Quelles étaient les fonctions des plateformes de Djaba-Hosséré (Nord-Cameroun) ?

Abstract

The very heart of the space occupied by the Djaba chiefdom during the early nineteenth century holds some twenty tabular structures, the function of which is enigmatic. Are they burial mounds, hut bases, or kpə̀’ə̀n – those buildings associated with the exercise of power and evoked by some informants ? In the aim of answering this question, we have excavated a test-pit on one of these buildings and tried to learn more about these kpə̀’ə̀n by dedicating them some surveys. The archaeological work undertaken, associated with the ethnographic data collected, will lead to favour a hypothesis. However, they will be not be sufficient to reject the alternative assumptions.

Keywords

• Dìì
• platform
• burial mound
• space organization
• chiefdom