Designing the <i>Kè </i>Symbol from the Chinese Bagua Symbol: The Case of the Bamilekes of Western Cameroon

Djoukwo Tsanetse Majolie Carine; Aihong Wang; Elise Limunga Linda

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12

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Designing the Kè Symbol from the Chinese Bagua Symbol: The Case of the Bamilekes of Western Cameroon

Djoukwo Tsanetse Majolie Carine, Aihong Wang, Elise Limunga Linda

Published in English Language, Literature & Culture (Volume 6, Issue 2)

Received: 15 April 2021 Accepted: 5 May 2021 Published: 14 May 2021

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Abstract

Among the Bamileke tribe in the West region of Cameroon, is a unique phenomenon known as Kè. That is a demonstration of spiritual, philosophical, religious, and magical concepts. A similar concept exists in China, expressed by the divinatory symbol of "Bagua," or "eight figures of divination." It is a basic philosophical idea from ancient China that was incorporated into "Taoism," "Yi Jing," "Feng Shui," martial arts, and navigation. The Chinese term denotes an octagonal diagram incorporating a "trigram" different from each side, representing the different aspects of the "Yin" and "Yang". Inspired by this concept of duality, we have set up a method of artistic creation allowing both juxtapose and merging the symbolic elements of the local Bamileke culture, especially those involved during Kè ceremonies. The method consists of associating the signs and symbols relating to the man and the woman concerning Yin and Yang and merging the local signs regarding trigrams. The goal is to translate the idea of complementarity that emerges from the Chinese symbol using the elements of the Bamileke crop. These multiple compositions lead to a series of figures that are similar to the Bagua symbol in their central parts. As for the four branches that contain mergers, they are inspired by the Bamileke divinatory symbol which is none other than a stylized Mygale spider. Because of their structures, these different proposals reflect the concept of Kè in the Bamileke and can validly represent it. It can therefore be appreciated on different objects and other supports put to contribution for the smooth running of the related festivities.

Published in	English Language, Literature & Culture (Volume 6, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12
Page(s)	24-36
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Kè, Bagua, Bamilekes, Yin-Yang, Yijing

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APA Style

Djoukwo Tsanetse Majolie Carine, Aihong Wang, Elise Limunga Linda. (2021). Designing the Kè Symbol from the Chinese Bagua Symbol: The Case of the Bamilekes of Western Cameroon. English Language, Literature & Culture, 6(2), 24-36. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12

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ACS Style

Djoukwo Tsanetse Majolie Carine; Aihong Wang; Elise Limunga Linda. Designing the Kè Symbol from the Chinese Bagua Symbol: The Case of the Bamilekes of Western Cameroon. Engl. Lang. Lit. Cult. 2021, 6(2), 24-36. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12

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AMA Style

Djoukwo Tsanetse Majolie Carine, Aihong Wang, Elise Limunga Linda. Designing the Kè Symbol from the Chinese Bagua Symbol: The Case of the Bamilekes of Western Cameroon. Engl Lang Lit Cult. 2021;6(2):24-36. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12,
  author = {Djoukwo Tsanetse Majolie Carine and Aihong Wang and Elise Limunga Linda},
  title = {Designing the Kè Symbol from the Chinese Bagua Symbol: The Case of the Bamilekes of Western Cameroon},
  journal = {English Language, Literature & Culture},
  volume = {6},
  number = {2},
  pages = {24-36},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ellc.20210602.12},
  abstract = {Among the Bamileke tribe in the West region of Cameroon, is a unique phenomenon known as Kè. That is a demonstration of spiritual, philosophical, religious, and magical concepts. A similar concept exists in China, expressed by the divinatory symbol of "Bagua," or "eight figures of divination." It is a basic philosophical idea from ancient China that was incorporated into "Taoism," "Yi Jing," "Feng Shui," martial arts, and navigation. The Chinese term denotes an octagonal diagram incorporating a "trigram" different from each side, representing the different aspects of the "Yin" and "Yang". Inspired by this concept of duality, we have set up a method of artistic creation allowing both juxtapose and merging the symbolic elements of the local Bamileke culture, especially those involved during Kè ceremonies. The method consists of associating the signs and symbols relating to the man and the woman concerning Yin and Yang and merging the local signs regarding trigrams. The goal is to translate the idea of complementarity that emerges from the Chinese symbol using the elements of the Bamileke crop. These multiple compositions lead to a series of figures that are similar to the Bagua symbol in their central parts. As for the four branches that contain mergers, they are inspired by the Bamileke divinatory symbol which is none other than a stylized Mygale spider. Because of their structures, these different proposals reflect the concept of Kè in the Bamileke and can validly represent it. It can therefore be appreciated on different objects and other supports put to contribution for the smooth running of the related festivities.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Designing the Kè Symbol from the Chinese Bagua Symbol: The Case of the Bamilekes of Western Cameroon
AU  - Djoukwo Tsanetse Majolie Carine
AU  - Aihong Wang
AU  - Elise Limunga Linda
Y1  - 2021/05/14
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12
T2  - English Language, Literature & Culture
JF  - English Language, Literature & Culture
JO  - English Language, Literature & Culture
SP  - 24
EP  - 36
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-2413
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12
AB  - Among the Bamileke tribe in the West region of Cameroon, is a unique phenomenon known as Kè. That is a demonstration of spiritual, philosophical, religious, and magical concepts. A similar concept exists in China, expressed by the divinatory symbol of "Bagua," or "eight figures of divination." It is a basic philosophical idea from ancient China that was incorporated into "Taoism," "Yi Jing," "Feng Shui," martial arts, and navigation. The Chinese term denotes an octagonal diagram incorporating a "trigram" different from each side, representing the different aspects of the "Yin" and "Yang". Inspired by this concept of duality, we have set up a method of artistic creation allowing both juxtapose and merging the symbolic elements of the local Bamileke culture, especially those involved during Kè ceremonies. The method consists of associating the signs and symbols relating to the man and the woman concerning Yin and Yang and merging the local signs regarding trigrams. The goal is to translate the idea of complementarity that emerges from the Chinese symbol using the elements of the Bamileke crop. These multiple compositions lead to a series of figures that are similar to the Bagua symbol in their central parts. As for the four branches that contain mergers, they are inspired by the Bamileke divinatory symbol which is none other than a stylized Mygale spider. Because of their structures, these different proposals reflect the concept of Kè in the Bamileke and can validly represent it. It can therefore be appreciated on different objects and other supports put to contribution for the smooth running of the related festivities.
VL  - 6
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Djoukwo Tsanetse Majolie Carine

