Originally published in 1957, analyses the rituals celebrated by groups of kinsmen on the occasion of births, marriages and deaths within the age villages of the Nyakyusa. the connection between the form of the rituals and the kinship structure is examined. The symbolism of the rituals throws great light on the psychological reactions of this African people to death and birth, sin and misfortune, expiation and reconciliation.
1. Introduction
2. Burial Rites
3. Farewell to the Dead
4. The Ritual of Puberty and Marriage
5. The Ritual of Birth
6.The Ritual of Abnormal Birth
7. Rituals of Misfortune
8. The Participants
9. The Nyakyusa Conception of Reality
10. The Sociological Analysis of the Rituals of Kinship
Select Records:
1. Reports of Particular Funerals
2. Local Variations in the Death Ritual
3. Marriage Negotiations and Gifts
4. Misfortunes Attributed to the Shades
5. Causes of Misfortune
6. Participants in Rituals Illustrated by Genealogies
Biography
Monica Wilson
