154BOOK REVIEWSSymbols of Life: An Analysis of the Consciousness of the Karanga By H.Aschwanden, transl. U. Cooper. Gwera, Mambo Press, Shona Heritage Series 3,1982, xvlii, 332 pp., illus., index, ZS10.80.This detailed study of Shona symbols of life is an analysis of the consciousness ofthe Karanga, a Shona-speaking group who inhabit a sizeable portion of Zimbabwe.Many aspects of Karanga life are examined, such as childhood and education,puberty, marriage, division of labour between the sexes, sexual intercourse,pregnancy and birth. The author was a medical doctor in charge of a rural hospitalin Zimbabwe from 1965 to 1971, Almost all the information presented in the bookwas obtained from people who came to the hospital. His Karanga nurses helpedhim to collect the information.One interesting point about the study is that the various symbols and ritualsare described and analysed from the point of view of Karanga informantsthemselves without any 'outside' interpretation. The author points out: 'It wasrealised from the start of the project that the interpretation of those symbols andrituals which had been collected could only be satisfactorily explained if it wasbased on the most intimate knowledge of the Karanga's world. And, of course, onlythe Karanga themselves have this kind of knowledge. This has been our guidingprinciple throughout.' He believes that we can learn far more in this way than wecan from any scientific theory about symbols, myths and rituals: 'Theories thathave become dear to us tend to cloud our judgement and lead us to ignore wilfullythe fact that "primitive" tribes possess a consciousness of their own, relating totheir own world and ideas, a consciousness we never looked for because we did notsuppose it existed.' This approach means, as the author rightly points out, that thereader will have to form his or her own opinion at every stage on the question ofwhether indigenous interpretations given make sense or not. In other words, whathas been presented in this book is oral tradition only. Readers must bear this inmind.The author chose to write in the present tense 'for the sake of simplicity'. Thisapproach led to two main problems. Firstly, social change has largely been ignored.Many of the symbols, myths and rituals are no longer found today or have changedin form. Thus, to have a fuller picture of Karanga life the reader must read otherbooks or articles. Secondly, the author has made a large number of generalizationsthroughout the book that are often misleading, generalizations such as 'TheKaranga knows nothing about the human ovaries'; 'One of the biggest mysteries forthe Karanga is the development of the embryo which starts after fertilization'; 'TheKaranga woman has no need of emancipation'. There are many statements such asthis in the book.Despite these weaknesses the book has much to offer to historians,anthropologists and others interested in oral tradition, and can be a useful referencebook.University of ZimbabweG.L. CHAVUNDUKA