“Based on two years of field work in northern Ghana and adjacent territories, this is one of the most extensive descriptions in anthropological literature of the rituals surrounding death in a particular society. It is, in addition, an important contribution to our theoretical knowledge of social structure and religion. The analysis of property and inheritance systems has not received systematic attention from most anthropologists. Yet, as the author demonstrates, the transmission of property from generation to generation is of critical significance in the understanding of social structure.
Although this is not a cross-cultural study in the formal sense, comparative materials are used in contrasting the adjacent LoWiili and LoDagaba communities. The discussion of inheritance as a source of conflict between generations will be of special interest to psychologists. The book also presents valuable information on such topics as totemism, exchange systems, and bereavement customs. It is illustrated with 8 pages of photographs, and several maps and charts.” BOOK JACKET