Building-Intercultural-Dialogue-through-Indigenous-Justice-Systems

International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus Vol (Issue: 2); May, 2020 Building Intercultural Dialogue through Indigenous Justice Systems: A Study of the Ambivalences Governing the Concept and Practice of Justice in Ambanasom’s Son of the Native Soil Bulami Edward Fonyuy Department of English Postgraduate School of Arts The University of Bamenda-Bambili E-mail : bulamiedu@yahoo.com Tel : +237-675-040-994 Abstract In an attempt to explore the Indigenous Justice Systems in Shaddrach Ambanasom’s Son of the Native Soil, a Cameroonian writer, this paper revalorizes justice based on the concept of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKSs) and the principles of Cognitive Justice as laid down in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Shaddrach Ambanasom, in Son of the Native Soil, highlights the value of the Indigenous Justice Systems, which this study explores to postulate that through them inter-cultural dialogue could be enhanced for ‘living-together’ to be a reality Presumably, the indigenous communities would be salvaged from the embarrassments they go through from the imposed conventional justice systems built on values that are alien to their cultural practices Through the discourse of Cultural Relativism, the study holds that the inclusion of the IKSs in dispensing justice would lead to the promotion of intercultural dialogue as one of the solutions to the social injustice indigenes go through in Courts of law in Cameroon Key terms: Justice, Indigenous Justice Systems, Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKSs), Multiculturalism, Intercultural Dialogue, etc Introduction The implantation of the Western Judicial System in postcolonial Africa such as in Ngie clan by the Colonialists as one of their cultural heritages has been a source of so many challenges that Africans have had in their practice of justice Understanding that the existing indigenous justice systems not align with the indigenous people’s knowledge storage and transfer systems the concept of justice on the western model becomes more challenging as in the Ngie society in Son of the Native Soil The situation has been rendered more challenging by globalization which has disintegrated cultural boundaries, thus exposing the Indigenous Justice Systems to challenges Above all, the signing of international conventions that hinge on justice by sovereign postcolonial nations and states oblige the citizens of such nations to abide, without choice, by the standards of justice inscribed in such conventions While the modern African is conscious of the conventional laws that watch over all as the police to ensure sanity in society, the traditional Africans, like the folk of Ambanasom’s Dudum with very limited knowledge of the conventional laws, are caught between their Indigenous Justice Systems that are based on their Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKSs) and cultural practices on the one hand and the hybridized globalized justice systems that are overbearing on their daily existence and survival Caught in this dilemma, indigenous people, in such societies, become victims of circumstances bred by their ignorance In their attempts to match their indigenous justice 12 International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus Vol (Issue: 2); May, 2020 systems with the conventional judicial systems, they become sources of ridicule or humiliation with heavy punishment on them for their ignorance In this precarious situation, even their alternative justice systems are not incorporated into the functioning of the conventional justice systems for lack of expert interpreters of the systems and because of its plurality This cognitive justice, from the reading of the work, is a celebration of the diversity of cultures, knowledge and equality of all folks in the given society The understanding of the meaning of Justice is central to the understanding of the arguments of this paper In Chapter One of the anonymous work entitled “Concept of justice in Western and Indian thought-Role of morality”: Aristotle in his Politics, Book-1, views Justice as the bond of men in states, for the administration of justice, which is the determination of what is just, is the principle of order in political society He believes that justice is the very essence of the state, and that no polity can endure for a long time unless it is founded on a right scheme of justice He regards “Justice as a complete virtue” (20) The concept of justice is evolutionary and varies from one society to another and from one period to another giving a fluid picture from definition According to Shodganga (Online publication) from a broader perspective: (…) justice means the fulfilment of the legitimate expectation of the individual under laws and to assure him the benefit promised therein Justice tries to reconcile the individual rights with the social good The concept of justice is related to dealings amongst human beings Its emphasis is on the concept of equality It requires that no discrimination should be made among the various members of the