Ŋwɔʼnə-Məŋkaa-Fefe — Bamunka New Testament (Cameroon)
Overview
Ŋwɔʼnə-Məŋkaa-Fefe is the complete New Testament (27 books) in the Bamunka (Ngiemekohke) language of the Ndop Plain in Northwest Cameroon, published by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. in 2025 and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 4363; abbreviation: BVM). The Ethnologue name for this language is Ngiemekohke, but the community and YouVersion use Bamunka — derived from the Bamunka chieftaincy. The translation was produced through Wycliffe Cameroon in partnership with local Bamunka translation teams; this NT represents the first complete New Testament for the Bamunka speech community.
Language and People
Bamunka (ISO 639-3: bvm; Ethnologue name: Ngiemekohke; autonym: Bamunka) is a Grassfields Bantu language: Niger-Congo → Atlantic-Congo → Benue-Congo → Bantoid → Southern Bantoid → Grassfields (Ring group). It belongs to the Ring (Widekum) branch of the Grassfields, closely related to neighboring languages such as Aghem (agh), Kom (bkm), and other Ring languages of Cameroon's Northwest Region. The Grassfields Bantu languages are notable for their complex noun class systems and high degree of mutual unintelligibility despite geographic proximity.
Bamunka is spoken in Ndop Sub-Division, Ngoketunjia Division, Northwest Region of Cameroon — in the Ndop Plain, a high-altitude plateau area east of Bamenda town. The Bamunka chieftaincy (fondom) is centered on the village of Bamunka (also called Ndop town area).
Estimated speakers: approximately 30,000–55,000 (estimates vary by source; Ethnologue and Joshua Project figures differ).
Cultural Context
The Ndop Plain is home to a cluster of significant Grassfields chieftaincies (fons). The Bamunka chieftaincy is one of several that, together with Bamessing, Babungo, and others, form the Ndop chieftaincy cluster. The Grassfields region of Cameroon is characterized by an elaborate system of hierarchical chieftaincies with fons (chiefs) who serve both political and spiritual roles, presiding over regulatory societies (nkum, kwifon) that maintain social order. The kwifon masquerade societies are central to governance and are recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Cameroon.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. in partnership with SIL Cameroon and local Bamunka translation teams.