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Tribe Snapshots Cameroon Grasslands |
| Location: |
Grasslands of central Cameroon |
| Population: |
n/a |
| Language: |
Macro-Bantu languages |
| Neighboring
Peoples: |
Mambila,Tikar, Wute, Widekum |
| Types
of Art: |
Recognizing 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 objects
are related to his investiture. |
| History: |
The Cameroon Grasslands is a large cultural
area, which is inhabited by a large number of
related peoples. These peoples can be divided
into three smaller subgroups: Bamilike, Bamum,
and Bamenda Tikar. Within these complexes there
are numerous smaller ethnic groups, which are
loosely affiliated with one another and share
many historical and political similarities while
retaining separate identities. All members of
this group 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 southern drift
of most of the current residents. Many smaller
groups combined, while other factions split away
as a result of pressure from the invading Fulani. |
| 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. All of the people in this
area are historically 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. Specific economic enterprises
are dictated by the specific microenvironments
of individual ethnic groups. |
| Political
Systems: |
All of the peoples who make up the Cameroon
Grasslands culture area pay allegiance to the
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 peoples of the Grasslands 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 same
skulls as belonging to their group. 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, they are not forgotten. These spirits
have nowhere to reside, though, 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 involving pouring libations
into the ground. Earth gathered from the site
of that offering then comes to represent the skull
of the deceased. Respect is also paid to female
skulls, although detail about such practices is
largely unrecorded. |
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