Bamum (Bamoum, Bamoun, Bamun, Banun, Mom, Mum, Mun)
GRASSLAND, CAMEROON
Bronze or brass Pipe The northern
part of Cameroon has been Islamized and has no sculpture; on the other hand, the
savannas of the west, the Grassland, are composed of three ethnic groups with
ancestors in common. There are the one million Bamileke spread over the
southwestern plateaus, in communities that have from 50,000 to 100,000 people;
the 500,000 Bamenda-Tikar in the north; and, finally, the Bamum in the
northwest, with a population of 80,000.
The Grassland was divided into ninety kingdoms governed by a king, the fon, supported by non-secret societies. In the past, he was believed to be endowed with supernatural powers that allowed him to change into an animal – an elephant, leopard, or buffalo. He ensured the protection of his people and guaranteed the fertility of the fields and the fecundity of the women. The fon was responsible for rituals of planting and harvesting, for the annual festival of the dry season, for the opening of the collective royal hunt, and for expeditions of war. The fon was appointed by his predecessor, who chose him from among his direct heirs, excluding the eldest. Art objects were symbols of position in the hierarchy; their number, the materials from which they were made, and their iconography changed progressively as one descended or ascended the social ladder. Competition among sculptors was often great, for the artist’s “office” was not hereditary. Sculpture’s goal was to commemorate and celebrate the royal ancestors of the present fon. In the fon’s palace, next to the ancestral figures and the masks, one would also find headdresses, beaded thrones, bracelets, necklaces, pipes, leopard skins, elephant tusks, swords, commanders’ sticks, fans, dishware, horns, and terracotta bowls.
#M10B2B202
30" x 8" x 9" (measured at the widest point)
$680 + $75
(S+H)
Material: Bronze or brass
