Book
The Mende of Sierra Leone
Routledge and Kegan Paul • London • Published In 1951 • Pages: 307
By: Little, Kenneth Lindsay.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This document is a functional treatment of the culture and social organization of the Mende people by a British social anthropologist. The interrelations of the kinship system, the organization of farming, the social cycle, marriage and friendship, the position of women, the role and function of the chief, religion and medicine, and the relation of the Mende with the Native Authority of the British, are all carefully drawn. The role of the secret societies, and in particular the Poro society, as the chief integrating force in native culture, is thoroughly explored. The appendices spell out the role of Islam in Mende life; the organization of the fish industry and its relation to the domestic trade economy; and the manufacture of the characteristic 'country cloths' of the society. Material relating to the British rule over the Mende has been treated from the Mende point of view, although several cross-reference slips will direct the researcher to information on the British role in Mende history.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Cultural identity and pride
- History
- Family relationships
- Gender status
- Regulation of marriage
- Sodalities
- Infant care
- Spirits and gods
- Prayers and sacrifices
- Community structure
- Lineages
- Diet
- Extended families
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Mende
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2010
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Africa
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Western Africa
- 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.
- Social 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
- Leslie L. Clark ; 1958
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1945-1946
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1890-1950
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Sierra Leone
- NotesAdditional notes
- by K. L. Little
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 292-295)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 52002296
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Mende (African people)