The tribal founder, Masa, originally came from a place called Wailya in the Mendi area, where he lived with his six sons, Aisi, Walo, Walea, Ango, Mongalya and Umbu. Aisi, his eldest son, accompanied by his brother Umbu moved and settled at Takala in Mendi some 5-6 generations ago. While they were living there, a tribal fight broke out when a Masa woman started a bush fire that burned off all the grass in the land of the Soame clan. The fire spread to the land of the Puta clan who then joined the fight. Aisi and Umbu fled from Takala and moved to Mamandi near Kambia where they settled near Lyatepa and Kupatopa clans. The other sons of Masa remained in their area of origin.
Little more is told of Masa history in Enga except that Aisi is said to have brought the King of Saxony bird of paradise plume (kalipu) feather headdress arrangement to the Kandep area. This feather arrangement is commonly worn to decorate wigs on ceremonial occasions by people in the Mendi, Tambul, Kaugel and Saka areas. Aisi climbed a cliff near Awai in Mendi and is said to have found the feather arrangement on a ledge. He brought this to Kandep where he wore it in a sing-sing. People from other clans admired it and copied it so that now it is commonly seen in Kandep sing-sings.
members interviewed
Masa
The above information was given to us by:
- Sata Tita of the Masa Aisi clan, Mamandai.
- Other Masa were present but had no additional information to add to Sata Tita’s account of the Masa history.
CLANS AND LOCATIONS
Masa
| Clan | Location | Nearest school or aidpost |
|---|---|---|
| Aisi | Mamandai | Kambia |
| Umbu | Mamandai | Kambia |
| Walo | Wailya | Mendi, S.H.P. |
| Walea | Wailya | S.H.P. |
| Ango | Wailya | S.H.P. |
| Mongalya | Wailya | S.H.P. |