International College Department, Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jingdezhen, China
Aihong Wang

Department of Products Design, Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jingdezhen, China
Elise Limunga Linda

Department of Environment Science, China University of Geoscience, Wuhan, China

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Djoukwo Tsanetse Majolie Carine, Aihong Wang, Elise Limunga Linda. (2021). Designing the Kè Symbol from the Chinese Bagua Symbol: The Case of the Bamilekes of Western Cameroon. English Language, Literature & Culture, 6(2), 24-36. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12

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ACS Style

Djoukwo Tsanetse Majolie Carine; Aihong Wang; Elise Limunga Linda. Designing the Kè Symbol from the Chinese Bagua Symbol: The Case of the Bamilekes of Western Cameroon. Engl. Lang. Lit. Cult. 2021, 6(2), 24-36. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12

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AMA Style

Djoukwo Tsanetse Majolie Carine, Aihong Wang, Elise Limunga Linda. Designing the Kè Symbol from the Chinese Bagua Symbol: The Case of the Bamilekes of Western Cameroon. Engl Lang Lit Cult. 2021;6(2):24-36. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12,
  author = {Djoukwo Tsanetse Majolie Carine and Aihong Wang and Elise Limunga Linda},
  title = {Designing the Kè Symbol from the Chinese Bagua Symbol: The Case of the Bamilekes of Western Cameroon},
  journal = {English Language, Literature & Culture},
  volume = {6},
  number = {2},
  pages = {24-36},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ellc.20210602.12},
  abstract = {Among the Bamileke tribe in the West region of Cameroon, is a unique phenomenon known as Kè. That is a demonstration of spiritual, philosophical, religious, and magical concepts. A similar concept exists in China, expressed by the divinatory symbol of "Bagua," or "eight figures of divination." It is a basic philosophical idea from ancient China that was incorporated into "Taoism," "Yi Jing," "Feng Shui," martial arts, and navigation. The Chinese term denotes an octagonal diagram incorporating a "trigram" different from each side, representing the different aspects of the "Yin" and "Yang". Inspired by this concept of duality, we have set up a method of artistic creation allowing both juxtapose and merging the symbolic elements of the local Bamileke culture, especially those involved during Kè ceremonies. The method consists of associating the signs and symbols relating to the man and the woman concerning Yin and Yang and merging the local signs regarding trigrams. The goal is to translate the idea of complementarity that emerges from the Chinese symbol using the elements of the Bamileke crop. These multiple compositions lead to a series of figures that are similar to the Bagua symbol in their central parts. As for the four branches that contain mergers, they are inspired by the Bamileke divinatory symbol which is none other than a stylized Mygale spider. Because of their structures, these different proposals reflect the concept of Kè in the Bamileke and can validly represent it. It can therefore be appreciated on different objects and other supports put to contribution for the smooth running of the related festivities.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Designing the Kè Symbol from the Chinese Bagua Symbol: The Case of the Bamilekes of Western Cameroon
AU  - Djoukwo Tsanetse Majolie Carine
AU  - Aihong Wang
AU  - Elise Limunga Linda
Y1  - 2021/05/14
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12
T2  - English Language, Literature & Culture
JF  - English Language, Literature & Culture
JO  - English Language, Literature & Culture
SP  - 24
EP  - 36
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-2413
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20210602.12
AB  - Among the Bamileke tribe in the West region of Cameroon, is a unique phenomenon known as Kè. That is a demonstration of spiritual, philosophical, religious, and magical concepts. A similar concept exists in China, expressed by the divinatory symbol of "Bagua," or "eight figures of divination." It is a basic philosophical idea from ancient China that was incorporated into "Taoism," "Yi Jing," "Feng Shui," martial arts, and navigation. The Chinese term denotes an octagonal diagram incorporating a "trigram" different from each side, representing the different aspects of the "Yin" and "Yang". Inspired by this concept of duality, we have set up a method of artistic creation allowing both juxtapose and merging the symbolic elements of the local Bamileke culture, especially those involved during Kè ceremonies. The method consists of associating the signs and symbols relating to the man and the woman concerning Yin and Yang and merging the local signs regarding trigrams. The goal is to translate the idea of complementarity that emerges from the Chinese symbol using the elements of the Bamileke crop. These multiple compositions lead to a series of figures that are similar to the Bagua symbol in their central parts. As for the four branches that contain mergers, they are inspired by the Bamileke divinatory symbol which is none other than a stylized Mygale spider. Because of their structures, these different proposals reflect the concept of Kè in the Bamileke and can validly represent it. It can therefore be appreciated on different objects and other supports put to contribution for the smooth running of the related festivities.
VL  - 6
IS  - 2
ER  -

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