Book Title: Alphabet Key To History Of Mankind
Author(s): David Diringer
Publisher: Hutchinsons Scientific and Technical Publications
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OTHER IDEOGRAPHIC SCRIPTS
151
Nsibidi was also employed to give public notice or private warning of anything, to forbid people to go on a certain road, to warn a friend that he is to be seized, to convey the wishes of a chief, and for other communications. For a long time messages have been sent in Nsibidi script cut or painted on split palm stems.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
J. K. Macgregor, Some Notes on Nsibidi, "JOURS. OF THE ROY. ANTHROP INSTITUTE OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND," 1909.
E. Dayrell, Further Notes on 'Nsibidi Signs, the same journal, 1911. P. A. Talbot, In Shadow of the Bush, London, 1912.
BAMUN SCRIPT
The creation of the Bamun (or Bamoun, Bamom, Bamum) writing is a good historical example of the borrowing of an idea-"that of writing in the abstract," in the words of Mr. O. G. S. Crawford, or "idea-diffusion" or "stimulus-diffusion" according to Professor Kroeber. The script was created at the beginning of the present century by Njoya, the sultan of the Bamuns in the Cameroons. There are two theories explaining the reasons for this invention: (1) Delafosse and others suggest that Njoya wanted to have a special means of communication with his local chiefs in order to avoid censorship by the Germans; (2) Labouret and other scholars suggest that the creation of the script had nothing to do with the German occupation, but was merely due to the sultan's desire to develop the culture of his people. It may be, however, that both these reasons combined with certain others (the sultan's ambition, for example) induced Njoya to think of and to carry out this remarkable invention.
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9. The large stone for grinding up the medicine. 10, Two young girls carrying water-pots on their heads. 11, The sign of love; a man and woman sleeping together. 12, A sick boy and girl sleeping together. 13. The Nsibidi House, 14, A rat trap set to catch the rat which ate the corn in the house. 15. Two sticks crossed before the door of an Egbo house. 16, Husband and wife love each other ardently; they like to put their arms round one another (shown by extended hands); they are rich (have three pillows and a table on each side); the wife holds a comb.
3-A record of an ikpe or judgment case. The lines round and twisting mean that the case was a difficult one which the people of the town could not judge by themselves, so they sent to the surrounding towns to call the wise men from them, and the case was tried by them (a) and decided; it was a case of adultery (6); the court was held under a tree (c); (d), the party who won the case; (e) a man who thumbs as a sign of contempt. 4-The record of a trial by the Nsibidi club, drawn on a small calabash: the circles show the court-house, with verandah, round which, and the inner walls, the towns-folk are standing; also the executioners are represented (T-signs).
3-A stranger (A) enters a town; he walks up the main street between two rows of houses (B-B) till he comes to Egbo House (C). As a consequence of the comet (D) lately seen, property (E) is strewn about in disorder, the Head Chief is dead and his body has been set in an armchair (G); before his house there is a seat (E). In the Egbo House (H) this symbol having rectangular (!) shape, the townspeople (J-J-J)have collected to decide between the two claimants (1-1) to the office of Head Chief now vacant
