Book

The life of a South African tribe: vol. 2

Macmillan and Co., LimitedLondon • Published In 1927 • Pages:

By: Junod, Henri Alexandre.

Abstract
This is the second volume of Junod's definitive work on the Thonga tribe, the first volume of which may be found as source number 1 in this file. This volume is divided into three general parts: the first deals with the agricultural and industrial life of the people, the second with their literary and artistic life, and the third with religion and superstitition. The first section contains a good deal of information on the material culture of the Thonga--their food and drink, their clothing and ornamentation, and their utensils--as well as material on their agricultural customs and techniques, food-getting activities and commerce. The second division includes valuable information on their language, folklore and music, and texts of songs, proverbs, riddles and folktales are provided. The last and longest section covers the entire gamut of Thonga religious life and superstitions, emphasizing, for example, the native conceptions of nature and man; ancestrolatry and concepts of heaven; magic, including medical art, spirit possession, witchcraft and divination; taboos and conceptions of morality.
Subjects
Cultural identity and pride
Settlement patterns
Real property
Community structure
Community heads
Chief executive
Inheritance
Judicial authority
Ingroup antagonisms
Localized kin groups
Highways and bridges
Tillage
Annual cycle
Mutual aid
Mythology
Labor supply and employment
Division of labor by gender
External relations
Sacred objects and places
Cult of the dead
Marriage
Visiting and hospitality
Avoidance and taboo
Diet
Alcoholic beverages
Burial practices and funerals
Prophets and ascetics
Celibacy
Family relationships
Polygamy
Magical and mental therapy
Kinship terminology
Kin relationships
Cousins
Offenses and sanctions
Ethnometeorology
culture
Tsonga
HRAF PubDate
2010
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Southern Africa
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Missionary
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ruth Heffner ; 1954
Field Date
1895-1909
Coverage Date
1895-1927
Coverage Place
South africa
Notes
Henri A. Junod
Pp. 585-633 contain appendices, some of which have not been marked for categories since the information provided applies to the Bantu in general and only incidentally to the Thonga. The index and glossary of native terms for both volumes I and II will be found in category 104 or category 116, pp. 645-660.
Includes bibliographical references
LCSH
Tsonga (African peoples)