Leo T. reviewed on 3/4/2011 + 1775 more book reviews

Using numerous cases, Middleton demonstrates "how the cult of the dead operates to resolve conflict, to sustain and to regulate lineage authority and to validate changes in its distribution. The rites of the cult of the dead are performed at points of crisis in the perpetual process of realignment in relations of authority within the lineage. These points occur when there are changes in the internal structure of the lineage as men reach various tages of social maturity, and as resources in land, women and livestock are redistributed to meet changing needs of the lineage members."

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