Boundaries and BeliefThe Structure of a Sotho WorldviewW.D. HAMMOND-TOOKEThe Sotho-speaking peoples of southern Africa form an important partof the indigenous population but hitherto little has been written of theirtraditional religious and cosmological systems, partly due to theextensive missionary endeavour which has transformed their cultures.The Sotho of the Lowveld, however, situated in their secluded woodlandbelow the Escarpment, have retained much of their traditional beliefsystems. This book attempts to understand, and where possible, explain,the worldview of one of these peoples, the Kgaga, as a cognitivepatterning of concepts. After a brief survey of Kgaga social structurethere follows a detailed account of initiation into adulthood, followed byan examination of the ancestor cult, witchcraft and the complex systemof pollution beliefs. The nature of ethnozoological and colourclassification is also discussed. A concluding chapter seeks to applycurrent theories of interpretation to the symbolism in an effort to discernlogical consistency in the patterning.Human Sciences Research Council Publication Series No. 741982. xviii + 168pp., 13 black and white plates. Limp Clolh. R 12,00By the same authorPatrolling the Herms: social structure,Cosmology and Pollution Concepts in Southern Africa"Without boundaries there is chaos, not only linguistic but social. Amajor tenet of my argument will be that rituals, especially those related topollution beliefs, can best be understood as elements within a generalcommunication system, and that one of their essential functions is tomake statements about boundaries."Š the authorRaymond Dart Lecture 181981, vi + 27pp. Limp Cloth. R3,00African StudiesThe bi-annual multidisciplinary journal of the African Studies Institute,University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.Subscription RIO (Individuals) R20 (Institutions) per annum.Single copies R6 and R12 respectively.WITWATERSRAND UNIVERSITY PRESS1 Jan Smuts Avenue2001 Johannesburg, South AfricaOrder direct from publisherPrices do not include postage76