BANGWA
white man to have visited the Highlands Bangwa,37
but they clearly had indirect contact with Europeans
and their goods before that. One of Conrau’s
Bangwa companions was carrying a machete with
an ivory handle, which “looked exactly as if it had
been made in Solingen.”38 The man carrying it
said that the chief had made it himself using a fi ne
European knife as a model. Conrau was pleased
that he would soon be making
the acquaintance of the
skilled blacksmith king.
The chief’s estate was
made up of numerous huts
and fenced-in courtyards,
in front of which numerous
well-fed wives of the chief,
101
FIG. 9 (left):
Headcrest of the Ngkpwe
warrior society. Bangwa,
Cameroon. 19th century.
Wood, pigment. H: 44 cm.
Collected by Gustav Conrau, 1898
or 1899.
Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin,
inv. III 10566.
Photo © Ethnologisches Museum
der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin -
Preußischer Kulturbesitz.
FIG. 10 (above left):
Kurt Hassert, 1901.
Inscribed on reverse: “Tübingen
1901 (z. Geogr. Tag 1901).”
Stamped: Deutsches Museum für
Länderkunde, Leipzig.
Photo courtesy of Digiporta.
FIG. 11 (above center):
Gustav Conrau, c. 1892.
From Elizabeth Chilver, Zintgraff’s
Explorations in Bamenda, Adamawa,
and the Benue Lands, 1889–1892,
Victoria, Cameroon, 1966.
FIGS. 12 and 13 (above):
First pages of letters from
Gustav Conrau to Kurt
Hassert dated July 16,
1898, and June 12, 1899.
Leibniz-Institut für Länderkunde,
Archiv für Geographie, Leipzig,
inv. 201/45 and 201/46.
wearing brass rings and clothed only with a band
around their waists, were seated in front of the
houses. Some of them also wore thick rings with
beads sewn onto them around their necks. Two
impressive buildings stood next to one of these
courtyards. The fi rst had a square foundation and
was some twelve to fi fteen meters high, and the
second was rectangular with a roof that extended
beyond its walls that was supported by carved
fi gural posts. Von Luschan would later refer to
this second edifi ce in a letter to the German administration
of Cameroon in February of 1900,39
though it was not an entirely singular structure.
The king’s dwelling was in an inner part of the palace,
out of bounds to most people. Some parts of
the palace were separated by fences made from large
ferns known locally as affi na. While the palace at
Azi was the largest and most populous compound in
Lebang, the basic structure of a central house for the
fore: “The Banyang area and the Grasslands are
characterized by regularly held large markets, at
which mainly animals, farm products, oil, and salt
are offered. The market is held once every eight
days at any particular place, but they are scheduled
on different days of the week so that commercial
activity is always ongoing.”35
Conrau gave this Bangwa man gifts to take to
his chief, among them, according to Bangwa oral
tradition, a red cap and brass bells, and fi ve days
later this man returned with four others, bringing
gifts in return—a large goat, several calabashes
of palm wine, peanuts, palm oil, and kola nuts,
among other things.36 Conrau decided to return
with them to their home region and, after a
two-day walk, which included crossing countless
streams and a fi fteen-meter-wide river, as well as
traversing steep ridges, they arrived in Bangwaland
in Lebang, one of seven independent Bangwa
or Nweh “kingdoms.” They proceeded to Azi (fi g.
26) and the palace of Fontem, located near the
Bego’eh River in the heart of Lebang. The Lebang
kingdom and the village where the palace is
located are both sometimes referred to as Fontem,
which today remains the name of the local ruling
dynasty. As it turned out, this was actually only
a few hours’ walk from parts of Banyang with
which Conrau was already familiar.
In his account published as “Im Lande der
Bangwa,” Conrau presents this trip as an almost
easygoing and coincidental adventure, but given
knowledge of his background that can be discerned
from his letters, it is reasonable to assume that this
journey was undertaken in consultation with the
governor of Cameroon. Conrau maintains in his
writings, probably correctly, that he was the fi rst