society (06 Chapter 2.1) In another line and still on the concept of justice according to the Western and Indian conception of justice: Justice is a name to which every ‘knee’ will bow…Justice is grounded not only in morality and religion, but also in law and Constitutional order It generally depicts a well-ordered society or State where the responsibility of the State is to ensure justice to all sections of people (O2: Chapter 1: 1) On his part, John Rawls in A Theory of Justice looks at justice from the family theory of the social contract This operates on the principles “to regulate all further agreements; they specify the kinds of social cooperation that can be entered into and the forms of government that can be established” (207) Rawls qualifies this as fairness which principles “are to assign basic rights and duties and to determine the division of social benefits (ibid)” At another level, in Plato s conception of justice: “Individually speaking justice is a human virtue that makes a person self-consistent and good Socially, justice is a social consciousness that makes a society internally harmonious and good” (n.p.n) The understanding of the concept of justice as defined by the aforementioned authors lays the groundwork for the investigation on the application of Indigenous Justice Systems as announced in the paper Indigenous Justice Systems (IJSs) 13 International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus Vol (Issue: 2); May, 2020 According to Todd’s postulation, in the holistic philosophy of justice that is implied in the American paradigm where the people’s worldview is central to the understanding of their justice systems: These systems (are) guided by traditions, practices and unwritten customary laws and l earned through example and oral teachings to tribal people by the elders in a tribe Hol istic philosophy connects everybody involved in the crime or conflict and for harmony and peace within a community The laws are based on reparative and restorative justic e and basic principles of healing and the focus lies on the victim of a crime The victim ’s spiritual, mental, emotional and physical well-being and the goal are to renew and h eal the victim The offender also has to perform deliberate acts in regaining trust and d ignity and return to a healthy mental, physical and spiritual state Offender must ask fo rgiveness, engage in acts that will demonstrate the apology to the victim and the comm unity, make restitution and amends Offenders will remain an integral part of a tribal c ommunity, and crime is handled and seen as human error which require corrective inte rvention by elders, tribal leaders and families (n.p.n) Todd’s definition of indigenous justice systems in America englobes the postcolonial African societies as well, where indigenous knowledge systems have been employed in the operations and application of their justice systems The societies under study in this presentation are no different From the Ngie clan and to the Beti people of the Centre Region, the indigenous justice systems are based on the cultural background of each community Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKSs) Indigenous Knowledge according to S.G.J.N Senanayake is: … the unique knowledge confined to a particular culture or society It is also known as local knowledge, folk knowledge, people's knowledge, traditional wisdom or traditional science This knowledge is generated and transmitted by communities, over time, in an effort to cope with their own agroecological and socio-economic environments (Fernandez, 1994) It is generated through a systematic process of observing local conditions, experimenting with solutions and readapting previously identified solutions to modified environmental, socio-economic and technological situations (Brouwers n.p.n) In terms of its transmission in the society and across generations: Indigenous knowledge is passed from generation to generation, usually by word of mouth and cultural rituals, and has been the basis for agriculture, food preparation and conservation, health care, education, and the wide range of other activities that sustain a society and its environment in many parts of the world for many centuries (Abstract, 87) Senanayake, thus, holds that … indigenous knowledge systems show great diversity not only among ethnic groups but among locations also (n.p.n).” According to the Council of Europe: Intercultural dialogue is a process that comprises an open and respectful exchange or interaction between individuals, groups and organisations with different cultural backgrounds or world views Among its aims are: to develop a deeper understanding 14 International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus Vol (Issue: 2); May, 2020 of diverse perspectives and practices; to increase participation and the freedom and ability to make choices; to foster equality; and to enhance creative processes (Council of Europe, p 10) Considering the comprehensive scope of goals and principles captured in this definition of intercultural dialogue, the study limits itself to the Multicultural and multilingual space called Cameroon to investigate how