Description
The Mbum of the Nkambe Plateau, Cameroon: Settlement, Cultural Heritage, Belief, Governance, and Artistic Traditions, edited by Oliver Kimka Ndimbie and Gilbert Shang Ndi, is a landmark anthology and the first comprehensive, indigenous-led ethnographic compendium dedicated to the Mbum (Wimbum) people of Cameroon’s Western Grassfields. Comprising nineteen interdisciplinary chapters authored by Mbum researchers and intellectuals, the volume systematically deconstructs and details Mbum society “through Mbum eyes,” while correcting inaccuracies found in earlier colonial and non-Mbum accounts.
Organized into five thematic sections and anchored in rigorous fieldwork, the compendium explores the linguistic complexities of Limbum alongside the geography and agricultural land tenure of the high plateau. Contributors examine traditional socio-political structures, detailing the centralized authority of the Fons (Nkfu) and the checks and balances maintained by the Kibai (Great Lords) and Mayaa (Queen Mothers). Crucially, the volume provides an unprecedented look at consecrated sacred societies, including the legislative Nwarong, the princely Ngiri, the military Nfuh, and women-led institutions like Toh and Shimbien.
Moving into the modern era, the chapters trace Mbumland’s history through German and British colonial administrations, active participation in World War II, and the ongoing armed conflict surrounding Cameroon’s Anglophone Question. Offered as both a tribute to the past and a gift to the present, this volume serves as an indispensable reference for Africanist scholars, cultural curators, and readers interested in indigenous knowledge systems and cultural heritage preservation.
