Priso a Doo
Encyclopedia
Priso a Doo, also known as Preshaw, Preese, and possibly Peter, was a Duala ruler
who lived on the Wouri River
of the Cameroon
s in the late 18th century. His violent behaviour lost him his birthright and catalysed the split of the Duala people
into rival Bell and Akwa sublineages.
with names similar to Priso living on the Cameroon
s coast; these may all refer to the same individual. British records from 1788 and 1790 list a Duala
leader named Preshaw as a subordinate of another ruler known as King George
. Records from the British brig Sarah from 1790 indicate that Preshaw received the third largest "dash" (gift) from them, behind George and Angua
and ahead of a ruler named Bell. The same records mention a Peter a doe, and a Peter's Town appears on a 1790 map by Captain Roger Latham. According to an 1826 journal by R. M. Jackson, a leader named Preese became violent toward Europeans in 1792. Jackson blames Preese for piracy in the Wouri estuary
. A work by James W. Holman mentions piracy in the estuary but gives no names.
township. Priso's father and/or brother collaborated with the Europeans, which allowed the merchants to capture Priso. One tale claims that after Priso had been caught, Bele populated Bonaberi with the captives Priso had taken. Another says that Priso and Bele fought at first but then teamed up against the Bakoko at Bonaberi. They then become rivals in trade, with Bele the eventual victor. Duala oral tradition holds that Priso died in Bimbia
, possibly by violent means. A rival tradition places his death in Subu.
Priso's role in Duala legend is that of a rebellious warrior who marks the transition from the relatively peaceful days of the Duala founders to the strife known during European trade and colonialism. The Duala of the Bell sublineage have a song about him: "Priso a Doo, Here Comes Warfare". Priso's actions and the question of succession that resulted from his disinheritance emboldened Ngando a Kwa to claim not only the rival Bonambela succession but also equal status to Bele a Doo, who succeeded Doo in lieu of Priso.
Rulers of the Duala
The rulers of the Duala are the headmen, chiefs, paramount chiefs, and kings of the Duala people of Cameroon. The earliest known Duala rulers, according to Duala oral history, were Mbongo and his son Mbedi. From Mbedi's home at Pīti, northeast of the modern city of Douala, his sons migrated southward...
who lived on the Wouri River
Wouri River
The Wouri is a river in Cameroon. The river is formed at the confluence of the rivers Nkam and Makombé, northeast of the city of Yabassi. The Wouri then flows about southeast to the Wouri estuary at Douala, the chief port and industrial city in the southwestern part of Cameroon on the Gulf of...
of the Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
s in the late 18th century. His violent behaviour lost him his birthright and catalysed the split of the Duala people
Duala people
The Duala are an ethnic group of Cameroon. They primarily inhabit the littoral region to the coast and form a portion of the Sawa, or Cameroonian coastal peoples...
into rival Bell and Akwa sublineages.
European sources
European sources mention several rulersRulers of the Duala
The rulers of the Duala are the headmen, chiefs, paramount chiefs, and kings of the Duala people of Cameroon. The earliest known Duala rulers, according to Duala oral history, were Mbongo and his son Mbedi. From Mbedi's home at Pīti, northeast of the modern city of Douala, his sons migrated southward...
with names similar to Priso living on the Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
s coast; these may all refer to the same individual. British records from 1788 and 1790 list a Duala
Duala people
The Duala are an ethnic group of Cameroon. They primarily inhabit the littoral region to the coast and form a portion of the Sawa, or Cameroonian coastal peoples...
leader named Preshaw as a subordinate of another ruler known as King George
George (Duala king)
George or Joss, born Doo a Makongo or Doo a Mukonga, was a king of the Duala people in the late 18th century. Doo a Makongo was the son of Makongo a Njo. He lived at Douala on the Wouri estuary on the coast of Cameroon. By 1788–1790, Doo was a powerful ruler in the area...
. Records from the British brig Sarah from 1790 indicate that Preshaw received the third largest "dash" (gift) from them, behind George and Angua
Kwane a Ngie
Kwane a Ngie, known in British records as Angua or Quan, was a Duala ruler from the Bonambela sublineage who flourished from 1788 to 1790 in Douala, Cameroon...
and ahead of a ruler named Bell. The same records mention a Peter a doe, and a Peter's Town appears on a 1790 map by Captain Roger Latham. According to an 1826 journal by R. M. Jackson, a leader named Preese became violent toward Europeans in 1792. Jackson blames Preese for piracy in the Wouri estuary
Wouri estuary
The Wouri estuary, or Cameroon estuary is a large tidal estuary in Cameroon where several rivers come together, emptying into the Bight of Biafra. Douala, the largest city in Cameroon, is at the mouth of the Wouri River where it enters the estuary...
. A work by James W. Holman mentions piracy in the estuary but gives no names.
Duala oral history
Duala oral history adds further detail. Priso lived on the left bank of the Wouri in the town of Bonapriso. As the eldest son of Doo a Makongo (likely the King George in European records), Priso was the heir apparent to his father's position and wealth. However, he robbed and killed European merchants, so his father disowned him. His rapine grew so violent that his brother, Bele a Doo (Bell from the European records) fled to the opposite bank of the Wouri River, where he founded the BonaberiBonabéri
Bonabéri is a port in the Littoral Province of Cameroon. It is located on the western side of the harbour across the Wouri River from the larger port of Douala.- External links :* *...
township. Priso's father and/or brother collaborated with the Europeans, which allowed the merchants to capture Priso. One tale claims that after Priso had been caught, Bele populated Bonaberi with the captives Priso had taken. Another says that Priso and Bele fought at first but then teamed up against the Bakoko at Bonaberi. They then become rivals in trade, with Bele the eventual victor. Duala oral tradition holds that Priso died in Bimbia
Bimbia
Bimbia was an independent state of Isubu people of Cameroon, in 1884 annexed by the Germans and incorporated in the colony of Kamerun.It lies in Southwest Region, to the south of Mount Cameroon and to the west of the Wouri estuary.-Origins:...
, possibly by violent means. A rival tradition places his death in Subu.
Priso's role in Duala legend is that of a rebellious warrior who marks the transition from the relatively peaceful days of the Duala founders to the strife known during European trade and colonialism. The Duala of the Bell sublineage have a song about him: "Priso a Doo, Here Comes Warfare". Priso's actions and the question of succession that resulted from his disinheritance emboldened Ngando a Kwa to claim not only the rival Bonambela succession but also equal status to Bele a Doo, who succeeded Doo in lieu of Priso.