Book

Magic, divination and witchcraft among the Barotse of Northern Rhodesia

Chatto and Windus • (3) • Published In 1963 • Pages: 19, 181 , plates

By: Reynolds, Barrie.

Abstract

Reynolds compiled this survey of Barotse sorcery from records of investigations and judicial proceedings conducted by British officials in 1956 during a 'wave' of sorcery and witchcraft incidents. The information is organized by the vernacular differentiations among specialists: MULOI, NG'AKA, MULAULI, and SITONDO (sorcerers, witchdoctors, diviners, and rain makers respectively). Reynolds stresses throughout that a particular specialist will often take up the practices of one of the other specialists; a MULOI will be acquainted with some of the legerdemain of the NG'AKA. Reynolds concludes that the particular intensity of the 1956 outbreak can be attributed to culture contact and culture change phenomena, and fears that the British authorities were perhaps overzealous in the execution of justice. In 8: Gluckman, 'The judicial process among the Barotse', pp. 423-6, there is an important critique of Reynold's work.

HRAF PubDate

1995

Region

Africa

Sub Region

Southern Africa

Document Type

Book

Evaluation

Creator Type

Ethnologist

Document Rating

4: Excellent Secondary Data

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Adolph Hoehling ; Sigrid Khera

Field Date

1957

Coverage Date

1956

Coverage Place

Zambia

Notes

Barrie Reynolds

Bibliography: p. 170

LCSH

Lozi (African people)