carved drinking horn, unrecorded Bamum artist

Exhibition Label:
"For Life's Sake: Arts from Africa," Oct-1983, Reinhild Kauenhoven Janzen
"In the Cameroons a man's drinking cup was a status symbol until about the 1960's. Men of authority and prosperity owned the ebony-black intricately carved royal buffalo horn, whereas the commoner used a gourd to drink from. The horns of the buffalo belonged to the ruler of the hunting grounds and he alone could divide them among his nobles. The patterns carved in relief became status symbols, limited to the feudal hierarchy. For example: the elephant and buffalo heads are royal symbols, signifying these animals' strength, cleverness, cunning transferred to the people's leader; the lizards which frame the spout of the horn make a reference to either the common house lizard, regarded as a sign of tranquility within the household or to the rainbow lizard, dwelling in the stone formations of the palace grounds, and therefore considered an omen of peace; the circle of frogs around the rim of the drinking horn signifies increase in fame and prosperity. There are two different spider motifs: the web-weaving spider, a welcome guest in any home as a symbol of peace and protection, and the sacred earth spider, the mediator between the ancestors and the living, the final judge in divination. The snake with two heads alludes to the origin myths of the Bikar (?) people, particularly in the dynasties of the Bamum, Banso and Bekom. The capped human head signifies a royal personage and the two cap-less heads signify servants connected with the feudal household. Similarly, the prominent head tied to the tip of the horn is expressive of high status. The double gongs proclaim the chief's participation in the secret and sacred authority of regulatory associations. The rhomboid pattern occurs in royal tapestries where it signifies shrines and ceremonial quarters of the Old Palace Grounds of the former rulers of the Bamum in Fumban, the capital." The interpretation of this drinking horn is based on Parul Gebauer's understanding of Cameroon culture and art.