192 BOOK REVIEWSSymbols of Death: An Analysis of the Consciousness of the Karanga ByHerbert Aschwanden, transl. by U. Cooper. Shona Heritage Series 4. Gweru,Mambo Press, 1987, 389 pp., ISBN 0-86922 390-9, Z$20.25.Karanga Mythology: An Analysis of the Consciousness of the Karanga inZimbabwe By Herbert Aschwanden, transl. by U. Cooper. Shona HeritageSeries 5. Gweru, Mambo Press, 1989, 287 pp., ISBN 0-86922 450-6, Z$18.These two volumes complete a trilogy about symbolism based oninvestigations into oral traditions of the Karanga people of Ndanga andBikita districts in Masvingo. In the previous volume, Symbols of Life, theauthor examined issues like birth, childhood, sex, marriage. In Symbols ofDeath, he discusses the causes and onset of death and subsequent rituals.In the last volume, Karanga Mythology, he analyses myths. In all cases hewas helped by nursing sisters to collect information from patients at amission hospital where he worked as a doctor.The author pursues a style of description and analysis, whereby hefirst presents the narratives of rituals in the second volume and myths inthe third volume. The narratives are followed by an interpretation whichunearths a cosmological dimension. The author is able to articulate thesignificance of his research findings from the Karanga point of view: 'ananalysis of consciousness ... of the Karanga... is presented to the readerstrictly in the light of the Karanga's own statements and analysis' (Symbolsof Death, 11). Also, by putting into writing the social and cultural beliefs ofthe Karanga, the author has systematised often fragmentary oral tradition.However, there are some weaknesses in the work. One problem arealies with the use of translation of the Karanga issues through his assistants.Translation deprives the material of its original meaning and does notpenetrate the linguistic and cultural codes of the people under study.Also, the translation into Christian terms and concepts like 'sin' reflectsthe author's, or his helpers', prejudice.The second problem is the level of analysis, limited by the methodsof collecting data from patients, outside the context in which the symbolsare used. Aschwanden admits, 'I am also conscious of the fact that theinterpretation of some symbols and rituals is inadequate and that theKaranga's far deeper understanding of them has remained undiscoveredby us' (Symbols of Death, 11).On the whole, Aschwanden's books try to provide basic informationon the Karanga oral tradition which is valuable for social and culturalanthropologists, sociologists, historians, and researchers in indigenousreligions and culture.University of Zimbabwe T. SHOKO