Book
Domestic architecture among the Kandyan Sinhalese
University Microfilms • Ann Arbor, Michigan • Published In 1974 • Pages:
By: MacDougall, Robert Duncan.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This dissertation is a detailed description of domestic architecture and material culture, and their ecological and symbolic contexts within a largely traditional village. MacDougall presents very detailed descriptions (including scale plans and photos) of the dwellings and their contents, with inventories of a number of houses. Differences due to age, life cycle position, and socioeconomic status are discussed. The place of supernatural in everyday life and the importance of astrology and ritual in house construction are dealt with thoroughly. The first part deals with material culture and dwelling construction, while the second covers social and ideological aspects. Attention is also given to the kinship structure of the households. The importance of symbolic over formal principles in Sinhalese architecture is stressed. Any alteration of nature, such as building a house, must be undertaken with the greatest care not to upset the supernatural laws (thus the need for astrology). Rituals are used to maintain the natural balance. A good bibliography is provided.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Equipment and maintenance of buildings
- Architecture
- Dwellings
- Utensils
- Literary texts
- Household
- Kinship terminology
- Revelation and divination
- Magic
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Sinhalese
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 1997
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Asia
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- South Asia
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Ethnologist
- 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.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Martin Malone ; Marlene Martin ; 1975-1976
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1964-1965 (Sept.-Sept.)
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- not specified
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Kandy area; 'Rangama', Sri Lanka
- NotesAdditional notes
- Robert Duncan MacDougall
- Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Cornell University, 1971
- UM 71-29,259
- Since there is so much data on material culture and extensive lists of possessions, most household objects are indexed for Utensils (415), unless they are described more fully. KAARENA, the manipulation of supernatural forces for immediate ends, has been indexed for Magic (789).
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 931-937)
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Sinhalese (Sri Lankan people)