BCA-USA MIRROR
TRADITIONAL TITLES AND RANK IN BALI NYONGA By Ni Jude Fokwang
B
ali Nyonga ranks amongst, if not the most centralized political system in the Western Grassfields of present-day Cameroon. Military, political and religious powers all inhere in the office of the king (Fon) compared to other centralized polities in the region. Given such concentrated of power at the helm of the kingdom, who else counts within the hierarchy of Bali statehood? Bali is a highly stratified society with plenty of hereditary offices (ascribed positions) and tremendous room for upward mobility (achieved positions) within the prestige economy of customary life. This article briefly examines some of the popular “titles” in Bali including the most basic, Ba which apparently is flourishing in the Bali diaspora (both within Cameroon and abroad). Established in the middle of the 19th century, its pioneer King, Fonyonga I began building a new city-state, albeit with borrowed sociocultural and political structures from neighbouring kingdoms. It is in this sense that the Bali Kingdom is as much a Chamba polity as it is a Grassfields Kingdom. Highly stratified and well-differentiated, its political system is headed by the King, followed by sub-chiefs, priests, councillors, ambassadors, palace
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retainers and lineage (compound) heads just to name a few. For the sake of brevity, this article will focus on only four of the abovenamed titles, namely the subchiefs, councillors, ambassadors and finally lineage heads.
Sub-chiefs or Chieflets (Bà Fontə’)
The origin of the office of subchiefs is traced to Fonyonga I who is reported to have bestowed the hereditary title to leaders of the contingents that made up his army during their migration to present-day Bali. Kaberry and Chilver (1961) suggest that a total of five sub-chiefs were first bestowed and are known as Fontə’ Ba’ni. They included Fo-Bunjeng, Fo-Kemban (both Buti), Fo-Tikali (Tikali), Fo-Ti or Bangɨ, and Fo-Gako of Peli (BaliKontan) (see Kaberry & Chilver 1961:361). Others have contested the accuracy of placing Fo-Gako in this category, an issue that will not be dealt with in this short piece (see Ndangam 2014:82 for details). What is noteworthy is that there are two categories of sub-chiefs in the Bali kingdom, the first known as Fontə’ Ba’ni and the second, Fontə’ BaNten (Lolo). The sub-chiefs included in the Lolo category represent the contingent that pledged fealty to Fonyonga I during the
BALI CULTURAL ASSOCIATION - USA
Ni Jude Fokwang
Chamba sojourn in the Bamum area in the mid 19th century. For these contingents, joining ranks with the powerful Chamba seemed the best path for them to escape Mbombo’s expansionist inclination in the Bamum region. The following Fontə’ represent the groups that make up the Lolo category: Fo-Kundem, Fo-Ngeam, Fo-Sangam, Fo-Set, Fo-Won, Fo-Ngod, Fo-Saŋ, Fo-Fɨlɨŋ, and Fo-Munyam. Historically, sub-chiefs assisted the king in administering their wards/villages and played leading roles in the traditional council. Finally, their positions are hereditary although the king may intervene especially in situations of succession disputes.
