Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1 Fantasies of the west
- 2 Western Kaya, sacred centre
- 3 View from the west: cattle and co-operation
- 4 From west to east: the works of marriage
- 5 Spanning west and east: dances of death
- 6 Alternative authorities: incest and fertility
- 7 Alternative selves: invasions and cures
- 8 Coastal desires and the person as centre
- Conclusion
- Appendix 1 Three ecological zones and demographic features of southern Kilifi District
- Appendix 2 Giriama kinship and affinal terms
- Appendix 3 Giriama cattle terms
- Appendix 4 Giriama patri-clan structure
- Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology
Appendix 3 - Giriama cattle terms
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 November 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1 Fantasies of the west
- 2 Western Kaya, sacred centre
- 3 View from the west: cattle and co-operation
- 4 From west to east: the works of marriage
- 5 Spanning west and east: dances of death
- 6 Alternative authorities: incest and fertility
- 7 Alternative selves: invasions and cures
- 8 Coastal desires and the person as centre
- Conclusion
- Appendix 1 Three ecological zones and demographic features of southern Kilifi District
- Appendix 2 Giriama kinship and affinal terms
- Appendix 3 Giriama cattle terms
- Appendix 4 Giriama patri-clan structure
- Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology
Summary
As I have explained in chapter three, Giriama cattle owners and herders identify every single member of their herd(s). Nowadays, a list is commonly kept, written by hand in a school exercise book, sometimes with the help of a younger son who is at school but who also helps herd cattle when he is available. A younger son of school age is more likely to be entrusted with this information than an older one wanting to marry, for the latter's ‘impatience’ to use some of the cattle for bride wealth may conflict with his father's own plans, which may envisage a more gradual deployment of the herd, in order to satisfy the successive bridewealth needs of all unmarried sons. Sons themselves usually agree that it is only their father who is in a position to distribute the cattle fairly for these purposes, although they can also point to what they regard as bad decisions made by fathers. It follows that the father alone, though sometimes aided by a younger son, is supposed to have total knowledge of all the cattle under his charge and held in trust for his family. This means knowing the inventory of terms for distinguishing cattle.
No doubt new terms come into usage, although I have not witnessed such innovation.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Sacred VoidSpatial Images of Work and Ritual among the Giriama of Kenya, pp. 239 - 241Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1991