{"product_id":"the-forge-and-the-funeral-the-smith-in-kapsiki-higi-culture-9781611861662","title":"The Forge and the Funeral: The Smith in","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThroughout Africa one craft among many stands out: that of the blacksmith. In many African cultures, smiths occupy a significant position, not just as artisans engaging in a difficult craft but also as special people. Often they perform other crafts, as well, and make up a somewhat separate group inside society.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Forge and the Funeral \u003c\/em\u003edescribes the position of the smith in the culture of the Kapsiki\/Higi of northern Cameroon and northeastern Nigeria. Situated in the Mandara Mountains and straddling the border of these two countries, Kapsiki culture forms a specific and highly relevant example of the phenomenon of the smith in Africa. As an endogamous group of about 5 per cent of the population, Kapsiki smiths perform an impressive array of crafts and specializations, combining magico-religious functions with metalwork, in particular as funeral directors, as well as with music and healing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Forge and the Funeral \u003c\/em\u003egives an intimate description and analysis of this group, based upon the author’s four decades-long involvement with the Kapsiki\/Higi. Description and analysis are set within the more general scholarly debates about the dynamics of professional closure - including the notions of caste and guild—and also consider the deep history of iron and brass in Africa.","brand":"Michigan State University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51041728758103,"sku":"9781611861662","price":999.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781611861662.jpg?v=1750951447","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-forge-and-the-funeral-the-smith-in-kapsiki-higi-culture-9781611861662","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}