Figure 1.--This photograph was taken in Foumban, Northwest Cameroon (May 24, 1917). We see King/Sultan Ibrahim Njoya on horseback. His royal palace is in the background. The women are presented as his wives. As a Muslim he could have a maximum of four wives, but he could have as many slave concubines as he wanted. The girls are presumably his children. There are no boys and some of these girls are shirtless teenagers. They may all be part of his harem. Put your cursor on the image for a better view of the Sultan's palace.

The Kingdom of Bamoun (variously spelled Bamun, Bamoun, or Mum) was a Central African state in what is now northwest Cameroon. It was based on the Bamun, an ethnic group dominating northeast Cameroon. The founder was the older brother of the Tikar royal dynasty (late-14th century). The capital was the ancient walled city of Fumban. There are historical records for modern times. The primary security threat was from the Fulani and Chamba to the north (18th century). The population was about 10,000-12,000 people. The most notable king was Mbum Mbuembue (early-19th century). 【Ogot】 King Mbuembue was the first ruler to significantly expand the Bamun Kingdom. He boasted that he would mark his borders 'with blood and black iron'. 【Njeuma, p. 118.】  He was notable for repelling an attack launched by the Fulani leader Hamman Sambo (1820s). A trench protecting the capital reportedly stopped the attacking Fulani horsemen. 【Yakan, p. 207.】 He devised the emblem of the Bamoum people, a snake with two heads known as 'Ngnwe peh tu'. This reprtedly reflected the ability to fight on two fronts at the same time. The Europeans had appeared of the coast of Africa (15th century). They did not, however, penetrate into the interior even in the early-19th century. It is only with the advent of modern weaponry that his be gan leading to the Scramble for Africa (1870s). Bamoun came under German control (late-19th century). The Germans did not dismantle the Kingsom and the Bamoum, understanding that they did not have the ability to reist the Germans militarily decided not to resist German colonization (1884). German control was not overwheaklmng. The king was Mfon Nsangou. The Nso invaded and killed Nsangou. His head became a war trophy. His senior wufe, Njapdunke, took control. After a series of ineffective kings, King Njoya. He was one of Bamoum's most imprtant rulers (1883-1931). 【Polakoff, p. 51.】 He did not resist German colonizationm and Bamoum became part of the German cilony of Kamerun. Njoya was responsible for many modernizing steps. He was influenced by German missiionaries to convert to Christianity, but eventually chose Islam. Thus wecsee him being called sultan. Among his innovations was a written script for the Bamoum language. Marriage was not one of the areas h odernized. His wives, cioncybunes, and chikldren are aWith the advent of World War I (1914), the Allies invaded German Kamerun as part of the West African campaign. Brutish Colonel Gorges captured Fumban (December 1915). 【Gorges】 Gorges described Njoya as being 'a trifle nervous' when they met but accepted had no problem with British rule once he was assured that the Briutish were mostly concerned with the Germans and had no issue with him or his people. After the war, Germany's colonies were divided by the Allies. The Bamoun Kingdom came under French rule. The French deposed him (1923). The French also banned his script. 【Yakan, p. 207.】

Sources

Gorges, E.H. The Great War in West Africa (Hutchinson & Co. Ltd., London, 1930).

Njeuma, Martin Zachary. (1969). The Rise and fall of Fulani Rule in Adamawa, 1809-1901 (University of London, 1969).

Ogot, Bethwell A. General History of Africa V: Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999), 512p.

Polakoff, Claire (1982). African Textiles and Dying Techniques (Garden City: Routledge, 1982), 256p..

Yakan, Mohamad Z. (1999). Almanac of African Peoples & Nations (Edison: Transaction Publishers, 1999), pp. 847p.

Created: 6:43 AM 10/19/2024
Last updated: 6:43 AM 10/19/2024