Smithsonian Libraries African Art Index Project DSI Search this
Type:
Articles
Place:
Cameroon
Date:
1995
Notes:
Illustrations.
Hypotheses are formulated about the meaning of the ritual conservation of skulls among the Koma (Cameroon) and other peoples in the Upper Benue basin. By focusing attention on rites for burying and then disinterring skulls, a correlation can be established between the "drying up" of the corpse and mourning behaviors. The separation of the head serves as a model not only for the acquisition of the rank of ancestor by the deceased but also for the latter's separation from his wives. -- original abstract.
