Bamenda Grassfields Research Articles

Objects as Expression of Power, Religion and Therapy: The “Country” Pots in the Bamenda Grassfields Fondoms of Cameroon

In most parts of the world especially in Africa, people can be identified and distinguished through objects. These objects which some are worn on the body or carried along are decorated with symbols which could be decoded by those who comprehend their cultural connotations. The object this article focuses on is the indigenous or ‘country’ pots of the Bamenda Grassfields, pots which were used in the past by women in the kitchen, by traditional medical doctors and by traditional leaders; notables and heads of secret societies. Today, these country pots are not very visible in the kitchen as it was the case before because of the introduction of other containers. The questions raised by this paper are: What is the place of the country pot in the lives of the Bamenda Grassfields people? What is the symbolism of the motifs represented on the Bamenda Grassfields country pots? What are the change currently taking place in the production and use of these pots? The objectives of the article are to examine the roles and find out the meanings of the motifs represented on pots. It also explores the changes which are taking place in the production, commercialisation and use of the country pots. Data for this article was collected using the qualitative method and this data was analysed using content analysis and interpreted soon after collection was over. The interpretation was done with the theories of cultural ecology of Steward, functionalism of Radcliff-Brown and Malinowski, symbolic anthropology of Geertz and cultural evolution of Tylor and Morgan. Findings reveal that the country pots are an aspect of material culture of the Bamenda Grassfields. They are of very great cultural value and play a fundamental role in these cultures; they are an expression of power, religion, healing as well as communion. The country pots like any other cultural element, if they are valorised, they will continue to identify the people from generation to generation.

Kinship Ties and the Development of Resilient Behaviour among Nso Adolescents of the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon

Aim: This study looked at the influence of kinship ties on the development of resilient behaviour among Nso adolescents of the Bamenda grassfields of Cameroon. Adolescence is a phase of development that involves many changes and challenges in different areas. Consequently, adolescents need tools for navigating tough times and building resilience. The Nso adolescents are not exempted from the challenges especially now with the ramification of the Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis in Nso, that has created significant risks for these adolescents like post-traumatic stress and internal displacement. The ability to adapt positively after such adversities and problems is becoming quite challenging nowadays for some Nso adolescents.
 Methods: This study was carried out in the Nso Fondom in the Bamenda grassfields of Cameroon. The study employed a convergent parallel design using a sample of 374 adolescents and 25 parents who were conveniently selected for the study. A questionnaire was used for collection of quantitative data from Nso adolescents while interviews were used to collect qualitative data from parents of Nso adolescents. Data obtained was analysed descriptively using frequencies, percentages, mean, standard deviations and multiple responses set. For inferential statistics, linear regression analysis was used to verify the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis. 
 Results: Findings showed that kinship ties significantly predicted the development of resilient behaviour, and accounted for 13.4% of its variance, R2 =.134, F (1,372) = 57.527, p< 0.01.
 Conclusion: The study concluded that Nso adolescents facing adversities could benefit from resources in their local environment such as kinship ties.
 Recommendations: The study recommend that parents, counsellors and leaders of Nso cultural development associations should socialise the adolescents in to sociocultural values of kinship ties by helping them to stay close to their extended family members such as grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins and in-laws. As the support the adolescents receive from the extended family members, can counteract the effects of risk exposure and also buffer the negative effect of mental disorders.

An Expression of Power, Unity and Faith Through Dance: The /Abine-mfor/ Fon’s Dance of the Bafut People in the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon

An Annual festival is a cultural event which is celebrated by most if not all Western Grassfields Fondoms. In Bafut, this annual festival is referred to as ‘abine-mfor’ (fon’s dance) or ‘flutes’ dance’. This occasion was instituted by the very first fon of the Bafut Fondom to commemorate the ancestors and spirits through sacrifices and dancing. The majority of Bafut people admire and celebrate the Abine-mfor with passion but very few understand the raison d’être of the dance. The question is what is the cultural significance of the fon’s dance in the life of the Bafut fondom? This paper examines the symbolism of Abine-mfor and the functions of the ceremony in the life of the fondom. Collecting data for this paper, we used the qualitative method. This method was employed through techniques such as participant observation, in-depth interview, informal discussions, literature review and photography. The data was interpreted using theories of symbolic anthropology of Geertz, and functionalism of Malinowski and Brown. Major findings reveal that in the Annual dance, the villagers perform traditional dances, sacrifices to honour their ancestors and spirits. This ceremony therefore reflects the belief system, social and political form of organisation of the Bafut Fondom. Cultural manifestations such as Abine-mfor and others should be documented (Historical Particularism of Boas) so that Bafut and non-Bafut people should understand its importance to the cultural heritage of Bafut in particular and that of Cameroon in general.

