The Bamun or Barmoun is a remarkable culture that was birthed at the end of the 13th century (1394AC) in what is now Northwest Cameroon. The ancient walled city called "Foumban" was the capital.

It is believed that it was founded by emigrants who migrated from the Nile and who were related to the Tikar royal dynasty of Nsaw and that Nchare (a conqueror who is reputed to have crushed about 18 rulers) was the founding king.

The Barmum's origin is also linked to Egypt (the mythical Nun River is sacred water in the Egyptian spirituality) and this was affirmed by Cheikh Anta Diop in his book, Nations Négres et Culture which was based on the work of D.W Jeffreys.

How Did The Bamun Kingdom Come To Be?

The Bamuns who migrated from the Nile to northern Cameroon became a part of the Mboum people. However, part of the Mboum who were from the North descended to the south forming a people known as the Tikar.

Still, a group of Tikar left their lands in the 14th century to establish a new kingdom, but there were a myriad of feuds over succession, so Queen Yen who was a noble woman left the group with her people and journeyed into the forest to find new lands.

It is further known that the Yen group met some unfortunate events along the way and these events led to their being hosted by Chief Mankoup whose crown was later taken by Nchare (who was Yen's son).

Shortly after the occurrence of the above event, Yen’s clan further took over many villages through war including King Fonchom's village. After the Yen's clan conquest of 18 grassfield kings the Bamun kingdom which was a federation of people was finally established with the Yen's clan as the ruling class.

Now, amongst the Yen clan there were uprisings on who should be king, so it was to this issue that Ncharé faced his sister Mfom and his brother Koumjouom in a race that was done to determine who was fit to be king. At the end of the given time, Ncharé won the race. Thus, Ncharé Yen became the first Mfon (King) of the Barmum Kingdom.

After the death of Ncharé, the Barmum kingdom was ruled by many kings who succeeded each other but only few left legacies that wrote their names in the sands of time.

The few famous ones are:

- King Mbuombuo, the 11th Mfon who ruled in the 18th century:

During Mbuombuo's reign, 48 ethnic groups was added to the Bamum territory and he also gave rise the legend of the "Bamun double-headed snake" when he decided to fight in two fronts during wars. His reign also saw the formation of a council and sustainable institutions which led the foundation for the latter growth that the kingdom had.

- King Ibrahim M. Njoya:

King Njoya was the 17th King of the Bamun kingdom and the greatest king in the Bamun history. Born in 1876 to Queen Nzabndunké who was the regent before him, his reign witnessed the colonization of Cameroon by Germany. But the Germans applied indirect colonization and left the kings to reign as long as the colonial power was acknowledged.

In no time Njoya was a friend of the colonists as he had no difficulty in giving the respects. But, his reign introduced Islam to Bamun Kingdom when he called on the Fulanis help to defeat an opponent to his throne. He also theorized a mix of Bamun vitalism (cult of ancestors), Islam and Christianity.

Njoya was also known for his love for medicine and writing, a passion that led to the writing of the first version of the Shumom (the Bamum script) which had 510 signs. It was further revised to 80 signs, with 7 signs associated with the Egyptian writing.

He further manufactured mechanical printers, a mechanical mill for agricultural products and dye pits to enrich the textile industry. In 1912 assisted by his chief scholar Yohanes Njoya, he established the 1st of 47 schools in Bamum which taught with the Shumom script.

His most famous work "The Bamum Sultans palace" which was completed in 1917 is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is still the home of the king.

Although Njoya was stripped of his powers, sent into exile in Yaoundé where he died in 1933 and the Shumom was banned by the French, who practiced direct colonization after they defeated the Germans, Njoya still remain the most influential traditional chief the country and the Bamum kingdom ever had.