The Family Estate in Africa : Studies in the Role of Property in Family Structure and Lineage Continuity 9781136529054, 9780415329859

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Rotttledge Library Editions

THE FAMILY ESTATE IN AFRICA

ANTHROPOLOGY AND ETHNOGRAPHY

Routledge Library Editions Anthropology and Ethnography

AFRICA In 26 Volumes Spirit Mediumship and Society in Africa

II III IV

v VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI XVII XVIII XIX XX XXI XXII XXIII XXIV XXV XXVI

Custom & Politics in Urban Africa Urban Ethnicity Order and Rebellion in Tribal Africa Death, Property and the Ancestors The Family Estate in Africa Tradition and Transition in East Africa The Human Factor in Changing Africa African Ecology and Human Evolution The Nandi of Kenya Fields of Change among the lteso of Kenya The Niger Journal of Richard and John Lander Defeating Mau Mau Mau Mau and the Kikuyu Urbanization as a Social Process Family and Social Change in an African City Widows and their Families Tribes without Rulers Neighbours and Nationals in an African City Ward The Last Trek Women ofTropical Africa Hunger and Work in a Savage Tribe Leopards and Leaders Western Civilization and the Natives of South Africa East African Societies The Samburu

Beattie & Middleton Cohen Cohm Gluckman Goody Gray & Gulliz)er Gulliver II erskoz,its /lowell & Bourliere H u1lfirtg{ord Karp Hctllett Leakey Lectkey Little Marri.r Mctrris Middleton & Tait Parkin Pattenon Paulrne aichardr Rue! Schapera Shorter Spmcer

THE FAMILY ESTATE IN AFRICA Studies in the Role of Property in Family Structure and Lineage Continuity

EDITED BY ROBERT F GRAY AND PH GULLIVER

~~ ~~o~;~~n~!{~up LONDON AND NEW YORK

First published in 1964

Reprinted in 2004 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN Transferred to Digital Printing 2009 l?otttled,~e

i.r a11 imprilll of the Taylor & Fra11ci.r Gro11p

© 1964 Robert F Gray and PH Gulliver All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical; or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. The publishers have made every effort to contact authors/copyright holders of the works reprinted in l?ollfledr.;e Library Edition.rA nthrojwlogy cmd Etbl!or.;rttpby. This has not been possible in every case, however, and we would welcome correspondence from those individuals/companies we have been unable to trace. These reprints are taken from original copies of each book. In many cases the condition of these originals is not perfect. The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of these reprints, but wishes to point out that certain characteristics of the original copies will, of necessity, be apparent in reprints thereof.

llriti.rh Library CatclloguiiTg in P~tb!ication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library The Family Estate in Africa ISBN 0-415-32556-0 (set) ISBN 0-415-32985-X ISBN 978-1-136-52905-4 (ebk) Miniset: Africa Series: Routledge Library Editions-- Anthropology and Ethnography

1tlH[JE JFAM[J[lLY lE§1rA1tlE J[N AlFlRJ[ I64 mother-in-law, I 28-9, I 34, I 78, 237 Age-group system, I98, 2I5, 238-9, 242 Agriculture, 35, 64, 85, 9I-g2, I I8-I9, 237, 244 shifting, 84 Ancestral cult, 26, 37, 4I, so, 53, 67, I57, 158, 187-8, 203, 206, 2I4-I5, 224, 26I primacy of dead father in, 4I, 203, 215 Anthropology, and biology, IO-I I and history, 9-Io and psychology, I3 Arusha, 13-I6, I97-229 counsellor, I99, 2I I elders, I98, 2IS-I6 lineage system, I 99, 204, 224-7 political system, I99 population, I4, I97 Bachelors' house, 39-40_, 232 Barnes, 126 Beehives, 245-6 Betrothal, childhood, 47, 239, 247 Blood-pacts, 124, 147 Bridewealth, I7-I9, 28, 39, 40, 43, 44· 46 ff., 64, 68, 70, 78, 97 ff., I26-7, I64, 247 and economic exchange, I7-I8, 30

economic aspect not paramount, I67 Bride price, see Bridewealth Brothers, relations between, 78, 224-7. 254 ff, 259-60 see also House Brother-in-law, see Affines Burling, I8 Bwamba, 24 Cash crops, 35, 45, 46, 47, 64, I 18, I33. 201 Cattle, see Livestock Christianity, effects of, 50, 99, I61, 172, 185, 186 Curse, 67, 9I, 95, 107, 242 Descent theory, 22 ff. Divorce, 98, 100, 1I5, I67, I7I-2, I75. 234. 244· 248, 257 Domestic domain, 2, 3 Domestic group, I 24 ff. Durkheim, 6, 13 Elopement, 47-48, 75, 78, 8I Estate, family, 4-7, 200, 220-22, 246, 259 Estate, lineage, 93 Evans-Pritchard, 2, 9, I3, 26 Exogamy, 63, 66, 96, 233 Fallers, 37 Family, definition of, 2-4, I 25 compound, 202, 2IO-I7 extended, 37, 41, 42, 57 ff, 69, 76-78, I25

