The Bamiléké people live in a patriarchal, polygamous society.
Wealth and status are associated with the number of wives and children
a man has. There is nothing more important than family.
In recent times, however, more and more couples are choosing to live in
monogamous relationships due to the head of household's lack of resources
to support many wives and children and the influence of Christianity.
This is more common in urban environments. In the village, where traditional
beliefs are dominant and there are more women than men, polygamy is prevalent.
During funeral ceremonies, the families' support and initiative is crucial
to the success of the funeral. Family reunions are held to gather all
family together to plan and organize the funeral of a family member. This
means collecting money and resources and dividing up tasks and responsibilities.
The idea of family in this culture is much more inclusive than western
ideas of family. Family is not limited to immediate family but to extends
to all people who share common ancestry. It is very easy to discover a
relationship to most people from your own village.
For a chief with many wives, family has political implications. Each wife has her own family relations so a chief with 20 wives is easily related to hundreds of people from the village. This gives a chief great power since all of those relations add up. All of those extended family members will treat him with respect and dedication. However, it is a two way street and with more relations comes more responsibility too.
A
young new successor wears a white hat and holds a horse tail to symbolize
his new status during a funeral ceremony.
"A
family is like a forest,
when you are outside it is dense, when you are inside you see that each
tree has it's place."
-African Proverb
Women collect food brought by family for a funeral
ceremony
"A
person who has children does not die." -African
Proverb
