Contributions

  • Thomas, Wendy A. - Contributor

Publication

1998 - University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Ontario

Language

English

Word Count

102,750 words, Guess

Page Count

411 pages

Identifiers

  • Open LibraryOL102943M
  • ISBN-100802042279
  • OCLC Control Number44414183
  • Library of Congress Control Number99218554
  • Goodreads3955874

Classifications

  • DDC967.51
  • LCCCR920.N94 V65 1998

Description

One day, more than twenty years ago, Zdenka Volavka found a lost treasure: the investiture regalia of the African kingdom of Ngoyo, dating from the Iron Age of the second millennium. The plaited copper crown or mpu, turned upside-down and filled with a jumble of metal objects, was on display in the Musee de l'Homme in Paris, ignominiously labelled as a 'fishing basket.' These objects became the focus of Volavka's research in her remaining years, and form the subject of her book. Combining extensive field work with ethnographic, historical, scientific, and linguistic analysis, Volavka reconfigures the nature of kingship and royal ritual in Ngoyo, uncovering the objects' true meaning and function, and reintegrating them into their original context. Detailed metallurgical analyses are included, along with a study of the role of copper in the lives of the peoples of the lower Zaire basin.

Subjects

Other Editions

  • Crown and ritual: the royal insignia of NgoyoUniversity of Toronto Press1998-01-01

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