Book
Fusion of the worlds: an ethnography of possession among the Songhay of Niger
University of Chicago Press • Chicago • Published In 1989 • Pages:
By: Stoller, Paul.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
For this ethnography, the author became a novitiate in a cult in order to provide an insider view of Songhai religion and magic. It is an intimate and evocative portrayal of a Songhai possession troupe and the spiritual world it both embodies and invokes. Topics covered include: the different kinds of spirits and the history of their incorporation into the Songhai pantheon; the different ceremonies, including those associated with rainmaking, healing, and initiation; and the different kinds of religious specialists, including possession priests, spirit mediums, praise-singers, magicians, and helpers.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Normal garb
- Special garments
- Music
- Musical instruments
- Magical and mental therapy
- Cosmology
- Animism
- Spirits and gods
- Prayers and sacrifices
- Revelation and divination
- Magic
- Magicians and diviners
- Priesthood
- Religious denominations
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Songhai
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2016
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Africa
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Western Africa
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Ian Skoggard; 2016
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1970-1971, 1976-1977, 1979-1987
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1970-1987
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Tillabéri and Mehanna, Tillabéri region, Niger
- NotesAdditional notes
- Paul Stoller
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 235-239) and index
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 88029205
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Songhai (African people)
- Spirit possession--Niger