Guns (Fire Arms) from Men at Home to Boys in the Bush in the Bamenda Grass Field: A Diagnosis of the Ongoing Armed Conflict Experience

The protracted claim of marginalization, subjugation, neglect, and disregard by individuals and political groups in the part of the Republic of Cameroon that was colonized by Britain known as Anglophone Cameroon metamorphosed into an armed rebellion in 2017. This came as a result of confused talks /dialogue sessions between the Cameroon government and the Anglophones Teachers/Lawyers trade Unions in Bamenda. While the Cameroon government played for time to implement the resolutions of the talks, the self-appointed leaders of the Anglophone communities who had been beating the drums of War on all social media platforms from their safe hoods in the Diaspora lost their patience and ordered an all recruitment of boys and girls into an army which went by different appellations. Without adequate preparations for War either in the dimension of training, money, or weaponry, so many people in Anglophone Cameroon were both persuaded and brainwashed to abandon their daily chores to join the ranks of the make-shift fighting scouts; amba militia that went by a myriad of appellations. The recruits profited from the chaos and disorder to seize guns that formed the nucleus of nobility, honour, and wealth of the people of the grass fields and took these arms of honour to their camps mostly in the bushes to carry out the War assignments. The prime target of the make shift militia as heralded by this deeply aggrieved faction of the English-speaking Cameroon was to secure a quick victory over the Cameroon army and agencies thereby, liberating Anglophone Cameroon from what they called colonization, domination, marginalization or, or imperialism. Guns at home in the Grass fields before 2017 were kept by dignified individuals mainly titled and wealthy men. The gun culture that reigned then was regulated both by a sort of intrinsic morale that formed a pattern of prestige and social effervescence beyond common compare but their mass seizure by these hurriedly formed boys under the guise of rage and furry became a source of worry and danger to the social, political and material wellbeing of the people within this niche. This paper has exploited primary and secondary sources to underscore the trouble encountered by this unfortunate guns shift from the houses to the bushes in the Bamenda grass fields. It argues that the guns at home and with dignified men served purposes that were for the most part peaceful and defensive but those in the bushes simply inaugurated an age of violence and wanton destruction uncommon to the grass fielders in all its historical time scale.

Problematizing Chieftaincy Succession Squabbles in the Cameroon Grassfields Studies

Chieftaincy institution constitutes a significant aspect of the socio-cultural heritage and feature within the Bamenda Grass fields. Its historical role in the maintenance of peace and promotion of development at the local level is incontestable. Recently the institution that was yesterday a symbol of harmony, development and cultural pride has suddenly become an object of discord and rivalry. In reality, the authority and legitimacy of chiefs in the Cameroon Grassfields is increasingly being contested and questioned. It is sustained in this paper that chieftaincy that used to be a problem shooter in communities in the Bamenda Grassfields has become itself a problem to the socio-economic and political developmentefforts of grassroots population. Following a critical historical approached based on the content analysis of primary and secondary sources, the study reveals that the multiplication of dual chieftaincy crisis in the Bamenda Grassfields is the historical product of the socio-cultural degradation of the chieftaincy institution. In order to carry out this workboth quantitative and qualitative approaches were used in interpreting and analyzing Data. A thematic cum chronological approach was used in presenting the findings.

Signification of Plants in Traditional Peace Building in the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon: The Case of Fig Tree and Dracaena amongst the Bali Chamba Polities

Gifts of nature such as streams, hills and vegetation constitute the centre of activities in African cultural practices. Communities across the continent in the face of conflicts seek peace using one of several gifts of nature just like the the Balis make use of fig tree and dracaena in their socio-cultural economic and political life. From Fondom creation to contemporary times, these trees have occupied a preponderant place in the Bali peace culture as they are used in the domain of traditional governance, conflict resolution, and peace building. Further, these plants are used to pass various messages namely; the birth of twins, the end of wars, and also to indicate the entrances or exits from a community or farmland. This chapter argue that, the fig tree and dracaena locally called ghim and nkeng respectively, amongst the people of Bali Chamba polities of North West Cameroon played fundamental roles in the preservation of peace in the life of the people. These plants having dark green beautifully designed leaves, have cultural, moral, spiritual, economic and political implications. Planted around shrines, graves, boundaries and used in performing rituals, the ghim and nkeung are also symbols of traditional authority, source of economic growth, traditional medicine health and peace. The introduction of foreign cultures amongst these people during the wave of migration, settlement and colonial rule, greatly diminished the symbolic values assigned to these plants. Although the deep cultural and moral implications of these plants are fading away as a result of religious influences and western secular culture, their significance have not been completely eroded especially as the plants are still used in Bali and most communities in the region for different reasons.

