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Ancestors as Elders in Africa—Further Thoughts1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2012

James L. Brain
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Extract

In the essay which follows an attempt will be made to answer and elaborate on some of the points raised by Kopytoff in his article ‘Ancestors as Elders in Africa’ (Africa, xli, 2 April 1971, pp. 129–42), an article which will, no doubt, stimulate much argument and discussion. To do this I shall utilize both published sources and material collected in Uluguru in Eastern Tanzania.

Résumé

LES ANCÊTRES ET LES AÎNÉS DE LIGNAGE EN AFRIQUE

Dans son article ‘Les ancêtres et les aînés de lignage en Afrique’ (Africa xli. 2, 1971, pp. 129–42), Igor Kopytoff attaque Fortes qui se réfère à ‘l'adoration des ancêtres’, et accuse les anthropologues en général d'ethnocentrisme lorsqu'ils affirment que les rites relatifs aux ancêtres constituent une adoration ou même un culte. Au contraire, dit Kopytoff, les ancêtres ne sont pas perçus comme qualitativement différents des aînés de lignage dans les cultures africaines. Il appuie cette affirmation sur le fait qu'aucune langue bantoue n'a de terme spécifique pour ‘ancêtre’ et que l'on trouve une grande variété de termes équivalents, sinon semblables, à ceux connotant les aînés vivants. Alors que l'on peut accepter de dire que le terme ‘adoration’ n'est pas approprié du point de vue sémantique à cette institution que l'on trouve largement répandue en Afrique, il est inacceptable d'affirmer qu'il n'existe pas de culte des ancêtres, et que les ancêtres ne sont pas percus comme qualitativement différents des aînés de lignage. Bien plus, il paraît à peine croyable que Kopytoff, alors qu'il observe qu'aucune langue bantoue n'emploie un terme spécifique pour ‘ancêtre’, ignore le fait que toutes les langues bantoues possédent un terme spécifique pour désigner ‘l'esprit de l'ancêtre’. Il faut aussi souligner que ce terme avec toutes ses variantes est assigné à une classe nominale différente de celles utilisées pour les personnes vivantes.

Des exemples ethnographiques de différents pays d'Afrique sont donnés, en insistant particulièrement sur les faits recueillis à Uluguru en Tanzanie de l'Est.

Type
Research Article
Information
Africa , Volume 43 , Issue 2 , April 1973 , pp. 122 - 133
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 1973

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