ABSTRACT
The loss of the political power which the royal families formerly held has levelled down distinctions until they have largely lost their meaning. This loss again has hastened the process of intermarriage with commoners. The social structure described in this chapter is that of the main body of the Ovimbundu. The structure of kinship and of social life is fairly homogeneous throughout the several tribes. Effective European occupation of the country and government by direct rule have atrophied the royal office among the Ovimbundu until to-day kings survive as hardly more than living museum pieces. Among the Ovimbundu the outstanding social and political unit at the present time is the village. The two foci of the village life are the Men's Club and the Dancing Floor. The village headman (Sekulu yimbo) is in a very real sense the father of the villagers. Villages may be moved for any one of several reasons.
