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This present offering is a group of three maps of parts of Cameroon, including two English maps and a German map, which cover a period from the German colonial period of Cameroon prior to World War I to the English colonial rule of the 1920s and 1930s.
Two of the three maps are drawn by important colonial administrators / military officers, with the third having a name which sounds indigenous. Please refer to the biographies below.
Skizze des Weges Bali–Banyo (14 x 11" sheet)
This manuscript map titled "Sketch of the Route from Bali to Banyo" documents a German military reconnaissance or administrative journey through the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon during the German colonial period, prior to World War I. It was compiled by Hauptmann (Captain) Hans Glauning, a German officer, and presents a carefully annotated route through the rugged interior of the Kamerun colony, specifically focusing on the strategic and logistical corridor between Bali and Banyo.
This map is an example of early German colonial cartography in Cameroon. Dating to the early 1900s, during Glauning’s tenure with the Schutztruppe in the colony of Kamerun, the map charts the exploratory and military route from the Grassfields capital of Bali Nyonga in the west to Banyo, a Fulani Muslim emirate on the northern frontier. It reflects both geographic observation and the military-political aims of the German colonial regime in integrating the highland regions of the Bamenda Plateau with the northern territories of the Adamawa Plateau.
Glauning’s map is notable for its detailed topographic profiling, expressed through hand-inked red and black elevation notations in meters, marking successive summits and valleys encountered along the route. The route—highlighted in red—traverses a corridor through settlements such as Bali, Babussang, Bashuale, Sorori, and Kinkau, ascending through the Hohe Plateau (high plateau) of the Bamenda Grassfields before descending toward Banyo in the savanna zone. Elevation points are scrupulously recorded, suggesting this map was compiled either during or after a measured march or reconnaissance patrol, likely part of the early Schutztruppe penetration of the Fulani-controlled north.
The map employs mixed geographic and ethnographic labeling. Terms like Sultanat Banyo, Fulbe (Fulani), and Sudland mit Baum-Savanne reflect contemporary German colonial understanding of territorial divisions, vegetation zones, and sociopolitical boundaries. Additionally, the inclusion of Bahnune (Bamum) oder Bali Kumbat in the south highlights Glauning’s engagement with key polities of the Grassfields region, many of which—such as Bamum and Bali Nyonga—were German allies during campaigns against resisting chiefdoms.
This map holds particular significance in light of Glauning’s broader role in the consolidation of German power in western Cameroon. It exemplifies the dual role Schutztruppe officers played as both cartographers and combatants. Their mapping was not neutral geographic inquiry but part of the logistical apparatus of conquest—used to link friendly allies such as the Bali and Bamum with the contested Muslim north. As such, the Skizze des Weges Bali–Banyo is both a product and a tool of colonial expansion, providing a spatial framework for the military, administrative, and ethnographic control of Cameroon’s interior.
The terrain is described with terms such as:
- Hoch Plateau (High Plateau)
- Hügel- und mit Baum-Savanne (hilly region with tree-savannah)
- Gras-Savanne (grass savannah)
- Steppisch (steppe-like)
Of particular interest is the annotation of the “Sultanat Banyo”, reflecting the German policy of indirect rule through Fulani Muslim elites in this region. The presence of phrases such as “Weg der Vorschubwagens der Haussa” (“route of the Hausa supply wagon”) indicates German collaboration or confrontation with Hausa-Fulani forces during the campaign.
The legend at lower right deciphers various markings:
- Rote Linie (red line): Main road of the journey
- Blaue Linie (blue line): likely watercourses or alternative paths
- Kreis mit Punkt: camp sites or overnight stations
- Schraffiert: terrain characteristics such as escarpments or forested areas
Map No. 1 To Illustrate The Migration of the Bali Clan (12.2 x 14.3" sheet)
This 1924 hand-drawn map, titled "Map No. 1 to illustrate the migration of the Bali Clan", accompanies Sir William Edward Hunt’s assessment report on the Bali clan in the Bamenda Division of the Cameroons Province, part of British-administered Mandate Cameroon. Created during Hunt’s tenure as District Officer, the map is both an administrative and ethnographic document, depicting the approximate historical migration route of the Bali (Nyonga) people, one of the principal Grassfields polities in colonial Cameroon.
