ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the ideas and values that give directive focus to the socialization of children-especially Nso children-in the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon, shaping their affective, social, and cognitive development. The emphasis in socialization is on obedience and social responsibility, rather than on proficiency in verbal expression and individuality. The chapter provides a conceptual framework for the understanding of Nso enculturation, drawing on both behavioral ecology and recent work on the central role played by language in the acquisition of sociocultural knowledge. The authors describe the values and beliefs of parents from the Bamenda Grassfields, emphasizing the high value placed on community spirit, social intelligence, and the demarcation of life stages by social criteria. Cultural differences in social orientation, affective posture, and cognition emerge primarily from varying ecocultural imperatives, the socialization values that direct how children progress toward adult cultural forms, and the extent to which cultural repertoires of skills and competencies are encoded in the language.
