Hidden hippopotamus

The historian of an African society most closely resembles that circus acrobat who balances at the apex of a human pyramid. Whatever he can do there and whatever he can see from his vantage point he owes in large measure to those who support him. The making of this book has been a long and expensive process and the pyramid is commensurately large. The research upon which this work is based was conducted in two stints. The first, from October 1972 to October 1976, was financed by a Hayter award from the Department of Education and Science, a Univer- sity of Cambridge Allen scholarship, grants from the Jan Smuts Memorial Fund and an interest-free loan from Emmanuel College. From March 1973 to May 1975 I lived in Bulozi. The second stint, from October 1976, was made possible by a Research Fellowship at Emmanuel College. From January to September 1977 I returned to Bulozi to continue my field research, a trip facilitated by an SSRC Research Project grant and a further interest-free capital loan from Emmanuel College which enabled me to purchase a new and specially equipped Land Rover that was shipped to Africa for my use. Throughout the work, the College has stepped in to help where others could not and by ensuring that, particu- larly on my second field trip, I had the tools for the job, this concern has significantly improved the type and quantity of work that I could do. My gratitude to the Fellowship is profound.