and another potential jews of west africa group appears to be the bamileke of cameroon.

im not aware of any iq data on them, though.

been meaning to do a follow up post on the bamileke of cameroon since

well, since last november! always on top of things here at the hbd chick
blog. (*^_^*) so, at long last, here we go.
oh. in case you dont recall or didnt realize, ive been trying to track down
other outbreeders around the world populations which have avoided close
relative marriage (closer than second cousins) over the long term (say 30 or
40+ generations) to see what theyre like: what their family structures are
like, what their social structures are like, if theyre corrupt or nepotistic or
have a lot of infighting between families/clans, etc. im interested in finding
out if there are any generalbehavioral traits common to outbreeders. same
for the inbreeders, too, actually.
the bamileke are outbreeders. they avoid all marriage with anybody on their
mothers side of the family (their matrilineage), and also tend to avoid
marriage to third cousins or closer on the fathers side [pg. 149]:
The matrilineage is comprised of all the people descended through women from a common female
ancestor. Since all female descendants of the matrilineage are considered his sisters, a man
must not marry within this group. No specific taboos exist against marriage within a
patrilineage, although most Bamileke who share a common male ancestor four generations
back [i.e. a great-great-grandfather-h.chick] will not intermarry. Whereas members of a
patrilineage live close to each other and regularly commune with each other, those of a matrilineage
are not close and may, in fact, belong to different chiefdoms.

the bamileke, however, like many african groups, practice polygamywhich

probably narrows the genetic relatedness in the population. i dont have
any figures on how much polygamy is practiced there.
dont know for how long the bamileke have been avoiding close cousin
marriage, but i suspect that it is at least a few hundred years. the bamileke
first came up here on the blog in a previous post, flatlanders vs. mountaineers
revisited, in which we saw that they are some of the cameroon highlanders many of

them living in very mountainous regions of cameroon, but yet their mating
patterns i.e. avoiding close cousin marriage dont seem to fit the
broad pattern of highlanders or mountain folk typically inbreeding. apparently, however,
the bamileke are fairly recent arrivals in the highlands, having migrated
from the (flat)adamawa plateau somewhere around the 1600s [pg. 261 links
added by me]:
As for the Bamileke, their ancient history is closely linked to that of the two previous groups. All
came from the north, from the region todayoccupied by the Tikar. Their migration probably began in
the seventeenth century and took place in successive waves.

so, it could be that the bamileke are long-term outbreeders (because they
originally came from a flatlander region) who transplanted themselves into
more mountainous regions beginning ca. four hundred years ago. they
dont seem to have adopted a mountaineer economy pastoralism for
instance but, rather, stuck to farming. what might have (ironically) saved
them from eventually having to adopt pastoralism was the arrival of the
germans who introduced coffee growing to the cameroon highlands. the
bamileke quickly adopted the cash-crop system of coffee growing and
trading with europeans. not sure about this, though just a guess on my
part.
it might be impossible to reconstruct the history of the bamileke peoples
mating patterns from historical records (which will have been written almost
solely by europeans, of course). if i find any published accounts by christian
missionaries in cameroon, they might include some info on the bamileke.
otherwise, genetic data (runs of homozygosity) would probably be the best
way to discover how in- or outbred the bamileke are. for now, all i can say
is that currently (in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries) the bamileke are
outbreeders. and judging by their history, theres a good chance that
theyve been outbreeders for a few hundred years, but that is just speculation on
my part.
having said that, what are the bamileke like? what are their family types
and social structures like?

traditional bamileke families do not appear to have been nuclear families, primarily
because polygamy was (is) practiced, so that is unlike the outbred societies
weve seen in western europe.
one subgroup of the bamileke, the bangwa ( bangoua in french), are
described thusly [pg. 1]:
Nor is Bangwa a lineage-based society. Bangwa social life is not carried on in the all-embracing
idiom of kinship, with personal loyalties and resources pooled in discrete unilineal descent groups.
Kinship here is an individual business, with a person in the centre of a ramifying network of ties
linking him with matrilineal and patrilineal kin, affines, creditor-lords, political superiors and so on. A
Bangwa claims no clan or lineage membership, and no corporate group takes responsibility
for any of his actions. Kinship is an aid to the business of making a living: tradiing, inheriting,
acquiring a title, farming, ruling and marrying. And as the business of living is complex in Bangwa so
is the kinship system.

these features not having tight clans or even lineages, individuals having
to take responsibility for their own actions are very much like what we see
in the long-term outbreeding european populations. dont know if the rest of
the bamileke are like the bangwa in these regards, but im guessing yes,
since i havent read any descriptions anywhere of bamileke peoples
engaging in blood feuds or having a wergeld-like system. this absence of
tight clans/kindreds seems outbred to me.
however [pg. 351]:
Customary political structures revolve around kinship, which the Bamileke define by dual descent
patrilineal ties typically determine village residence and rights to land, but matrilineal ties define
ritual obligations and the inheritance of movable property.

so larger kinship groupings are not totally unimportant to the bamileke.

