The Ancient Bamun Civilization Of Cameroon That Had Its Origin In Kemet
February 11, 2021 435
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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.