TIV SONG: THE SOCIOLOGY OF ART IN A CLASSLESS SOCIETY
by Charles Keil
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Although ostensibly a study of Tiv song, this book includes description and analysis of Tiv dance, stories, and decorative art, including scarification.
Keil first explores the sematics of Tiv music terminology and provides insight into the Tiv creative process. Next he looks at stories which are mostly about a trickster figure who repeatedly undermines chiefly authority through sexual prowess expressed in song. Other types of song are commissioned by individuals to praise themselves or insult others. Through life histories of several songwriters, Keil examines what makes and motivates a songwriter. In a final chapter, Keil tries to uncover the master metaphor, or trope, which inspires Tiv song, dance, sculpture, architecture, and design. He finds it in an 'expressive grid' composed of concentric circles, representing the forces of society and culture, intersected by radiating lines which emanate from the center and represent forces of individuality. An appendix includes eleven songs and an analysis of Tiv song form. »» REVIEW by Christopher A. Waterman |