Traditional Medicine and Healing in The Bamenda Grasslands of Cameroon Since Pre-Colonial Times

Traditional medicine and healing has been part and parcel of the communities and peoples of the Bamenda Grasslands of Cameroon since pre-colonial times and has stood the test of time. Traditional medicine and healing in the Bamenda Grasslands was sustained through constant practice, tolerance, research and innovation. If the Bamenda Grasslands is popular in Cameroons social settings, it is largely due to the influence of traditional medicine. It is in this context that this paper seeks to examine traditional medicine as a measure in disease treatment within the Bamenda Grasslands since the pre-colonial era. The paper further probes into the dynamics of Bamenda Grassfields traditional medicine. It builds on primary and secondary data to show that traditional medicine and healing helped in no small way in the treatment of prevalent diseases and contributed to the welfare of the people of the Cameroon Grasslands.

The Role of Women in the Political Transition of the Bamenda Grassfields Fonship Institutions in Cameroon

The Role of Women in the Political Transition of the Bamenda Grassfields Fonship Institutions in Cameroon

Colonial and Post-Colonial Administrations and Fulani Rights in the Bamenda Grass fields of Cameroon, 1916-2020

The British colonial administration in implementing various Fulani cattle herder schemes in the Bamenda Grass fields of Cameroon created a cleavage between the Fulani and the indigenous communities. This cleavage made it impossible for the new people to acquire local citizenship anywhere. This eventually was used by the unscrupulous and exploitative post-colonial administrators to deprive the herdsmen of their financial and judicial rights in the Bamenda Grass fields. Oftentimes, the same was used as a wedge by the administrators against inter-ethnic solidarity between the Fulani and the indigenous communities during anti-government political developments in the region. In either case, the rights of the Fulani people were abused by the administrators. That is, without ethnic citizenship, the Fulani were easily frightened by these administrators and forced to pay in kind or in cash for their land disputes with the locals to be annulled, shelved or abandoned. The same was used to obtain Fulani support during political upheavals in the region. The rights of Fulani can only be rendered less susceptible to abuse by bridging the differences created by the British colonial administrators between the indigenous peoples and the herdsmen in the Bamenda Grass fields.

PEOPLE IN RECEPTACLES: THE CASE OF THE INDIGENOUS BASKET OF THE BAMENDA GRASSFIELDS OF CAMEROON

The people of the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon are incredible artists, producing invaluable objects in all the domains of arts; basketry, sculpture, embroidery, pottery, paintings, etc. People in receptacles: the case of the basket in the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon examines the usefulness of this culturally valuable object in the daily lives of the people. It raises the problem that as days go by, some of the values of the baskets are being modified because of the introduction of alternative containers. Although the basket like most indigenous receptacles still play very important functions in rituals and healing, if this domain of art is not conserved, in the next two to three decades, the generations to come will know nothing about the baskets because they might completely disappear. Before the arrival of the ‘whiteman’ or before the Bamenda Grassfields people came in contact with the outside world, the basket could be seen in all the different parts of the peoples’ culture, it could be used to identify different groups as their production style and materials varied. In the Nkambe area, more and more compact baskets were and are being produced unlike in areas like Bambui, Bafut, Mankon, Kedjom etc, where loosely woven baskets were and are manufactured. Data for this paper was collected using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The researcher conducted fieldwork where he observed, interviewed key informants as well as took photographs of the different baskets and how they are being used. Information collected was analyzed soon after the fieldwork and interpreted using the theories of cultural ecology, functionalism as well as cultural dynamics.

LAND TENURE INSECURITY AND LAND CONFLICTS IN THE BAMENDAGRASSFIELDS OF CAMEROON: PUZZLING EVIDENCE FROM BALINYONGA/BAWOCK LAND CONFLICT

This paper examines the challenges of land tenure insecurity and land conflicts in the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon. Colonial and later, postcolonial governments of Cameroon introduced different and most often, conflicting land policies. These divergent land policies, later on, replaced collective ownership of land with private ownership. This paper, focuses on the different causes of land tenure insecurity such as inequality, outside encroachment, and common property challenges. It also tackles the measure causes of land conflicts such as multiple land sales, land scarcity, population growth, poor boundary demarcation, land laws and contested records of land conflicts. Despite these challenges, land tenure security was achieved through customary land, state land and individual titling. However, the case study between Bali Nyonga and Bawock demonstrates efforts by different parties to confront, manage and resolve land dispute. Based on a wide range of primary and secondary sources, this paper argues that, land tenure insecurity and land disputes have benefitted the rich, and fostered social inequalities. The study concludes that, despite the lessons and opportunities for intervention advanced, land tenure insecurity and land conflicts in Cameroon could only be overcome, if the present structures and institutions of land management are modernized and restructured by stakeholders to benefit the majority.

