15.5 White staff and location within the group
The white staff have kinship relations bestowed upon them.
This does not carry with it full membership in the group. For
some who have had a long, stable, trusted association with the
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group, a special identity of ’consultor’ is bestowed. The acceptance
of such ’bestowals', and interaction with them, means that the
staff have modified their perception of their own identity, their
location in a∙ 'world' of meaning. For these people, there are
special roles and obligations which they come to perceive over a
long period. There is thus, for Somewhiteteachers, the possibility
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of a dual identity, of location of the self at different times in
different worlds of meaning (e.g. the Strelley Community, and
'mother-in-law's world of meaning' during vacation).
For other white teachers, their role is clearly demarcated as
'white teacher, teaching literacy and numeracy'. Their identity
is, as it were, that of white teacher temporarily at Strelley.
However, in both cases, the response is the response expected by
the Mob, and confirms their 'world' of meaning.
Identity, location in the social structure, is secured by
clearly perceived identials.
De Levita (1965:169) enumerates physical identity, life history,
language, naming and possessions as important identials,
15.6 Identials
15.61 Physical identity
The physical idential of the body clearly shows forth a belongingness.
At Strelley it is white children who stand out as different because
of their skin colour. At Strelley, and with any tradition-oriented
community, black is not 'beautiful', nor is it a source of shame.
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It is a given.
