Chercheur au Département des Etudes Politiques et Juridiques du Centre National d'Education, Ministère de la Recherche Scientifique et de l'Innovation, Cameroun
Years back, in northern Cameroon, the bride price was a matrimonial compensation made of things and services which are destined to the parents of a girl by a suitor. This compensation paid before and after marriage depended on the behaviours of the members of both families and on the virginity and fertility of the girl. In the past, many girls got married early in life due to the fact that the bribe price was small. Today, the marriage of young girls have become uncertain or they get married in their advance ages either due to the adoption of Fulani culture, respect of the principles of contemporary religions, the introduction of money as the main medium of exchange and the emancipation of girls. These factors that have transformed the bride price culture of northern Cameroon have resulted in the multiplication of late marriages. Besides, these factors have contributed to the ageing of the girls in their natal or parental families, the increase of single parent families, the resurgence of prostitution and the legitimization of concubine relationships.
This article studies the role of ordeals in the traditional justice system of the people of North Cameroon. The purpose of this work is to verify through materials, rituals, effects and counter effects of these ordeals, the illusion or the veracity of the ordalic evidences which has always been the topic of debates. Results of this research shows that, criminal evidences and oaths made on these tools are effective because of the impartiality and sincerity of their sentences which applies to all without distinction of religion, skin color, ethnicity, sex, age, confirming once more the veracity and objectivity of ordalic evidences. The main roles of ordeals are to punish those guilty, to reconcile litigants and reintegrate offenders into the society by appropriate rites.
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