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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Kalabari: A Study in Synthetic Ideal-Type
Author:Wariboko, NimiISNI
Year:1999
Periodical:Nordic Journal of African Studies
Volume:8
Issue:1
Pages:80-93
Language:English
Geographic term:Nigeria
Subjects:values
Kalabari
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Religion and Witchcraft
External link:https://njas.fi/njas/article/view/644/466
Abstract:The Kalabari, an Eastern Ijo group in Rivers State, Nigeria, number about one million and are spread over several islands in the delta of the Niger River. In this article the author, a Kalabari scholar who grew up in Abonnema, one of the three major communities of Kalabari, investigates the Kalabari ideal-type, which is often a composite of many types. This 'synthetic ideal' is illustrated with examples from many facets of culture: religion, sculpture, the concept of beauty, the aristocratic ideal, textiles. The Kalabari predilection for the composite has often been linked to their long history of trading with both European and African societies. The trade explanation, however, is inadequate. The Kalabari cultural preference for the 'synthetic ideal' can best be understood in the context of the Kalabari system of communication and explanation, and how this influences the transfer of artifacts at the periphery of the society into the core of the culture by mixing with what has been brought forward from the past. The composite as the Kalabari idea of perfection derives from their continuous incorporation of items from the periphery into the core of their symbolic system. Bibliogr., notes, ref.
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