Contribution to Book
Swahili Permutations: Ngoma and Identity in the Lamu Archipelago
World on the Horizon : Swahili arts across the Indian Ocean
(2018)
Abstract
This essay highlights the ways in which ngoma (a music and dance event) has been used as a tool of identity formation by the Swahili who live in and around the Lamu Archipelago, off
the northern Kenya coast. Drawing on historical sources and ethnographic research, the ngoma traditions examined here demonstrate how the Swahili in this region have integrated
newcomers, visitors, and slaves, and continuously incorporate new ideas and practices into their culture. Ngoma performed o mark passage through the life cycle, to protect against
the dangers of slash-and-burn farming, to pray for rain, and to celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (maulidi [in Swahili]; maulid [in Arabic])-each within a framework of
competition-offer illustrative examples.
Keywords
- Swahili,
- Kenyan Culture,
- Ethnography,
- Ngoma
Disciplines
Publication Date
Winter March 23, 2018
Editor
Prita Meier and Allyson Purpura
Publisher
Krannert Art Museum
ISBN
9781883015497
Citation Information
Rebecca Gearhart. "Swahili Permutations: Ngoma and Identity in the Lamu Archipelago" Champaign, Il.World on the Horizon : Swahili arts across the Indian Ocean (2018) p. 202 - 216 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_gearhart/16/