article
The significance of earth-eating: social and cultural aspects of geophagy among Luo children
Africa • 70 (4) • Published In 2000 • Pages: 653-682
By: Geissler, Wenzel.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This article describes the social significance and meanings of attributed to earth-eating in Luo society, Kenya. In Luoland, according to the article, earth-eating is practised among children before puberty, irrespective of their sex, and among women of reproductive age, but not usually among adult men or old women. To eat earth, the author argues, signifies belonging to the female sphere within the household, which includes children up to adolescence. Through eating earth, or abandoning it, the children express their emerging gender identity.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Gratification and control of hunger
- Diet
- Ethnogeography
- Gender status
- Weaning and food training
- Adolescent activities
- Public health and sanitation
- Education system
- Students
- Acculturation and culture contact
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Luo
- 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
- Eastern 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.
- 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
- Teferi Abate Adem; 2009
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1995-1998
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1995-1998
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Luoland, Kenya
- NotesAdditional notes
- P. Wenzel Geissler
- Includes bibliographical references ( p. 678-681)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 29010790
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Luo (Kenyan and Tanzanian people)