Drawn in ink and annotated with red dashed lines, the map traces the clan’s path from the northeastern interior—beginning near Kontscha (or Kwancha), Yoko and Tibati in the Adamawa Plateau region—southwestward through Banyo, Ngambe, and other key locations, before reaching their final settlement in Bali Nyonga, near modern-day Bamenda. This route aligns with oral histories associating the Bali with a Tikar origin and with the broader southward migration patterns of many Grassfields groups.
The map marks both geopolitical boundaries and ethnic territories, with British Cameroons and French Cameroons clearly labeled, reflecting the post-WWI partition of the former German colony under the League of Nations Mandate. Settlements, rivers, and roadways are included to contextualize the Bali clan’s movements and interactions with neighboring groups and colonial infrastructure. Additional notations identify Bafu Fondoms, Dschang, Numbe, Nkambe, and other administrative and ethnographic reference points used in the report.
The map was likely prepared in conjunction with W.E. Hunt's 1924 report entitled An assessment report on the Bali clan in the Bamenda Division of the Cameroons Province.
Ngemba Mogamaw Areas, Bamenda Division (12.5 x 12.5")
This hand annotated blueprint-style assessment map was drawn in 1934 by J.A. Motoma Rhoadson as part of the British colonial administration’s effort to delineate ethnic boundaries, infrastructure, and judicial jurisdictions in the British Cameroons, specifically within the Bamenda Division. Issued in the aftermath of the League of Nations mandate that partitioned former German Kamerun, this map reflects the bureaucratic apparatus of indirect rule as implemented by British district officers in the interwar period.
According to the legend in the upper right, the map is based on an enlargement from German colonial cartographer Gustav Moisel. It was updated to reflect British administrative interests, notably for assessment and infrastructural planning. The legend defines three color-coded territorial areas:
- Ngemba, outlined in orange
- Mogamaw, in dark yellow
- Bali, in purple
The regions are overlaid with notations for existing bush paths, motorable roads (dry season), proposed motor roads, and proposed native courts, which are marked with paired circles. The scale is given as 1:50,000, suggesting this was intended for localized administrative planning rather than general geographic reference.
The mapped area encompasses the Ngemba Grassfields and surrounding territories, including key localities such as:
- Bamenda (colonial divisional headquarters)
- Bali, Bafut, Mankon, Santa, Nkwen, Mendankwe, Banja, and Bambili
- Peripheral areas such as Busam, Meta, Babanki, and the Mamfe Division
The territory abuts the French Sphere, indicating the international boundary between British and French Cameroon, formalized after World War I. The inclusion of this border underlines the significance of the map not only for internal administration but also for defining limits of British influence in the region.
Drawn in 1934, this map was produced during a period when British authorities were consolidating control through the formalization of native courts, road-building schemes, and indirect rule. The ethnic delineations were informed by anthropological theories common in British colonial governance, with boundaries demarcated to reflect presumed tribal territories—a process which often oversimplified or reified fluid, precolonial social structures.
Hans Glauning was a German colonial officer who served as a Hauptmann (Captain) in the Schutztruppe in Kamerun, the German colony in present-day Cameroon, from approximately 1901 until his death in 1908. He played a significant role in the military and administrative consolidation of German rule in the western Grassfields and northern Adamawa Plateau during a period of active resistance and expansion.
Glauning’s activities centered primarily around two key regions: the Bali–Bamenda highlands and the Banyo area of northern Cameroon.
Captain Glauning was deeply involved in Germany’s military efforts to subjugate the independent polities of the western Grassfields. He participated in a major expedition against the kingdoms of Bafut and Mankon in 1901–1902, operating out of Bali Nyonga, a powerful ally of the Germans in the region. Following the defeat of Bafut, Glauning assumed increasing responsibility for the administration of the Bamenda district, eventually serving as the commanding officer of the German station there.
Glauning cultivated a close political and military alliance with the Bali Nyonga leadership, attending key political ceremonies and supporting the Bali in their claims to regional dominance. He was present at the 1905 installation of Fon Fonyonga II as paramount chief, an event symbolizing the peak of Bali-German collaboration in the Grassfields.