Traditional Arts and Socio-Cultural Changes: The Case of Bags in the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon

The bag like any other aspect of art is an important cultural heritage of every society. As Frank Boas puts it arts and man are inseparable, and that no society can exist without arts. In the Bamenda Grassfields, bag production is done by a few cultures and such activity performed absolutely by the men has been handed down from one generation to another with very little modification. In the pre-colonial days, traditional bags were produced with three major raw materials namely animal skin, fibre and a special fabric called ndop. But today, with the challenges of modernity, the traditional bags of the Bamenda Grassfieds is undergoing gradual modifications both in materials used in production and function. Despite these changes noticed in the manufacture as well as use of the traditional bag, this receptacle still fulfils its functions some of which are to store and carry objects. They are also used to provide healing to patients. Bags can also be used to portray the socio-political organisation of the Bamenda Grassfielders. They are elements of social stratification and cultural identity; they therefore have roles in politics, social, religion, economics and healing. Data for this research was carried using the qualitative as well as the quantitative methods and the information was analysed soon after the data collection was over.

Traditional Arts and Socio-Cultural Changes: The Case of Bags in the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon

Traditional Arts and Socio-Cultural Changes: The Case of Bags in the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon

The Impact of Hausa-Fulani Traditional Medicine and Healing Method on the Indigenous Peoples of the Bamenda Grassfields

Traditional medicine was and still remains a very important method of treating diseases in the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon. Before the late 19th and early 20th centuries the indigenous population of the Bamenda Grassfields relied so much on traditional medicine in healing themselves. Local herbalists with the use of natural materials and other instruments carried out diagnosis and prescribed treatment to their patients. With the arrival of the Hausa and Fulani people into the Bamenda Grassfields along side their tradi-practitioners; things started taking a different turn. Most of the indigenous people started adopting the Hausa-Fulani healing methods to the detriment of their own traditional method of treatment. Even the arrival of the colonial masters to the area in the 19th Century and their introduction of conventional medicine or hospitals did not affect the popularity already gained by the Hausa-Fulani healing method. As a result, the Hausa-Fulani healing and medicine greatly influenced the health sector in the Bamenda Grassfields. To carry out this study, primary and secondary sources were used. At the end of the study, we were able to come out with the following conclusions: That the indigenous people of the Bamenda Grassfields had their own traditional method of treatment before the coming of the Hausa-Fulani traditional healers to the area. That, the Hausa-Fulani healing methods had a great impact on the local population and health sector in the Bamenda Grassfields. That, the Hausa-Fulani traditional medicine and healing methods gradually replaced the indigenous methods of treatment in the Bamenda Grassfields. Finally that, the Hausa-Fulani herbalists or traditional healers help in eradicating so many diseases in the Bamenda Grassfields.

POST PLEBISCITE PETITIONS AND REQUESTS FOR THE PARTITION OF SOUTHERN CAMEROONS

The 1961 UN-organised Plebiscite provoked serious ethnic tension, bitterness and calls from some quarters for the partition of the British Southern Cameroons. The ethnic groups that voted for independence with Nigeria were not satisfied with the results of the plebiscite and were not ready to join the Republic of Cameroon. They clamoured for the partition of the British Southern Cameroons following the voting patterns so that those who voted for Nigeria could join Nigeria freely. This article based on archival and secondary sources attempts a survey of the crisis, the requests by the defeated ethnic groups for the partition of the British Southern Cameroons and the response of the Yaounde authorities and the United Nations. The study argues that the requests for the partition of the Southern Cameroons were made out of fear that the reunified Cameroon could lead to the domination and exploitation of the coastal ethnic groups by the more dynamic and land grabbing ethnic groups of the Bamenda Grassfields and not out of some phobia for the French Cameroonians. Article visualizations:

THE ORIGIN, EVOLUTION AND CHANGING PERSPECTIVES OF WIDOWHOOD IN THE BAMENDA GRASSFIELDS OF CAMEROON SINCE THE PRECOLONIAL PERIOD

