A pipe from the Mabouo chiefdom in the Grassfields of Cameroon, attributed to the Bamum. Its bowl is densely modelled, and a long, slender stem rises from it at an angle.

1. Form and Modelling

The front of the bowl is organised around a raised central ridge cut with diagonal strokes, like a herringbone. On either side, rows of rounded studs run down the length of the bowl. Two small raised discs near the top read as eyes, and small animal forms with incised hatched surfaces cling to the sides and the lower end. A banded cap closes the top of the bowl.

The stem is a plain, dark, smooth shaft. It enters the bowl through a collar of fine ridges, and a short thickened section marks the join.

2. Context

The collection catalogue gives the origin as the Mabouo chiefdom and compares the pipe with two related pieces in the collection. Pipes of this kind belong to the world of chiefly display in the Grassfields, where objects of the court were shown to signal standing.

Summary

A Bamum prestige pipe from the Mabouo chiefdom, notable for the studded, ridged relief of its bowl and its long slender stem.