Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2002
Subject: The village chief...
in Cameroon is an extremely interesting creature. I had met the village chief of Bamena (a village in the West) on our trip there. But he suddenly turned more fascinating when I heard stories related to being the chief, this morning.
One does not shake hands with the village chief, unless he puts out his hand. (Little did I know I was the lucky one this morning when he extended his hand to me ;) ) The greeting otherwise is 2 claps after which the fists are hollowed and placed in front of the mouth!
One does not pass from behind the chief. So if he’s in your way, you should hope there’s room to pass from the front! If all this has surprised you, wait till you hear of the marital status.
Now the chief is not elected, but is the hereditary heir to the chiefdom. So, when an old chief dies, not only does his eldest son inherit his ‘throne’, but also his brood of wives (except his own mother, thankfully)!!! (Polygamy is legal in Cameroon).
If the new chief does not want to keep all the wives (the inherited ones!), he can distribute them!!! (I know this account is full of exclamations, but I still can’t get over the stuff I’ve heard!) The women have no say and if they refuse, they turn into outcasts and have to leave the village. Besides, the new chief, himself, will marry several times! So for instance, the (young) chief I met has kept one of his father’s wives and has two of his own!!
Besides the chief is believed to have certain totem powers and can turn himself into a panther, bird, serpent… (akin to Indian mythological tales). These beliefs exist even today and even well educated persons don’t refute these “mystical powers” wielded by the chiefs!
And what does the chief do – besides occasionally turning into a panther ;) ? He’s responsible for the development of the village (he gets some money from the state too), intervenes and settles disputes, plays an important part in funerals, travels to neighboring cities to visit the village folks settled in cities -- to ensure certain village traditions are maintained and so on.
Guess that’s part and parcel of life here – at one end is the liberated, urban, growingly western lifestyle and at the other end of the spectrum, ancient beliefs and even the mystique…
ciao for now,
ruta
Subject: The village chief...
in Cameroon is an extremely interesting creature. I had met the village chief of Bamena (a village in the West) on our trip there. But he suddenly turned more fascinating when I heard stories related to being the chief, this morning.
One does not shake hands with the village chief, unless he puts out his hand. (Little did I know I was the lucky one this morning when he extended his hand to me ;) ) The greeting otherwise is 2 claps after which the fists are hollowed and placed in front of the mouth!
One does not pass from behind the chief. So if he’s in your way, you should hope there’s room to pass from the front! If all this has surprised you, wait till you hear of the marital status.
Now the chief is not elected, but is the hereditary heir to the chiefdom. So, when an old chief dies, not only does his eldest son inherit his ‘throne’, but also his brood of wives (except his own mother, thankfully)!!! (Polygamy is legal in Cameroon).
If the new chief does not want to keep all the wives (the inherited ones!), he can distribute them!!! (I know this account is full of exclamations, but I still can’t get over the stuff I’ve heard!) The women have no say and if they refuse, they turn into outcasts and have to leave the village. Besides, the new chief, himself, will marry several times! So for instance, the (young) chief I met has kept one of his father’s wives and has two of his own!!
Besides the chief is believed to have certain totem powers and can turn himself into a panther, bird, serpent… (akin to Indian mythological tales). These beliefs exist even today and even well educated persons don’t refute these “mystical powers” wielded by the chiefs!
And what does the chief do – besides occasionally turning into a panther ;) ? He’s responsible for the development of the village (he gets some money from the state too), intervenes and settles disputes, plays an important part in funerals, travels to neighboring cities to visit the village folks settled in cities -- to ensure certain village traditions are maintained and so on.
Guess that’s part and parcel of life here – at one end is the liberated, urban, growingly western lifestyle and at the other end of the spectrum, ancient beliefs and even the mystique…
ciao for now,
ruta
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