Auto-Biography of Sisiku Emmanuel Ojong-Orock, Leader of Cameroonian Ekpe Lodge in Metropolitan DC

Sisiku Ojong-Orock was born on Saturday October 2nd, 1948 in Ogomoko Village,Eyumojock Sub-Division, Manyu Division in the Republic of Cameroon, West Africa. In Ekpe, he is a product of a dynasty of more than five Generations of Ekpe Sisikus, also known as Nfor Ngbe or Ekpe Chiefs.

He is the first surviving male child of his father and the second surviving child of his father after he had lost twelve children, most of who died before the age of two. The infant mortality rate amongst these forest tribes in Cameroon was extremely high in those days which prompted his father to initiate him into Ekpe at the tender age of three. Initiating toddlers into Ekpe in this area was exceptionally done by the elderly because only Ekpe members could take part in Ekpe burials. So they wanted to ensure that their direct blood relatives and heirs witnessed the burial.

Based on information he got from his father: Sisiku ATA EGBE OSOKO I, was the first.
SISIKU (EKPE CHIEF) in their Ekpe lodge. He was succeeded by SISIKU ATA EGBE OSOKO II. Ojong-Orock’s Father, SISIKU OJONG EGBE took over from his father, Ojong-Orock’s grandfather. Information about the family genealogy and their births is found in their family registry which was created by the late Sisiku Ojong Egbe. It is preciously preserved in a safe in the family strong room.Ata Egbe Osok EKPE LODGE of Ogomoko:

Sisiku Ojong-Orock’s original Ekpe Lodge is known as ATA EGBE OSOK's EKPE LODGE. Their family is located on the southern slopes of Ogomoko Village, which is a village about 16 miles West of Mamfe, the administrative capital of Manyu Division in the Republic of Cameroon, West Africa. They live on his late father's plantation of 535 Acres of registered land. His father's plantation is made up mostly of Cocoa with plantains, coffee, palm tree and various other crops. Sisiku Ojong-Orock has acquired an additional two hundred hectares (about 500 acres) of land in Njege where some cash and food crops are being grown.

MY EYUM NGBE INITIATION 1987
Sisiku Ojong-Orock was initiated into EYUM NGBE (Public Initiation) on April 18th. 1987. This was after a month of lavishly feeding and entertaining the Leopard and cajoling it into welcoming the new Sisiku into the higher ranks of the Ekpe society. His EKPE LODGE was like a bee hive during this period and he used this opportunity to help twenty-two sons of Ata Egbe Osoko cross that stream into the prestigious Ekpe Society.

EKPE BUSH 1980. Before his EYUM NGBE initiation, he had been initiated into the Ekpe bush in 1980 by his father by proxy. He effectively saw all his ancestors in the EKPE BUSH in 1985 which is a key process in the initiation ceremony in the bush. Key witnesses to this process were Dr Moses Besong and Mr. Ayuk Tabe-Ebob. Their mentors were Sisiku Elias Tanyi, who was the "AKWA OTNGHO EZUM NGBE" (The Professor of Professors in EKPE) and Taata Ngbe Oben Besong; and Dr. Moses Besong's was their close range teacher, who polished their knowledge of the Ekpe Bush.

NNE EBHOO (SITTING MAGISTRATE)After fulfilling all the requirements which took him about five years, he was promoted to the rank of a Sitting Member in 1987. It is then that he could sit and drink or greet Ekpe.SISIKU AND OKPEII NGBE (AHUII NGBE) 1994.
He became a SISIKU in March of 1994 and pulled out his OKPEII NGBE in June 1994. In 1996, he immigrated to the United States of America where he became the founding leader of the Ekpe DC Lodge – a coalition of various Ekpe lodges in Cameroon.

NKANDA AND EKPE PURCASES He then felt the need for an AYAMBA NKANDA to be in America because that is the basic Ekpe among the Effik of Calabar, Nigeria, and whenever we met with them the Cameroonian members of Ekpe were wanting in Nkanda sign language. He bought his Nkanda in April 2003 and was forced to regularize his Sisiku title, because if you are not a libation pouring Sisiku, you cannot pour the Nkanda Libation. He then became SISIKU AYAMBA NKANDA OROCK OJONG of Ogomoko Village.