The significance of N’joya for the cultural history of the Bamum country

Abstract

The life and work of King/Sultan Njoya (c.1876-1933), ruler of Bamum in Cameroon is
considered in the round, using a wide variety of archival and early published sources from the
German period before WW1. A detailed ethnographic overview of the Bamum is provided.
This includes their language and history, as well as their relationships to neighbouring groups.
Their political organisation and the history of the dynasty is given along with some discussion
of prehistory in relation to the Sao of north Cameroon. Bamum art is also discussed. This leads
to a summary of the life of Njoya and his works. The way he reformed the political organisation
of Bamum is described as are his activities as an inventor. Paramount among these is the
invention of the Bamum writing system. Detail is given of the development of the writing
system for the Mum language, its different iterations and the major works that Njoya wrote in
the final version of the script. These are The Book of the Bamum Kings (including what is, in
effect, Njoya’s autobiography) the Customs of the Bamum and the book describing his own
new religion.