[Pitched battle in Gueme between the Massa of Cameroon and Massa of Chad].
To avenge an act of adultery a pitched battle broke out between the Massa from Cameroon and the Massa from Chad, ending with 82 wounded people on the Cameroonian side, mainly skull, face and upper limbs injuries. Considering the importance of cattle in the social relations in the Massa society particularly in matrimonial exchanges, the battles are often triggered by robbery of cows or bay an act of adultery. Massa are familiar with this type of battle where two long lines of men armed with stones and sticks, confront each other encouraged by the lines of the women. Their accessories (club, battle helmet), their compliance with the rules of the battle (to collect the injured, not to strike a man on the ground or who is injured, end of the fighting at dusk), explain the great number of wounded people, the epidemiology, and the type of injuries. Injured people are usually in care of traditional healers performing distinct techniques using local resources. The role of the women in this type of fighting illustrates their place in the Massa society.
Guévart
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E
Coopération Française, Service de Coopération et d'Action Culturelle de I'Ambassade de France à Yaoundé, Cameroun. guevart_edouard@yahoo.fr
Hamadicko
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H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002163:Cameroon; D002596:Chad; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014857:Warfare; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*