The Bamum, sometimes called Bamoum, Bamun, Bamoun, or Mum, are a Grassfields ethnic group located in Cameroon. In 2018, the Bamum and Bamileke peoples accounted for about 24% of the country's population. The Kingdom of Bamum covers approximately 7,300 km. The Kingdom of Bamum was surrounded to the north by the territory of Cameroon, from the west and south-west the kingdom's boundary touches the River Nun while the Rivers Mape and the Mbam surround it to the east.
Climate in the Kingdom consists of two seasons: a long rainy season, and a short dry season. This is mainly due to its location between a forest zone in the south and a tropical savannah grassland in the north. The length of the two seasons last for irregular time lengths. As of 2018, the Bamum and Bamileke peoples accounted for about 24% of the country's population.
As the kingdom developed slowly over the years, a main factor of society was the agricultural farms near the villages. This created an environment of cooperative ideology, through teamwork when it came to handling the work on the farms. Slaves and war captives were used to supply a labor force for farms of kingdom officials and other title holders.
During the time of reforming his script, there was political concern with surrounding villages and colonial conquests in the area. Njoya believed creating secure and sustainable communication between him and his officials was important. At first, alongside the creation of his script, he sent officials to a neighboring state, Hausa, to learn Arabic. However, due to the increase of powerful Hausa influence in his land, Njoya decided that Arabic was not the right language to learn for his people, as Hausa and outside colonial forces could read it as well. He needed to focus on creating and reforming the script he, and his officials, created. The following decades were spent simplifying the number and complexity of the design of the characters. To this day, it continues to be a significant holiday for the Bamum people.
Power in art
The Bamum territory covered major trade routes, allowing them to gain access to multiple mediums. Those include brass and glass beads, which are a major component in Bamum art. The visual domain is where the Bamum were able to showcase their power and dominance within their state. The art is used as a reminder of the historical development and supremacy of the Bamum people.
To do this, the Bamum artists appropriated the regalia and symbols of defeated leaders from surrounding states. They also take other objects from the leader’s treasures, and they keep the appropriated replica in the Bamum palace. They also created brand new symbols of power for the rulers and male descendants of the court. This symbol is to be a visual representation of their connection to the court and the king. They are commonly displayed as an embellishment to their apparel.