the indigenous justice systems practiced there could help promote the intercultural dialogue The paper, therefore, seeks to analyze and revalorize the indigenous justice systems in the Cameroon multicultural context and prove their efficacious implementation in the process of meting out justice to the riverine population In so doing, the paper proposes possible ways to revalorize the indigenous justice systems and make them acceptable and practicable in a multicultural context striving to promote multiculturalism and living together The paper, thus, argues that traditional or indigenous justice systems if rid of excesses are more impartial, more accommodating and more satisfactory to justice seekers than conventional justice It also holds that in a multicultural context as we have in Cameroon, the practice of indigenous justice systems is a means to achieving intercultural dialogue and multiculturalism in a country with more than two hundred and fifty cultures The questions the paper seek to answer are; how are the different indigenous justice systems grounded in indigenous cultural background? What ambivalences govern the concept of justice in the study of the indigenous justice systems and the conventional justice systems? What constitutes the dilemma of those dispensing justice in both systems according to the texts under study? How far can the indigenous justice systems guarantee unchallengeable justice in a multicultural context? Considering the consciousness that contemporary man is filled with in terms of rights and justice, this research seeks to contribute to the on-going quest for justice, peace and intercultural dialogue in every society, and Cameroon in particular In so doing, the study valorizes Indigenous Justice Systems and brings out the ambivalences that govern the concept of justice, so as to recognize the different knowledge that coexist in the Cameroon multicultural society which could be harnessed to bring a just, harmonious and peaceful society through justice In the African Traditional Religious belief systems, their gods are at the centre of their existence And so as underdogs to this relation, the Living must pay unalloyed allegiance to the gods through their ancestors if they must survive Justice from the gods looms strongly over the Living By applying the theocentric discourse on justice and Cultural Relativism, the paper incorporates the concepts of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Native intelligence Cultural Relativism (CR); CR is the theoretical position developed as a reaction against ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s own way of life or culture is superior to that of others, and this attitude is based on the assumption that the criteria of a person’s own culture can be used as the yardstick for measuring and evaluating another culture (n.p.n) James R Beebe, as cited in the same online (pdf) throws more light on the definition of ethnocentrism and its relationship with cultural relativism: “Ethnocentrism, roughly, is 15 International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus Vol (Issue: 2); May, 2020 judging another culture through the eyes of your own culture and not trying to see things from their perspective” (n.pag) According to Janet Kanarek in Critiquing Cultural Relativism: “Cultural relativism is the ever-popular theory claiming that, ‘any set of customs and institutions, or way of life, is as valid as any other'” (2013 n.p.n) Consequently, the absence of any standards implies that judgmental proclamations of any kind are meaningless This is because there are no set common criteria for values proclaimed in each community The ambivalence of Justice in a Multicultural Setting Son of the Native Soil by Shadrach Ambanasom portrays the Ngie society of Momo Division in the North-West Region of Camerooon at socio-cultural, economic and political cross-roads in their challenging journey to overcome political division, economic threats, social and cultural barriers to their lives At the centre of the cross-roads politics are the lead rival tribes of Akan and Anjong Achamba and Echunjei, son and daughter respectively, of the factionalized Dudum clan, are bent on reshaping the path of hate and division drawn by the older generation of their clan They equally want to prove that love has no tribal boundaries by overcoming the obstacles to them and getting married to each other Their love story and eventual marriage are a symbolic step to the resolution of the long-standing land dispute between the two tribes of Akan and Anjong which have been divided over ownership of the fertile piece of land at their boundaries called Ukob It is during searching for a long-lasting solution to this land dispute that denizens of Dudum meet challenges of justice, where their unwritten indigenous justice systems are challenged by some of the indigenes themselves and by promoters of the western-style justice systems, upheld by postcolonial administrators trained in the Nation’s School of Administration and Magistracy-ENAM The central symbol and the spiritual force through which the indigenous justice systems of the people of Dudum evolve