BAMUN
The Bamun are an important people from
Cameroon. They have a rich religious and ceremo-
nial history that reaches to the migration of King
Nsara and his followers who entered the present-
day Cameroon. The nameBamunliterally refers to
the area where the people finally settled, a valley
that was called “mun,” “noun,” or “nun.”
Geographically, the Bamun kingdom is
located near the lands of the Tikar, an artistically
and culturally significant people. Both the
Bamun and the Tikar are known as great artists
creating enormous sculptures of bronze and
beads. In many ways, the flow of the culture
between the Tikar and the Bamun is one that has
enriched both groups. The Bamun essentially
adopted many words from the Tikar language.
They also adopted words from other people,
including the Bafanji, Bamali, and Bambalang.
One can deduce that part of their moral mindset
is influenced by the sociolinguistic and cultural
climates in which they lived.
The Bamun have a rich cultural heritage; how-
ever, in contemporary times, the people have
become mostly Islamic and Christian. Living in
the area of volcanic mountains, the Bamun were
known for festive occasions representing their
experiences. For example, the people dressed in
traditional colors and fabrics and paid homage to
the history of the ethnic group at the palace of
their kings. This practice, which can be traced to
the 14th century, demonstrates a continuum of the
monarchial reign and sovereignty. Thus, this tra-
dition shows the high moral and ethical standards
with which the Bamun upheld their values.
Before the Bamun adopted Islam during the
time of the grandfather of the Sultan Ibrahim
Mombo Njoya, they maintained a strong African
tradition based on their ancestral heritage and
customs. The seventh king of Bamun who became
in fact the first king in the line of the Njoya royalty
(the first king, Chare, 1394–1418), El Hadj
Seydou Njimoluh Njoya accepted Islam, an alien
religion, partly because he had many wives, but
allowed his people the right to practice Christianity.
Other Bamun still practiced the Bamun ancient
religion. The Bamun king is considered among the
most powerful traditional rulers in Africa, yet the
king allowed the people to continue the practice of
the ancestral religion. The Bamun King Njoya
presided over rituals in his palace that were based
on local customs as a way of expressing continuum
of the dynasty. The highly publicizednguoncere-
mony, one of the most elaborate in Africa, cele-
brates the 600 years of the dynasty.
Even today, the king, called sultan in the
Islamic tradition, resides in the palace in the tra-
ditional town of Foumban. In the palace of the
king are found the relics of the past kings and the
history of the customs and traditions of the ancient
Bamun. Kinship remains essential to the Bamun
way of thinking about ancestors and life.Emmanuel Kombem NgwainmbiSee alsoKingsFurther Readings
Austen, R. A. (1999).Middlemen of the Cameroons
Rivers:The Duala and Their Hinterland,c.1600–
c.1960. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Bjornson, R. (1991).The African Quest for Freedom
and Identity:Cameroonian Writing and the National
Experience. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Burnham, P.(1996).The Politics of Cultural Difference
in Northern Cameroon. Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh
University Press for the International African Institute.BANTU PHILOSOPHY
Bantu philosophy refers to the philosophy, reli-
gious worldview, and ethical principles of the
Bantu people articulated by the first generation of
African intellectuals and founders of contempo-
rary African philosophy and theology. Originally
it referred to research done on traditional culture
between 1950 and 1990 in Central Africa, and
more specifically in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda by philosophers
and theologians such as Mulago Gwa Cikara
Musharamina, Alexis Kagame, John Mbiti,
Mutuza Kabe, and Alexis Kagame.
This research was part of the process of decolo-
nization of knowledge that began with the collapse
of European colonial empires in the wake of theBantu Philosophy 103