Between God, the Dead and the Wild: Chamba Interpretations of Ritual and Religion

Analyzing ethnographically the understandings the Chamba have of their own religion and rituals, this book is based on observations of two villages, one in Nigeria and one in Cameroon. The book shows how the beliefs of the two similar groups manifest themselves in different ways. Focusing in particular on the Chamba conceptions of people, masks and cults, the study applies contemporary social theory to Chamba religions and shows how particular Chamba individuals integrate their concerns with notions of human purpose, the agricultural cycle and the values of the wild. The impact of Christianity and Islam is assessed and the book concludes that Chamba from centralized communities are more able to achieve a synthesis of their religious concerns than those from uncentralized areas.