Book

The slaughtered camel: coping with fictitious descent among the Hubeer of southern Somalia

University of Uppsala, Department of Anthropology[Uppsala, Sweden] • Published In 1988 • Pages:

By: Helander, Bernhard.

Abstract
This is a study of the Hubeer clan of the Ooflaawe region of southern Somalia. This group traces its genealogical origins back in history to the Samaale cluster of clans, but they are considered as belonging to the Rahanweyn branch of the Somali nation. Helander's focus in this work is on the consequences of the fiction of descent. 'Fictitious descent constitutes both a cognitive problem for individuals and an ideological problem for the society at large' (p. 2). This document explores the ways in which the Hubeer cope with these problems. Topics given particular attention in this work are social organization, class structure, funerary rites, the concept of BURJI (beliefs and knowledge of individual character and capacity), medicine, attitudes toward strangers and their adoption into southern Somali descent groups, gender metaphors, and sex status, (particularly concepts of masculinity and femininity).
Subjects
Gender status
Lineages
Clans
Magical and mental therapy
Burial practices and funerals
Ideas about nature and people
culture
Somali
HRAF PubDate
1997
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Eastern Africa
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 1995
Field Date
1983-1985
Coverage Date
1983-1985
Coverage Place
Hubeer clan: Ooflaawe region, southern Somalia, Somali Democratic Republic
Notes
by Bernhard Helander
Includes bibliographical references (p. 200-211)
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Uppsala University, 1988
LCSH
Somalis