is the Squirrel An understanding of how justice is dispensed through the Squirrel is embedded in the Squirrel-hunt expedition which often pits two rival groups or villages who have the challenge to hunt for and bring a live squirrel to prove their truth and honesty in a dispute The rival groups go in turns to the Iteubugi bush where the hunting takes place under the leadership of the group’s chosen leader Once in the bush, the procedure for hunting is mounted and then the search begins with specified roles assigned the hunters, all with the sole objective of bringing a live squirrel out of the bush to their waiting nets The incantations that follow the appearance of the Squirrel and the reactions of the Squirrel are central to the understanding of the operations of this metajustice systems For example, during the Squirrel-hunt of the Akan people, Abaago addresses the furry-tailed squirrel with the conviction that they are honest in their claim: Age-honoured Squirrel, come to our help Come to the help of the people of Akan We appeal to you in the name of Ngiekum Squirrel, if the piece of land in dispute belongs to us as we firmly believe that it does, Squirrel, die and remain in the net If on the other hand, the entire plot does not belong to us as the Anjong claims, Squirrel, go in and escape from the net My words are ended (Son 43) 16 International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus Vol (Issue: 2); May, 2020 To match the words of the Akan team leader, Ubeno, the leader of the Anjong team, equally makes their own incantations to the Squirrel based on their own claim to what they firmly believe is the truth about the ownership of the disputed piece of land: Squirrel, you are the last word when all else fails You the impartial judge that has passed judgement over countless cases since the days of Ngiekum, Squirrel, come to the help of Anjong If the whole of Ukob belongs to the Akan, Squirrel, go in and disappear from the net But if the Anjong side belongs to Anjong and the Akan side to Akan, then die and remain in the net, Squirrel I have spoken for all Anjong (Son… ibid) These incantations are done in the overwhelming silence during which only the communicative sound of the Dudum Falls coming from where Ngiekum resides is heard Faced with the situation where both sides claim to speak the truth about the ownership of the land, it is the reserve of the Squirrel, the impartial meta-Judge to pass the verdict This is what happens in the two Squirrel-hunts between Akan and Anjong For example, because of the false claim by the Akan to ownership of the totality of Ukob, the Squirrel dives into their net and while they are about to celebrate their victory, the Squirrel unwraps itself “as if by a miraculous tour de force” and “mysteriously vanished from sight” (43) leaving them in helpless disappointment Anjong, on the other hand emerges victorious from the verdict of the Squirrel as their claim to partial ownership of Ukob is the truth that is embedded in the natural truths held by the Squirrel and Ngiekum, the god of the clan After responding to the incantations of Ubeno, urging it to go and die in the net if the truth lay on their side, the Squirrel “dived into the net, nearly tearing it It was a big and strong squirrel It shook the net vigorously, but the more it attempted to escape, the more it got itself entangled in the net” (44) Anjong is thus vindicated in the dispute over Ukob According to the accepted rule in the judgement process, the losers must join the winners in the Palace of the victors to finalize the process in the justice system that is helmed by the squirrel It is culturally understood that such a reunion in the Palace of the victor is to rebuild the social cohesion and reconstruct their “living together” through general reconciliation As one of the people of Anjong declares in joy to the saddened Akan people, “The Squirrel that all of us revere has proved us right and you wrong” (44) Curiously, in disappointment and unreasonable anger, the people of Akan reject the verdict of the Squirrel and go further to ridicule and desecrate the image of the Squirrel by referring to it as not being “a genuine squirrel” (44) and describing their success as enhanced through wizardry Such a rejection of the age-honoured judge by Akan is a slap on the face of their meta-justice and land and the consequences are disastrous and beyond human comprehension Someone somewhere must pay the price for this abominable act on the land Achamba becomes the scapegoat of this desecration This price is aimed at re-establishing social order and cultural values threatened in the process of dispensing justice The encounter between the indigenous judicial system and the conventional judicial system incarnate in the D.O and Ubeno, respectively, bring to light ambivalences that govern the concept of justice 17 International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus Vol (Issue: 2); May, 2020 Mr D.O we are sorry to cause you some worries According to our tradition, we return to the Squirrel for ultimate justice when we are faced with a case that presents particular difficulty If two people quarrel