West Cameroon Bamilékés’ Cult of the Skulls

The place of the dead among the living is universally relevant. Among the West Cameroon Bamiléké, the corpse becomes the centre of rituals aimed to preserve the memory of the deceased one, while removing the perishable flesh. At the end of a double funeral, the cult of the skulls elevates the deceased to the status of ancestor, and provides a place among the community of the living that the dead will never relinquish.