Ta Mbadi
Hockey was being played when some of the first European missionaries arrived in 1882.Reverend John H. Weeks witnessed the game being played among the youth.The traditional name given for it varies from Chengwa,Nkwa,and Ta mbadi, all over the Congo.Here I give an account by Rev. John H. Weeks :
"Hockey is played all over the Lower Congo, and in recent years it has penetrated to some parts of the Upper River. The lads are intensely fond of the game and no matter how long their journey has been, or heavy their loads, they will, a few minutes after arriving at a resting place, look around for a suitable piece of ground, and finding it, they willl start a game of hockey. At Wathen station, where a fine open space is utilised as a playground, hockey is played on every available opportunity, and a great amount of energy is expended on the game. The boys cut their own sticks in the forest, and make their own rough wooden balls, and arrange sides as we do; "
source : Among the Primitive Bakongo by John H. Weeks, chapter 12, pg 121,1914