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Border Transgression Among Pre-colonial Cameroon Grassfields Dynastic States in the 19th Century
Tindo Narcisse Saturnin Kaze
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DOI:10.17265/2159-550X/2026.02.004
The University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
This paper examines the socio-anthropological and historical forces that shaped territorial mobility, border transgression, and inter-polity relations among pre-colonial Cameroon Grassfields societies, with particular attention to the responses of fondoms whose territorial sovereignty was challenged. Before the imposition of colonial boundaries following the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, the Grassfields region was constituted by a mosaic of autonomous socio-political entities, commonly designated as fondoms, whose authority, legitimacy, and spatial control were embedded in indigenous systems of chieftaincy and governance. These polities maintained fluid yet regulated territorial frontiers, often demarcated by natural landmarks such as rivers, forests, and mountain ranges, and governed through locally negotiated norms of land use, allegiance, and citizenship.
The study argues that border management in the pre-colonial Cameroon Grassfields was neither anarchic nor incidental, but rather a structured and institutionalized process involving chiefs, lineage heads, ritual specialists, and military actors. Despite the existence of elaborate mechanisms for territorial regulation and population control, border crossings and encroachments were recurrent features of Grassfields political life. Linguistic, cultural, and ritual homogeneity across neighboring fondoms significantly blurred territorial distinctions, complicating the identification of outsiders and rendering pre-colonial notions of citizenship both porous and negotiable. Far from being merely disruptive, border transgression functioned as a central mechanism of state formation, demographic expansion, and political consolidation, enabling certain fondoms to enhance their power, legitimacy, and regional influence.
By foregrounding border transgression as a constitutive rather than anomalous process, this study challenges static representations of pre-colonial African polities. It contributes to the historiography of chieftaincy by reconceptualizing Grassfields states as dynamic, adaptive, and historically contingent formations. It further contends that many pre-colonial Grassfields polities emerged precisely through processes of territorial incorporation and negotiated sovereignty. The article situates contemporary intra- and inter-state boundary disputes in Cameroon within the disruptive legacy of colonial boundary-making, arguing that the European fixation of borders—rooted in the logic of the Berlin Conference—disregarded indigenous spatial logics and governance systems, thereby exacerbating tensions and eroding pre-existing frameworks of citizenship and belonging. Methodologically, the study combines ethnohistorical analysis, oral traditions collected from Grassfields rulers, and archival research from the National Archives in Buea and related repositories. By foregrounding border transgression as a constitutive historical process, this article contributes to the historiography of chieftaincy and repositions Grassfields polities as dynamic actors in African state formation.
border-transgression, fondoms, Cameroon Grassfields, traditional diplomacy
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