Bamileke

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A ceremonial mask dance of the Bamileke in Batié .

The Bamileke , in French literature Bamiléké , are a West African bantoid ethnic group that is resident in the west of Cameroon , in the Cameroon grasslands .

The name Bamiléké goes back to the French colonial administration and is a collective name for around 90 small principalities (chief holidays ) in West Cameroon, each headed by a Fon (chief or local prince) with his traditionally organized court. As one of the larger tribal groups in the country with around 1.5 million members, the Bamileke make up around 10% of the population of Cameroon. They are the largest ethnic group in the Cameroon grasslands .

Origin and history

Flag of the "National Movement of Bamileke" that during the civil war in the late 50s emerged years

Like most of the larger ethnic groups in Cameroon, the Bamileke originally descended from the Tikar , who were settled in the country of Mbam . They first settled in what is now the Bamun area , that is, in the region around the city of Foumban . The Bamileke have only lived in their present homeland since the 18th century. At that time, under the pressure of the Bamum , they migrated further west to the higher region around the cities of Bafoussam , Bamenda and Dschang .

In the years before Cameroon's independence, a war broke out in the Bamileke area, claiming many victims. The French army used force against people who were suspected of working for the independence movement Union of the Peoples of Cameroon . The originally rural population of the Bamileke was concentrated in fortified villages. As a result, the Bamileke's economic orientation evolved from agriculture to commerce, and farmers became traders.

Society, religion, culture

Two Bamileke men in traditional costumes of the notables .

The Bamileke still live largely in tribal structures, with the Fon at the head of the individual tribes . As in most Central African societies , the family or clan is of primary importance and usually plays a greater role than the higher-ranking state.

Today the Bamileke in Cameroon have a reputation as successful traders and business people and thus have a great influence in trade, economy and politics. Bamileke often holds top positions in business. There is a tendency among the Bamileke (and in western Cameroon in general) to migrate from the countryside to the larger cities. Today they make up a good half of the population of Douala and almost a third of the population of the capital Yaoundé .

Most of the Bamileke are now Christians, but sometimes they also practice their traditional religion . In art they have developed a particularly expressive style, they mainly produce portrait statues, magic figures, animal and human masks and ritual devices.

languages

The Bamileke languages ​​belong to the grassland language group within the Bantoid languages . This forms a subgroup of the Niger-Congo , which also contains the actual Bantu languages . The main languages ​​of the Bamileke are (with indication of the numerous alternative names, the ISO language code and the number of speakers according to Ethnologue ):

  • Fe'fe ' (Fotuni, Bafang, Nufi) [fmp] (125 thousand)
  • Ghomálá ' (Banjun-Baham, Balum, Mahum) [bbj] (250 thousand)
  • Kwa ' (Bakwa) [bko] (less than 10 thousand)
  • Medumba (Bagangte, Batongtu, Ndzubuga) [byv] (210 thousand)
  • Mengaka (Megaka, Ghap, Benzing) [xmg] (20 thousand)
  • Nda'nda ' [nnz] (10 thousand)
  • Ngiemboon (Nguemba) [nnh] (100 thousand)
  • Ngomba (Ndaa) [jgo] (65 thousand)
  • Ngombale [nla] (65 th.)
  • Ngwe (Nwe, Fontem, Fongondeng, Fomopea) [nwe] (50 thousand)
  • Yemba (Dschang, Photo, Foreke, Fokoue, Fongo Tongo, Bafou, Atsang-Bangwa) [ybb] (300 thousand)

For genetic classification see the article Grassland Languages .

Some of the Bamileke languages ​​were written down during the German colonial era. However, the common national colloquial languages are - as in all of Cameroon - French and English .

See also

Web links

Commons : Bamileke  - collection of images, videos and audio files