ABSTRACT
Traditional authority is ritually constructed (Deeley 2004). Therefore religious legitimation is vital to traditional leadership. Its formalization promotes a powerful, taut constrained, voice of authority, which can in turn delegate authority to lesser voices, thus establishing the foundation of social organization. The terminologies of ritual, ceremonial, customary and religious leaders all have a misleading connotation in English, suggesting that these are not the real leaders. They are part of the superstructure of a false consciousness, when attention should be given to those with 'real' politico-socio-economic power. Forsaking any dichotomous or functional concept of ritual, this chapter will investigate the use and means of power in the religious terms of the Karamojong. Even the Weberian concept of the charismatic personality must be adapted, for charisma inheres in, and is attributed to, corporate groups, not just individuals. Certain people are selected by various criteria to ensure the blessings of Akujů on the community for the good of all. Vulnerability to overt political challenge may be assessed according to the restriction on access to the necessary qualifications and the existence of a broad social consensus that authority represents a sense of the order of creation and liberation (Bell 1992:121).
