“The grassland region, in south-west Cameroon, is a hilly and mountainous area covered by an equatorial forest in the south and a savannah in the north. Politically, the area is divided into numerous small independent kingdoms and chiefdoms, whose powers are counterbalanced by male and female societies. Since it’s colonization by the Germans in 1884, this entire region, in particular the Bamileke, Bamun and Tikar territories, has attracted the attention of Western scholars because of its artistic heritage.

The artistic production of the people living in the Greassland of Cameroon is closely associated with royal and societal ceremonies. Large figures, thrones and prestige paraphernalia are used by the king to assert his power. Masks are primarily worn during ceremonies related to the societies that structure each kingdom. Each autonomous kingdom has developed a specific artistic style, Bangwa figures display an encrusted patina and filed teeth typical of the fashion of this kingdom.”

“The Bangoua occupy the village Bangoua which is made up of nine independent chieftains, they are part of the group of Bamilekes. They speak the Bangoua (or yemba), a Bamileke language whose number of speakers was estimated at 300,000.”

Sources:
1. Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print.
2. “Bangoua (people).” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia,3 March 2016, 18:36 UTC. 19 Apr 2017, 14:46