Zintgraff's Explorations in Bamenda, Adamawa and the Benue Lands 1889-1892

The following pages, initially prepared for limited circulation in 1961, contain brief extracts and summaries of those parts of Eugen Zintgraff's book Nord-Kamerun (1895), of most interest concerning the colonial Bamenda and Wum Division. Zintgraff's book, the first by a European about the Grassfields, has not been translated and is hard to get second-hand. In using these notes the following points should be borne in mind: Zintgraff's knowledge of Bali (Mungaka) and Hausa was very slight, and his discussions of character, motives and political institutions are consequently superficial and open to criticisms. He had no means of checking what he was told, or thought he was told.