During a succession dispute within the Luba Kingdom, oral narratives and historical precedents must be reconciled to validate the ascension of a new ruler. In this context, how does the use of the *lukasa* by the Mbudye Society serve to legitimize royal authority?
- By dynamically mapping ancestral lineages and migration routes through a tactile arrangement of beads and shells, allowing the reader to adjust historical narratives to suit contemporary political needs.Answer
- BBy serving as a literal cartographic record that defines the exact physical boundaries of the kingdom, which are verified by matching the board's structural lines to geographic coordinates.
- CBy having the disputing parties drive metal pins and nails into the wooden board to seal legal oaths and physically bind the spirits of former kings to enforce the new ruler's decrees.
- DBy displaying the board publicly as a static, unalterable visual text that remains permanently mounted inside a royal shrine to serve as a visual testament to the king's divine right.
Answer
By dynamically mapping ancestral lineages and migration routes through a tactile arrangement of beads and shells, allowing the reader to adjust historical narratives to suit contemporary political needs.
The correct answer is correct because the lukasa is a dynamic mnemonic device. It is held in the hand and read by initiates of the Mbudye Society who run their fingers over the arrangement of beads, shells, and metal pins. Since the history is oral and performative, the reader can reinterpret the historical relationships and genealogies recorded on the board to address contemporary political disputes and legitimize the king's authority.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The lukasa as a dynamic, performative mnemonic device used by the Luba Mbudye Society to record and interpret oral histories for political legitimacy.