DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49271#0122
Rites of transition and the conception of !Nau among the Hottentots
67
matters. Cornelius Goliath was chief of the Berseba Hottentots, a very capable man
who had kept his people out of the war with the Germans, and had therefore been allowed
to preserve his tribe and its lands intact. He spoke excellent German, and was much
impressed with the necessity of absorbing as much of the incoming culture as would enable
his people to be at less disadvantage in the common concerns of life. He was there-
fore not much use as an original contributor, but was invaluable as a check on the state-
ments of others. During many weeks he had supper with me each evening, and spoke
willingly of what he knew.
Common characteristics of all transition rites among the Hottentots. All periods of
crisis in the lives of the Hottentots, whether of individuals or of groups, afford admir-
able illustrations of those rites which A. van Gennep has called “rites de passage.”
There is always the separation of the person from his usual surroundings, his prepa-
ration for a new group in society, and, finally, his reception into this group. A per-
son in such a -crisis acquires a characteristic unknown in the group to which he has
hitherto belonged. He is no longer protected by any group solidarity, and is therefore
exposed to danger on every side. He must retire from contact with other people, and*
!karesin.4 But he is also a danger to other people, and more especially to the animals and
other living things on which the community depends for its livelihood. Hence his-seclu-
sion and his scrupulous abstention from his usual tasks. Such a person is said to be
!nau. It is essential that he be initiated, as it were, with the least possible delay, into that
group of his people which already possesses the new characteristic which he has acquired,
in order that he may have a normal place in the community once more. But here there
is a difficulty, for a !nau person may work untold mischief on anyone dealing with him,
who might also become !nau. Therefore only persons who have passed through all the
stresses and strains of human life and no longer fear anything, who are beyond good and
evil, one might almost say, are qualified to deal with such cases. None but very old men,
and women past the age of childbearing, satisfy this condition. They alone can be called
upon to restore the !nau person to the community. But not any old woman or old man
will do. It must be one who has the same characteristic as the Inau person. Only a
widowed person can safely deal with one Inau.by recent loss of wife or husband. Only
one who has had a given disease and been cured of it is fit to officiate for a sufferer from
that disease. Preferably someone is selected for this task who, besides the other necessary
qualifications, has had an extremely bad attack of the disease, the worse the better.
Seclusion or separation of some kind occurs in all cases, but the method of initiation,
if we may call it so, varies according as the crisis is one of two kinds. In childbirth,
4 “Take care of himself ”, in this special way. The word is used only in this connection, both of the individual
himself and of others who, knowing they may be a source of danger to him, are considerate on his behalf.
67
matters. Cornelius Goliath was chief of the Berseba Hottentots, a very capable man
who had kept his people out of the war with the Germans, and had therefore been allowed
to preserve his tribe and its lands intact. He spoke excellent German, and was much
impressed with the necessity of absorbing as much of the incoming culture as would enable
his people to be at less disadvantage in the common concerns of life. He was there-
fore not much use as an original contributor, but was invaluable as a check on the state-
ments of others. During many weeks he had supper with me each evening, and spoke
willingly of what he knew.
Common characteristics of all transition rites among the Hottentots. All periods of
crisis in the lives of the Hottentots, whether of individuals or of groups, afford admir-
able illustrations of those rites which A. van Gennep has called “rites de passage.”
There is always the separation of the person from his usual surroundings, his prepa-
ration for a new group in society, and, finally, his reception into this group. A per-
son in such a -crisis acquires a characteristic unknown in the group to which he has
hitherto belonged. He is no longer protected by any group solidarity, and is therefore
exposed to danger on every side. He must retire from contact with other people, and*
!karesin.4 But he is also a danger to other people, and more especially to the animals and
other living things on which the community depends for its livelihood. Hence his-seclu-
sion and his scrupulous abstention from his usual tasks. Such a person is said to be
!nau. It is essential that he be initiated, as it were, with the least possible delay, into that
group of his people which already possesses the new characteristic which he has acquired,
in order that he may have a normal place in the community once more. But here there
is a difficulty, for a !nau person may work untold mischief on anyone dealing with him,
who might also become !nau. Therefore only persons who have passed through all the
stresses and strains of human life and no longer fear anything, who are beyond good and
evil, one might almost say, are qualified to deal with such cases. None but very old men,
and women past the age of childbearing, satisfy this condition. They alone can be called
upon to restore the !nau person to the community. But not any old woman or old man
will do. It must be one who has the same characteristic as the Inau person. Only a
widowed person can safely deal with one Inau.by recent loss of wife or husband. Only
one who has had a given disease and been cured of it is fit to officiate for a sufferer from
that disease. Preferably someone is selected for this task who, besides the other necessary
qualifications, has had an extremely bad attack of the disease, the worse the better.
Seclusion or separation of some kind occurs in all cases, but the method of initiation,
if we may call it so, varies according as the crisis is one of two kinds. In childbirth,
4 “Take care of himself ”, in this special way. The word is used only in this connection, both of the individual
himself and of others who, knowing they may be a source of danger to him, are considerate on his behalf.