article

Ritual festivals and social cohesion in the Hinterland of the Gold Coast

American anthropologist, n.s.38Published In 1936 • Pages: 590-604

By: Fortes, Meyer.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This source contains a brief summary of the non-material culture of the Tallensi which serves as a background for the main part of the article, a description of the harvest festivals of the two main groups of the Tallensi. Also briefly noted is the Golib festival of the Talis whose purpose is to ensure a successful sowing and harvesting of early millet and to call down the blessing of fertility in general. Fortes envisages these festivals essentially as being integrative mechanisms which restore the forces of social cohesion between the two opposing groups in Tallensi society, the Talis and the Namoos. Fortes was William Wyse Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Community structure
Community heads
Localized kin groups
Priesthood
Avoidance and taboo
Cultural participation
Organized ceremonial
Magic
Sacred objects and places
Dance
Ingroup antagonisms
Visiting and hospitality
Prayers and sacrifices
Puberty and initiation
Functional and adaptational interpretations
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Tallensi
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
article
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.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Timothy J. O'Leary ; 1957
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1934-1935
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1934-1936
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Tongo village, Ghana
NotesAdditional notes
Meyer Fortes
Includes bibliographical references
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
17015424
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Tallensi (African people)