The transfer of power and authority in nto' ngkar

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Periodical article

Title:	The transfer of power and authority in nto' ngkar
Author:	Chem-Langhee, Bongfen
Year:	1987
Periodical:	Muntu: revue scientifique et culturelle du CICIBA
Issue:	7
Pages:	149-168
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Cameroon
Subjects:	Bamenda traditional polities
Abstract:	The Ngkar chiefdom is an integral part of a much larger polity, the Nso' kingdom, which today comprises the administrative Bui Division of Cameroon. Linguistic evidence suggests that the Ngkar language disappeared long before 1944 and that the Nso' have completely assimilated the Ngkar in everything but name. However, if the processes of transferring power and authority in the palace of Ngkar and in the Nso' palace are taken as an index, the proverbial assimilation of the Ngkar by the Nso' is more apparent than real. A description of the death of the Fon (king or chief), his burial and the installation of his successor in Ngkar and in Nso' indicates that the differences far outweigh the similarities. This raises questions about the process of acculturation and the degree of assimilation between the Ngkar and the Nso'. Bibliogr., gloss., notes, ref., sum. in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.