Pigs: the democratic philosophers of the medieval Sudan
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
The pig is not a popular animal in the Sudan today, and the idea of eating one is a notion
equally repugnant to most people of the north and the south. The historical record seems
to indicate, however, that this has not always been the case in times past; indeed, swine
are still kept by a limited number of small communities who live across a belt extending
from the Nuba Mountains eastward to the Ethiopian border. The demise of a once significant
domesticated animal is a theme worthy of careful historical analysis, for food
- the production, distribution, storage and preparation of food - occupies a very
important position in any cultural system, and a major change in the definition of what is, or is not, food, constitutes a benchmark in the periodization of social history. This study explores one such cultural watershed, in addressing the questions of when and why the mainstream of the northern Sudanese cultural community rejected the pig.
Description
African Studies Center Working Paper No. 134
License
Copyright © 1989, by the author.