
The Forge and the Funeral
The Smith in Kapsiki/Higi Culture
Walter E. A. van Beek(Author)
Michigan State University Press
Will be published approx. on 1. November 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
420 pages
978-1-61186-166-2 (ISBN)
Description
Throughout Africa one craft among many stands out: that of the blacksmith. In many African cultures, smiths occupy a significant position, not just as artisans engaging in a difficult craft but also as special people. Often they perform other crafts, as well, and make up a somewhat separate group inside society. The Forge and the Funeral describes the position of the smith in the culture of the Kapsiki/Higi of northern Cameroon and northeastern Nigeria. Situated in the Mandara Mountains and straddling the border of these two countries, Kapsiki culture forms a specific and highly relevant example of the phenomenon of the smith in Africa. As an endogamous group of about 5 percent of the population, Kapsiki smiths perform an impressive array of crafts and specializations, combining magico-religious functions with metalwork, in particular as funeral directors, as well as with music and healing. The Forge and the Funeral gives an intimate description and analysis of this group, based upon the author's four decades-long involvement with the Kapsiki/Higi. Description and analysis are set within the more general scholarly debates about the dynamics of professional closure-including the notions of caste and guild-and also consider the deep history of iron and brass in Africa.
Reviews / Votes
"This fascinating ethnography of Kapsiki/Higi blacksmiths is richly analytical and theoretically engaged, contributing to studies of smiths' 'insider/outsider' status in many African societies as metalworkers, potters, ritual specialists, and go betweens. This is a must-read for scholars interested in anthropology of religion, ritual, symbolism, aesthetics, and African arts."-Susan J. Rasmussen, Professor of Anthropology, Department of Comparative Cultural Studies, University of Houston
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
East Lansing, MI
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
61
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 151 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
563 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-61186-166-2 (9781611861662)
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
Person
Walter E. A. van Beek is Professor of Religious Anthropology at Tilburg University in the Netherlands and senior researcher at the African Studies Centre in Leiden.
Content
Contents
Preface
Language and Orthography
Chapter 1. Smith, Skill, and the Senses
Chapter 2. An African Enigma
Chapter 3. The Internal Other
Chapter 4. Hot Iron and Cool Pots
Chapter 5. Yellow Wildness
Chapter 6. Of Whistling Birds and Talking Crabs
Chapter 7. Smith and Ritual
Chapter 8. Masters of Healing
Chapter 9. A Sense of Justice
Chapter 10. The Smell of Death
Chapter 11. Music and the Silence of the Smith
Chapter 12. The Smith and the Power of Things
Notes
Glossary of Kapsiki Terms
Glossary of Kapsiki Plant Names
Bibliography
Index
Preface
Language and Orthography
Chapter 1. Smith, Skill, and the Senses
Chapter 2. An African Enigma
Chapter 3. The Internal Other
Chapter 4. Hot Iron and Cool Pots
Chapter 5. Yellow Wildness
Chapter 6. Of Whistling Birds and Talking Crabs
Chapter 7. Smith and Ritual
Chapter 8. Masters of Healing
Chapter 9. A Sense of Justice
Chapter 10. The Smell of Death
Chapter 11. Music and the Silence of the Smith
Chapter 12. The Smith and the Power of Things
Notes
Glossary of Kapsiki Terms
Glossary of Kapsiki Plant Names
Bibliography
Index