In Praise of the Ancestors: Names, Identity, and Memory in Africa and the Americas

In Praise of the Ancestors is a revisionist interpretation of early colonial accounts that reveal incongruities in accepted knowledge about three Native groups. Susan Elizabeth Ramírez reevaluates three case studies of oral traditions using positional inheritance, which contributes to collective memories and group identity. She examines the Kazembes in central Africa, the Iroquois Confederation, and the Andeans, questioning colonial narratives and documenting the use of an alternative system of memory perpetuation.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 23 May 2022
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

In addition to the collective memories of lived experiences, a significant portion of the modern world's historical understanding derives from written sources preserved in the archives worldwide. Some scholars in the not-so-distant past have even referred to unlettered civilizations as "peoples without history."

Susan Elizabeth Ramírez offers a revisionist perspective on early colonial accounts in her book, In Praise of the Ancestors. Through the lens of positional inheritance, a system where names and titles are inherited from one generation to another, Ramírez reevaluates three case studies of oral traditions among Native groups.

Ramírez begins by exploring positional inheritance and perpetual kinship among the Kazembes in central Africa from the eighteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. She then moves on to examine the Native groups of the Iroquois Confederation and their practice of using names to commemorate remarkable leaders in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Finally, Ramírez surveys naming practices of the Andeans, based on sixteenth-century manuscript sources and later testimonies found in Spanish and Andean archives.

By reexamining the histories of Native peoples on three continents, Ramírez raises a broader issue: the understanding of the nature of knowledge as fundamental to understanding and evaluating the knowledge itself. Through her meticulous research and analysis, Ramírez challenges colonial narratives and sheds light on the alternative systems of memory perpetuation employed by these communities.

In Praise of the Ancestors is a valuable contribution to the field of history, offering a fresh perspective on the past and challenging the prevailing narratives. It is a must-read for anyone interested in Native American history, cultural studies, and the broader study of knowledge and its implications.

Weight: 390g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496231475