Rattray was born in India to Scottish parents. In 1906, he joined the Gold Coast Customs Service. In 1911, he became the Assistant District Commissioner at Ejura. Learning local languages, he was appointed head of the Anthropological Department of Asante in 1921. He retired in 1930. He was killed while flying a glider in 1938.[3]
"When a new Anthropological Department was set up in Ashanti in the 1920s, Rattray was charged with the task of re-searching the law and constitution of Ashanti, to assist the colonial administrators in ruling the Ashantis. With his office in the Anthropological Department in Ashanti, Rattray set out to do detailed and voluminous research on Ashanti religion, customs law, art, beliefs, folktales, and proverbs. His personal contact with the people of Ashanti afforded him an intimate knowledge of their culture, which is reflected in his thoughtful and nuanced writing on them."[4]
Ethnographic collectionsedit
Like many anthropologists of his day, Rattray collected many ethnographic artefacts during his time in Africa, took photographs, collected folk tales and language information and experimented with sound recording. These materials mostly ended up in the collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford,[5] although smaller collections are found in the British Museum and elsewhere.[6] His fieldwork papers are held in the archives of the Royal Anthropological Institute (UK).[7] His sound recordings are archived at the British Library.[8]
Worksedit
Vernon Blake, "The Aesthetic of Ashanti".
Hausa Folk-lore, translated from Maalam Shaihua's original, 1913, 2 volumes.
Ashanti Proverbs: the primitive ethics of a savage people: translated from the original with grammatical and anthropological notes, 1916 (repub. 1969). With a preface by Sir Hugh Clifford.
Ashanti, 1923.
(ed.) Religion and Art in Ashanti, Oxford University Press, 1927.
Ashanti Law and Constitution, 1929.
Akan-Ashanti Folk-Tales. Collected and translated by ... R. S. Rattray ... and illustrated by Africans of the Gold Coast Colony, 1930.
The Tribes of the Ashanti Hinterland Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2 vols., 1932.
An Elementary Mōle Grammar with a Vocabulary of Over 1000 Words for the Use of Officials in the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast. Clarendon Press, 1918.
Ashanti Proverbs (The Primitive Ethics of a Savage People) Translated From the Original With Grammatical and Anthropological Notes. (1916).
^"PHOTOS: President Mahama inaugurates recreational park in Kumasi". Graphic Online. 20 June 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
^Daniel Miles McFarland, Historical Dictionary of Ghana, 1985, p. 153.
^Yankah, Kwesi. 2004. "RATTRAY, R.S. (1881–1938)." African Folklore: An Encyclopedia, Philip M. Peek and Kwesi Yankah, editors, 779-780. New York & London: Routledge.
^"Regional overview: Africa". www.prm.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
^"Collections Online | British Museum". www.britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
^"Rattray, Robert Sutherland (MS 104)". Royal Anthropological Institute. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
robert, sutherland, rattray, known, captain, rattray, 1881, india, 1938, barrister, held, diploma, anthropology, from, oxford, traditional, adinkra, symbols, gathered, rattray, symbolizing, values, often, with, proverbs, associated, with, symbolhe, early, afri. Robert Sutherland Rattray GBE known as Captain R S Rattray 1881 in India 1938 was a barrister and held a diploma in Anthropology from Oxford Traditional adinkra symbols gathered by Rattray symbolizing values often with proverbs associated with symbolHe was an early Africanist and student of the Ashanti He was one of the early writers on Oware and on Ashanti gold weights 1 An amusement park constructed by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly is named Rattray park in memory of R S Rattray 2 Example of Akan gold weight described by Rattray Symbolizes proverb One must turn to the past to move forward Contents 1 Life 2 Ethnographic collections 3 Works 4 References 5 External linksLife editRattray was born in India to Scottish parents In 1906 he joined the Gold Coast Customs Service In 1911 he became the Assistant District Commissioner at Ejura Learning local languages he was appointed head of the Anthropological Department of Asante in 1921 He retired in 1930 He was killed while flying a glider in 1938 3 When a new Anthropological Department was set up in Ashanti in the 1920s Rattray was charged with the task of re searching the law and constitution of Ashanti to assist the colonial administrators in ruling the Ashantis With his office in the Anthropological Department in Ashanti Rattray set out to do detailed and voluminous research on Ashanti religion customs law art beliefs folktales and proverbs His personal contact with the people of Ashanti afforded him an intimate knowledge of their culture which is reflected in his thoughtful and nuanced writing on them 4 Ethnographic collections editLike many anthropologists of his day Rattray collected many ethnographic artefacts during his time in Africa took photographs collected folk tales and language information and experimented with sound recording These materials mostly ended up in the collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford 5 although smaller collections are found in the British Museum and elsewhere 6 His fieldwork papers are held in the archives of the Royal Anthropological Institute UK 7 His sound recordings are archived at the British Library 8 Works editVernon Blake The Aesthetic of Ashanti Hausa Folk lore translated from Maalam Shaihua s original 1913 2 volumes Ashanti Proverbs the primitive ethics of a savage people translated from the original with grammatical and anthropological notes 1916 repub 1969 With a preface by Sir Hugh Clifford Ashanti 1923 ed Religion and Art in Ashanti Oxford University Press 1927 Ashanti Law and Constitution 1929 Akan Ashanti Folk Tales Collected and translated by R S Rattray and illustrated by Africans of the Gold Coast Colony 1930 The Tribes of the Ashanti Hinterland Oxford Clarendon Press 2 vols 1932 An Elementary Mōle Grammar with a Vocabulary of Over 1000 Words for the Use of Officials in the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast Clarendon Press 1918 Ashanti Proverbs The Primitive Ethics of a Savage People Translated From the Original With Grammatical and Anthropological Notes 1916 References edit A Short History of Ashanti Gold Weights PHOTOS President Mahama inaugurates recreational park in Kumasi Graphic Online 20 June 2015 Retrieved 25 December 2019 Daniel Miles McFarland Historical Dictionary of Ghana 1985 p 153 Yankah Kwesi 2004 RATTRAY R S 1881 1938 African Folklore An Encyclopedia Philip M Peek and Kwesi Yankah editors 779 780 New York amp London Routledge Regional overview Africa www prm ox ac uk Retrieved 17 June 2022 Collections Online British Museum www britishmuseum org Retrieved 17 June 2022 Rattray Robert Sutherland MS 104 Royal Anthropological Institute Retrieved 17 June 2022 https es unesco org sites default files uk ethnographic pdf bare URL PDF Noel Machin Government Anthropologist a life of R S Rattray 1998 Captain R S Rattray C B EExternal links editWorks by or about Robert Sutherland Rattray at Internet Archive nbsp nbsp This article about a writer or poet from the United Kingdom is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Robert Sutherland Rattray amp oldid 1154093646, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
