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Octavo, softbound (stiff, map illus. orange wrappers), 185 pp. Very Good+, with light sunning to spine and edges. From lower cover:p In this book, Jeffrey Fadiman seeks to preserve the legacy of African warriorhood for the generations yet to come. To achieve this, he spent 18 months among the Meru of Mt. Kenya, interviewing over 300 of its oldest members on every aspect of their warrior years. As a result, he reconstructs a way of warfare that was close to medieval Western chivalry. Warriors battled strictly for glory, never for personal gain. Women were sacrosanct, even if captured. Rape was unknown. Killing, even in the heat of battle, was paid for in livestock fines. After each skirmish, elders from both sides would meet together in perfect harmony to total up the Òscore.Ó Primitive? Savage? Fadiman argues just for the reverse. During the time of colonial conquest, however, Africa's warrior legacy was repressed along with other aspects of their culture. Instead, Western patterns were forced upon its peoples, and their own traditions -- including military traditions -- were repressed, remaining only in the memories of the aged. With independence, African peoples across the continent have tried to restore their history. Fadiman aids their efforts by tapping into a ÒlivingÓ history of tribal warfare found only in the recollections of the warriors themselves. Jeffrey A. Fadiman, Ph.D., is an oral historian and the professor of tropical history at Eastern Michigan University.
Title: An Oral History of Tribal Warfare: The Meru of Mt. Kenya.
Location Published: Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 1982.
Categories: African History
Seller ID: vas625
