{"product_id":"the-forge-and-the-funeral-the-smith-in-kapsikihigi-culture-9781611861662","title":"The Forge and the Funeral: The Smith in Kapsiki\/Higi Culture","description":"Throughout 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. \u003ci\u003eThe Forge and the Funeral \u003c\/i\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 percent 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. \u003ci\u003eThe Forge and the Funeral \u003c\/i\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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Michigan State University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/01\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781611861662\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 422\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.25lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 1.10d","brand":"Walter E. a. Van Beek","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52161328152757,"sku":"9781611861662","price":33.96,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_1e4a4f01-4372-49fb-841e-0878953b7e3c.jpg?v=1768317868","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-forge-and-the-funeral-the-smith-in-kapsikihigi-culture-9781611861662","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}