The Awe-Inspiring Malle Society: Sacred Elephant Dance of the Kpwe and Nearby Clans (Part 2)

No dance would be complete without music, and the Elephant Dance is no exception. The heartbeat of the Malle Society’s dance is its music – an ensemble of traditional drums, rattles, and chants that give life to the entire performance. Multiple drums of different sizes and tones are used, each with its own name and purpose in the rhythm ensemble. As the elephants and other dancers move, the drummers maintain a driving beat that oscillates from slow, heavy booms (during measured, stomping parts) to fast, rapid-fire tempos (during the mock charges or climactic moments). The largest drum might thunder to mimic the pounding footfall of an elephant, while smaller hand-drums chatter like the sounds of the bush. In some segments, the drummers follow specific theme rhythms – for example, when the clown Moseke dances, they play a unique playful pattern recognizable to all. The dancers themselves add to the music: remember those lisonjo rattles on the “elephants’” ankles, which create a constant maraca-like rustle in time with their steps. Even the audience becomes part of the soundtrack, clapping and ululating at peak moments. Throughout the performance, call-and-response songs often ring out. Society members or women spectators may sing choruses that hail the elephant, recount hunting exploits, or praise the ancestors, with the crowd responding in unison. Many of these songs lyrically weave between life in the forest (the domain of elephants) and life in the village, reflecting on how the two are connected. The music and lyrics thus carry cultural stories and lessons, enriching the dance with context and meaning. All combined – drum, stomp, rattle, song – the soundscape of the Veambe dance is utterly immersive. It pulls everyone present into a kind of trance, making it easy to imagine for a moment that the boundary between human and animal, village and wilderness, has blurred.

Equally important are the magical rites and jujus (charms) that underpin the society’s activities. The Malle Society is a deeply spiritual organisation, and its members are said to wield mystic knowledge of herbs, symbols, and rituals – often referred to generally as juju. Before and during the Elephant Dance, secret preparations take place to ensure the protection and success of the event. Elders may perform libations or sacrifices to ancestral spirits and the forest deity for blessing. Charms are likely worn or applied by the dancers – for example, the Ekpang’a Teta “policeman” carrying his bottle of medicine charm is a visible hint at the invisible protections in play. It’s believed that such juju enables the performers to accomplish extraordinary feats without harm. A dramatic illustration: dancers of the highest ranks of Malle are reputed to be able to eat raw toxic plants like cocoyams or plantains during rituals with no ill effect, something a non-initiate could never do safely. This immunity is credited to their spiritual fortitude and the power of their secret medicines. The Malle members’ famous claim of elephant “doubles” is itself tied to potent juju – a kind of pact between man and animal spirit. As noted, society members swear that their lives are bound to those of specific elephants in the wild. They take oaths never to harm an elephant; indeed, they act as protectors of elephants, since killing one could mean killing a brother of the society. “If your elephant is killed in the forest, you will also die,” warn the elders. Such a belief can only persist in a culture where the spiritual realm is very real, and where charms and rituals are trusted to enforce these bonds. To outsiders it may seem mysterious or unbelievable, but to Malle adherents, these practices are part of the sacred order of the world.

Secrecy and Sacredness

As colourful and exuberant as the Elephant Dance appears, one must remember that the Malle Society is fundamentally a secret society. Its inner workings, initiation rites, and full significance are guarded behind a veil of confidentiality. In the past, it was extremely rare for any non-Bakweri (let alone foreign researchers) to witness a Malle ceremony; photographing the event was almost unheard of. Even today, outsiders see only what the society wishes to show publicly – mainly the dance. Everything deeper – the meaning of the songs, the rituals at the bonfire, the hierarchy of grades – remains esoteric knowledge for members alone. Indeed, membership in the Malle and other Bakweri secret societies is considered “sacred and unfit for publishing” in open literature (as one local writer put it). The secrecy serves multiple purposes. It protects the society’s spiritual power from dilution; it builds a strong bond of trust among members (since only those who have undergone the difficult initiation are privy to the secrets); and it heightens the sense of awe in the wider community. In earlier times, fear and respect for the Malle’s mystical reputation helped maintain social order – for example, if an initiated man could turn into an elephant or had an elephant spirit watching, people thought twice about crossing him unjustly.

