Eileen Krige facts for kids

Eileen Jensen Krige (1904–1995) was an important South African social anthropologist. She was known for her studies of the Zulu and Lovedu cultures. She worked with other famous anthropologists like Hilda Kuper and Monica Wilson. Together, they wrote many books about the Nguni peoples in Southern Africa.

Besides her research, Eileen Krige helped start the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa. She taught there from 1948 until she retired in 1970. She encouraged many women to become researchers. Krige was also part of a group of South African anthropologists who were strongly against apartheid. This was a system of unfair racial segregation in South Africa. Other anthropologists in this group included Isaac Schapera, Winifred Hoernlé, Hilda Kuper, Monica Wilson, Audrey Richards, and Max Gluckman.

Eileen Krige's Personal Life

Eileen Krige married Jack Daniel Krige in 1928. Jack was a lawyer and also very interested in anthropology. He often went with Eileen on her research trips. He had previously taught about African studies at Rhodes University. Together, they inspired many African students to study anthropology. Some of their notable students include Absolom Vilikazi and Harriet Ngubane.

Her Education and Early Work

Eileen Krige first started studying economics. But she later earned a degree in social anthropology in 1929. This was at the University of the Witwatersrand. She was inspired by Winifred Hoernlé, who began teaching social anthropology there in 1923. Krige called Hoernlé "the mother of Social Anthropology in South Africa."

For her degree, Krige focused on the Zulu people. Her work was published in 1936 as The Social System of the Zulus. During her studies, Krige also became interested in the Lovedu people. They lived in the northern part of South Africa. In 1926, she visited them and met the Rain Queen, Queen Majaji. Krige was fascinated by the Lovedu and their queen, who was known as a powerful rain-maker.

Thanks to a special grant in 1936, Krige and her husband could study the Lovedu people in detail. This research lasted until 1938. Krige earned her advanced degree (DLitt) in 1940. In 1943, she and her husband published a famous book. It was called The Realm of a Rain-Queen: A Study of the Patterns of Lovedu Society.

About The Realm of a Rain-Queen

In The Realm of a Rain-Queen, Eileen Krige and her husband Jack wrote about the Lovedu people's culture. They explained that the sacred Lovedu Queen was central to their society. The book showed how the Lovedu culture supported and was supported by the Rain Queen. Krige wrote about the royal family, their legal customs, magic, and religion.

Her Later Career

In 1948, Krige began teaching at the University of Natal in Durban. Her deep knowledge of Zulu culture made her teaching very valuable. She became an inspiring university professor and scholar. She and her husband also taught their students to be honest and fair.

Krige continued to do fieldwork among the Lovedu people throughout her career. Even after she retired in 1970, she kept doing research. She studied important Zulu female ceremonies and her lifelong interest in kinship (family relationships) and marriage. This led to a book with John L. Comaroff in 1981. It was called Essays on African Marriage in Southern Africa.