XVIIᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Northern Namibia
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Ekumbu was a raiding institution organized by a king in the northern polities before the 1840s. Its expeditions sought to capture cattle and people from neighboring polities, generally without taking territory or deliberately killing. Under ambitious rulers, ekumbu could strengthen centralized authority; captured people could be enslaved or incorporated into kin groups, where they gained a place in the new society while remaining marked as inferior.
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Le récit
Ekumbu was a long-standing raiding institution organized by a king in the northern polities. Its purpose was to seize cattle and people from neighboring communities rather than to conquer territory. The institution connected military action to the material foundations of political power, especially the accumulation of livestock and the expansion of royal influence.
The consequences for captives varied. The extract states that raids could result in a form of slavery when prisoners were enslaved instead of being ransomed. In other cases, captives were incorporated ceremonially and practically into kin groups, receiving a place in their new society while also being defined as inferior within it.
Ekumbu illustrates how conflict and political integration could operate together. In the hands of ambitious and capable kings, raiding strengthened centralized power, but the institution also reproduced hierarchy and dependency. It belongs to a wider pattern of competition among northern polities before the 1840s, when succession disputes and struggles over resources generated repeated conflict.
XVIIᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Northern Namibia
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Ekumbu was a raiding institution organized by a king in the northern polities before the 1840s. Its expeditions sought to capture cattle and people from neighboring polities, generally without taking territory or deliberately killing. Under ambitious rulers, ekumbu could strengthen centralized authority; captured people could be enslaved or incorporated into kin groups, where they gained a place in the new society while remaining marked as inferior.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Ekumbu was a long-standing raiding institution organized by a king in the northern polities. Its purpose was to seize cattle and people from neighboring communities rather than to conquer territory. The institution connected military action to the material foundations of political power, especially the accumulation of livestock and the expansion of royal influence.
The consequences for captives varied. The extract states that raids could result in a form of slavery when prisoners were enslaved instead of being ransomed. In other cases, captives were incorporated ceremonially and practically into kin groups, receiving a place in their new society while also being defined as inferior within it.
Ekumbu illustrates how conflict and political integration could operate together. In the hands of ambitious and capable kings, raiding strengthened centralized power, but the institution also reproduced hierarchy and dependency. It belongs to a wider pattern of competition among northern polities before the 1840s, when succession disputes and struggles over resources generated repeated conflict.