Gvi ajûŋ! Welcome!

  

The Journey of the Afo-A-Kom or How Kom came to be known to the rest of the world. Kom is the name of a kingdom in West Africa somewhat north of the town of Bamenda, West Africa. Kom became prominent in 1973 when The New York Times published a series of articles about a sacred statue that had been stolen from the royal storage house and transported across the Atlantic, where it came into the possession of a New York art dealer. "... it was reportedly on sale for $60,000 US."  

Laikom was the place of first settlement of Kom people, who believe they were led there from Bamessi by an incarnation--in python form--of their first Fon. As I have noted elsewhere (Shanklin, The Track of the Python, this volume), this myth emphasizes two important principles of Kom tradition--matrilineality and guidance by the ancestors--and, ..., the python has had important implications for Kom architecture, particularly Laikom architecture. Culled from Nawain Eugenia Shanklin's Research Paper titled - "The Path to Laikom: Kom Royal Court Compounds," Conference Proceedings: Palace Architecture, Grassfields Working Group, Oxford, 1982. Paideuma 31-111-150.

Kom Brief History: Oral traditions have been the unique source of Kom early history. Their traditions of settlement linked them with the so-called Tikar of the central Grassfields who migrated from the Upper Mbam river and its tributaries. The Grassfields which extend from the highlands of the North-Western to the Western regions of the country Cameroon, were for centuries, a 'scene of movement of small groups of peoples and the diffusion of institutions and material culture.

  

Kom language is slowly coming of age as an institution in academia. Woynkom, itoŋt(ɨ) iyemi sɨ zɨ (or Mà wèyn toŋtɨ). Children of Kom, greetings to you. Ma chi meyn ila’ i Kom a fèyn beŋsɨ tâyn gvi wi a nchɨyntɨ Kom. I have lived in this Kom land for 5 years without coming to Kom meetings. Iwo na yèynì bem nô bɨ. This situation is not good at all. Fɨbùyn fɨ bu timi fvɨ abû’ ni gvi mô abû’ a ŋweyna. A squirrel has never forgotten the way back to its hole.

Location:Lat 6° 7', 6° 24' N | Long 10° 41',10° 31' E.
Surface Area: 1592^2km or 615^2mi.
Population: 233.000 inhabitants.
Villages: 42 villages @ 4000-5000 citizens each.
History: Settled here in the mid-18th century.
Govt: Traditional with the Fon as CEO.
Religions: Animism, Christianity , Islam.
Economy: Cash crops - coffee, kola-nuts.
Subsistence: corn, pumpkins, yams, vegetables, etc.
Eco-Tourism: Largest montane rain-forest in West Africa.

With its capital LAIKOM perched at over 6000ft above sea level and a general up and down terrain of multiple hills and valleys interspersed with waterfalls, streams, brooks, lakes and caves, Kom offers a kaleidoscope of landscapes reminiscent of Scotland and Switzerland. Grassfields paint the landscape green in the rainy season and golden brown in the dry season.

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