Book
Double descent among the Fanti
Human Relations Area Files, Inc. • New Haven, Conn. • Published In 1954 • Pages: xiii, 145
By: Christensen, James Boyd.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This doctoral thesis, presented to Northwestern University in 1952, is based on field work carried out during a period of eleven months in the Fanti states of Anomabu, Abura and Esiam. Christensen's intention was to show that the Fanti social system should be classed as one manifesting double descent on the basis of the membership of the individual in two distinct exogamous groups, one matrilineal and the other patrilineal. The matrilineal kin group is the abusua, and in this regard Fanti social organization is similar to that of the other Akan peoples. The significance of the paternal line, and its role in the religious and socio-political aspects of Fanti culture, is traced in the Fanti worship of the egyabosom (literally 'father's deity'), which Christensen equates with the Ashanti ntoro: in the Fanti concept of the inheritance of the blood from the father: and in the patrilineal military companies, the asofo, allegiance to which takes precedence over all other affiliations, even to the extent of bearing arms, if necessary, against ABUSUA kinsmen.|In addition to thourough analyses of Fanti scial organization, detailed data are provided on family relationships, care and training of children, inheritance, residence patterns, marriage, divorce, funerary rites, magic and slavery.
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Akan
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2019
- 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.
- 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
- Mary L. Bartlett ; 1954
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1950-1951
- 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)
- Fanti; Ghana; Fanti states of Anomabu, Abura and Esiam.
- NotesAdditional notes
- James Boyd Christensen
- Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Northwestern University, 1952
- Includes glossary
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 133)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 55001514
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Twi (African peoples)