Rituels feminins chez les bassa'a ,manguissa et bamoun: contribution à une anthropologie du pouvoir de la femme dans les univers du centre et de l'ouest du Cameroun

Abstract

Our work entitled Female rituals among the Basà’á, Manguissa and Bamoun: a contribution to an Anthropology of women’s power in the cultural universe of the Centre and the West Regions of Cameroon considers the role of the woman in some Cameroonian cultures beyond the common scope that reduce their significance. Our central question is to know which cultural practices attribute a main sacred power to women in the Basà’á, Manguissa and Bamoun cultural realms? Our principal hypothesis is that conversion to a sisterhood, internalization and mastery of female rite and rituals attribute a main sacred power to women is the three related culture. Specifically, within the related cultures, what are the various social areas depending on female sacred initiation? What is the relationship existing between female and male sacred initiation? How social dynamics have impacted on the female sacred initiation? They are followed by three secondary hypotheses. Thus, almost all areas of social life impacted by female sacred initiation. Then, female and male sacred initiation are complementary. Social dynamics have influenced female sacred initiation by adoption of new cultural items from endogenous and exogenous changes in Basà’á, Manguissa and Bamoun cultural complexes. The objective to these questions were formulated on the basis of the combination of three methodological processes which include data collection, analysis and interpretation of the data. To this combination should be added field surveys, which enabled us to gather analysed data from Robert Merton’s Functionalism and Georges Balandier’s Anthropo-sociological dynamism, and interpreted using five principles of African epistemology which include antagonistic complementarity, updating-potentiation, common denominator, micro/macro and multi-symbolism. This scientific approach enabled us to underline the following results: the woman’s power is both natural as per her female morphology and physiology with the contribution of her parts and organs in female rituals and acquired to her conversion to sisterhood which earns her an initiation during which she internalizes and materializes rites and rituals, perceptions and prohibitions linked to the sisterhood and maintenance of her new skills. This rituals knowledge has an impact on almost all areas of social life though sisterhood are not the only ones involved in this areas, as female sacred initiation interacts with male sacred initiation. It is this collaboration and complementarity though antagonistic which contributes to social steadiness. These initiation institutions as well as the women who adhere to them decline with time bud adapt to their era and space by reducing the spoofs and adopting new cultural elements.