Dimensions: H:36.6" W:7.9" L:7.9" Weight: 5.3 lbs.
Bamileke Chief's pipe created by Bamileke in Cameroon - In the Bamileke and other small kingdoms and chiefdoms of the Grassfields, in northwestern Cameroon, a large pipe bowl made of terracotta or brass depicting a king or chief was primarily offered as a gift on ceremonial occasions. These prestige tobacco pipes were a much liked and well-known status symbol.
About the Tribe
The Cameroon-Bamileke Bantu people cluster encompasses multiple Bantu ethnic groups primarily found in Cameroon, the largest of which is the Bamileke. Between the 11th and 14th centuries, they moved to what is now northern Cameroon. They moved further south and west in the 17th century to avoid being forced to convert to Islam by the Fulani tribe. They live in a hilly and mountainous area in south-west Cameroon known as "The Grassland," which is bordered on the south by an equatorial forest and on the north by a savannah.