In recognition of the importance of the skull, representations of the head are found in nearly all decorated utilitarian items.
Masks used in initiation and for education purposes are common.
Statuary often represents the Fon, and many types of beaded and ivory objects, including stools which symbolize the seat of royal power are related to the Fon's investiture. The Kom are part of a larger cultural area known collectively as the Western Cameroon Grasslands and live in the northern part of Northwest Province. They originally came from an area to the north and migrated in various complex patterns throughout the last several centuries. Fulani traders moving steadily southwards into Cameroon in the 17th century forced the Kom's southern drift. Many smaller ethnic groups combined, while other factions split away as a result of pressure from the invading Fulani.