THE ORIGIN AND MEANING OF "NPUNPUN."

                                   SENYA HISTORY AND CULTURE TIPS
                                                By B.I.C. Abeiku Okai

                           THE ORIGIN AND MEANING OF "NPUNPUN."


Npunpun - Akumase Ritual Food
"Npunpun" is the name of the Akumase ritual food eaten by the people of Senya in August every year. It is a
steam food made from unleaven corn. And it is served with palm-nut soup and only fresh fish from the ocean. Thus traditionally "npunpun" is never eaten with smoked or fried fish or any kind of meat apart from fresh fish from the ocean.

The name "npunpun" takes its root from the Senya word, "pun", which means redeem. Thus if a Senyan says, "m'apun mi wo", he actually means "I am going to redeem myself." And in modern times the word, "pun" is usually used when one is graduating from aprenticeship by paying the full price to be redeemed from the hands of his/her master or mistress. However, the price one pays for obtaining his/her redemption or freedom is what Senyans called, "npun", which means "ransom".

In the Senya language structure, when a word is taking a comparative or superlative form, the word will be doubled or trippled. For example, "Ija" means, fast; "ija-ija" means, "faster" and "ija-ija-ija" means, fastest. So the word "npun-npun" is the comparative/superlative form of the word , "npun". Thus "npunpun" means "Greater or Greatest Ransom".

What is the reason for the name then? The name signifies the greatest price (npun-npun) that was paid by our ancestors to redeem (pun) themselves from the famine that led to the creation of the Akumase and the Senya mini festivals such as the "Kotokyikyi", "Oja-pa", "Apiriba", etc.

You may be wondering what the price they paid was. I will tell you. It was simply the price of "hardwork". To end the famine, no human being or goat was slaughtered. Our ancestors were rather told to "stop drumming" and avoid all forms of laziness, entertainment and funerals celebrations and subject themselves to hardwork until the crops are fully grown and harvested. That is why there is always ban on drumming before Akumase. It is not to honour any gods but to pay the greatest price that success and prosperity demands before you get them - Hardwork.

Therefore, whenever we eat "npun-npun", we should be reminded to also pay the price of hardwork to enable Senya develop and be free from economic hardship. Akumase is not for fun but for learning the virtues of community life and patriotism.

Oma Senya - Projecting our cultural heritage and values with pride and joy.
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Comments

  1. Docia22 June 2016 at 22:32

    Wow good to read and hear this about my festival. Am an indigene. Dehyena clan and a Dentsinyi

    ReplyDelete
  2. Docia22 June 2016 at 22:34

    You can also visit my blog at http://www.deede78.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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