from the previous post (and from this article [pdf]):
Although the group solidarity of the Bamileke is strong, individual achievement is highly valued.
Members of the group are expected to exercise individual initiative in the pursuit of economic
goals.Individual acquisition of economic resources including private property, money, and other

remuneration is stressed. Other cultural characteristics of the group that have been invaluable to
their entrepreneurial skills are discussed below.
[T]he social status of an individual in this ethnic group is not rigidly fixed; individuals male or
female can improve their condition in life and are expected to do so. Commercial and business
success is one of the most highly valued routes to prestige and status. Bamileke women are also
expected to achieve economic and comnercial success and there are few traditional limits placed on
their economic participation.
The traditional values of the Bamileke stress individual competition and overt displays of getting
ahead. Individual Bamileke are expected to compete and to surpass each others accomplishments.
The emphasis on competition is not limited to economic activities, but is a feature of personal
relationships as well: within families, children are expected to compete with their siblings; sons and
daughters are encouraged to surpass the achievements of their parents.
[P]oorer relatives are not expected or allowed to lay claim to or live off the riches of
wealthier family members.
A final feature of traditional society which must be noted is the system of succession and
inheritance. Of all the elements characteristic of Bamileke social organization, this feature has been
fundamental and has had far-reaching implications for the rate and pace of Bamileke participation in
economic growth, development, and change. Succession and inheritance rules are determined by
the principle of patrilineal descent. According to custom, the eldest son is the probable heir, but a
father may choose any one of his sons to succeed him. An heir takes his dead fathers name
and inherits any titles held by the latter, including the right to membership in any societies to which
he belonged. The rights in land held by the deceased were conferred upon the heir subject to the
approval of the chief, and, in the event of financial inheritance, the heir was not obliged to share this
with other family members. The ramifications of this are significant. First, dispossessed family
members were not automatically entitled to live off the wealth of the heir. Siblings who did not share
in the inheritance were, therefore, strongly encouraged to make it on their own through individual
initiative and by assuming responsibility for earning their livelihood.
A notable feature of the group is the complementarity between individualism and collective
unity. Individuals are expected to make their own way in the world while retaining a strong ethnic
identity and group association. This interact is one of the factors accounting for their economic
success. Each individual, for example, is expected to contribute as much to the group as he

receives in return. Thus, cooperation is essential. The group is perceived of as an

interdependent system based on the strength of individual links.
A principal Bamileke belief is that individuals are, in the final analysis, responsible for their
own fate. One makes ones way in society on the basis of individual qualities. Status distinctions
and rank are not rigidly fixed and there is always the possibility of advancement.

so here we have: individualism, extended family NOT being able to

automatically rely on other members of the extended family, no precise
inheritance rules (which is something emmanuel todd identifies as a trait of
absolute nuclear family societies), and the collective unity of the larger
group (NOT any family group). these are all traits that are found in outbred,
core europe although they are expressed somewhat differently in
northwest europe vs. cameroon.
the bamileke also have a lot of voluntary associations, another
characteristic common in outbred europe and not normally found in inbred populations at
least none of the inbred populations ive looked at so far [ pg. 42]:
The original function of these societies was to administer initiation rites, but in societies with a more
complex economy and polity, both male and female associations grew in importance by assuming a
plurality of administrative and commercial functions as well, such as tax collection, price control in
markets, maintenance of public order, and organization of collective work. The *mandjon* societies
of Bamileke men and women provide good examples of such traditional associations. The womens
*mandjon* are presided over by the mother of the *fon* or chief there are over a hundred such
chiefdoms in Bamileke territory and its members help each other in agricultural work. The
*mandjon* used to meet on a weekly basis to organize such work. In addition to associations that fit
into the political structure of Bamileke society, there are also many autonomous associations based
on neighborhood. Aside from ritual functions (such as divination and faith healing) they also act as
savings groups and associations for mutual assistance. More recently, Bamileke associations
have been adapted to the needs of urban living and have led to a proliferation of voluntary
membership clubs that provide mutual aid, companionship for immigrants, and
entertainment. The savings groups are maintained by members paying in fixed amounts at
weekly meetings, taking turns in receiving the entire sum. Membership is not restricted to a
single saving association and the Bamileke tend to join them as soon as they earn money.

interestingly, the bamileke are probably the most successful group in

cameroon economically speaking and they are also stronglynationalistic [pg.
65]:
In the towns and cities, they are known for their skills at running small and large businesses and for
their professional abilities. During the years of the French colonial empire, the Bamileke were
leaders in the nationalistic rebellion, especially the 1955 uprising that led to Cameroons
independence. Today the Bamileke are extremely influential in the Cameroonian commercial
economy. They are also one of the major constituencies of the Union de Populations du Cameroun
(UPC), the fiercly nationalistic political party.

i havent found out anything yet on corruption in bamileke society

although there seems to be plenty of it in cameroon. cant imagine that
theyre very nepotistic since the members of extended families are not
obliged to help one another out nor is aid to be expected but you
never know. i will endeavor to find out more!
(^_^)