Book

The Baganda: an account of their native customs and beliefs

Macmillan and Co. • London • Published In 1911 • Pages:

By: Roscoe, John.

Abstract

Roscoe, who spent the years from 1893 to 1911 as a missionary among the Baganda, has endeavored to present a picture of Ganda culture as it existed prior to the changes introduced by contact with Europeans, or in other words at about 1850. By the use of a minimum of comment and a great deal of objectivity, Roscoe presents a picture of these people that is vivid and powerful. The description is focused mainly on customs and associated beliefs and practices, and the reader is presented with a discussion of the general culture, followed by separate sections on birth, infancy, and puberty; marriage; sickness, death, and burial; descent; the sibs; their totems; the King; government; religion; warfare; industries (the exploitation of natural products and the processing of raw materials); animal husbandry; agricultural and food practices; hunting; markets and currency; wells; and a lengthy section on folklore. This material is supplemented by tables of anthropometric measurements, and by plans of the capital of the old regime, and of the Royal Enclosure. Although it lacks any theoretical organization, the book succeeds as a primary reference on the Ganda culture and people.

HRAF PubDate

1998

Region

Africa

Sub Region

Eastern Africa

Document Type

Book

Evaluation

Creator Type

Missionary

Document Rating

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Leslie L. Clark ; 1959

Field Date

ca. 1900

Coverage Date

1854-1909

Coverage Place

Uganda

Notes

By John Roscoe

Includes index

LCCN

11032342

LCSH

Ganda (African people)