1 0 0 0 OA アフリカ在来知の生成とそのポジティブな実践に関する地域研究
1 0 0 0 OA エウェ族およびアシャンテ族における儀礼用織布の製作技法
- 著者
- 井関 和代
- 出版者
- 日本アフリカ学会
- 雑誌
- アフリカ研究 (ISSN:00654140)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.1982, no.21, pp.57-74, 1982-03-30 (Released:2010-04-30)
- 参考文献数
- 8
There are, at present, in Togo and Ghana, numerous textile workshops where long, narrow strip cloth of a width of approximately ten centimeters, are woven. These long strips are sewn together to produce one large piece of cloth which is then used as wearing apparel. Kente cloth, the representative type from this region, was in the past used only as clothing by the court of the Asante kingdom. In recent times, Kente cloth began to be worn by the general population and now it is produced by both the Ewe as well as the Asante. As the finished cloth was quite similar, it was not clear, however, whether or not these two different peoples employed exactly the same techniques during the weaving process. In order to determine where such points of similarity or difference in method might exist, this author spent the three months from December 1980 to March 1981 at the workshop of Mr. Adjakpley Kafu Mawu, located in Asshoun in the village of Tsévié, which is located in the coastal region of the Republic of Togo. The results of the investigation, described below, indicate that there are, in fact, striking differences between the respective techniques used in the preparation, that is, the looming of the warp threads.The production of Kente cloth begins by counting out the desired number of threads and cutting them to the length of what will be the finished material. Each tribe uses both different numbers of warpbeams and spaces them differently, and the methods by which the warp threads are wound are completely different. In order to loom the threads, by passing them through the heddles and reeds, the Ewe let them hang from the loom where as the Asante spread them on the ground. In addition to such technical differences, the looms themselves are not identical. Although both peoples use standing looms, the Ewe use crossbeams around which the finished cloth is wound as well as backbeams which form part of the posts of the loom, and are therefore fixed in position. The Asante, on the other hand, arrange these two features so that they can be adjusted to the seated height of the weaver. In addition, the Ewe use stone blocks or string to fix the crossbeams into position, while the Asante employ the backbeams for this purpose. Nevertheless, when the Kente cloth is finally removed from the loom, it is impossible to tell from the finished product alone whether the weaver was an Ewe or an Asante.If only the production techniques form the basis of comparison, it may be said that those of the Asante are superior. In defense, however, it must be noted that the Ewe have only recently begun to weave this type of cloth. The traditional techniques which the Ewe have preserved over the years are manifested in their production of this type of cloth as well as in the traditional cloth which they have always produced, known as Lokpo cloth, and it is only in the final designs that are woven into the finished cloth that the Asante features can be seen.
本研究は、今日のアフリカ諸社会にける青少年に注目し、彼らがそれぞれどのように文化を継承、再創造、あるいは破壊しているのか、その実態を明らかにした。また、それぞれの地域社会において継承されてきた伝統的な成育システムや相互扶助組織、各種の結社等の調査研究を通じて得られた成果をもとに、今後グローバル化の一層の進展が予想されるアフリカにおいて、将来的に青少年の人権を保護し、彼らの生活上の安全を保障するとともに、彼らが文化の担い手としての役割を十全に発揮できるような環境づくりに寄与し得るような指針のいくつかを提供することができた。グローバル経済の急激な浸透に直面する今日のアフリカの青少年にとって、人間の安全保障や人間的発展などが提唱する「能力強化」は、法的権利の行使や政治的発言力の獲得、女性の地位向上と彼女たちによる自らの主体性への覚醒、グローバル経済にアクセスして相応の利益を獲得するうえで確かに重要であり、そのために読み書きや計算などの基礎教育を充実させることには一定の意義がある。ただし、それぞれの地域社会で継承されてきた伝統的な成育システムがもつ今日的意義は決して過小評価されるべきでない。基礎教育の普及は、しばしばこれら伝統的成育システムの否定に結びつきがちであるが、それぞれの地域社会の文脈において、こうした伝統的成育システムがもつ多面的意義を正確に理解し、それらへ基礎教育を巧みに接合させる方途を探求することが有効である。本研究におけるこれらの成果は、人類学やアフリカ地域研究のみならず、コミュニティ・べースの開発論があらためて脚光を浴びている開発・経済学の分野にも一定の貢献をなし得るものと考える。