NP in Cameroon: January 29, 2011

--After breakfast we picked up Remy and drove to the village to see the first day of the 2-day Elephant Dance. Edward took Joe's camera, wrapped a length of African print fabric around his hips forming a long skirt, and joined the group of dancers.
--My understanding is that this dance is done annually during the dry season to enhance fertility in the coming growing season, and to pass the tradition on to younger man in order to perpetuate their culture. Seventeen villages from around Mt. Cameroon participate. One village at a time, costumed men arrive outside the host village and come in carrying an Elephant Bundle and trying to avoid the host village's efforts to drive them away. They must pass certain tests of endurance and bravery before they can join the growing group of men dancing around the two men who represent elephants in a wallow. Running barefood on the rocky road, another test is to eat live coals, another is to eat raw coco yams which are poisonous, and of course they must not drop out from exhaustion. The "elephants" , ie, men who have been singled out for this honor, stay in the wallow all night long while the groups of men sing and dance. On the second day, when all 17 villages have arrived, the Elephant Bundles are opened and the most honored men from each village dress in elephant costumes and dance the Elephant Dance. It is said that sometimes the dancers turn into elephants and are never seen again because they disappear into the forest.

A village arriving

One of the lead arrivals

Dancers arriving

Bringing Fire

Maintaining the Fire

Dancers arriving at the Elephant Wallow with an Elephant Bundle

Singer with an instrument

Dancer with Amulets

Elephant Wallow

--We left earlier than we'd have liked. --Edward came to Njoke saying that some of the dancers were demanding money in order to continue filming. We agreed that seemed best to leave rather than to pay, and pretty soon have to pay again, and again,...
--In Buea we stayed at a Presbyterian Rest House that has a free kitchen - this means that we have the use of the kitchen to prepare things that we've bought in town. We were delighted with the flowering poinsettia trees just outside.