INDEX Family, (cont.) nuclear, 3, 38, 39, 41, 68--69, 73-76, 101 ff, 125, 150, 200-I, 204-10 and ecology, 5 Family estate, see Estate, family Father, authority of, 39 ff, 48, 55, 77-78, 8o ff, 123, 2IO-I7 Fatherhood, sociological, I63, 248 Father-in-law, see Affines Father-son relations, 40, 46 ff, 52, 55. 67, 77. 104 ff, I23, I27, I3I, 141, I44· 178, 2IO ff. Feud,67 Fishing, 92 Forest reserve, 54, I97 Fortes, 2, 3, 7, g, 126 and Evans-Pritchard, 13 Goats, see Livestock Goody, 2 Guardianship, 57, 72, 76, 2I8 ff Gusii, I6, I8, 28, 63-82 lineage system, 63, 66, 67, 68 political system, 63 population, 63, 64 settlement pattern, 65-66 Half-brothers, 42, 79-80 History and anthropology, 9-Io Homestead, 66-68, 124, 159, I77, I83 ff, 200, 204 ff. Honey, 246 House, 27, 67, 70-7I, 79, I35, I65 ff, I 73 ff, 20I, 207, 225 Houses, debts between, 70, 77, I 76 Hunting, 29, 88, 92, 106 Husband-wife relations, 44, 46, 75-76, 77, IOI ff, I40 ff, I 73 Incest, 96, I 50 Inheritance, 6, 41, 55, 72, 94, I2I, I 35 ff, I 80 ff, 203, 2 I 7 ff, 245, 248-9 Initiation, 69, 238 Irrigation, 26, 235-6, 239, 240, 260 Jie, I, 28

Joking relationship, I07

Kilindi, see Shambala, royal clan Kipsigis, 63 Labour migration, 74, 94, I29, I 59, I7I, I79. 239 Land, allocation to sons, 40, I 28, 2I3, 241 control over more important than over cattle, 49, 2I4 dispersal of lineage holdings of, 54 fragmentation, 73, 82 pledges and leases, 49, 6o, 92, I23, I32, 240 ff. pioneered, I4, 49, 53, 64, 65, 200, 2I I-I2 and population, I3-16 rights of wife in, 38-39, 45-46, 68-69, I27, I74, 176 sales, 25, 49. 51, 6o, 64, 92, 123, I32, 227 shortage, 54, 64, I97 tenancy, 20I, 207, 209, 2I2 unallocated reserve, 45, 46, 140, 20I Leach, 8, 9, 12, 126, 164 Levirate, 2I, 42, 56 ff, 7I, I63 Levy and Fallers, 3 Lineage system, theory of, 22 ff. Livestock, 64, 118, 16o, I98, 237-8, 244 control over, 16-I9, 41, 49, 93, I30-I, I40, I42, 175, 245 Lobedu, 16, I7-18, 28, 155-95 lineage system, I57-9 local group, I 88 ff. political system, I55-6, 182-3 queen's wives, I56, I6I totem groups, 157, 188 Lugbara, I2-I 3 Lunda, 83, 86 Marriage, 96 ff, 121, I22, 162 ff, 193-5 preferences, 96, wo, 113, 122, I50, I65, I66 ff, I76, 185 ff.

INDEX Marriage, (cont.) residence at, 38, 6g, 8s, 87, 10g, 126, 201 woman to woman, 165, 180 Masai, 63, 65, tg8, 235, 243 Mayer, 63, 64, 67 Middleton, r 2 Monomotapa, 155 Mother-in-law, see Affines Mother's brother, 45, 52, 53, 102, 105, rog, 126, 127, 17g, 183 Mourning ceremonies, 41 Murdock, 3, 126

population, 235 specialist caste, 237 village, 23I, 235-7 ward, 232-4 Sororate, gg, 163 Suku, 28-32, 83-I 16 elders, go-g I, g4 matrilineage system, 85, 86 ff, II3 patrilineages, 3I, 106-8, I I0-12 political system, 83, 84, 88, go, g5 population, 83 villages, 84

Nadel, 8 Ndembu, 12 Nuer, 26

Taita, r6, 117-53 elders, I23, I46 ff. house-type, I 24 lineage system, I 20 ff. population, I I8 settlement pattern, I rg ff. woman's rights in property, 15 I ff Turkana, I, 28 Turner, I2

Omaha kinship system, 25g Orphans, 20-22 Pedi, 172 Political system, 36-37, 51 Polygyny, 26-27, 38, 68, 73 ff, gg, 105, 125, 14g, 231, 243 sororal, gg Raiding, cattle, 74 Radcliffe-Brown, 6, 8, 25g Ritual, see Ancestral cult medicines, 87, go, g7, 123 Shambala, 15, 35-61 lineage system, 37, 42, 44, 6o political system, 36-37 population, 35-36 royal clan, 51 villages, 38, 53 Shell money, 2g, g3 Slaves, 103 Social structure, theory of, 7 ff. Son-in-law, see Affines Sonja, 14-15, r6, 17, 231-62 lineage system, 233, 246-7, 24g, 251 ff. political system, 235-7, 24g-5o, 26I

Ultimogeniture, 202 Usambara Mts., 35 Vogt, 10 Wambugwe, 22 Widows, 20-22, 42, 7I, 10g, I35, I37. I3g, I82, 207, 248, 250 Widow-inheritance, 2 r Wife, husband's authority over, 44, 46, 250-1 see also Husband-wife relations Wine, g2 Winter, 24 Witchcraft, 44, go, gi, I59 Wives, co-, 75, 76-77, 105-6, 124, I73-4. I83 Work-teams, 128, I6r, 237

Zulu, I55, I63, 174