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36-467: Bamum , also spelled Bamoum , Bamun , or Bamoun , may refer to: The Bamum people The Bamum kingdom The Bamum language The Bamum script Bamum (Unicode block) Bamum Scripts and Archives Project Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Bamum . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

72-550: A pictographic system to a semi-syllabary in the space of fourteen years, from 1896 to 1910. Bamum type was cast in 1918, but the script fell into disuse around 1931. A project began around 2007 to revive the Bamum script. The Bamum script is also used to write the Shümom language , also invented by Njoya. In its initial form, Bamum script was a pictographic mnemonic aid ( proto-writing ) of 500 to 600 characters. As Njoya revised

108-437: A book that composed of roughly twelve hundred pages. In these pages, Njoya detailed the history and customs of the Bamum people. This is not to be confused with another of Njoya's inventions, an artificial spoken language known as Shümom , which was devised after the script. Outsider observers in recent years have tended to confuse the script with the invented language. The French colonials destroyed Njoya's schools and forbade

144-556: A decimal system of ten digits; the old glyph for ten has been refashioned as a zero. The last ten base characters in the syllabary are used for both letters and numerals: 0 Historically, ꛯ was used for ten but was changed to zero when the numeral system became a decimal one . Bamum's 88 characters were added to the Unicode standard in October, 2009 with the release of version 5.2. Bamum Unicode character names are based on

180-521: A fully usable Bamum computer font for the inventory of documents, and creating a safe environment for the preservation and storage of documents. In 2006, the Bamum Scripts and Archives Project embarked on a project to create the first usable Bamum computer font. In order to do this, the Project examined hundreds of important documents transcribed in the current and most widely employed variant of

216-405: A part of thrones and statues, often kept within the village palace. These works intended to focus on the expansion of the Bamum land and the warfare used in the expansion, showcasing the strengthened ties in the groups that make up Bamum. Two motifs were common when trying to display the power of the Bamum in warfare. One is a single head, which one can assume it belongs to an enemy. Usually, the head

252-434: A shift to a full syllabic writing system able to distinguish 160 syllables. It was used to record births, marriages, deaths, and court rulings. The seventh and final system, called Mfemfe ("new") or A Ka U Ku Mfemfe , was developed around 1918. It has only 80 characters, ten of which double as both syllables and digits. Like the previous system, missing syllables are written using combinations of similar syllables plus

288-487: Is a ' killer stroke ' that deletes the vowel from a syllable and so forms consonants and NC clusters ( /nd, ŋɡ/ ) that can be used for syllable codas . Consonantal /n/ is used both as a coda and to prenasalize an initial consonant. The two irregularities with the macron are ɲʒūə , read as /j/ , and ɔ̄ , read as /ə/ . The script has distinctive punctuation, including a 'capitalization' mark ( nʒɛmli ), visually similar to an inverted question mark, for proper names, and

324-542: Is not in any significant use. However, the Bamum Scripts and Archives Project is attempting to modernize and revive the script. The project is based in the old Bamum capital of Foumban . The initial form of Bamum script, called Lewa ("book"), was developed in 1896–1897. It consisted of 465 pictograms (511 according to some sources) and 10 characters for the digits 1–10. The writing direction could be top-to-bottom, left-to-right, or bottom-to-top. (Right-to-left

360-498: Is paired with a spear held in the other hand. This is shown in brass statues that were created showing a Bamum male holding the head of an enemy. Another motif is an equestrian figure made from wood and then covered in beadwork. Bamum script The Bamum scripts are an evolutionary series of six scripts created for the Bamum language by Ibrahim Njoya , King of Bamum (now western Cameroon ). They are notable for evolving from

396-413: Is particularly well known for its original phonetic script , developed by Sultan Njoya and his palace circle around 1895. The development of the script spanned ideographic to syllabic systems, with the script's final and most prominent form known as "A-ka-u-ku." According to oral history, Sultan Ibrahim Njoya had a dream during the 1890s that inspired him to create a written language. In this dream, he

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432-707: Is read /kaʔ/ , though the vowel is shortened and any final consonant is dropped in the process, as in pûə /puʔ/ and kɛ̂t /kɛʔ/ . Prenasalization is also lost: ɲʃâ /ʃaʔ/ , ntê /teʔ/ , ntûu /tuʔ/ . Sometimes, however, the circumflex nasalizes the vowel: nî /nɛn/ , pî /pin/ , rê /rɛn/ , jûʔ /jun/ , mɔ̂ /mɔn/ , ɲʒûə /jun/ (loss of NC as with glottal stop). Others are idiosyncratic: ɲʒə̂m /jəm/ (simple loss of NC), tə̂ /tɔʔ/ (vowel change), ɲî /ɲe/ , riê /z/ , m̂ /n/ , ʃɯ̂x /jɯx/ , nûə /ŋuə/ , kɯ̂x /ɣɯ/ , rə̂ /rɔ/ , ŋkwə̂n /ŋuət/ , fɔ̂m /mvɔp/ , mbɛ̂n /pɛn/ , tî /tɯ/ , kpâ /ŋma/ , vŷ /fy/ , ɣɔ̂m /ŋɡɔm/ . The macron

