| Description |
xvii, 259 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm |
| Series |
Cambridge studies in social and cultural anthropology ; 80 |
|
Cambridge studies in social and cultural anthropology ; 80
|
| Contents |
Machine derived contents note: Preface -- Introduction -- 1. Fantasies of the West -- 2. Western Kaya, sacred centre -- 3. View from the west: cattle and co-operation -- 4. From west to east: the works of marriage -- 5. Spanning west and east: dances of death -- 6. Alternative authorities: incest and fertility -- 7. Alternative selves: invasions and cure -- 8. Coastal desires and personal centre -- Conclusion -- Bibliography |
| Summary |
"In this innovative study, David Parkin shows how indigenous African rites and beliefs may be reworked to accommodate a variety of economic systems, new spatial and ecological relations among communities, and the locally variable influences of Islam and Christianity. The Giriama people of Kenya include pastoralists living in the hinterland; farmers, who work land closer to the coast; and migrants, who earn money as laborers or fisherman on the coast itself. Wherever they live, they revere an ancient and formerly fortified capital, located in the pastoralist hinterland, which few of them ever see or visit. It is the site of occasional large-scale ceremonies and becomes especially important at times of national crisis. It then acts as a moral core of Giriama society, and a symbolic defense against total domination and assimilation."--Publisher |
| Analysis |
Kenya |
|
Social life History |
| Notes |
Includes index |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [247]-253) and index |
| Notes |
Cambridge studies in social and cultural anthropology no:80 |
| Subject |
Giryama (African people) -- Religion.
|
|
Giryama (African people) -- Social life and customs.
|
| LC no. |
90024158 |
| ISBN |
0521404665 |
|