over an issue, one must present a live Squirrel to justify his claim A live Squirrel so presented is a clear proof of the honesty of the person This is what Anjong has done, but Akan has failed to produce theirs So, we in Anjong regard the piece of land as belonging to both Anjong and Akan, whereas Akan feels that Ukob belongs to them alone (Son …113-114) In an attempt at explaining the ambivalences that govern the concept of justice between the two justice systems so that the D.O can have a good grasp of their meta-justice system, Ubeno explains further the unscientific nature of their justice system which is rather grounded on their spirituality: We cannot defend this on scientific grounds because our great grandparents never left us any records But it was a system practiced by them, and we ourselves have used it, and it works The lack of records made us by-pass the customary court in Anjong in favour of a native authority; the Squirrel (Son …114) From Ubeno’s explanation, one understands that this judicial system is based on natural truths and truths handed down to them by their ancestors These truths are seen to have turned into natural laws and so binding to adherents of the traditions and culture in which the laws operate With such spirituality attached to the justice system, it becomes the affair of the living, the dead and their gods The living, in these meta-judicial circumstances, are the underdogs with threat of destruction if the verdict of the gods is not respected Achamba’s defense of the age-old meta-judicial practice when the D.O seems to get furious about it is an attempt at instilling in the D.O.’s doubting mind the value of their sense of Indigenous Justice Systems: Permit me, Mr D.O., to say a word or two on this topic I agree with you that there is little logic and no science at all in support of our traditional judicial system I also agree that it’s a primitive one But before one condemns such a practice outright, one ought to reflect for a moment on a system that has helped to reconcile aggressive neighbours in the past God was not stupid, in my opinion, to create such a weak animal like the squirrel to serve my people in such a vital way Considering the nature of man, could there have been a better way of resolving my people’s disputes in a period several centuries back? In any case which is better, an incorruptible Squirrel or corruptible man? (114) Achamba’s schooling of the D.O on the value of their traditional justice system in spite of his educational background is testimony of the general adherence to it no matter the class Though Achamba acknowledges that the judicial system is primitive, he emphasizes the intrinsic value in it, which is truth It thrives on truth and honesty Put side by side, Achamba hails the incorruptible nature of their indigenous justice system at the centre of which is the incorruptible Squirrel The Squirrel here becomes the Deus ex machina, the supernatural that intervenes to enforce justice in the Dudum clan The rapt attention with which the D.O follows the discourse around the Squirrel, the aged-old impartial judge is testimony of the discovery of an alternative justice system whose 18 International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus Vol (Issue: 2); May, 2020 value has not yet been explored to harmonize with the Western justice system he practices While the Dudum denizens take turns to edify the doubting Administrator: The scientific and logically-minded D.O who, after laborious years in the National School of Administration, had not come across such an interesting judicial system, now sat a little bemused He had been well-grounded in traditional law and custom, but as far as “Squirrel” was concerned, he had heard nothing He nodded, as if to say that he had broken new ground He had an interesting case to investigate and write in detail about, a good seminar paper, perhaps (Son…114) The confusion in the Administrator’s mind when he first learns of the Squirrel as a Judge comes from his scientific and logical mind, in which he can only behold a human dispensing justice from a well-defined position of authority and with well-written laws and procedures to follow The exchanges between the D.O and Ubeno during the working session on the D.O.’s visit to Dudum are an interesting scenario of ambivalences on the concept of justice: “Mr D.O., the piece of land in question no longer poses any more problems between us According to native law and custom, we the Anjong people have won judgement over Ukob It is only the recalcitrance of Akan that has brought this into question The judgement had long been decided in our favour.” “Who passed the judgement?” asked the D.O “The Squirrel,” replied Chief Akaya, “the age-honoured impartial judge.” “The Squirrel? Who you mean by the Squirrel?” pursued the D.O curiously “Just a squirrel The simple animal of the size of a rat,” put in Abaago in a tone bordering on derision (Son …113) Dumfounded and incredulous, the D.O thought he was being ridiculed by the speakers He thought the people were making a fool of his authority in which case he was going to teach them a lesson on how to ridicule an Administrator of his calibre: Squirrel? What for goodness sake are you talking about? ‘I haven’t come here to be trifled with I hope you are not joking.’ (113) The unwritten nature of the indigenous justice system and the fact that it is grounded on the traditions and customs of the people of Dudum, to which the D.O is a stranger and so does not find himself in its operations, simply, captures the ambivalences that bedevil the concept of justice in a multicultural settiing It is worth mentioning that the Squirrel-dispensed justice has supernatural trappings that humans hardly discern but which in the case of Dudum has a serious hold on the people’s minds and beliefs Any attempt by the people to despise the judgement of the Squirrel is an invitation to a calamity that becomes difficult to discern In such a situation anyone in the land can be chosen by the deus ex machina to pay the price on behalf of the community, as a scapegoat 19 International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus Vol (Issue: 2); May, 2020 Achamba’s untimely death is not unconnected to the rejection of the verdict of the Squirrel by the people of Akan When the gods get angry with them, they send a warning to them by uprooting the tree that harbours one of their gods The people can read the message of the gods but are unable to identify the great man in the land that is doomed to die and the reason for such a death Achamba, thus becomes the sacrificial lamb that must pay for the rejection of the age-old Impartial Judge who from time immemorial has dispensed justice in the land without doubt The ever-present sound of the Dudum Falls during the Squirrel-hunt, signals the watchful eye of Ngiekum the supreme god of Dudum, who always adds his voice to the justice procedure to that of those making incantations at the appearance of a live squirrel during a squirrel-hunt Apart from the Squirrel-dispensed justice, which is spiritual and humanly elusive to explain, there is the practice of mob justice, where any group of individuals or a constituted group of individuals or a secret society could dispense justice on behalf of the whole society based on the violation of some societal injunctions that are not written but decreed by the people themselves and to which all are bound to respect The violation of such injunctions is sanctioned with payment of fines by the offender to a designated forum Such fines are in kind, most often determined by the kind of local goods that constitute the wealth of such a community The offender in most cases is conscious of the fines that match his/her crime The fine paid at the end of the judgement is shared among the members of the forum or society In some situation, the offender partakes of the sharing In Son of the Native Soil, the Akwatura is the constituted body made of the youth of Akan who dispense justice to violators of the call for community labour Those who stay away from community work pay fines in kind for not respecting a community call Goats, fowls and plantains are plundered from them and slaughtered, cooked and shared among those who did the community work while the material items plundered are auctioned out At times the victim is beaten before the fine is forcefully taken from him/her In the afternoon when the people were tired, they all sat down to eat in groups Overseers went around to take the roll-call in order to know those who had not come to work People who were absent were levied fines A group of strong young men from each quarter was charged with the collection of these fines A similar female group was responsible for collecting the same penalties from women who failed to turn up for the road construction These squads of collectors known as Akwatura were military in their ways (81) Justice is seen to be pervasive through the eye of the Akwatura When one compares the goods taken from the defaulter to the crime committed, the perverse nature of such justice is scaring and needs revisiting Such justice rather impoverishes the defaulter and is a hindrance to social dialogue and social cohesion This makes life more miserable With such high-handed dispensing of justice, the Akwatura sometimes overreached themselves The justice meted out on the disillusioned, Atandu, is in fact an aberration of justice which puts to task the indigenous justice systems of the people of Dudum in general and Akan in particular Atandu, an old childless widower, lived alone in a shanty hut at the end of the village Like Jaman of Anjong he belonged to the good German past Life had lost its lustre to 20 International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus Vol (Issue: 2); May, 2020 him, and he just went on living in total resignation; he could not otherwise Road construction had no meaning to him (82) The supposed justice enforced on Atandu by the Akwatura backfires as it sparks the fire of death in the old man who has nothing to lose if he were to die in self-defense against an act, he considered an abuse of justice When they return to Atandu later that day, the challenge to their perverse justice showed its ugly head: “In terrible rage Atandu rushed out, too choked to speak He pursued