This article describes the contested relationship that existed between the Herero and German missionaries in Namibia between 1900 and 1940. It argues that Herero converted to Christianity with... Show moreThis article describes the contested relationship that existed between the Herero and German missionaries in Namibia between 1900 and 1940. It argues that Herero converted to Christianity with specific aims and intentions, which were not necessarily the same as those envisaged or intended by German missionaries. In taking on aspects of the modern world, through the mediation of the mission, the Herero came into conflict with the missionaries, especially in terms of their usage of particular skills, beliefs, attitudes and activities. Focusing on music and marching bands on the one hand, and funeral rites on the other, the article shows that specific forms of music, dress, and behaviour acquired by the Herero from the Lutheran mission were often transformed in ways that were considered unacceptable by the missionaries. Although the missionaries hoped to influence the everyday life of the Herero in such a manner as to conform to their ideas of what the modern world should be, in the end the Herero sought to live their lives on their own terms and on the basis of what they considered to be modernity. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum Show less
This paper describes the burial ceremony of the Surma-speaking Me'en of southwest Ethiopia as a collective ritual pervaded by cattle symbolism. The author discerns four basic elements in the... Show moreThis paper describes the burial ceremony of the Surma-speaking Me'en of southwest Ethiopia as a collective ritual pervaded by cattle symbolism. The author discerns four basic elements in the ritual: cattle are the prime ritual medium because they are the epitome of Me'en sociocultural ideals and social personhood; the fertility and well-being of the family and wider lineage groups is a dominant concern underlying a proper performance of the burial; communication with and appeasement of the lineage spirit as well as the 'soul' of the deceased is indispensable to avert misfortune for the descendants; acting out and reaffirming the underlying social, ritual and economic links with the family's affines is an implicit motive of the burial ceremony. In this sense, one might see the burial ritual in terms of a socially motivated strategy to avert strain between individuals and groups. The study is based on fieldwork carried out in the K„fa region in 1989-1990. Bibliogr., notes, sum. in French and Italian Show less
