The installation of Sukuma chiefs in Mwanza district, Tanganyika

Abstract

SYNOPSIS The purpose of this paper is to compare present‐day installation ceremonies in Mwanza district with those of the recent as well as the historic past. There is first a reconstruction of the form which the ceremony may have taken in the late nineteenth century in Ilemera and at other places, together with some theoretical explanations of the main parts of the ritual. The present chief of Nassa who was appointed in 1927, has given a written account of his installation and has provided much additional information. Ceremonies of about the time of his installation were the last that adhered more or less to ancient rituals, since at that time the office of chief had not yet been deprived of many of its powers by the administering authority and was still the keystone of the politico‐religious unity of the chiefdom. This account is followed by descriptions of three more recent installations in which the influence of modern factors is apparent, for instance the religious affiliations of the chief‐elect and other participants and the introduction of a more democratic form of local government. Despite variations brought about by both historical heterogeneity and modern changes, a certain recurring pattern is discernible in all the installations described, the most striking features being steps aimed at the restoration of the politically important supernatural powers of the chieftainship after their temporary decline on the death of the previous incumbent.