As planned, we met at the Commissioner’s office at 8am the next morning to walk around the land.
Just kidding, this is Africa. I was ready to leave by 7.30. Somewhere around 8.15 we arrived at Charles Mulbah’s house and got dropped off, while the driver and Snyder went to pick someone else up from another part. I was the only one who thought 8am was a real target. Anyway, Charles had real coffee in an Italian percolator which was great. While we were waiting for the car to return, he showed me a soil survey performed jointly by Cuttington and the US Dept of Agriculture, in 1977. It was very comprehensive, including soil maps and types, soil properties, water table depths, suitability for various crops, and suitability for various activities. Charles will scan it and send me a soft copy, which I’ll also forward to Niapele.
At 9.30 we arrived at the office. The Commissioner was not there yet, as it was only 9.30 which is still too early for 8 o’clock meetings. However Chief Weenah was there and started telling us about the history of the village. He is a fit and strong man in his early 70’s and had a great recollection for key dates. He recited the arrival of US forces during each of the World Wars, exact dates when the villagers and the army met to discuss terms, and key dates such as births and deaths. The Chief’s father had ruled for 40 years before he passed on. He then asked, would we like to meet his mother? She is 114. There were no birth certificates in those days, but everyone agrees that in 1912 she was a big woman and not a girl, when the Chief’s father asked her to become his wife.
He led us to the hut which was the Chief’s receiving area for a hundred years; it had fireplaces and cooking pots. His mother lived next door. He came out walking slowly, supporting her arm. She looked both frail and strong at the same time, with a clear penetrating gaze and a confident gait. She sat on a seat and the Chief asked if we had a camera. I took some photos which I will upload. His mother has a clear mind, and although she does not speak english, between the two of them they know the history of Suakoko for the last hundred years. There is a real living history project here with one of the oldest women on the planet. I wondered whether there is a history student somewhere looking for the case study of a lifetime.
He also introduced us to his older sister, another strong fit woman, and showed us the ceremonial cauldron, which had been passed down through generations. The Chief’s hut always had a full cauldron of rice for villagers and visitors; he showed it to us and it is truly an enormous cast iron pot, the diameter of a 44 gallon drum and about a third as high.For years it was permanently on the fireplace. More photos.
By now it was after 10 and people were starting to appear for our 8 o’clock.