This book examines alleged "superhuman" powers associated with smith/artisans in five African societies. It discusses their ritual and social roles, mythico-histories, and changing relationships between specialists and patrons. Rasmussen uses primary source data from her research in Tuareg communities and compares this to secondary data on four other African societies. | Neighbors Strangers Witches And Culture-heroes by Susan Rasmussen, Hardcover | Indigo Chapters