article

Notes on Chagga customs

Tanganyika notes and records (60) • Published In 1963 • Pages: 67-90

By: Marealle, Petro Itoshi, d.1982, Swai, R. D..

Abstract
While not a summary or survey of the entire culture, this article, written by a native chief, is a lucid account of some of the former aboriginal social-cultural institutions of the Chagga of Tanganyika. The author's observations are valuable, particularly his critical insights into the chiefly succession process, chiefly installation rituals, and the kinship-wealth-status functions in the nature of power distribution within the chieftain establishment. Among the most informative sections of the article are the data concerning the Chagga concepts of measurement, numeration, computation, and ordering of time, in relation to their agricultural and seasonal cycles. Also found are some remarks on native pottery manufacture.
Subjects
Chief executive
Citizenship
Traditional history
Territorial hierarchy
Clans
Military organization
Metallurgy
Age stratification
Strategy
External relations
Tillage
Accumulation of wealth
Taxation and public income
Ordering of time
Weights and measures
Ethnometeorology
culture
Chagga
HRAF PubDate
2010
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Eastern Africa
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Indigenous Person
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Gilbert Winer ; 1967 : Teferi Abate Adem; 2010
Field Date
no date
Coverage Date
1900-1958
Coverage Place
Chagga, Tanzania
Notes
Petro I Marealle ;Translated by R. D. Swai
LCCN
sv 89097589
LCSH
Chaga (African people)