THE TALLENSI 261
of Mosuor and symbolized in the taboos and prerogatives of each, those of tendaanas being mainly the exact contrary of chiefs'. As throughout Tale society, the structural relationships are conceptualized in and sanctioned by the ritual ideology.
A tendaana—Custodian of the Earth—is primarily a religious functionary. His office is homologous with chiefship, but oriented towards the Earth. He 'prospers the community* by ensuring the beneficence of the Earth for it. His ritual relationship with the Earth imposes certain taboos (e.g. he may never wear cloth, but only skins) on him and enables him to accept the responsibility of dealing directly with it. Hence all lost property not the prerogative of chiefs must be delivered to a tmdaana. Lest the Earth be offended, a tzndaana must pierce the soil for a new grave and turn the first sod for making a farm or building a homestead on virgin land. Portions of the animals sacrificed on such occasions belong to him. Tendaanas may not sell men; but if a chief sold a vagrant person he gave a cow to the t&idaana of the area where the man was found as a piacular offering to the Earth. Because the Earth abhors bloodshed, tendaanas have ritual power to stop fighting and to mediate in disputes. They perform the sacrifices offered to the Earth to expiate murder. Their curse or blessing is more potent than a chief's, since the Earth is universal and can punish or bless a man anywhere.
Tmdaanasy therefore, have great moral and ritual authority. But they cannot 'prosper the community' without the collaboration of chiefs for they have no mystical power over rain. Thus in the Tongo area, if flood or drought threatens, the representative tmdaanas of the Talis call on the Tyyraana and exhort him to avert it. Though ancient animosities and structural cleavages divide their clans from his they are bound to collaborate ritually for the common good.
X. T&idaanas and the Wider Community
The office of tendaana is vested in a maximal lineage. Any male member of the lineage may at times deputize for the tendaana, and all its members must observe certain of his taboos. Tzndaanas succeed by right of seniority or are chosen by divination from amongst the segment heads.1 They are ritually installed by
1 The Hill Talis have a variant procedure which is a compromise between this method of selection and the way chiefs are elected.