Fon - King Of The Kom Tribe Tour

Have an audience with the Fon - King of the Kom tribe. It's a 2-hour trek from Fundong up to the Impenetrable palace sitting in the clouds overlooking the kingdom of Kom.

Buy a bottle of wine as a 'gift' to send to the Fon in advance to see if he will accept your wish for an audience. You will also have to take with you a gift of money in an envelope to present to him when you arrive (the amount is up to you).

After this you will be invited to stay in the king's court and watch the proceedings of traditional cases, tribal matters, disputes as well as enjoy lunch, beer, wine, Fanta or whatever other gifts the Fon has been given that day. From Fundong you can trek 2 hours up to the palace, take a motorbike taxi, or in the dry season a taxi if you are feeling adventurous.

Itinerary

7:00 Meet at a reception center in Belo

7:30 Taxi to Kom

8:45 Kom village

9:30 Meet guide in Fundong village and begin the trek

12:00 Break for lunch

14:00 Return to the village

KOM ART & LIFE:

TYPES OF ART

In recognition of the importance of the skull, representations of the head are found in nearly all decorated utilitarian items. Masks used in initiation and for education purposes are common. Statuary often represents the Fon (head chief), and many types of beaded and ivory objects, including stools that symbolize the seat of royal power, are related to the Fon's investiture.

HISTORY

The Kom is part of a larger cultural area known collectively as the Western Cameroon Grasslands and live in the northern part of Northwest Province. They originally came from an area to the north and migrated in various complex patterns throughout the last several centuries. Fulani traders moving steadily southwards into Cameroon in the 17th century forced the Kom's southern drift.

Many smaller ethnic groups combined, while other factions split away as a result of pressure from the invading Fulani. During the late 18th century many Fulani converted to Islam and their expansionist mentality grew as a result of religious zeal. They successfully converted many Kom to Islam.

ECONOMY

People in the region played an important part in regional trade routes connecting with the seaport of Douala in the south and with Fulani and Hausa traders in the north. The Kom are farmers who grow maize, yams, and peanuts as staple crops. They also raise some livestock, including chickens and goats, which play an important role in daily sustenance. Women, who are believed to make the soil more fruitful, are responsible for the tasks of planting and harvesting the crops. Men are responsible for clearing the fields for planting and practicing some nominal hunting.