By Kenneth Udele
This is Nyantswam i Mbanyon Kajo Adigbe.
Mbanyon was a renowned craftsman in Ufande, Maav-ya, Moon District.
His home, less than a kilometer away from my grand’s Tse Akanyi. He was married to my father’s immediate younger sister, Amaáse.
The decor of his home included many traditional artifacts. It was like a museum. His home was a work of art.
The Ate (a resting hut) in Mbayon’s home was something else. The work on the Ate began in 1964 and was completed three years later. Each pillar of the Ate was carefully crafted. Someone said it took Mbanyon four weeks to craft one pillar. And they were 18 in number: 9 males and 9 females. All naked. Beautiful women.
A story was told that someone once hugged and rubbed himself against one of the female pillars and RELEASED. Shin wanger je o.
The roofing of the Ate took over 400 bundles of grass. The skyscraping nature of the Ate was an amazement.
Tourists from all walks of life thronged Mbanyon’s compound to catch sight of the numerous artifacts and crafts. There were this familiar white people that were always visiting. We later learnt that they wanted to buy the Nyantswam but Mbanyon refused.
Since I grew up to know Mbayon, there was NEVER a time you’ll see him sitting aimlessly. He was always doing something.
Mbanyon died in the early nineties, yet the Ate was still standing and strong.
