Joseph Atemengue was an Ewondo headman and

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...

leader during the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

period in

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

. After the defeat of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, France gained control of Ewondo lands in Cameroon. They did not trust the German-appointed

paramount chief A paramount chief is the English-language designation for the highest-level political leader in a regional or local polity or country administered politically with a chief-based system. This term is used occasionally in anthropological and arch ...

of the Ewondo and Bane peoples,

Charles Atangana Charles Atangana (c. 1880 – 1 September 1943), also known by his birth name, Ntsama, and his German name, Karl, was the paramount chief of the Ewondo and Bane ethnic groups during much of the colonial period in Cameroon. Although from an un ...

, due to his history of loyalty to the Germans. They instead appointed the headman Joseph Atemengue as their chief agent in the

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of more than 2.8 million, the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,50 ...

region. From his post in

Dschang Dschang is a city located in the West (Ouest) Province of Cameroon, with an estimated population of 87,000 (est) in 2001, growing dramatically from 21,705 recorded in 1981. The 2006 Population is estimated to be 200,000 inhabitants. Dschang is th ...

, Atangana attempted to secure an alliance with Atemengue by sending his 20-year-old daughter, Katerina, to marry the new leader. She eventually left Atemengue, who was much older, and returned to her father. Atemengue was never as popular as Atangana had been among the Ewondo and Bane. The French removed him from office and reinstated Atangana as paramount chief in December 1921. Atemengue became the chief justice of the local court. He served satisfactorily in this position.Quinn 492. Rue Joseph Atemengue and Plateau Atemengue in downtown Yaoundé are named for him.

Notes

References

* Njoh, Ambe J.
Street and Real Property Identification
. University of South Florida, St. Petersburg. Accessed 13 November 2006. * Quinn, Frederick (1980). "Charles Atangana of Yaounde". ''The Journal of African History'', Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 485–95. Cambridge University Press. Cameroonian judges Cameroonian traditional rulers Year of death missing Year of birth missing {{Cameroon-politician-stub