By Emmanuel Gandu
REVERENCE TO THE HILLS
According to the Kagoro man, Oefan Oegworok (Kagoro Hills) is next to God”.
This saying is probably an understatement.
Before the advent of Christianity, the Kagoro hills was the most highly revered place in the entire land.
This hills was, and is still looked upon as a divinity, a deity, a god.
The Kagoro hill is adored, worshipped and glorified.
It was the foothold, the seat of their god, it was the personification of God, it was a god.
This reverence and total submission, backed up by the role of the Oebwok (chief priest) may be comparable to the Biblical Moses who went up the mountains severally to seek God’s face in the lives of the Israelites during their journey to the promised land.
WHY THE REVERENCE TO THE KAGORO HILLS BY THE PEOPLE ?
In pre – christian era, and to some extent even up to the present contemporary period, the Oegworok (Kagoro people) held this hill in such a high esteem as their god.
The following reasons are a testimony to this reverence :
(1) The Kagoro hills assumed the role of a god to the Gworok community.
(2) The hills served and still serves as a fortress to the people just like the bosom of a mother to her baby, from as far back as the 16th century when the Kagoro people arrived and settled on this land.
(3) The numerous caves in the hills provided shelter from wild animals and enemies.
(4) These caves serve as sacred shrines for their religious rites, rituals and practices.
(5) The many springs and streams from the hills provide abundant sources of water supply all year round for domestic purposes.
(6) The fertile rich soil in the hill valleys is a source for good cropping for both cash and domestic purposes.
(7) The lusty grass on the foot plains and valleys is conducive for animal rearing.
(8) Bee farming for harvesting of high quality honey as a lucrative business thrives better with the abundance of flora on the hills.
(9) The beautiful temperate climate encourages the production of various variety of fruits and vegetables comparable to the Mambila.
(10) The beautiful scenery is a major tourism potential for investors.
(11) The abundant special grass on the hills is utilised for many purposes, and as an alternative for corrugated iron sheets.
(12) The abundant special bamboo is utilised by architects and builders for construction purposes.
(13) The rock is crushed for building projects.
(14) Solid minerals of different types are embedded and waiting for mining exploration purposes.
(15) The abundant species of wild animals is a source for game reserve for tourism, source of revenue for hunters, and protein content for family consumption.
(16) The hill ensures that Kagoro gets constant rainfall more than any other town in the North, experiencing the first rainfall and the last rainfall in the year.