Book

Symbols of death: an analysis of the consciousness of the Karanga

Mambo Press (4)Published In 1987 • Pages: 389

By: Aschwanden, Herbert, Cooper, Ursula.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This is a continuation of Aschwanden et al., 1982. Here, as in the previous work, the symbolism of the Karanga subgroup is analyzed and interpreted from the standpoint of the natives. The complex and intricate nature of the symbols of death are investigated in terms of their beliefs about the causes of death, what happens when death finally comes, the funeral, and the concept of victory over death through various rituals. The work concludes with a synopsis of the symbolism used throughout the source.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Animism
Eschatology
Life and death
Burial practices and funerals
Sorcery
Conception
Ethnozoology
Spirits and gods
Prayers and sacrifices
Revelation and divination
Social readjustments to death
Organized ceremonial
Ethnoanatomy
Ethnosociology
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Shona
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2014
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Africa
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Southern Africa
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
Book
Evaluation
Creator TypesThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Physician
Missionary Nurse
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
John Beierle; 1991
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1965-1971
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1965-1971
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Masvingo, Zimbabwe
NotesAdditional notes
by Herbert Aschwanden in collaboration with the African nursing sisters of the Musiso Hospital, Zimbabwe ; English translation by Ursula Cooper
Continues: Symbols of life. 1982
Includes bibliographical references and index
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
88980076
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Karanga (African people)
Karanga (African people)--Funeral customs and rites
Philosophy, Karanga