Eugen Zintgraff The German explorer, Eugen Zintgraff, was the first European ever recorded to have reached and entered the Grassfields. Zintgraff's passage through the Grassfields took place in 1889 and his published account appeared in 1895 under the title 'Nord Kamerun'. The fact that, when he returned from the north to the Grassfields, he was misdirected to Bum (Bafum) rather than Bafut tends to confirm Bum claims to a key trading role vis à vis northern elements. This extract is taken from the section of Sally Chilver's 'Working Notes on the Kingdom of Bum' entitled 'Some Early Accounts'. The translation is also by Sally Chilver.
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