The Bamiléké people live under the rule of the chiefdom they are born under. This hierarchical system plays an integral role in all funeral ceremonies, big or small. Of course a chief's funeral is not the same as that of a commom villager's but elements of the chiefdom are always present in funeral ceremonies.

It is believed that Bamiléké chiefdoms began to form as far back as the 1300's. A chiefdom is a socio-political and religious entity that rules over a territory and its population, governed by a central chief and his court of notables. It is a highly complex system of governance that today operates along side modern political systems.

Take a look at a map of Bamiléké chiefdoms.

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