The blood pact in Bunyoro
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2138366 |
|---|---|
| Authors | John Beattie (0000-0002-2007-6534, University of Oxford, corresponding author), J H M Beattie |
| Year | 1958 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 198-203 |
| Publication date | 1958-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-0184 • E-ISSN: 1469-2872 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00020185808707064 |
| OpenAlex | W1981643192 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 2 |
SYNOPSIS The Nyoro of Uganda had the institution of the blood pact, which could only be entered into by men of different clans. Participation in it involved a ceremonial exchange of blood, and implied reciprocal obligations of mutual aid and hospitality, a breach of which involved danger and perhaps death for the guilty party. The pact did not necessarily imply equality (in fact the supplicant partner ipso facto assumed a slightly inferior status), and it could traditionally be made between princes or chiefs and commoners. It is represented in myth as a means of establishing peaceful relations with foreign and potentially dangerous powers, and it was so utilized by Nyoro rulers when Europeans first appeared in the country in the last century
Clan · De facto · Mythology · Pact · Political science · Sociology · African history and culture analysis · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History · Law
| Citations per year | 0.16 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1963 - 2022 (60) |
| Highly cited | No |