"Child of the Clan" or "Child of the Priests": Life Stories of Two Fipa Catholic Sisters

This paper analyses some of the consequences of Christian conversion and the process of assimilating Catholicism in an area of southwestern Tanzania known as Ufipa during the middle of the twentieth century. It is based on several conversations with two Fipa Catholic Sisters, Edwina and Ocilia. Their reflections highlight the way in which the Fipa people understood conversion. The period covered is not that of initial mission contact but after substantial conversion to Catholicism had taken place. The paper considers the way in which the conversion process was utilized by different families or lineages or, as Sister Edwina states, one "clan" and another. In the life stories of Edwina and Ocilia, control over their biological and social fertility lies at the heart of the conflict over their futures. In effect, the sisters struggled to determine their own place as "child of the clan," or "child of the priests."