Sùre bell with an external clapper
Cameroon, Grassfields, Foumban
Bamum kingdom. Late 19th - early 20th century
Wood, iron, rattan, cowries, glass beads, felt
Gift of the painter Émile Chambon in 1981; purchased from Pierre Vérité in Paris
MEG Inv. ETHAF 042416
Notice
The sùre bell was reserved for the princes ruling the lineage, the Nji, and high dignitaries, especially the chiefs of brotherhoods. It opened the way for the king when he ascended to the throne. The sùre was also the customary present from the king when the prince was enthroned. The chief of the ngüri, the society of princes, had the bell rung loudly throughout the city and set down in front of the heir on the lands belonging to his lineage.
Alexandra Loumpet Galitzine
Bibliography
- Savary, C.. 1978-79. Histoire et situation des Bamum.BAMEG, Consulter le N° 106 p. 144.
© 2015 Musée d'ethnographie, Genève
Ville de Genève, Département de la culture et du sport