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Tribe Snapshots Kom |
| Location: |
Northwestern Cameroon |
| Population: |
30,000 |
| Language: |
Kom (Macro-Bantu) |
| Neighboring Peoples: |
Babanki,
Bafum, Wum |
| Types of Art: |
In recognition of the importance of the skull,
representations of the head are found in nearly
all decorated utilitarian items. Masks used in
initiation and for education purposes are common.
Statuary often represents the Fon, and many types
of beaded and ivory objects, including stools
which symbolize the seat of royal power are related
to the Fon's investiture. |
| History: |
The Kom are part of a larger cultural area known
collectively as the Western Cameroon Grasslands
and live in the northern part of Northwest Province.
They originally came from an area to the north
and migrated in various complex patterns throughout
the last several centuries. Fulani traders moving
steadily southwards into Cameroon in the 17th
century forced the Kom's southern drift. Many
smaller ethnic groups combined, while other factions
split away as a result of pressure from the invading
Fulani. During the late 18th century many Fulani
converted to Islam and their expansionist mentality
grew as a result of religious zeal. They successfully
converted many Kom to Islam. |
| Economy: |
People in the region played an important part
in regional trade routes connecting with the seaport
of Douala in the south and with Fulani and Hausa
traders in the north. The Kom are farmers who
grow maize, yams, and peanuts as staple crops.
They also raise some livestock, including chickens
and goats, which play an important role in daily
sustenance. Women, who are believed to make the
soil more fruitful, are responsible for the tasks
of planting and harvesting the crops. Men are
responsible for clearing the fields for planting
and practice some nominal hunting. |
| Political Systems: |
The Kom, like all of the peoples who make up
the Cameroon Grasslands culture area, pay allegiance
to the head chief (Fon). Each village is governed
by a leader who is selected by his predecessor
and who is usually the head of the dominant lineage
within that community. Each Fon is served by a
council of elders who advise him on all important
decisions and who also play an important role
in the selection of the next Fon. Most chiefs
serve for a lifetime, abdicating the throne or
stool only when nearing death. Complex age-grade
societies also help to structure the community.
The Fon also oversees these secret societies. |
| Religion: |
The Kom reserve the highest allegiance for their
lineage ancestors. Ancestral spirits are embodied
in the skulls of the deceased ancestors. The skulls
are in the possession of the eldest living male
in each lineage, and all members of an extended
family recognize the skulls as common heritage.
When a family decides to relocate, a dwelling,
which must be first purified by a diviner, is
built to house the skulls in the new location.
Although not all of the ancestral skulls are in
the possession of a family, the memories of all
ancestors are honored. The spirits of ancestors
whose skulls are not preserved have nowhere to
reside and may as a result cause trouble for the
family. To compensate when a man's skull is not
preserved, a family member must undergo a ceremony
in which libations are poured into the ground.
Earth gathered from the site of that offering
then represents the skull of the deceased. Respect
is also paid to female skulls, although details
about such practices are largely unrecorded. |
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