468-667: The International Phonetic Alphabet forms given in L’écriture des Bamum (1950) by Idelette Dugast and M.D.W. Jeffreys: The Unicode block for Bamum is U+A6A0–U+A6FF: Historical stages of Bamum script were added to Unicode in October, 2010 with the release of version 6.0. These are encoded in the Bamum Supplement block as U+16800–U+16A3F. The various stages of script development are dubbed "Phase-A" to "Phase-E". The character names note

504-569: The Treaty of Versailles . He is said to have disliked abstaining from polygamy when Christian, and from alcohol when Muslim, so ultimately split the difference toward the end. Bamum language ( Shüpamom, pronounced [ʃypaˑmɔm] , "language Bamum"; in the French tradition spelled Bamoun ) is one of the Benue–Congo languages of Cameroon , with approximately 215,000 speakers. The language

540-526: The last phase in which they appear. For example, U+168EE 𖣮 BAMUM LETTER PHASE-C PIN is attested through Phase C but not in Phase D. The Bamum Scripts and Archives Project at the Bamum Palace is engaged in a variety of initiatives concerning the Bamum script, including collecting and photographing threatened documents, translating and in some cases hand-copying documents, creating

576-577: The Bamum artists appropriated the regalia and symbols of defeated leaders from surrounding states. They also take other objects from the leader’s treasures, and they keep the appropriated replica in the Bamum palace. They also created brand new symbols of power for the rulers and male descendants of the court. This symbol is to be a visual representation of their connection to the court and the king. They are commonly displayed as an embellishment to their apparel. Artists were also known for their work covering wooden sculptures as bead embroiderers. Many works are

612-412: The Bamum people. The Bamum territory covered major trade routes, allowing them to gain access to multiple mediums. Those include brass and glass beads, which are a major component in Bamum art. The visual domain is where the Bamum were able to showcase their power and dominance within their state. The art is used as a reminder of the historical development and supremacy of the Bamum people. To do this,

648-477: The Bamum script: A-ka-u-ku (after its first four characters). The goal of the project team was to identify the most prominent forms of the various Bamum characters, as there have been many different styles employed by literates over the years. In particular, the Project examined documents in the script known to have been written by the three most famous Bamum script literates: King Njoya and his colleagues, Nji Mama and Njoya Ibrahimou (younger brother of Nji Mama, also

684-462: The Kingdom consists of two seasons: a long rainy season, and a short dry season. This is mainly due to its location between a forest zone in the south and a tropical savannah grassland in the north. The length of the two seasons last for irregular time lengths. The Bamum political activities centered around the king and the king's palace. The palace was structured around the officers of the king and

720-406: The celebrational ritual was suspended by colonial forces in 1923. The colonial power was attempting to diminish the power and control within the area and the power of the sultan Ibrahim Njoya. It wasn’t until 1992, that the sultan's son, Ibrahim Mbombo Njoya, reestablished the celebration. It now continues to be held every two years once more. To this day, it continues to be a significant holiday for

756-408: The desired vowel, or with a diacritic. The 80 glyphs of modern Bamum are not enough to represent all of the consonant - vowel syllables (C V syllables) of the language. This deficiency is made up for with a diacritic or by combining glyphs having CV 1 and V 2 values, for CV 2 . This makes the script alphabetic for syllables not directly covered by the syllabary. Adding the inherent vowel of

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792-442: The first king of Bamum was crowned, he and seven officers, called Koms, wanted to find a way to maintain and ensure the laws of the state would be followed by the king. The Koms were independent of the state and not controlled under the authority of the king, allowing them to censor any royal actions that went against the common law. To ensure this process is followed, they created a ceremonial ritual called Nguon. In this celebration,

828-431: The king is formally dethroned, this gives the kom the right to criticize and condemn the now-former king. Afterward, the king is reinstalled to his throne and formally addresses his nation with a speech. The ceremonial speech is followed by gifts and goods sent to the palace by chiefs, locally and from surrounding villages. Nguon was held every two years and was a major part of the Bamum calendar. For an almost 70-year period,

