Bamileke people figure
Wood,
and Tokula powder.
69 cm high.
Price: 4,500
bamileke Torso information request
Coming from Bob Germ, an old private Belgian collector, this Bamileke figure is quite surrealistic with it's second face hidden in Bamileke torso.
Most Bamileke statues represent the chief (Fon).The art styles of the peoples in the Grasslands are very hard to differentiate due to the complex and recent migration patterns that are typical of the region.
The Bamileke are part of a larger cultural area known collectively as the Cameroon Grasslands. Within the Bamileke complex there are numerous smaller peoples who are loosely affiliated and share many similarities while retaining separate identities. The Bamileke originally came from an area to the north known as Mbam, which is today occupied by the Tikar. Fulani traders moving steadily southwards into Cameroon in the 17th century forced the southern drift of most of the Bamileke, although some elected to stay behind and live under the control of the invaders. They traveled through the area now occupied by the Bamum where many Bamileke remained and intermarried. Eventually, the majority settled in scattered villages to the south of Bamum territory.
The Bamilike recognize a supreme god (Si), but they more commonly pay homage to their ancestors.
| Authority among the Bamileke, as is the case in most of the
western Grasslands, is invested in a village chief, who is supported by a
council of elders, and is called Fon.
The Fon is elected to his position by his predecessor's council and is often an elder member of the most powerful extended family within the community. The chief is recognized as the de facto owner of all the land that belongs to a given village and is seen as the dispenser of supreme justice. Social behavior within the village is further controlled through a series of extensive age-grade associations and secret societies, both of which fall under the auspices of the village chief. Click on the Bamileke thumbs below to enlarge :
Price: 4,500 bamileke Torso information request There are an estimated 8 million Bantu-speaking Bamileke living on grasslands of the western plateau in Cameroon, "Bamileke Plateau." They are part of the Cameroon Grasslands culture. The Bamileke group itself encompasses many smaller groups that retain their separate identities. Each one of these populations speak a language belonging to the Benue-Congo subfamily of the Niger-Congo family. This traditional agriculturally based group originated mainly from the Ndobo, Sudanic savanna-dwellers. (The Ndobo migrated from the northern Cameroon region, Mbam.) In the 17th century, Fulani traders forced the majority of the Bamileke population to the Bamum territory in Western Cameroon. Although some have remained in the Bamum territory, the overall population has ultimately dispersed to the southern section of this area. Historically, these people have been vital in connecting the extensive Trans-Saharan trade routes. Their political system is organized around a chief (Fon), who is served by a council of elders. The Bamileke recognize a supreme god (Si), however they also show great respect to their Ancestral Sprits. Ancestral spirits are embodied in the skulls of the deceased ancestors.
The eldest living male in each lineage takes care of the skulls. |
Bamileke Documentation:-more about the Bamileke tribe at uiowa.edu & alfred.med.yale.edu - Chilver EM. "A Bamileke community in Bali-Nyonga: a note on the Bawok". African Studies 23:121-7. (1964)- Scozzari R. "Genetic studies in Cameroon: mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms in Bamileke". Human Biology 66:1-12. (1994) - Soen D , de Comarmond P. "Savings associations among the Bamileke: traditional and modern cooperation in southwest Cameroon". American Anthropologist 75:1170-9. (1972)
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More images :
Price: 4,500 bamileke Torso information request
Price: 4,500 bamileke Torso information request
Price: 4,500
bamileke Torso information request
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