holds a feast in her honour, and the initiation comes to an end. The entire process takes the better part of a year. An alternate Bakweri initiation ritual is the Liengu la Mongbango. If a young girl disappears into the bush, her female relatives try to track her down by singing to her in the liengu language and carrying cult insignia made of wicker. When they find her, they hide her away for several months (outsiders may visit, however). Afterward, the cult prepares a feast for the girl. She and her sponsor then go alone into the forest. The initiate dresses in traditional regalia of fern fronds and rubs her body with red camwood. She is then led back to the village tied to the middle of a long rope. Two groups play a tug of war over her until the rope breaks, and she collapses. The cult members call to her nine times in the liengu language, which causes her to stand back up. After a few more weeks of taboos, a traditional healer bathes her in a stream, and her initiation ends. This process also takes most of a year. References Austen, Ralph A. and Derrick, Jonathan (1999). Middlemen of the Cameroons Rivers: The Duala and their Hinterland c. 1600 – c. 1960. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. "The Liengu Cult (Mermaid Cult)". Bakwerirama. Ardener, Edwin (1975). "Man, Mouse, Ape and Water Spirit". Belief and the Problem of Women. Martin, Wose Yangange. "Efasa Moto, the God of Mount Fako". Monga, Yvette (2000). "« Au village! »: Space, culture and politics in Cameroon". Cahier d'Études Africaines, 160. Wilcox, Rosalinde G. (2002). "Commercial transactions and cultural interactions from the Delta to Douala and beyond". African Arts Spring. Female legendary creatures Fortune goddesses Health goddesses Religion in Cameroon Water spirits West African legendary creatures