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| Mr. Lowe and the other authors state that the word "tribe" when
applied to Africans is rooted in negative connotations about primitiveness
and savagery. They note how and why Africans were often forced to identify
themselves as tribes by the European colonial powers. The authors provide
examples of how White groups that are smaller than African groups never
have the word tribe applied to them.
Certain words that are commonly associated with today's news such as Hutu and Tutsi are clearly shown to be misnomers stemming from a colonial tradition. The authors also state why tribe has a different meaning when used by Africans and give many examples pointing out the contradictions and difficulties in understanding a situation that arise from using the word. Common arguments in favor of continuing the current use of the word tribe are examined and answered. |