Book

Dialectics of divine 'kingship' in the Kafa highlands

African Studies Center, University of California (15) • Published In 1976 • Pages: 57 , [1] leaf of plates

By: Lange, Werner J..

Abstract
This document explains the nature and structure of Kaffa kingship. It argues that the divine nature of the Kaffa king should be explained not in the religious ideology that portrays him as the incarnation of the spirits of the sky-god. It should instead be discussed as an irrational expression of ordinary peoples’ rational need for rain, crops, health, and security.
Subjects
Cultural identity and pride
Form and rules of government
Chief executive
Deliberative councils
Status, role, and prestige
Traditional history
Linguistic identification
Settlement patterns
Inter-ethnic relations
Slavery
Basis of marriage
Mythology
Cosmology
Revelation and divination
Prayers and sacrifices
Magic
Animism
Sacred objects and places
Arranging a marriage
Eating
Organized ceremonial
Executive household
Ethnic stratification
Classes
Castes
culture
Kaffa
HRAF PubDate
2012
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Eastern Africa
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Teferi Abate Adem; 2012
Field Date
1972-1973
Coverage Date
1390-1976
Coverage Place
Kaffa, Ethiopia
Notes
Werner Lange
Includes bibliographical references (p. 47-57)
LCSH
Kaffa (African people)--Kings and rulers
Cults--Ethiopia