However, secrecy also invited suspicion and suppression. Colonial authorities and Christian missionaries in the 20th century viewed societies like Malle with hostility, often branding them as “heathen cults”. Mission churches taught converts to avoid these institutions, fearing their allegiance to ancestral beliefs. This pressure caused the decline or outright disappearance of Malle in many areas. It’s recorded that wherever missionary stations were established in Bakweri territory, the Malle society soon died out. By the early 2000s, the Elephant Dance survived openly in fewer than ten villages – mostly in more remote or strongly tradition-preserving communities. Secrecy became a double-edged sword: it kept the society’s heart intact, but it also made it easier for outside religions to paint it as dark and devilish, driving it underground.

Yet despite these challenges, Malle endures. In those villages where it is still active, the society continues to initiate new members (usually young men chosen or volunteering from within the community) in private ceremonies. The details of initiation are secret, but typically involve isolation in the forest, instruction in the society’s lore, tests of courage, and the offering of a symbolic payment or sacrifice (in the old days a goat or pig was common). After initiation, the new member gains a new status in society – he is now part of the brotherhood of the elephant, bound by oath to uphold its rules and keep its secrets. Such secrecy creates a mystique that, even in a modern age of internet and smartphones, still captivates the imagination of many young Bakweri. To know something powerful that ordinary people do not; to belong to a chain of knowledge stretching back to ancestors; to wear the elephant mask and feel that power firsthand – these are experiences the Malle Society offers, and they are guarded as sacred treasures.

Meaning and Legacy: The Elephant in Bakweri Culture Today

For the Bakweri who maintain the Malle Society, the Elephant Dance is far more than just entertainment or spectacle – it is a cultural touchstone and a source of identity. The elephant holds a special place in Bakweri cosmology. It personifies strength, wisdom, and the living spirit of the forest. One scholarly account notes that the Malle festival is regarded as “an embodiment of the spiritual unity” of the Bakweri people. During the annual dance, it is believed that the very spirit of the mountain god (the guardian deity of Mount Cameroon) is present among the participants. In this way, the society’s ceremony becomes a time when the community renews its bond with the land and with their ancestors through the elephant symbol. The elephant represents the resilience of the Bakweri – a people who, like the mighty animal, have endured through history’s storms. Each time the lisonjo rattles echo and the “elephants” stomp the earth, it is a reminder that “we are still here, strong and united.” Local chiefs often attend the festival and use the occasion to call for unity and peace among all Bakweri villages, reinforcing the society’s original purpose as a unifying force.

Of course, the role of secret societies has changed in modern times. In the past, groups like Malle might have played a part in community justice or conflict resolution – settling disputes through traditional laws or mystical sanctions. Today, many of those functions have been taken over by state institutions or simply fallen away. Some younger folk see these old cults as antiquated. Yet, even as a cultural relic, the Elephant Dance holds immense value. It is a living link to heritage that can instill pride in the youth. Witnessing it, a Bakweri child sees more than masked dancers; they see the embodiment of their ancestors’ world – a world where humans and nature communicated closely, and where community bonds were cemented by shared sacred experiences.

Neighbouring peoples have their own secret societies and masquerade dances – for example, other Coastal Cameroonian groups like the Duala have the Ngondo festival and the Isubu and Bakweri share the Nganya society (which features a leopard spirit), and there is even a women’s counterpart to Malle where a wild boar is the mascot. These parallels show that the idea of invoking powerful animal spirits in communal rites is widespread in the region. However, the Malle Society remains unique in its specific connection to elephants and the particular blend of myth, dance and belief that it entails. In the eyes of the Bakweri, it is a precious inheritance. As one elder passionately explained, “we greatly covet this culture and are determined to keep it alive at all times.” Indeed, efforts are made to pass on the knowledge to the next generation quietly, and to showcase the Elephant Dance at cultural festivals so that the wider Cameroonian public can appreciate its beauty and significance. Every performance is not only a show, but also an act of preservation – keeping the old ways alive in modern hearts.

In conclusion, the Malle Society stands as a testament to the rich cultural tapestry of the Bakweri people. It is sacred and secret, yet vibrantly expressed in dance. It is rooted in mystical legend, yet very real in the commitment and artistry of its performers. The image of the elephant – grand, wise, unyielding – marching through the villages under the volcano is one that inspires awe and wonder. Through the Malle’s Elephant Dance, the Bakweri celebrate who they are, where they come from, and the bond between mankind and nature. It is a reminder that even in our rapidly changing world, some dances go on, defying time, carrying the soul of a people with them in each thunderous step.