Cameroon Grasslands

Bamum

Wood
ca. Mid-20th century
Height: 24 inches; Diameter 6 to 4inches
Aerophone – Lip Vibrated – Horn

The Bamum people are separated from the Bamileke by the Noun River in the high grasslands of Cameroon. Eighty percent of the people in this region are Muslim, although the religion is a syncretic mix of Islam, Christianity, and indigenous Bamum religion.  This Bamum Chief’s trumpet (horn) is of the indigenous Bamum traditions.  High relief carving shows chameleons, who represent the messengers from the living to the ancestors.