Bandoumkassa Group
A superior chiefdom of the Bana subdivision, in the Upper Nkam division (West Region, Cameroon), united under the motto Na’nga-Nkwa’ten.
Milestones
Milestones drawn from J.-C. Barbier’s study "Le peuplement de la partie méridionale du plateau Bamiléké : l’exemple de la région de Bana" (ORSTOM, 1974). The Chiefdom will complete this account.
Bandoumkassa is founded by Nanga, son of the hunter Nze Tchokongwé. The chief’s title, "Mfe Nanga", keeps his memory.
Bandoumkassa takes part in the conflicts that reshape the region, including the conquest of Pumbo.
The balance of power with Bana redraws the Group’s territory.
Under German administration, chief Njukam has to acknowledge the authority of Bana.
First General Assembly of the Notables, in the Banquet Hall of the Superior Chiefdom.
The territory
The Bandoumkassa Group belongs to the Bana subdivision. Its community lives in the village and throughout Cameroon (Douala, Yaoundé, Bafoussam, Bafang, Nkongsamba, Mbanga, the North) as well as abroad.
The sources of our history
"Le peuplement de la partie méridionale du plateau Bamiléké : l’exemple de la région de Bana" (ORSTOM, 1974). Barbier gathered the oral traditions of the chiefs of Bana, Bandoumkassa and the neighbouring chiefdoms. The full text (in French) is published in open access by the IRD, successor to ORSTOM.
Further reading
A book that opens on two hunters from Bandoumkassa who set out into the forest "in the time of King Danke". The Barbier dossier shows what the ORSTOM archives say about that king, the chiefdom and its time. In French, English, Spanish and German.
