Kingdom of Bamum

The kingdom of Bamum or Bamoum, also known as Bamun or Bamoun or Mum (1394 – 1884) was a pre-colonial West African state in what is now northwest Cameroon. It was founded by the Mbum, a semi-Bantu ethnic group from northeast Cameroon.

Origins

The Mbum, along with several other peoples, claim descent from the Tikar of the Cameroon highlands. [Ogot, page 260] In fact, the Bamum kingdom was founded by emigrants related to the Tikar royal dynasty of Nsaw. The founding king (called a “fon” or “mfon”) was Nchare, a conqueror reputed to have crushed some eighteen rulers. King Nchare founded the capital Foumban, then called Mfomben. [Ogot, page 261] This first group of Tikar emigrants conquerors absorbed the language and customs of their new subjects and were from then on known as Mbum. Later, all peoples falling under their influence would take this name. [Ogot, page 260] It is believed that Chamba migrations from the Tikar plain in the southern part of the western Adamaoua plateau resulted in the kingdom’s foundation. [Bisson, page 76]

Organization

The founding king organized his realm around political institutions originating among the Tikar. There were titled or noblemen called the kom ngu (counselors of the kingdom) with whom he divided the land between. The Bamum kingdom’s population used secret societies. One society, the ngiri, was for princes. Another, the mitngu, was for the general populace regardless of social status. The mfon recruited most of his retainers from twins and the sons of princesses. The king of Bamum was known as the mfon, a title shared by Tikar rulers. The mfon engaged in large-scale polygamy giving rise to a proliferation of royal lineages. This led to the palace nobility growing rapidly. [Ogot, page 261]

Culture

Little is known about the kingdom’s material and social culture during this time. Originally, the language of state in the Bamum kingdom was that of the Tikar. This apparently did not last long, and the language of the conquered, Mben, was adopted. The economy was largely agricultural, and slave owning was practiced on a small scale. The Bamum kingdom also traded with neighboring populations. They imported salt, iron, beads, cotton goods and copper objects. [Ogot, page 261] Bamun

The Bamun developed an extensive artistic culture at their capital of Foumban at the beginning of the 20th century. During Njoya’s reign six dye pits containing various colors were maintained. The Mbum also imported indigo-dyed raffia-sewn cloth from the Hausa as royal cloth. [Polakoff, page 41] This royal cloth was called Ntieya, and Hausa craftsmen were kept at palace workshops to supply nobles and teach the art of dyeing. [Polakoff, page 42]

History

During the 18th century, the kingdom faced the threat of invasion from the north by Fulani and Chamba warriors. By the end of the century, Bamum had perhaps 10,000-12,000 within its domain. The History and Customs of the Bamum list ten kings between the founder and Kuotu. The nine kings that followed Nchare are not remembered for anything special. They were not conquerors, and territorial expansion did not occur until the reign of the tenth Mbum in the early 19th century. Mbum Mbuembue. [Ogot, page 261] King Mbuembue was the first ruler to expand the Bamun Kingdom. He was also famous for repelling an attack by the Fulani in the early 19th century. Mfon Mbuembue also took steps to fortify the capital with the construction of a trench. [Yakan, page 207]

German Colonization

The Bamun kingdom voluntarily became part of German Kamerun in 1884 during the reign of Mfon Nsangou. During his reign, Bamum fought a war with the Nso. By the end of the conflict, the king was killed, and his head was carried off by the Nso. Immediately after, one of the king’s wives, Njapdunke, took over the kingdom’s government with her lover Gbetnkom Ndo`mbue.

Njoya the Great

Eventually King Njoya, son of the slain king, came to power. He was one of Bamum’s most prolific rulers and ruled from approximately 1883 to 1931. [Polakoff, page 51] He voluntarily put his kingdom under the protection of German colonial power and was responsible for modernizing certain elements of Mbum society. In 1897, Njoya and his court converted to Islam, a decision that would affect Bamun culture long after Njoyua’s death. [Fowler, page 165] He invented the Shumom script so that his people would be able to record Bamum’s history. In 1910, Njoya had a school constructed where the script was taught. Germans were allowed to set up the Basel Mission at the capital of and construction was undertaken to build a temple. A school was also built, staffed by missionaries whom taught in German and the native language. The Germans also introduced new housing construction techniques while settling among the kingdom’s inhabitants as farmers, traders and educators. King Njoya remained loyal to his German overlords who in turn respected his rights as king and consulted him on colonial business. Another important element in the kingdom’s history during the period under German protection was the introduction of sweet potatoes, macabo and other new foods, which helped the kingdom become more prosperous than ever. The Mbum were able to trade outside their traditional borders, and the income greatly improved the standard of living. King Njoya was greatly influenced by the missionaries who denounced idols, human sacrifice and polygamy. In response, Njoya cut back on royal excesses. Nobles were allowed to marry slaves and those of the non-landed servile class. The king, however, remained unconverted to Christianity. In fact, he merged some of the tenents of Christianity and Islam with traditional beliefs to create an altogether new religion more palatable to his subjects. [Gérard, page 153] In 1906, Germany sent an expeditionary force against the Nso backed up by King Njoya’s warriors. After the victory, the force was able to reclaim the head of Njoya’s father, which was crucial for legitimizing the king. From then on, the bond between Bamum and Germany was unbreakable. When Germany was besieged on all sides during the first World War, Bamun steadfastly supported them until the bitter end when they came under the more repressive rule of the French.

French Colonization

In 1918, Germany’s colonial possessions were divided up between France and Great Britain. The kingdom of Bamoun thus fell under repressive French rule. In 1923, Njoya was deposed, and his script was banned by the French. [Yakan, page 207]

ee also

* List of rulers of the Bamum
* History of Cameroon
* Bamum (people)

Footnotes

ources

*cite book |author=Bisson, Michael S; S. Terry Childs; Philip de Barros & Augustin F. C. Holl |title=Ancient African Metallurgy: The Sociocultural Context |publisher=Alta Mira Press |location=Stuttgart |year=2001 |pages=550 Pages |isbn=3-51508-704-4

*cite book |author=Fowler, Ian & David Zeitlyn |title=African Crossroads: Intersectios Between History and Anthropology in Cameroon |publisher=Berghahn Books |location=Oxford |year=1996 |pages=250 Pages |isbn=1-57181-926-6

*cite book |author=Gérard, Albert S. |title=European-language Writing in Sub-Saharan Africa Vol. 1 |publisher=John Benjamins Publishing Company |location=Budapest |year=1986 |pages=1288 Pages |isbn=9-63053-832-6

*cite book |author=Ogot, Bethwell A. |title=General History of Africa V: Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |year=1999 |pages=512 Pages |isbn=0-52006-700-2

*cite book |author=McBride, David; Leroy Hopkins and C. Aisha Blackshire-Belay |title=Crosscurrents: African Americans, Africa, and Germany in the Modern World |publisher=Boydell & Brewer |location=Rochester |year=1998 |pages=260 Pages |isbn=1-57113-098-5

*cite book |author=Perani, Judith & Norma H. Wolff |title=Cloth, Dress and Art Patronage in Africa |publisher=Berg Publishers |location=Oxford | year=1999 |pages=217 |isbn=1-85973-295-X

*cite book |author=Polakoff, Claire |title=African Textiles and Dying Techniques |publisher=Routledge |location=Garden City| year=1982 |pages=256 Pages |isbn=0-71000-908-9

*cite book |author=Yakan, Mohamad Z. |title=Almanac of African Peoples & Nations |publisher=Transaction Publishers |location=Edison |year=1999 |pages=847 Pages |isbn=0-87855-496-3