864-420: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bamum&oldid=971477962 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Language and nationality disambiguation pages Bamum people Climate in

900-464: The people that wished to visit the king. This led to the capital of the Bamum Kingdom forming, Foumban. The surrounding villages then worshiped and followed the king as their leader. As the kingdom developed slowly over the years, a main factor of society was the agricultural farms near the villages. This created an environment of cooperative ideology, through teamwork when it came to handling

936-442: The script, he introduced logograms (word symbols). The sixth version, completed by 1910, is a syllabary with 80 characters. It is also called a-ka-u-ku after its first four characters. The version in use by 1906 was called mbima . The script was further refined in 1918, when Njoya had copper sorts cast for printing. The script fell into disuse in 1931 with the exile of Njoya to Yaoundé , Cameroon. At present, Bamum script

972-552: The skull. Despite these efforts some men's skulls remained unclaimed and their spirits are deemed restless. Ceremonies are thus done to placate these spirits. There is also respect for female skulls, but the details are less documented. They also believed women made the soil fruitful, thus women did the planting and harvesting. Masks and representations of the head also had importance. In modern times, many Bamum are Muslim or Christian . King Ibrahim Njoya himself converted to Islam then to Christianity and then back to Islam after

1008-416: The syllable voices a consonant: tu + u = /du/ , fu + u = /vu/ , ju + u = /ʒu/ , ja + a = /ʒa/ , ʃi + i = /ʒi/ , puə + u = /bu/ . The two diacritics are a circumflex ( ko'ndon ) that may be added to any of the 80 glyphs, and a macron ( tukwentis ) that is restricted to a dozen. The circumflex generally has the effect of adding a glottal stop to the syllable, for instance kâ

1044-563: The teaching of the script, which fell into rapid decline and today hovers on the brink of extinction (the Bamum Scripts and Archives Project , in Foumban , is teaching the script to young people to spread literacy), but the Shümom language is spoken as a second language by many people and is taught on the radio throughout the Bamum kingdom. Cameroonian musicians Claude Ndam and Gerryland are native speakers of Bamum and use it in their music. As

1080-441: The time of reforming his script, there was political concern with surrounding villages and colonial conquests in the area. Njoya believed creating secure and sustainable communication between him and his officials was important. At first, alongside the creation of his script, he sent officials to a neighboring state, Hausa , to learn Arabic. However, due to the increase of powerful Hausa influence in his land, Njoya decided that Arabic

1116-417: The work on the farms. Slaves and war captives were used to supply a labor force for farms of kingdom officials and other title holders. The Bamum traditional religion placed great emphasis on ancestral spirits which were embodied in the skulls of the deceased ancestors. The eldest males of each lineage had possession of the skulls of deceased males. When moving a diviner must find an appropriate place to hold

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1152-402: Was also developed around 1907–1908. It has 195 characters and 10 digits and was used for a Bible translation. These first five systems are closely related: All were progressively simplified pictographic protowriting with logographic elements. The sixth system, called A Ka U Ku after its first four characters, was developed around 1910. It has 82 characters and 10 digits. This phase marks

1188-478: Was avoided because that was the direction of the Arabic script used by the neighboring Hausa people .) The second system, called Mbima ("mixed"), was developed in 1899–1900. It was a simplification of the first; Njoya omitted 72 characters but added 45 new ones. The writing direction was left-to-right in this and all subsequent phases. The third system, called Nyi Nyi Nfa' after its first three characters,

1224-521: Was developed around 1902. This simplification omitted 56 characters, leaving 371 and 10 digits. Njoya used this system to write his History of the Bamun People and in correspondence with his mother. The fourth system, called Rii Nyi Nsha Mfw' after its first four characters, was developed around 1907–1908. It has 285 characters and 10 digits and is a further simplification of the previous version. The fifth system, called Rii Nyi Mfw' Men ,

1260-508: Was not the right language to learn for his people, as Hausa and outside colonial forces could read it as well. He needed to focus on creating and reforming the script he, and his officials, created. The following decades were spent simplifying the number and complexity of the design of the characters. The script was finalized in 1910, where the “A-ka-u-ku” script was shortened into 80 symbols with more simple graphics that were easier to write and reproduce. Njoya used this script to put together

1296-463: Was told to draw an image of a hand on a rock slate then wash it off and drink the water. Taking this dream, he gathered his officers and instructed them to draw symbols for any objects they noticed over some time. This resulted in the earliest form of written language in the Bamum community. Njoya spent the next few decades perfecting the script and teaching his officials. His teachings, allowed over 1,000 subjects at that time to become literate. During

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