Time, Space and the Unknownfollows on fromThe Maasai of MatapotoandThe Samburuto show how uncertainty and misfortune influence the social life of the Maasai.

Paul Spencer is Emeritus Professor of African Anthropology at SOAS and Honorary Director of the International African Institute.

List of illustrations

x

Preface

xii

Note on orthography

xv

1 Introduction

1

(12)

PART I The boundaries of time, space, and certainty

13

(132)

2 The age system, and the social construction of time and experience

15

(28)

The two arenas and the gerontocratic premise

15

(3)

The manyata system and the integrity of moranhood

18

(5)

Jostling on the age grade ladder

23

(6)

Homo Ascendens and Homo Hierarchicus

29

(3)

The integrity of elderhood and the avoidance of daughters

32

(3)

The ascent of women from pawns to custodians

35

(2)

Conclusion: the process of ageing and the social construction of time

37

(6)

3 Power and the social construction of space

43

(24)

The ordering of domestic space and the flux of gender relations

43

(7)

Moranhood and the hazards of the bush

50

(5)

Tribal sections and the boundaries of trust

55

(3)

The ritualization of behaviour and the uncertain unity of all Maasai

58

(4)

Wakuafi or Iloikop?

62

(1)

Conclusion: performance and the arena of space

63

(4)

4 Providence and the cosmology of misfortune

67

(31)

Mystical forces and the propitious role of ritual

68

(3)

Prayer, sacrifice, and the cosmic manifestations of God

71

(4)

Transgressions of the moral order and the power of the curse

75

(2)

The limits of reasonableness

77

(1)

The experience of misfortune in childhood

78

(3)

Diverging models of accountability among the Samburu and Maasai

81

(2)

The ambivalence of ritual knowledge among the Samburu and Maasai

83

(2)

Guardian spirits and the Samburu

85

(3)

Castigation, abandonment, and parental images of God

88

(3)

Conclusion: the benign God and the spectre of misfortune

91

(7)

5 The Loonkidongi diviners and Prophets

98

(26)

The practice of divination

98

(4)

The reputation of the Loonkidongi

102

(2)

Marriage and the two communities

104

(2)

The Prophet and his domain

106

(6)

Variation in Loonkidongi influence

112

(3)

Loonkidongi succession as the arena of a contemporary myth

115

(4)

Conclusion: the Prophet, his possessions, and the legitimacy of sorcery

119

(5)

6 Loonkidongi oracles and cyclical reckoning among the Maasai

124

(21)

The oracular number cycle

126

(8)

Maasai time cycles

134

(8)

Conclusion: simulating the pattern of affliction

142

(3)

PART II Diverging models in space and variation over time

145

(127)

7 The Purko Maasai in 1977: a northern model

147

(33)

The role of boys in inaugurating a new age-set

147

(3)

The segregation of the manyata from the domestic domain

150

(6)

Eunoto

156

(5)

The transition to elderhood and relations through food

161

(8)

Queuing and the sequence of ritual precedence among kin

169

(6)

Conclusion: the characteristics of the northern model

175

(5)

8 The Kisonko Maasai of Loitokitok in 1917: a southern model

180

(25)

Moranhood and manyata organization in Loitokitok

181

(5)

The change-over as a critical event

186

(2)

The transition to elderhood

188

(2)

The rivalry between firestisk alliances in elderhood

190

(4)

The alternation of power and the involvement of the Prophet

194

(3)

Conclusion: the northern and southern models of constraint

197

(8)

9 A pre-colonial model and the hub of power

205

(29)

The colonial intervention by British and German administrations

205

(1)

Merker's model of moranhood around 1900

206

(5)

Merker's model of elderhood around 1900

211

(1)

A critique of Merker's model of moranhood

212

(4)

The Prophet and the dynamics of power

216

(2)

Conclusion: colonial intervention and the transformation of the age system

218

(6)

Appendix: loose ends in Maasai history

224

(10)

10 Alternative models of social control among the Arusha Maasai

234

(14)

The classification of disputes among the Arusha

235

(3)

Confrontation and dispute referral

238

(4)

The competition for scarce resources and the integrity of age systems

242

(2)

Conclusion: self-interest and social control

244

(4)

11 Conclusion: the interplay of power and providence, and the theory of dilemmas

248

(24)

Transactional approaches and the shifting saddle point

248

(2)

Asymmetrical competition and the Cat-and-Mouse dilemma

250

(4)

Confrontation and the Hobbesian dilemma

254

(3)

Confidence and the dilemmas of altruism

257

(5)

The interplay of dilemmas

262

(2)

The Pareto cycle and the spiral of ageing

264

(3)

Conclusion: Providence and the dynamics of the Maasai age system

267

(5)

References

272

(7)

Subject index

279

(7)

Name index

286

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.