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Evil and Witchcraft among the Ndogo Group of Tribes1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 August 2012

Fr. S. Santandrea
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Extract

In the native mind evil, and especially any sort of disease as well as death is due either to beings out of a man's reach (spiritual beings) or to human beings endowed with extraordinary power (witches, sorcerers, operators of black magic).

There are a few cases in which the natives accept the evidence of facts: perhaps the only one in which almost all of them agree is in the case of murder. Should a man be deliberately killed, suspicions of witchcraft are not entertained. But should he be killed by a wild beast while hunting, inquiries may be made as to the indirect cause of his death. It will be asked: who advised him to go hunting? who brought that bad beast on to his path? who caused the hunter to miss it?

Résumé

LE MAL ET LA SORCELLERIE PARMI LES TRIBUS DU GROUPE NDOGO

La maladie et la mort sont attribuées à des puissances spirituelles, Mbiri (dieu), Baaci et Baasilis (esprit des vivants), Vuvu (esprit des morts). On découvre celui qui veut du mal aux hommes au moyen des oracles, la culpabilité ou l'innocence sont prouvées par des ordalies. Les principales sont accomplies par le moyen d'un bâton, d'un manche de hache, d'un coq, en buvant le poison et en recherchant des preuves. Lorsque meurt une personne notable ko'du, on imagine aussitôt la plus mauvaise forme de sorcellerie; la famille tout entière est suspectée, car on peut hériter du pouvoir. La preuve est trouvée sous forme d'objets découverts dans le corps du possesseur ou du possédé. Aujourd'hui, grâce à l'action administrative, aucune condamnation à mort ne peut intervenir de ce chef, mais l'opinion publique condamne à l'ostracisme tout homme ou femme que l'on suppose coupable. La croyance dans la sorcellerie peut avoir d'effets sociaux satisfaisants, car elle réduit les manifestations de haine ou de mauvais vouloir, par contre elle permet d'innombrables abus. L'autopsie peut affermir la réputation d'une famille et celle-ci est alors en droit de réclamer satisfaction, mais ce procédé est susceptible d'engendrer des interprétations fallacieuses. Tout le monde croit en la sorcellerie, mais aujourd'hui les croyances des Zandé se répandent parmi les tribus de Ndogo. Au cours de ces dernières années le mouvement makau s'est étendu au Bor, Bviri, Bongo, Zandé et Gur.

Type
Research Article
Information
Africa , Volume 11 , Issue 4 , October 1938 , pp. 459 - 481
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 1938

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References

page 464 note 1 A creeper, named in Zande gbadangi, used for tying.

page 464 note 2 Ko'du is pronounced with the glottal stop before the d. The Bviri call it uru and the Sere ulu. It has the same meaning as the Zande word mangu.

page 464 note 3 Op. cit. pp. 171-8.

page 465 note 1 Sometimes the partner's fault is shown by the oracle's response. A fairly common expiatory ceremony consists in a hen being killed as a sacrifice by the wife of the wronged husband, then she rubs the unhealthy part of the patient's body with the feathers, and all is over. Should anything happen, she will not be responsible for it.

page 465 note 2 Wa, to cut, and ro, eye.

page 466 note 1 Op. cit. pp. 195-6.

page 469 note 1 From the following accounts it will appear that persons accused of witchcraft and condemned usually belong to a different tribe from that of the one bewitched.

page 474 note 1 Umba is the commonest shrub from which rope is obtained. In Zande it is called kpoyo and in local Arabic habluyuk.

page 480 note 1 One of the commonest features of the ceremonies held at Ngombva was the ‘tying of wu-umba’ round the necks of people, especially of children of both sexes.