Book

The Baganda: an account of their native customs and beliefs

Macmillan and Co.London • Published In 1911 • Pages:

By: Roscoe, John.

Abstract
Roscoe, who spent the years from 1893 to 1911 as a missionary among the Baganda, has endeavored to present a picture of Ganda culture as it existed prior to the changes introduced by contact with Europeans, or in other words at about 1850. By the use of a minimum of comment and a great deal of objectivity, Roscoe presents a picture of these people that is vivid and powerful. The description is focused mainly on customs and associated beliefs and practices, and the reader is presented with a discussion of the general culture, followed by separate sections on birth, infancy, and puberty; marriage; sickness, death, and burial; descent; the sibs; their totems; the King; government; religion; warfare; industries (the exploitation of natural products and the processing of raw materials); animal husbandry; agricultural and food practices; hunting; markets and currency; wells; and a lengthy section on folklore. This material is supplemented by tables of anthropometric measurements, and by plans of the capital of the old regime, and of the Royal Enclosure. Although it lacks any theoretical organization, the book succeeds as a primary reference on the Ganda culture and people.
Subjects
Traditional history
Literary texts
Clans
Chief executive
Special burial practices and funerals
Spirits and gods
culture
Ganda
HRAF PubDate
1998
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Eastern Africa
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Missionary
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Leslie L. Clark ; 1959
Field Date
ca. 1900
Coverage Date
1854-1909
Coverage Place
Uganda
Notes
By John Roscoe
Includes index
LCCN
11032342
LCSH
Ganda (African people)