Mankology Articles

Since marriage plays a significant role in establishing the entire family’s
economic and social standing, mate selection is a way of forging connections
between kinship groups. As such it is considered too important to
be left to the individuals involved. Consequently, mate selection, marriage
negotiations and rituals are usually handled by the title-holders of the
kingdom, especially lineage heads (bütabütsey).

The suitor’s father explains the purpose of his visit. As required by tradition, he will normally express himself using figurative language – as an example: “The purpose of my visit is to inform you that I have seen a banana in your compound that I would like to harvest.”

During the first official visit to the woman’s compound, her father will invite her into
his sitting-room and present his guest to her, explaining the purpose of his
visit. He will ask the woman to take the wine her suitor’s father has brought
and pour it into his own drinking-horn. He will then sip a little and give the
rest to her. When she finishes drinking the wine in the cup, the father will
ask her to refill it. He will then drink again, give it to her and then ask her
to give the rest to the suitor’s father. If she does so

The procession normally carries two sets of lighted raffia torches (nka’a); the people crack jokes as they move along in the bridal train. A representative of the bride’s maternal grandfather carries one of the torches at the tail end of the procession, while that of the bride’s father takes the lead. The bride is hidden in the middle of the procession as they move forward: she usually carries a bag containing an ancestral cup or a drinking horn.

In January 1891, with five German offi­cers and about five thousand soldiers recruited from the Bali, Bakongwa and Meta’ tribes, Zintgraff attacked the Mankon people.

The Germans had established their pro­tectorate over Cameroon in July 1884. Defeated in the First World War, they lost all their colonies, which in the Versailles Peace Conference of 1919 were placed under the mandate of the League of Nations, with Cameroon under British and French man­date.