Kvasir \'kva-sir\ In Norse mythology, the wisest of all men. He was born from the saliva from two rival groups of gods, the Aesir and the Vanir. As a teacher, he never failed to answer a question correctly. Two dwarfs, Fjalar and Galar, became tired of his great learning, and they killed him and distilled his blood in a magic cauldron. His blood, when mixed with honey by the giant Sattung, formed the mead that gave wisdom and poetic inspiration to those who drank it. Kvasir’s story is told in the Edda Braga Raedur.
Kwa languages Branch of the Niger-Congo language family. Forty- five Kwa languages are spoken by approximately 20 million people in the southern areas of Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Benin and in the extreme southwestern corner of Nigeria. Languages and language groups having more than a million speakers include Anyi and Baule in Cote d’Ivoire, Akan (including Asante, Fante, and Brong) and Guang in Ghana, and Gbe (including Ewe, Fon, and Anlo) in southeastern Ghana, Togo, and Benin.
Kwakiutl \,kwa-ke-'yu-t 3 l\ Northwest Coast Indian people who live along the shores of Vancouver Island, B.C., Can., and the mainland oppo¬ site. They speak Kwakwala, a Wakashan language, and call themselves Kwakwaka’wakw, meaning “Those Who Speak Kwakwala.” Tradition¬ ally, the Kwakiutl subsisted mainly by fishing. They had a technology based largely on woodworking. Their society was stratified by rank, deter¬ mined primarily by inheritance. The potlatch was elaborately developed and was often combined with dances and songs dramatizing ancestral experiences with supernatural beings. They continue to be known for their highly stylized art, which includes totem poles and striking masks. The Kwakiutl numbered about 3,000 in the 2001 Canadian census.
KwaNdebele \,kwan-da-'ba-la\ Former black enclave, central Trans¬ vaal province, South Africa. It was a self-governing “national state” for Transvaal Ndebele people, although it was never internationally recog¬ nized. Situated northeast of Johannesburg, it was founded in 1979, when
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
1060 I Kwando River ► Kyrgyzstan
many Transvaal Ndebele were expelled from Bophuthatswana. In 1994, after the abolition of apartheid, KwaNdebele became part of the new East Transvaal province, which was subsequently renamed Mpumalanga.
Kwando River River, southern Africa. Rising in central Angola, it flows southeast, forming part of the boundary between Angola and Zam¬ bia. It continues east along the northeastern border of Botswana and emp¬ ties into the Zambezi River just above Victoria Falls. Its total length is 457 mi (731 km).
Kwangju Vgwoq-'jii \ formerly Koshu City (pop., 2000: 1,350,948), southwestern South Korea, capital of South Cholla province. It occupies an area of 193 sq mi (501 sq km) and constitutes a metropolitan city (province) by itself. It has been a centre of trade and local administration since the Three Kingdoms (c. 57 bc); its modern industrial development began with a railway connection to Seoul in 1914. Kwangju was the site of an armed uprising between civilians and the government in 1980. It is the seat of Choson University (founded 1946).
Kwangsi Chuang See Guangxi Kwangtung See Guangdong
Kwanzaa or Kwanza \'kwan-zo\ African American holiday cel¬ ebrated from December 26 to January 1 and patterned after African har¬ vest festivals. It was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a black-studies professor at California State University at Long Beach, as a nonreligious celebration of family and community. The name was taken from the Swa¬ hili phrase matunda ya kwanzaa (“first fruits”). Each day is dedicated to one of seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective responsibil¬ ity, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Each evening, family members gather to light one of the candles in the kinara, a seven- branched candelabra; often gifts are exchanged. On December 31 com¬ munity members gather for a feast, the karamu. Kwanzaa is now observed by more than 15 million people.
kwashiorkor X.kwa-she-'or-koiA Condition caused by severe protein deficiency. It is common in tropical and subtropical regions in young chil¬ dren weaned on a diet chiefly of starchy foods such as grains, cassava, plantain, and sweet potato. It causes potbelly, edema, weakness, irritabil¬ ity, dry skin with rash, reddish-orange hair discoloration, diarrhea, anemia, and fat deposits in the liver. Mental development may be stunted. Adults who had the disease in childhood may be at risk of diseases such as cir¬ rhosis. Treatment is protein supplementation, often in the form of dried skim milk. For long-term prevention, development of high-protein plant mixtures based on local food preferences and availability is encouraged. Nondietary causes include inadequate absorption of nutrients by the intes¬ tines, chronic alcoholism, kidney disease, and trauma (e.g., infection, bums) causing abnormal protein loss.
Kweichow See Guizhou Kworra River See Niger River
kyanite Vkl-o-.nfiA or cyanite VsI-o-.nflA or disthene \'dis-,then\ Sili¬ cate mineral, one of several phases in the aluminum silicate (Al 2 Si0 5 ) sys¬ tem. Its colour ranges from gray-green to black or blue, with blue and blue-gray being most common. It occurs in Switzerland, Italy, the Ural Mountains, and New England (U.S.). Kyanite is a raw material in the manufacture of spark plugs. A clear, deep-blue variety is sometimes cut as a gemstone.
Kyd Vkid\, Thomas (b. Nov. 6, 1558, London, Eng.—d. c. December 1594, London) English dramatist. With The Spanish Tragedie (1592), he initiated the revenge tragedy, a favourite dramatic form in the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras in which the main motivation was revenge. One of the most popular plays of its time, it prepared the way for William Shake¬ speare’s Hamlet and other plays. The only other play certainly by Kyd is Cornelia (1594). He was arrested and tortured in 1593 after “atheistical” documents were found in his room; he claimed the papers belonged to Christopher Marlowe, with whom he had shared lodgings. His reputation ruined, he died the next year at age 36.
Kydland, Finn E. (b. December 1943, Algard, near Stavanger, Nor.) Norwegian economist. Kydland was educated at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (B.S., 1968) and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa. (Ph.D., 1973), where Edward C. Pres¬ cott advised him on his doctorate. Kydland, working with Prescott, dem¬ onstrated how a declared commitment to a low inflation rate by policy
makers might create expectations of low inflation and unemployments rates. They also established the microeconomic foundation for business cycle analyses, showing that technology changes or supply shocks, such as oil price hikes, could be reflected in investment and relative price movements and thereby create short-term fluctuations around the long¬ term economic growth path. In 2004 Kydland shared the Nobel Prize for Economics with Prescott.
Kynewulf See Cynewulf
Kyoga Lake Lake, south-central Uganda. It is formed by the Victoria Nile, which flows through it. It has a maximum depth of 25 ft (8 m), restricting navigation to shallow-draft vessels. About 80 mi (129 km) long, it has an area of 1,710 sq mi (4,429 sq km).
Kyoto City (pop., 2003 est.: 1,386,372), west-central Honshu, Japan. It is situated northeast of Osaka, and together with Kobe it is part of a major urban-industrial region. The centre of Japanese culture and Japanese Bud¬ dhism, Kyoto (“Capital City”) was the capital of Japan and the site of the imperial family residence for more than 1,000 years (794-1868). The modern city has venues that present Noh theatre and Kabuki. It is a manu¬ facturing centre, and many small workshops produce textiles and porce¬ lain; tourism is also important. Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, and other historic buildings are found throughout the city and surrounding area; 17 of these were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994. Its educational institutions include Kyoto University (founded 1897) and Doshisha University (1875).