Alternative Names
Bamiléké is a collective term referring to the people of some 100 chiefdoms in the Western Province of Cameroon, and their descendants now living throughout the country and overseas. Bamiléké often use this collective term to refer to themselves, but also use the names of their specific chiefdoms. In these names, the prefix “ba” means “the people of.” Scholarly literature often refers to the culture using the names of specific Bamiléké chiefdoms or locales. These include Aghem, Babadjou, Bafang, Bafou, Bafoussam, Bagam, Baloum, Bamaha, Bamendjina, Bamendjou, Bamenkoumbit, Bamenyam, Bana, Bandjou, Bangangté, Bangoua, Bangwa, Bangwa-Fontem, Bapi, Batcham, Batchingou, Bati, Batié, Dschang, Fe’e Fe’e, Fomopea, Fongondeng, Foto, Fotouni, and Mbouda.
Location
The Bamiléké region encompasses most of the Western Province of the Republic of Cameroon, a country located on the hinge between West and Central Africa. More specifically, the 6,196 square kilometer Bamiléké region...
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Feldman-Savelsberg, P. (2003). Bamiléké. In: Ember, C.R., Ember, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-29907-6_31
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