
The Dancing Dead
Ritual and Religion among the Kapsiki/Higi of North Cameroon and Northeastern Nigeria
Walter E. A. van Beek(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
1st Edition
Published on 21. June 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-0-19-985816-3 (ISBN)
Description
Walter E. A. van Beek draws on over four decades of extensive fieldwork to offer an in-depth study of the religion of the Kapsiki/Higi, who live in the Mandara Mountains on the border between North Cameroon and Northeast Nigeria. Concentrating on ritual as the core of traditional religion, van Beek shows how Kapsiki/Higi practices have endured through the long and turbulent history of the region.
Kapsiki rituals reveal a focus on two fundamental concepts: dwelling and belonging. Van Beek examines their sacrificial practices, through which the Kapsiki show a complex and pervasive connection with the Mandara Mountains, as well as the character of their relationships among themselves and with outsiders. Van Beek also explores their rituals of belonging, rites of passage which take place from birth through initiation and marriage - and even death, with the tradition of the ''dancing dead,'' when a fully decorated corpse on the shoulders of a smith ''dances'' with his mourning kinsmen.
The Dancing Dead is the result of the author's lifelong study of the Kapsiki/Higi. It gives a unique description of the rituals in an African traditional religion based not upon ancestors, but on a completely relational thought system, where in the end all rituals are integrated into one major cycle.
Kapsiki rituals reveal a focus on two fundamental concepts: dwelling and belonging. Van Beek examines their sacrificial practices, through which the Kapsiki show a complex and pervasive connection with the Mandara Mountains, as well as the character of their relationships among themselves and with outsiders. Van Beek also explores their rituals of belonging, rites of passage which take place from birth through initiation and marriage - and even death, with the tradition of the ''dancing dead,'' when a fully decorated corpse on the shoulders of a smith ''dances'' with his mourning kinsmen.
The Dancing Dead is the result of the author's lifelong study of the Kapsiki/Higi. It gives a unique description of the rituals in an African traditional religion based not upon ancestors, but on a completely relational thought system, where in the end all rituals are integrated into one major cycle.
Reviews / Votes
"The dean of Mandara Mountains anthropology has applied a 'dwelling' approach to the rich, 'thick,' descriptive materials he has been gathering among the Kapsiki over four decades. The resulting Dancing Dead is a deeply satisfying exegesis of an imagistic religion, an original and outstanding contribution to religious studies and an ethnographic masterpiece. His insights constantly illuminate my own data on the neighboring Sukur."--Nicholas David, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Calgary
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Students and scholars interested in ritual, African religions, anthropology of religion
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
613 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-985816-3 (9780199858163)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Walter E. A. van Beek
The Dancing Dead
Ritual and Religion among the Kapsiki/Higi of North Cameroon and Northeastern Nigeria
Book
06/2012
1st Edition
Oxford University Press Inc
€145.50
Shipment within 15-20 days

Walter E. A. van Beek
The Dancing Dead
Ritual and Religion among the Kapsiki/Higi of North Cameroon and Northeastern Nigeria
E-Book
05/2012
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€27.49
Available for download
Person
Professor of Anthropology, Tilburg University, Netherlands
Author
Professor of Anthropology of ReligionProfessor of Anthropology of Religion, Tilburg University, Utrecht, Netherlands
Content
Preface and acknowledgments ; Language and orthography ; 1 The funeral of Zra Teri Kwada ; 2. Understanding African ritual ; 3. Slaves, war and the wider world ; Rituals of dwelling ; 4. At home in the mountains ; 5. Sacrifice and the history of dwelling ; 6. The other side of the world ; 7. Rain and cycle of ritual ; Rituals of belonging ; 8. Starting life ; 9. The song of the bride ; 10. The brass boys: initiation ; 11. Harvesting crops, harvesting people ; 12. The dancing dead ; 13. Dynamics of Kapsiki ritual ; Appendix ; References