Bamileke Ceremonial Staff
Staffs like these were/are used as a dress decoration for a ceremony rather than a staff used in a ceremony.
Tribe: Bamileke
Origin: Grasslands Cameroon
Approx Age: Mid 20th century
Materials: Wood
Dimensions cm: 147 long/tall
Ref. Number: 1128
£190.00
Description:
A long Bamileke ceremonial staff or stick, this type of staff would have been owned by a noble to the king for a dress decoration to a ceremony rather than being used as a ceremonial item. This has been carved to give it a nice design but nothing too extravagant, the top of this staff has a nice wear patina where a thumb has spent many a year.
History
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.
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