Role flexibility and status continuity: Tiriki (Kenya) age groups today.

Research in Tiriki, Western Province, Kenya, in 1954-56, 1961, and 1982 reveals the continuing practice and importance of initiating young males into a graded system of semi-generational age groups. This paper describes and analyzes how and why members of the two seniormost Tiriki-Terik 'elder' age grades still enjoy the highest tribal social status even though they have largely forsaken their traditional judicial and ritual roles. These elders have assumed many domestic and subsistence supervisory roles left unfilled by junior age grade members who are working for cash in distant urban centers. ka]Key Words kb]age grading kb]senior age groups kb]social change kb]Kenya kb]aging in Africa kb]aging in developing societiesSpecial thanks to Lucinda Sangree both for sharing the rich field data she gathered in Tiriki and for her helpful analytic and interpretative suggestions. Many thanks to Mark Luborski for his honest and insightful queries and suggestions.