As head of the Bamenda station, Glauning launched several campaigns to pacify surrounding territories. He led expeditions against the Meta’, Baham, and Kom peoples and, most notably, against the Nso’ kingdom in 1905–1906. These expeditions involved both Schutztruppe troops and allied African forces. The Bamum kingdom, under King Njoya, provided significant auxiliary support to Glauning during the Nso’ campaign, a coordinated effort that both suppressed resistance and strengthened Bamum political interests.
Glauning also took part in operations further north, particularly in the Adamawa Plateau, during the German military push into Fulani-controlled territories. In 1902, he passed through the Lamidat of Banyo, whose population had fled in advance of his column. Glauning entered the deserted settlement and seized objects from the lamido’s residence, including elaborately carved wooden posts, which he later sent to Germany.
In the years that followed, Glauning returned to the region as part of a German-British boundary demarcation expedition from Yola to Lake Chad, helping to define the northern limits of German Kamerun. These activities were instrumental in bringing the Fulani lamidats, including Tibati and Banyo, under colonial administration.
Hans Glauning was known not only for his military leadership but also for his ethnographic collecting. He sent numerous cultural artifacts back to Germany and contributed detailed reports on the peoples and geography of the territories he explored. His writings and fieldwork were published in official German colonial reports and newspapers.
He died in 1908 during a military campaign in the Bamenda hinterland. His legacy is tied to the aggressive assertion of German colonial power in Cameroon, especially in the Bali–Bamenda and Banyo areas. His alliances with local rulers such as those of Bali and Bamum demonstrate the complex interplay of cooperation and coercion that characterized the expansion of German influence in the region.
Sir William Edward Hunt was a British colonial administrator whose career was closely tied to the early history of British rule in Cameroon following the First World War. Serving as one of the earliest District Officers in the newly established British Cameroons, Hunt played a foundational role in setting up civil administration in a region previously governed by Germany. His tenure in Cameroon, particularly in the Grassfields region, combined administrative authority with ethnographic inquiry, producing one of the earliest colonial accounts of the Bali migration.
Hunt arrived in British Cameroons shortly after the German defeat in 1916, during the transition from military to civil rule. Initially posted to the Ossidinge Division, he authored detailed reports on local governance, social conditions, and legal disputes. These documents helped define British policy in a region where colonial structures were still in flux. In Ossidinge, and later in Bamenda Division, Hunt was responsible for implementing the system of indirect rule, working through local chiefs while navigating tensions inherited from German administrative arrangements. He frequently encountered conflicts over chiefly authority, particularly among groups who had been subordinated under German rule. Rather than immediately dismantle existing hierarchies, Hunt and his colleagues maintained the status quo, reinforcing paramount chieftaincies such as that of Bali Nyonga.
By 1924, Hunt was Acting Resident of the Cameroons Province, the highest administrative post in the territory. In that role, he was tasked with overseeing a vast and diverse region, including highland kingdoms and decentralized communities. His most enduring legacy from this period was his Assessment Report on the Bali Clan, completed in 1925. This document traced the historical migration of the Bali-Chamba people from the Adamawa region into the Bamenda Grassfields. Drawing on oral tradition, Hunt described the political ascent of the Bali under their leaders Gawɛbo and Galega, their subjugation of neighboring communities, and the eventual consolidation of their chieftaincy. He also noted the evolution of their language and cultural practices following contact with local groups. The report was notable for its attempt to document indigenous beliefs and customs before they were altered by colonial influences. It would remain a key text for subsequent administrators and researchers.
After his tenure in Cameroon, Hunt advanced to senior roles in Nigeria. By the late 1920s, he was tasked with overseeing the rollout of new taxation ordinances in Eastern Nigeria, helping to prepare the ground for direct taxation. Though this policy later triggered widespread unrest, Hunt’s role in its introduction was marked by deliberate planning and local consultation. He was later appointed Chief Commissioner (and subsequently Lieutenant-Governor) of the Southern Provinces of Nigeria, where he dealt with land claims, administrative disputes, and racial segregation policies. He also served briefly as acting Governor of Nigeria during a gubernatorial absence.
Throughout his career, Hunt was recognized for his deep knowledge of native administration and African social structures. He was knighted and received several honors for his service. His writings, especially the Bali report, reflect both the strengths and limitations of colonial ethnography: they offer rare historical insight while also serving administrative ends.
