Structure, meaning & ritual in the narratives of the southern San / Roger Hewitt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hewitt, Roger, author.

Series:

Khoisan heritage series.

The Khoisan heritage series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

San (African people)--Folklore.

San (African people).

Tales--South Africa.

Tales.

San (African people)--Social life and customs.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 254 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Johannesburg : Wits University Press, 2008.

Summary:

Structure, Meaning and Ritual in the Narratives of the Southern San analyses texts drawn from the Bleek and Lloyd Archive - arguably one of the most important collections for the understanding of South African cultural heritage and in particular the traditions of the /Xam, South Africa's 'first people'. Initially appearing in a now rare 1986 edition and here re-issued for the first time, the doctoral thesis on which the book is based became the catalyst for much scholarly research. The book offers an analysis of the entire corpus of /Xam narratives found in the Bleek and Lloyd collection, focusing particularly on the cycle of narratives concerning the trickster /Kaggen (Mantis). These are examined on three levels from the 'deep structures' with resonances in other areas of /Xam culture and supernatural belief, through the recurring patterns of narrative composition apparent across the cycle and finally touching on the observable differences in the performances by the various /Xam collaborators. Hewitt's text remains the only comprehensive and detailed study of /Xam narrative, and it has become itself the object of study by researchers and PhD candidates in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada and elsewhere. This new edition at last makes Hewitt's important work more widely available. It will be a welcome addition to the recently burgeoning literature on the place of the /Xam hunter-gatherers in the complex history of South African culture and society.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-246) and index.

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 09 May 2018).

ISBN:

9781776141265

1776141261

9781868147038

1868147037