who have died can have a significant influence on
the way the living carry out their lives. Because the
Balengue are a coastal people, much of their reli-
gious ideology is related to the sea.
For the Balengue, the dead can help or harm the
living based on a person’s relationship to the dead
and whether the living are respecting or giving
honor to the ancestors. As in other African reli-
gious experiences, there are spirits that can censure
those who do not honor the traditions, customs,
and rituals of the society. Those who have knowl-
edge and ability to manipulate the phenomenal
world are respected for their closeness to the ances-
tors and their powerful energies. These are energies
to be appreciated for their ability to assist or pre-
vent certain actions. The ancestors also protect
their family members and loved ones from those
who may mean to do them harm. For the
Balengue, as is the case for many African peoples,
the living and the Dead have a close relationship,
and, thus, the ancestors must be regarded as part
of the Balengue society who bring the natural and
so-called supernatural worlds together.
The Balengue have long accepted that spiritual
and physical realities are often merged and that it
is impossible to separate the actual world that can
be seen from the world that is unseen. Moreover,
there are many representations of the spiritual
world manifest in the natural world. Everything
that exists represents something that is spiritual.
Water, trees, animals, and rocks are manifesta-
tions of the divine. It is therefore critical to the
Balengue people that the natural environment be
honored and respected as the ancestors or other
deities would be honored. This is to establish
peace and harmony between humans as well as
between the seen and the unseen.
Paul H. L. EasterlingSee alsoAncestors; Ocean
Further Readings
Asante, M. K., & Nwadiora, E. (2007).Spear Masters:
An Introduction to African Religion. Lanham, MD:
University Press of America.
Mbiti, J. S. (1991).Introduction to African Religion.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books.
BALI
The Bali Nyonga, also known as Bali Chamba,
are a part of seven ethnic groups that bear the
same prefix (Bali): Bali Nkontan, Bali Kumbat,
and Bali Gwangsun. The Bali Nyonga are rela-
tively newcomers to the grass field of Bamenda.
During the early 19th century, the Bali who were
a part of the Adamawa people suffered famine
and pressure from their neighbors. They were
also raided by the Fulani. The Bali moved from
Chamba, having escaped from wars, a protracted
drought, and other climatic hazards. They were
horsemen and therefore mounted their horses and
moved out to regions in search of food. As they
traveled south, they fought with other ethnic
groups, taking prisoners of war along with them.
Later, they focused attention on markets in the
southern forests, where labor was needed for the
new palm-oil industries.
The Bali Chamba moved south, where they
encountered contingents of the mighty Tikar,
Wute, and Mbum peoples. Around 1835, the Bali
Chamba were defeated by an alliance of Bamileke
chiefdoms at Bafou-Fondo near Dschang. By
1850, they were in the Menda area (now
Bamenda), where they settled and competed with
the already established city states of Mankon and
Bafut to conquer and acquire smaller villages.
After Cameroon’s independence, Bali Nyonga
became a subdivision in the Mezam Division
North West province. This entry discusses their
language, culture, and religion.Language and Culture
Mbakoh is the original language of the Bali
people, although Mungaka later became the
language of one of the clans. Until the death of
King Gawolbe, one of their important leaders,
the Bali people were one people living under one
monarch, united by one purpose and one cul-
ture. Above all, they spoke the original form of
Mbakoh, which continues to undergo various
linguistic transformations.
Gawolbe’s tragic death marked a turning point
in the union of the Chamba group as the people
split into seven clans: Bali Muti, Bali Nkontan,Bali 95