Abstract
In 1986, in the Cameroon Grassfields of West Africa, Lake Nyos exploded killing more than 1,700 people; in 1984, Lake Monoun exploded, killing 34 people. Have such explosions occurred before and been recorded in oral literature of the peoples who live in the vicinity of Cameroon’s numerous crater lakes? This article discusses the similarities and differences in two Grassfields legends that explain ethnic group migrations after a body of water brought death and destruction to a population. The analysis suggests that there is a factual basis for the recounting in traditional lore of the maleficent activities of crater lakes.
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References
Blong, R.J. 1982. The Time of Darkness. University of Washington Press, Seattle.
Nkwi, P.N. and Warnier, J.-P. 1982. Elements for a History of the Western Grassfields. University of Yaoundé, Yaoundé.
Shanklin, E. 1989. Exploding lakes and maleficent water in Grassfields legends and myths. J. Volcano!. Geotherm. Res., 39, 233–246.
Vitaliano, D.B. 1973. Legends of the Earth. Indiana University Press, Bloomington.
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© 1992 Friedr. Vieweg & Sohn Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Braunschweig/Wiesbaden
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Shanklin, E. (1992). Natural disasters in the oral history of West Cameroon. In: Freeth, S.J., Ofoegbu, C.O., Onuoha, K.M. (eds) Natural Hazards in West and Central Africa. International Monograph Series. Vieweg+Teubner Verlag, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-663-05239-5_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-663-05239-5_7
Publisher Name: Vieweg+Teubner Verlag, Wiesbaden
Print ISBN: 978-3-663-05241-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-663-05239-5
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