The relationships between Hima and Iru in Ankola

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Periodical article

Title:	The relationships between Hima and Iru in Ankola
Author:	Elam, Yitzchak
Year:	1974
Periodical:	African Studies
Volume:	33
Issue:	3
Pages:	159-172
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Uganda
Subjects:	ethnic relations Hima Iru Nkore polity Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
External link:	https://doi.org/10.1080/00020187408707433
Abstract:	This discussion of Ankola refers to its rulers - the king, Omugabe, and the chiefs appointed by and subordinate to him - further it focuses on the relationships between the two other major groups in Ankole society: Iru cultivators and commoner Hima, as the people who live by cattle husbandry and shun agriculture and all other occupations, are termed in Ankola. Unlike other observers, the author argues that the Iru were neither serfs nor personal dependents in any way of commoner Hima, and that there were no extensive exchange relationships between the two groups. The discussion is couched in terms of segregation and avoidance instead of symbiosis or serfdom. Sections: Introduction - The separation of the Iru from the Hima - The Iru's importance for the Hima - Co-operation between cultivators and rulers - The impact on the polity of the exclusion of Iru from cattle husbandry. Notes.