article
The way of the buffaloes: trade and sacrifice in northern Laos
Ethnology • 44 (4) • Published In 2005 • Pages: 291-312
By: Sprenger, Guido.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This article discusses the dual meaning and social function of buffalos in Rmeet culture and society. As valuable assets, buffalos are bought and sold freely, either with money or in exchange for labor services. As sacred animals identified with the spirits of their owners, they are sacrificed in rituals aimed at healing the sick, protecting families, or appeasing ancestors. A great deal of the discussion is devoted to the ways these seemingly opposing meanings and roles are manifested and resolved, through both community rituals and small sacrifices to house spirits.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Domesticated animals
- General character of religion
- Eschatology
- Cosmology
- Animism
- Exchange transactions
- Price and value
- Medium of exchange
- Prayers and sacrifices
- Organized ceremonial
- Cult of the dead
- Lineages
- Kin relationships
- Family relationships
- Cultural participation
- Acculturation and culture contact
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Rmeet
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Asia
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Southeast Asia
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Anthropologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Teferi Abate Adem ; 2018
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 2000-2002, 2005
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 2000-2005
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Takheung, Luang Namtha, and Hangdeun, Bokèo, Laos
- NotesAdditional notes
- Guido Sprenger
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 311-312)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 64005713
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Lamet (Laotian people)