabon, he had the idea of surveying the Minni region as well, so he passed through the island of Corisco, hired a team of states to join him as oarsmen, and took a boat to the old man Sdayokoko, the leader of the Za clan.
The old man sent someone to escort him to another leader of the Sekai clan of the Ndymi clan named Mbena, who led Di Xia Yu into the depths of Mount Krystal. As a result, Di Xia Yu was able to reach the birthplace of the Tang Boni River, where he saw the first traces of gorillas. After seeing the last Saikai of the Mbizo clan one hundred and fifty miles off the coast, he found villages of Fang people on three sides.
No white man had ever traveled so far before him. Here is his description of the Saikai: "The Saikai are of medium stature. Blacks, for their part, have a lighter complexion. They are warriors and are familiar with business. They are enthusiastic and do not lack courage, get used to living in the jungle, and have developed the habit of dexterity, lightness and liveliness. Running fast, catching black beasts at night looks particularly alert.
"They like to argue, often in their own tribe or in the village of other tribes. They lack clan spirit, and the villages are not always harmonious, and certainly not affectionate. The men of them, like all the Africans I met, were interested in agriculture. They gave agriculture to women or slaves.
Emigration and trade
"Polygamy is respected among them. The more a man can marry his own tribe or with the families of his tribe, the better, because it expands his business ties, his influence and credibility can be used in vain, and the treatment of women is cruel.
For example, when the men cut down the tree to the ground and saw it into long strips, the women carried it out of the forest to reach the river, and the road Xi passed was very difficult. It was the most tiring form of labor, and it was unimaginable that such a heavy load would have to be carried six or seven miles away, or even far.
"Although the Saikai live in the hands of the village, they can almost be called nomads, and they are constantly running around the fields for a small reason to move. For example, in order to argue with a neighbor villager, over the death of a leader, or to hear about the magic of their own village, they collected all their belongings, carried as much food as they could, made large-scale migrations, and went far without tireless. ”
The first trade office on the Mini was established in the mid-nineteenth century as a British company. In order to avoid disturbance by the natives and poison gas in the woods, it was set up on the ferry. Tat Tsui is a swampy and tropical spice producing area. Later, the trade office was moved to the small island of Elobé, which later became the residence of the Spanish vice-governor. Merchants passed through here to the Tambony and Noah rivers. The main trade offices are now located on the French and Spanish borders of Koko Beach.
Saint-Jacques station was established several times
The first missionaries to come into contact with the Saikai were Father Lebel, Father Perle and Father Rambeau (1851). They all belong to the Catholic Church of St. Mary's in Libreville. They established a station of Saint-Jacques in Ncheit-Nhvoa. At that time, the inhabitants were the Mpenwe (Agulamba), the Saikai (Ngoière) and the Bakelai.
But the priests could not adapt to the climate, and after eighteen months of experimentation, they abandoned the place the following year. On the eve of 1887, another church stronghold was built on a trial basis among the Saikai people, and the person in charge was Father Kashaon. He bought a house on the small island of Nandai (Munda Bay) in an attempt to build a station. But a lot of money was spent there, and health was damaged, but nothing came of it.
Finally, in 1890, at the initiative of the High Commissioner Brazza, Father Sidillon began to build a church on the Mini River. Beginning in Cogo on the right bank and later in Buticasi on the left bank there was a dispute over the ownership of the area , and it was only then that it was decided that it was under Spanish jurisdiction.
In 1912, the Mini River belonged to the French side and was ceded to Germany. The Germans changed it to New Cameroon Eve and moved the administrative station originally located near Butica to Kokocchi on the Great Coast, which was renamed Yukoko because the place name was originally in English.
But two years later, World War I broke out (1914-1918), and at the beginning of the war, a French communications ship, the Sulpritz, on the orders of its commander Megacière, bombarded the coast of Kokoci in September, driving out all German officials, soldiers and merchants.
Multi-lingual similarity
During the German occupation, it was advocated that the mission here should be made independent of the priests of the Gabonese parishion. It seems that people have already determined the future missionary oversight. But the victory of the Entente restored everything to the way it was. From this time on, all the Saikai Bezeki, Sékai or Azekiani became citizens of France.
The language of the Saikai and the Fang are similar to those of the Bakelai, but the pronunciation is less rigid and is the softest I have ever heard. The Fang and Baquelai people understand the Saikai language and speak it fluently. Conversely, the Saikai are the same for the languages of their two peoples. This language also seems to have some similarities with Sogo or Misogo languages.
The Misogo are a mountain-dwelling tribe close to the Ngunier River. According to legend, the Saikai and Misogo tribes used to be tribes living in the upper reaches of the Ivandor River. What a pity that the Saikai language has never been thoroughly studied!
Although they still maintain their own language, all but a few old women speak Omiene (the dialect of Mpenwe). The Sékes who inhabit the area around Lambarene in the Ogove River Valley also speak Omiene (the Galoa dialect). By the way, it is a characteristic that the Saikai only counts to five, and after reaching it they use five and one and five and two, five and three, five and four to express six, seven, eight, nine and then ten. This is the same as the Baquele people, but different from most of the tribes in Gabon.
The proverb of the Saikai people: The son of the Saikai people Simbembo is a leaf floating on the river (literal translation: a leaf without salt). This means that the Saikai sailed more on rivers than on the sea. In fact, there are indeed many rivers within their area.