Raum, Otto Friedrich. The social functions of avoidances and taboos among the Zulu

Publication Information The main body of the Publication Information page contains all the metadata that HRAF holds for that document.

Author: Author's name as listed in Library of Congress records Raum, Otto Friedrich

Title: The social functions of avoidances and taboos among the Zulu

Published By: Original publisher Berlin, New York: de Gruyter. 1973. xiv, 576 p. ill

By line: Author's name as appearing in the actual publication von O. F. Raum

HRAF Publication Information: New Haven, Conn.: Human Relations Area Files, 2005. Computer File

Culture: Culture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC) with the alphanumberic OWC identifier in parenthesis. Zulu (FX20)

Subjects: Document-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF Vocabulary (192); Diet (262); Eating (264); Personal names (551); Classes (565); Marriage (580); Household (592); Family relationships (593); Kinship (600); Chief executive (643); Executive household (644); Community heads (622); Provinces (635); Religious offenses (688); Death (760); Avoidance and taboo (784); Puberty and initiation (881);

Abstract: Brief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document This source presents an exhaustive analysis of the sociological function of UKUHLONIPHA (Hl) (avoidance) and UKUZILA (Za) (abstention or taboo) in Zulu social organization and institutional activities. The framework for the tables appearing in this work were drawn up by the author in 1940 and filled in from the literature on the Zulu as well as fieldwork in Mapumulo District. This information was further verified and supplemented in consultation with approximately 100 students and teachers at the Umpumulo Training College. During the summers of 1952-1953, 1955-1956, and 1956-1957 (a total of nine months in all), the author visited the districts of Eshowe, Mahlabatini, Nongoma, and Nkandla to further supplement his data (p. 1). From Raum's original survey, it was determined that the avoidance and taboo patterns covered a very wide range of phenomena in those specific situations in which such behavior was obligatory. later fieldwork '…revealed that the whole gamut of Hl and Za observances is never found implemented in any one family, in any particular individual. Each Zulu, and each lineage makes a selection which is determined by historical, cultural and economic circumstances and individual predilections' (p. 1).

Document Number: HRAF's in-house numbering system derived from the processing order of documents 15

Document ID: HRAF's unique document identifier. The first part is the OWC identifier and the second part is the document number in three digits. fx20-015

Document Type: May include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs or chapters/parts of monographs. Monograph

Language: Language that the document is written in English

Note: Errata slip inserted Includes bibliographical references (p. 548-554)

Field Date: The date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document 1940, 1952-53, 1955-56, 1956-57 (9 months)

Evaluation: In this alphanumeric code, the first part designates the type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigene, and so on. The second part is 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 Ethnologist-5

Analyst: The HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection. John Beierle ; 1979

Coverage Date: The date or dates that the information in the document pertains to (often not the same as the field date). ca. 1800-1957

Coverage Place: Location of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site) Mapumulo, Eshowe, Mahlabatini, Nongoma, and Nkandia Districts; KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

LCSH: Library of Congress Subject Headings Zulu (African people)