Rituals of kinship among the Nyakyusa

Wilson, Monica Hunter

Book

Rituals of kinship among the Nyakyusa

Oxford University Press for the International African Institute • London • Published In 1957 • Pages:

By: Wilson, Monica Hunter.

Abstract
This source is the second of three projected volumes on Nyakyusa social organization, the first concerning itself with the age-village structure (see 1: Wilson, this file) and the third to deals with various communal rituals. The rituals treated in this volume are concerned with burial, the farewell to the dead, puberty and marriage, birth, and misfortune (e.g. killing, sorcery). Attention is paid to differences in detail among the various groups of Nyakyusa society. In the actual description of the rituals, pertinent interviews with the informants are brought in whenever possible. After the discussion of the various rituals, Wilson discusses the participants, generally close relatives and neighbors, and the native conception of reality as it pertains to the rituals. The main body of the text closes with a sociological analysis of the rituals of kinship based on the theories of Radcliffe-Brown. The last forty pages contain representative documents concerning funerals, death rituals, marriages, misfortunes, and some genealogical tables. References are contained in footnotes to the pages. At the time of publication, Wilson was at the School of African Studies of the University of Cape Town.

Functional and adaptational interpretations

General character of religion

Puberty and initiation

Eschatology

Ingroup antagonisms

Mourning

General sex restrictions

Burial practices and funerals

Organized ceremonial

Lineages

General character of religion

Ethics