The Bakole (Bakolle, Kole) are a

Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for National ...

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

of the Republic of Cameroon. They belong to the

Sawa Sawa may refer to: Places * Sawa, Nepal, a village development committee * Sawa, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, a village * Saveh, sometimes transliterated Sāwa, Iran, a city * Sawa Lake, Iraq People * Sawa (Hrycuniak) (born Michał Hrycunia ...

, or Cameroonian coastal peoples. The Bakole speak a language of the same name. According to

Duala Duala or Douala can refer to: Relating to Cameroon * Duala people, an ethnic group in Cameroon * Duala language, part of the Bantu languages * Douala, the largest city in Cameroon, founded by the Duala people * Rudolf Duala Manga Bell (1873–1914 ...

oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people wh ...

, the Duala, Bakole, and Limba come from a single ancestor named Ewale. From Piti, northeast of Douala, Ewale migrated to the coast to the east bank of

Wouri River The Wouri (also Vouri or Vuri) is a river in Cameroon. Cameroon has two major rivers, the Sanaga, the longest at about 525 km (325 miles) long and the Wouri, the largest. The Wouri forms at the confluence of the rivers Nkam and Makombé, ...

. The Bakole probably splintered from the Duala proper at some point and made their way west to their current territory. Today, the inhabit the coast directly north of the

Bamboko The Bamboko are a Bantu ethnic group of the Republic of Cameroon. They are part of the Sawa ethnic groups, those who live on the coast. The Bamboko probably moved to Mboko, the area southwest of Mount Cameroon, in the early 17th century. Predom ...

people, along the Rio Del Rey and south of the

Meme estuary A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...

in the

Ndian division Ndian is a department of Southwest Region in Cameroon. It is located in the humid tropical rainforest zone about southeast of Yaoundé, the capital. History Ndian division was formed in 1975 from parts of Kumba and Victoria divisions and is ...

of the

Southwest Province The Southwest Region or South-West Region () is a region in Cameroon. Its capital is Buea. , its population was 1,553,320. Along with the Northwest Region, it is one of the two Anglophone (English-speaking) regions of Cameroon. Various Ambazonia ...

. Today, the Bakole farm the fertile volcanic soils of Mount Cameroon to raise cocoyams, maize, manioc, oil palms, and plantains. Duala ethnic groups

The

Bakole language Kpwe (Mokpwe) is a Bantu language of 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 ...

is part of the

group of the Niger–Congo language family. The language is at least partially intelligible with

Mokpwe Kpwe (Mokpwe) is a Bantu language of 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 ...

, the language of the Bakweri. Individuals who have attended school or lived in an urban centre usually speak Cameroonian Pidgin English or standard English. In fact, growing numbers of

Anglophone Cameroonian Anglophone Cameroonians are the people of various cultural backgrounds, most of who hail from the English-speaking regions of Cameroon (Northwest and Southwest Regions). These regions were formerly known as the British Southern Cameroons, being p ...

s today grow up with Pidgin as their first tongue. at ''Ethnologue''.

Notes

References

* Fanso, V. G. (1989). ''Cameroon History for Secondary Schools and Colleges, Vol. 1: From Prehistoric Times to the Nineteenth Century.'' Hong Kong: Macmillan Education Ltd.

External links

Bakwerirama

Peuple Sawa
(in French) Bantu peoples Ethnic groups in Cameroon Indigenous peoples of West Africa {{Cameroon-ethno-group-stub