Manipulations of the Corpus in the Context of Life Cycle Rites among the Datoga Cat-tle Breeders of Northern Tanzania
Journal Title: Social Evolution & History - Year 2015, Vol 14, Issue 1
Abstract
The study of contemporary traditional pastoralist societies of Eastern Africa provide perfect examples of norms enforcement by third parties, and the life cycle ceremonies is a good example. The Datoga are characterized by exceptionally well-preserved traditional childbirth and postpartum rites, as well as by multistage system of integration of an infant into the tribe, clan, and family. The ceremonies represent a complex process of social interactions between a newborn, his or her relatives, and neighbors. During the ceremonies, an interrelation between an infant and others is established through a complex exchange of responsibilities, favors, and presents, as prescribed by the cultural scenario. In this paper we present the description of post-partum ceremonies and caloripuncture ceremony of an infant, conducted by contemporary Datoga. This particular example demonstrates the importance of cultural group selection in small-scale socie-ties and one of the possible mechanisms to achieve human ultrasociality, rooted in self-identification with others on the basis of culturally installed similarity ques.
Authors and Affiliations
Marina L. Butovskaya, Valentina N. Burkova, Audax Mabulla
Keywords
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