Bamileke

The Bamileke area is occupied by approximately 700,000 people. They are ruled by kings, whose funerals are organized by the powerful Troh society. The Bamileke are part of a larger cultural area known collectively as the Cameroon Grasslands. Since its colonization by the Germans in 1884, this entire region, in particular the Bamileke, Bamun and Tikar territories, has attracted the attention of Western scholars because of its artistic heritage. 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.