them; his raised machete firmly gripped in his right hand But the youths escaped unhurt From that day, Atandu was left alone, never to be molested anymore” (82) The reaction of Atandu toward the Akwatura is evidence of the total rejection of the overreaching behavior of the executors of the indigenous justice systems His reaction in which he uses the machete to chase away those enforcing what is supposed to be justice is evident that there has been some aberration in the enforcement of the justice This stems from the fact that the laws and the fines to be paid in turn are not written Exacting fines in this system is subjective and based on the emotional dispensation of those executing at the time of enforcement Consequently, individuals with pervasive minds take advantage of the lose concept of justice in indigenous justice systems The acts of the Akwatura boys are a glaring example The behavior of the Akwatura members in the execution of justice contradicts the Squirrel-dispensed justice, which is metaphysical in nature This goes to answer Achamba’s question to the D.O as to which is better in the dispensing of justice, whether it is the phenomenal incorruptible Squirrel or the corruptible man This is evidence that man-dispensed justice is flawed by corruption while the meta-justice that is grounded on the spirituality of the people is seen to be the better option On the other hand, the justice system practised by the D.O and his entire Administration is characterized by corruption and injustice The D.O takes advantage of his position among the riverine population to enrich himself through the justice system that lays squarely in his hands and which he and very few collaborators understand its functionality For instance, when the aggressive young boys from Akan are arrested and locked up in Mbambe for attacking, beating and seizing the hoes of the Anjong women, the D.O receives gifts from the emissaries of Akan sent by their Chief Consequently, the D.O eventually softens the treatment that was so far meted to the prisoners and finally releases them without any explanation and reparation to the injured people of Anjong The anger of the Anjong population is testimony of the injustice that bedecks that decision of D.O Rex Mokoli and by extension the conventional judicial system that is entrusted in the hands of individuals that are trained in the National School of Administration The ambivalences derived from the practice of both justice systems that are diametrically opposing, in the same society, puts to question the concept of justice calling for a more culturally oriented justice system that could enhance intercultural dialogue Conclusion From the foregoing discussion, it is clear that our indigenous peoples have been unfairly treated in the process of cognitive justice enshrined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) This paper concludes with a call for the integration of the 21 International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus Vol (Issue: 2); May, 2020 indigenous justice systems in the dispensing of justice in each community because there is so much knowledge to be tapped from the indigenous knowledge systems so as to bring fairness in the practice of justice Greater attention ought to be paid to this invaluable treasure by policy makers, academics, and planners In this light, the indigenous justice systems already threatened with extinction can be sustained and valorized in the jungle called the global village The Indigenous Justice Systems may not be tangible because it is unwritten, but the gurus of each community are the unwritten repertoires that could be transformed into written justice so that they could as well enjoy the legal protection under the intellectual property rights Valorizing the Squirrel-justice in Dudum can go a long way to enhance the protection of the species of squirrels by the indigenous population and in so doing enhancing as well, the protection of the flora and the rest of the fauna The Akwatura as a constituted body to dispense justice equally needs to be valorized This could be done by weaning out the excesses in their dispensing of justice to defaulters Through reorientation and education on the values of humanity, the exuberant youth can be inserted into the process of justice and development in their society Bringing them to understand the principles of fairness and respect of individual dignity in the dispensing of justice would valorize their indigenous justice systems and as such the ambivalences of justice will be a thing of the past In the same vein, the incorporation of the indigenous knowledge systems in schools would be recognition of the cognitive justice in society Consequently, the likes of Jean-Marie Medza, would no more consider themselves as sacrificial lambs “sur l’autel de la civilization” for not being able to interpret their indigenous justice systems because of the factual education he has been fed with in colonial schools to the exclusion of his indigenous knowledge systems Works Cited Ambanasom, Shadrach Son of the Native Soil Bamenda: Agwecams Printers; 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