Nkpuchi

Nkpuchi means mask, which is also the most ubiquitous symbol of such organizations

A Nkpuchi, or Ikatan Kelakuan in Terangauni, is a form of social organization practiced by some Ramaramai people in which they intentionally obscure their relationships to navigate relationships with foreign governments, especially the Tangan Pengampun. The most prevalent form of Nkpuchi is a lineage association whose members share a village or group of villages in eastern Terangau as their self-identified place of origin. A woman or group of women manage the group's resources collectively, even though they are represented to outsiders as personal property. Because Nkpuchi are often secret societies, there is no comprehensive list of forms and traditions, but recent analysis of extinct society records demonstrate that they primarily redistributed goods and services between its members, maintained traditional ritual behaviors, and often participated in criminal activity. The criminal aspect was used by various governments to justify a prohibitive stance towards Nkpuchi and other Ramaramai collective organizations, although it appears that most Nkpuchi did not seek out illegal business, but simply did not recognize or adhere to the social norms or legal systems of their host societies. The exceptions to this rule such as the Mmuo Ebere, which dominated the Terangauni opium trade for decades, are extremely famous and developed both political and public hostility towards Ramaramai organizations, which only intensified the secrecy of other Nkpuchi and has prolonged their existence.

Although they take the form of lineage associations, they are almost never related to extant villages or to the current inhabitants of a village, instead they promote a semi-mythological origin story in which a group of people departs their natural, wholesome nativity and enter into a new dangerous world. This kind of origin myth probably emerged during the frontier conflicts between the east and western Terangauni cultural complexes. It was not uncommon for slaves or other unfree labor to be extracted by both sides, which is also a feature in origin stories. The centuries of mutual contact and development of a stable Ramaramai system of political organization ended slave taking raids, but did not bring about a multicultural insular community. It is also possible that Nkpuchi emerged as a result of trade conflicts between families instead of intercultural exchange, a view that has been promoted by government studies in an effort to ameliorate ethnic tensions.

The West Terangau Federal Authority does not recognize or support Nkpuchi.

Structure

Role of Men

Traditionally women managed a society's resources, either as a single executive or a council. Men are sometimes allowed to participate in governance, but they must do so through the Adamma, a form of drag. Most men who participate in this way are also single parents and already expected to participate in other feminine activities.