Nchare Yen

Nchare Yen[note 1], also referred to simply as Nchare, or by the English styling of the name as Nshare Yen, or just Nshare[note 2] (c. 1370 - 1418), was the founder of the Kingdom of Bamum, and one of the four kings who are mainly worshiped in the traditional Bamum religion due to their achievements in the Bamum society and culture.[1] Nchare Yen is the brother of Ngon Nso, the founder of the Kingdom of Nso. Nchare Yen was the son of an unknown Tikar chief, who he and his sister broke away from to establish their own kingdoms.[2] According to the book Rock of God, which discusses Nso's history,[3]

Nso and Bamoun had been constantly quibbling, and to many, this seemed to be mostly sibling rivalry than any unavoidable conflict. Since Nso was founded by the sister (Ngon Nso), the brother (Nchare-Yen, founder of Bamoum) always saw himself as the successor to the throne of Nso, according to the Tikar tradition that they both knew and respected.

King
Nchare Yen
A painting of Nchare Yen
1st Mfon of the Bamun
In office
1394–1418
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byNgouopou
Personal details
Bornc. 1370
Died1418
Military service
AllegianceKingdom of Bamum

According to one of the former leaders of the Bamum, Seidou Njimoluh Njoya, in a 1977 interview, described Nchare Yen as being a "short man with a protuberant stomach", who was "dark in complexion, had short limbs, but was very courageous", and also "loved dancing and drinking palm wine [but was] said to have been very charitable."[1] Most of what is known about Nchare Yen has been passed down from both historical, religious, and cultural sources in Bamum society, and due to the obscurity of the subject matter, there is very little in the way of evidence to verify the claims given about the events of Nchare Yen's life.

Notes
  1. Pronounced /nʃɑːʔrə jən/
  2. The different spelling in the name revolves around the transcription of the sound /ʃ/, which is written in French as ⟨ch⟩ and in English as ⟨sh⟩

References
  1. Fomine, Forka Leypey Mathew (2012). A Concise Historical Survey of the Bamum Dynasty and the Influence of Islam in Foumban, Cameroon, 1390 – Present. Yaounde, Cameroon: Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa. p. 73. ISSN 1024-0969.
  2. Fomine, Forka Leypey Mathew (2012). A Concise Historical Survey of the Bamum Dynasty and the Influence of Islam in Foumban, Cameroon, 1390 – Present. Yaounde, Cameroon: Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa. p. 71. ISSN 1024-0969.
  3. Bannavti, JK (2010). Rock of God. Bamenda, Cameroon: Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group. pp. xi.
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