This paper examined the practice of widowhood in the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon since the pre-colonial period. Every society struggling to deal with women who lost their husbands ended up with some norms for widows during widowhood. This was done through the developing of rules which were very often reactions to past and common experiences. The rules often sought to deal with the people’s fears, loves, hopes and aspirations. However, widowhood eventually lost its original reasons and increasingly became a problem in most if not all African societies. The objective of this work has been to trace the original reasons for the practice of widowhood rites and how they evolved and experienced change in some selected communities of the Bamenda Grassfields. It is also to explain the culture of widowhood in the Bamenda Grassfields so that such an understanding could guide researchers in the search for solutions to the widowhood practices. Following a historical research guided by a questionnaire, both primary and secondary sources were consulted. Oral interviews were conducted with resourceful individuals and a selected group of widows in the study locale. The analysis of the data collected led to the conclusion that the practice of widowhood in this area evolved with different historical moments and circumstances and has come to toe the line with feminism and contemporary laws. Keywords Widowhood, Rites, Culture, Bamenda Grass fields, Evolution, Change.

Images of Nyongo amongst Bamenda Grassfielders in Whiteman Kontri

This paper discusses the experiences and discourses of transnational migrants from the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon. It uses Nyongo, a popular form of witchcraft that privileges zombification over instant gratification through instant and total death, to seek to illustrate how the tensions occasioned by everyday witchcraft offer migrants and their communities the opportunity to interrogate, adapt to, reject or appropriate new ideas of being acquired through encounters with difference. The paper thus attempts to capture not only what it means to see oneself as a victim of Nyongo, but to detail the contradictions involved with inhabiting spaces that conjure images of Nyongo. While not primarily about potent witchcraft fears, violence and afflictions, the paper does point to how the metaphorical and sometimes joking self-image of zombiehood by Bamenda Grassfielders in the diaspora offers a discursive resource among others for ongoing negotiations of belonging, personal success and expectations. The paper argues that the collectivist notions of success from which migrants and their home communities draw are such as to warrant accusations, counter-accusations, and images of Nyongo as a way of seeking a healthy balance between marginalization and exploitation, social responsibility and personal success, home of origin and home of refuge. The accusatory language of victimhood employed by migrants to describe their subjection and ultra-exploitation by forces at home and in the host countries is evidence that, to them, home is neither simply to be found “at home” or “away from home”.

Chieftaincy, Labour Control and Capitalist Development in Cameroon

Contrary to the studies of ethnic authorities in the Zambian and Ghanaian mines by A.L. Epstein (1958), J. Crisp (1984), and C. Lentz and V. Erlmann (1989), the present study demonstrates that chieftaincy has continued to play an important mediating role between capital and labour in estate tea production at Ndu, a small Wimbum town in the northeastern part of the Bamenda Grassfields in Cameroon, where the author conducted fieldwork in 1991. Capitalism has not yet penetrated deeply in this area and chiefs (or 'Fons') still occupy a powerful, even sacred, position in society. Under these circumstances, estate management has tended to rely on the local chief for both labour recruitment and worker control. While the chief often sided with the management, he also distinguished himself as the custodian of tradition and the champion of the interests of his (Ndu) subjects. He firmly resisted management preference for female labour as a threat to traditional patriarchal control. He was also inclined to endorse his subjects' loyalty to certain traditional norms and values which conflicted with the capitalist work ethic, and to put pressure on management to advance the careers of Ndu men. At the same time, there is evidence that the intermediary role of chieftaincy has weakened as a result of the developing trade unionism on the estate and the emergence of new power holders and several ethnic associations. Bibliogr., ref

The Acquisition of Socio-cognitive Competence by Nso Children in the Bamenda Grassfields of Northwest Cameroon

Among the Nso of Northwest Cameroon, the primary purpose of socialisation is the development of social intelligence and a sense of social responsibility. This process is dependent on and shaped more by "tacit lessions" built into children's apprenticeship in routine tasks and interpersonal encounters with both peers and adults than on role instruction. Nso children are co-participants in their own "hands-on" socialisation. The traditional niche is now in total flux. In order to compare the ideas and values of different parental cohorts inherent in the tension of continuity and change, we interviewed 389 Nso men and women using the Lamnso Parent Interview Guide. The results revealed both similarities and differences in the values of various parental cohorts. Although traditional values were widely endorsed, mothers, parents, and urban respondents tended to manifest less indigenous viewpoints than fathers, grandparents, and rural subjects, perhaps because of their greater exposure to alien modifiers of cultural knowledge and values.

A prince by any other name? identity and politics in Highland Cameroon

Small public acts carry with them the keys to the cultural and institutional worlds in which they occur. To understand why a particular person in the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon changed his name, and thereby the symbol of his public identity, this study presents the cultural and political context in which such an act makes sense. This context includes the historical relations between the two Grassfields chiefdoms of Nso and Nseh, as well as the relations of each with the national economic and political systems.